“‘Less is More’ may be top of mind for broadcasters, but listeners have not perceived a reduction in commercial loads on radio. In fact, listeners still perceive more commercials on radio than two and five years ago, not less.”
That’s one of the conclusions of Paragon Media Strategies, which said it recently surveyed listeners on the topic. The comment was released by the company’s CEO Mike Henry. He said radio listening among younger listeners, under 25, has been most affected by a perception of increased commercial loads.
“The good news is that it is this same group, the under 25 listeners, who say they would listen more to radio if commercial loads were noticeably reduced.”
But he said most listeners “simply don’t care” if a station plays :30 vs. :60 commercials if the total commercial air time is the same. “For the minority of listeners who do care, the appeal of :30 commercials is dependent upon the placement of that :30 commercial in the context of other commercials aired around it. When filling one minute of time, two :30s are slightly preferred over one :60 commercial.
“However when filling five minutes of time, :60s are preferred by a 2:1 margin.”
Study Suggests Radio Has a Ways to Go in Fixing Clutter Problems
Study Suggests Radio Has a Ways to Go in Fixing Clutter Problems
