Radio To Post Ratings Like TV…

Friday, May, 2, 2008 by Mel Phillips.

(Weekend Edition)

Taking a page from TV, look for Radio to start posting ratings within the next couple of months.  It’s reported that Clear Channel  CEO John Hogan came up with the idea in an attempt to instill more confidence in advertisers…

As always, by making yourself vulnerable, you take some risks.  By exposing your ratings and failing to achieve 90% of the target audience size per PPM, you will be required to cough up the difference with extra inventory to your advertisers a.k.a. “make goods” - something no station likes to do…

Radio Advertising Bureau  President Jeff Haley, in an interview with Radio & Records  revealed this new radio plan, already endorsed by CBS Radio, Clear Channel, Citadel, Cumulus, Greater Media and Entercom.  Haley will announce the plan formally on May 11 and a vote by RAB members is scheduled for a May 21 board meeting…

There’s no mention of  what form these radio postings will take.  My guess is that you won’t see a weekly top 10 list of shows in rank order but rather, “station X was number one among all music stations this week with 40% more listeners than station Y.”  A word to advertisers:  just be sure to read the fine print…

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1936]  Debuted on this date:   Future Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio  makes his major league debut with 3 hits (5/3)…1959]  The first ‘Grammy Awards Show’  is hosted by Mort Sahl (5/4).  “Record of The Year“:  “Nel Blu dipinto di Blu (Volare)” - Domenico Modugno, “Album of The Year“:  “The Music of Peter Gunn” - Henry Mancini…1971]  National Public Radio a.k.a. NPR makes its debut (5/3)…
2. 1952]  Derby Doings:  Jockey Eddie Arcaro becomes the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby 5 times when he guides Hill Gail to the finish line first in the 77th running of the legendary race (5/3)…1957]  Bill Shoemaker misjudges the finish line as his horse Gallant Man finishes second to Iron Leige (5/4)…1986]  At the age of 54, Shoemaker becomes the oldest jockey to win the big race aboard Ferdinand (5/3)…
3. 1970]  Four dead in O-hi-o:  Four die and 9 others are wounded by Ohio National Guardsmen in the tragedy at Kent State  (5/4).  The girl (Mary Ann Vecchio) standing over one of the wounded students was not a student but a runaway.  John Filo, a photojournalism student won a Pulitzer Prize for that photo…
4. 1974]  Cue the shark:  The filming of “Jaws” begins on Martha’s Vineyard.  Next time you visit the Vineyard, ask someone to point out the spot near a small bridge where filming took place.  They say the water temperature (in the 50s) was so cold, the extras in the water were freezing (5/2)…
5. 1991]  Curtains:  “Dallas” airs its final episode (5/3).  The show that started in April, 1978, breaks ratings records in 1980 when 8.6 million viewers watch the “Who Shot J.R.” episode…
6. 2000]  ‘Happy Trails’:  Cardinal John O’Connor, the archbishop of New York, dies from a brain tumor at 80 (5/3)…2006]  Earl Woods, father of Tiger, dies from prostate cancer at 74 (5/4)…
7. 2001]  Murder and Acquittal in Hollywood:  Bonny Lee Bakley, wife of Robert Blakeis shot to death in Los Angeles (5/4).  Blake will be acquitted at trial…
8. 2002]  In Quad:  Seattle’s Mike Cameron becomes the 13th major leaguer to hit 4 home runs in a game in a 15-4 Mariner rout of the White Sox (5/2)…
9. 2003]  Home field advantage:  The MLB players association agrees to a 2-year experiment in which the winning league in the All-Star  game gets home field advantage in the World Series (5/2).  Apparently this is now a fixture because they’re still doing it…
10. 2006]  Gotcha:  Al-Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui is given a life sentence (5/3) for his role in the 911 terrorists attack on the World Trade Center…

Music Memories:

• 1956]  Recorded on this date:  “Be-Bop-A-Lula” - Gene Vincent (5/4)…
• 1960]  O Solo Mio:  Ben E. King breaks away from the Drifters, signing a solo deal with Atco Records (5/2).  This was his first solo hit…
• 1964]  Number One on this date:  “Hello Dolly” - Louis Armstrong (5/4)…1966]  “Monday, Monday” - Mamas & Papas (5/2)…1976]  “Welcome Back” - John Sebastian (5/2) - the theme song for the TV show - the school you see in the background is my school (New Utrecht High School)…1977]  “Hotel California” - Eagles (5/4)…1986]  “West End Girls” - Pet Shop Boys (5/4)…

Commentary:

Yesterday in Israel was ‘Holocaust Remembrance Day”, a day set aside to recognize survivors’ contributions to the nation.  Israelis observed their annual two-minute silence in honor of the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II.  Solemn gatherings were held at memorial sites throughout the tiny nation and in the words of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, “The rebirth of the state, its blossoming and its prosperity, and the Holocaust survivors living lives of dignity here - these are the best way to remember and move forward.”  Amen to that thought…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday”:

(5/2)  Sarah Hughes (23), David Beckham (33), The Rock a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson (36), Foreigner lead singerLou Gramm (58), Lesley Gore (62), Engelbert Humperdinck (72)…(5/3)  Christopher Cross (57), Greg Gumbel (62), Frankie Valli (74) and Pete Seeger (89)…(5/4)  Pia Zadora (54), Nick Ashford (66), George Will (67), Dick Dale (71)…

Timeline Countdown:  One day until the Kentucky Derby (my pick: Colonel John), 8 days until Mother’s Day and 24 days until Memorial Day…

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