Online Ratings Help CBS Radio…

Wednesday, August, 13, 2008 by Mel Phillips.

Being a proponent of terrestrial radio and the Internet forming an alliance and having success together, I was happy to see that CBS Radio is getting a larger share of digital advertising with improved online ratings.  Dan Mason sees the light:  “advertising is going through some difficult times and there’s been a lot of talk that some of that traditional advertising has migrated to the digital world and we’ve seen the growth in our own numbers.” …

The bump in CBS Radio ratings is due to the streaming of stations on AOL.  It should be noted that although CBS and AOL recently formed an alliance to offer the stations in one portal, various CBS stations (including WCBS-FM) have been streamed via AOL for several years now.  At five of those stations in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the combined weekly audience jumped nearly 50% in July compared to figures for the week before the AOL launch.  From May to June, CBS Radio’s audio streams posted a 65% increase in cume a.k.a. the number of different persons who listen to a station at a certain time of day for at least five minutes…

This might be a temporary bump or it could be the beginning of a successful run for terrestrial radio using online streaming to keep them in business.  Don’t think for one minute that CBS is not feeling the wallop of the most difficult economic climate ever experienced in our generation.  There’s a reason the company has sold 40 radio stations with more on the market…

I believe there’s more that radio can do in using the Internet besides streaming.  If the Internet is used properly for promoting stations interactively you’re helping to expand your station beyond just broadening your signal…     

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1907] The dawning of auto accidents: The 1st taxicab  hits the streets of Manhattan. The 1st crash will follow shortly…
2. 1912] Now the real hams come out: The 1st experimental radio license for a college radio station is given to St. Joseph’s College in Philadelphia…
3. 1934] L’il Abner debuts: Al Capp’s comic strip makes its debut in newspapers. Some of us early WNAC/WRKO folks had the pleasure of working with this eccentric but brilliant man when he provided comedy material for the morning show…
4. 1942] A Bambi sighting: Walt Disney’s “Bambi“ opens at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan…
5. 1959] Bridging the gap: Ground is broken in New York on the $320 million Verrazano Narrows Bridge which will link Brooklyn and Staten Island…
6. 1961] United we stand, divided we fall: Berlin is divided by a barbed wire fence to halt the flight of refugees. Two days later work begins on the Berlin Wall…
7. 1971] “Happy Trails“: Musician King Curtis, 37, is stabbed to death in Manhattan. King Curtis opened for the Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965…1995] Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle  loses his battle with liver cancer at 63. Mantle campaigned actively for the donation of organs to save lives during his final days…2007]  Baseball Hall of Famer and broadcaster Phil Rizzuto dies in his sleep at 89…
8. 1990] Rock & Roll tragedy: Singer Curtis Mayfield  is paralyzed after a light track falls on him during a concert in Brooklyn…
9. 2003] Blood money: Libya agrees to set up a $2.7 billion fund for families of 270 people killed in the 1988 Pan Am bombing…
10. 2004] Charley roars: A stronger-than-expected Hurricane Charley  roars ashore Florida’s Gulf Coast, taking at least 10 lives…

Music Memories:

• 1952] Recorded on this date: The original version of “Hound Dog“ by Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton…
  1965] Released on this date: “Help“ (the single) - Beatles…1966] “You Can’t Hurry Love“ - Supremes…
  1965] Performance debut: Jefferson Airplane at San Francisco’s Matrix Club.  Two years later  they were headlining…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday“:

Danny Bonaduce (49), Scott Hamilton (50),Kevin Tighe (64), Dave “Baby” Cortez (70), Mudcat Grant (73), Pat Harrington (79), Fidel Castro (82) and Sir George Shearing (89)…

Timeline Countdown: 19 days until Labor Day and 22 days until the NFL opener (Washington @ NYG)…

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