Now here’s a listener survey I put some faith in…
Rob Balon’s company surveyed almost 2,300 listeners and found that 66% believe there are about the same amount of commercials on radio stations, while 24% think there are more. A scant 10% believe there are fewer spots.
“Listeners have simply not recognized reduced spot loads, if indeed they exist, on every station,” Rob concluded.
Previously I have urged us to stop obsessing on this one element of our mix as if it has some monumental power to move listener passions. It does not. And as Rob’s survey suggests, it’s not even interesting enough to get on listeners’ radar.
There’s a difference between telling your radio station that you want fewer commercials and being interested in whether or not stations are actually doing it. That’s because the big leap – the point at which listeners really pay attention – isn’t in going from “more commercials” to “fewer commercials.”
The big leap is from “more” to “none.”
My advice: Stop obsessing on the trivia of commercial volume. Start addressing your content.