The arrival of 'Moving Pictures' with
sound and then 'Television' were expected
to be the death knell for 'Radio'. However
Radio has not just survived repeated predictions
of its demise but grown tremendously.
It has benefitted listeners and advertisers
alike and earned the status of a 'Constant
Companion'.. What allowed Radio to accomplish
this feat? Read on for the long journey
the Radio industry has covered thus far.
It
was way back in 1895, that Guglielmo Marconi
invented an antenna to send and receive
radio signals. It took quite a while before
Reginald Fessenden developed the first
radio receiver in 1913. At this stage
sermons were thought to be the only programming
that would be of interest or value to
listeners. However, experts give a lot
of credit to David Sarnoff who actually
conceived what is called as the "radio
music box". It was Sarnoff who suggested
that radio should be mass-produced for
public consumption. His persistence paid
off in 1919 when such sets were available
for general purchase. This saw the beginning
of what was later looked on as the 'Golden
Age of Radio'.
Early
1920s saw the launch of commercial radio.
People in households would gather around
the radio to listen to their favorite
programs much as they do today with TV.
Radio became the first medium delivering
entertainment to the masses in their homes.
The 1st paid announcement on radio was
a 10-minute capsule from Howthorne Court,
a Queens based Real Estate Company. This
era of radio (1920 -1948) was characterized
with 'block programming' wherein radio
offered something to everyone. News, drama,
sports; live musical recordings (almost
exclusively till 1940s) would be presented
in 30 or 60-minute programs. A network
soap opera could be followed by a 15-minute
newscast followed by one hour of a concert.
Listeners would decide which program to
listen to and plan their day accordingly.
There were standard repeat patterns for
popular shows. Radio stations sold sponsorships
of programs as we do for TV programs these
days.
Radio
stations started creating networks wherein
two or more stations in different cities
could broadcast the same programs. Soon
a whole spectrum of network programs emerged
featuring presenters who, through national
radio networks, became a part of everyday
life.
Then
in the 1950s TV began to catch the public's
attention. Audiences were charmed by the
audiovisual experience of TV. They were
increasingly choosing TV as the active
source of entertainment. A large number
of popular shows moved from radio to TV.
That was not all, as the radio industry
was also losing a large number of talented
staff to TV. People in households now,
would gather around the TV sets to get
their fix of entertainment. Radio had
to begin to compete in its own way in
order to survive.
At
this point in time, radio experts discovered
an opportunity that only radio could provide.
They realized that radio was the only
medium that could be used while doing
other things, like getting dressed for
work, cooking a meal, traveling to office,
studying and more. In fact it was the
only medium that could be used while using
other media like reading a magazine or
a newspaper or even surfing the net. Radio
is the only medium that allows you to
enjoy entertainment without making itself
the entire focus of your attention. It
also has the flexibility to be with you
throughout the day whether you are at
home or outside.
Radio
turned 'local' and moved to what is known
in the industry as 'Format' programming.
This era also spawned two of radio's greatest
strengths: immediacy and local service.
Format radio strategy was based on providing
the same kind of entertainment to a selected
audience, throughout the day, seven days
a week. It would thus help these people
get the freedom to switch the radio on
at any time during the day and get exactly
the kind of programs they seek. So in
case the audience you were targeting listened
to only popular music, the station would
only play the chart hits throughout the
day.
As
the story goes, Storz and McClendon used
to frequent a local malt shop, which had
a jukebox. They observed that the customers
would usually come and play the same songs
that they liked, over and over again.
In fact, the staff serving these people
would end up playing just the same songs
even when the shop was closed. They realized
that while the radio jockey's may crave
for variety, listeners crave for quality…"A
wide variety of my favorite songs played
over and over again". From this insight
emerged the "Top 40" format
or the "Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR)"
format were the most popular hits would
be played on a higher rotation.
This
led to a change in the way radio time
was being sold. Sales people shifted from
selling programs to selling commercials.
It also led to a shift in the way radio
programs were scheduled. As radio was
being used as a background medium of entertainment,
it had to be relevant to the listener
at every point of time in the day. The
shows therefore had to be reflective of
various day parts in the life of the listener.
In
the early morning most radio listeners
are busy getting dressed for the day and
want information about weather, news and
useful tips on what to expect from the
day. People wake up, get dressed and leave
home at different times. They are exposed
to radio for a short while. The medium
therefore has a short window to please
them. It is the time when everyone is
at home and one can expect the broadest
audience tuned in as they all are hungry
for information after having been asleep
and away from the world overnight. And
the information needs to be repeated often
as the listening span and time for various
listeners will differ. Radio presenters
have more topics to cover and need to
be to the point. Programmers would select
only short songs and just the best of
the best.
Once
a person is out of home at work, the role
of radio for him changes. In most cases
the activities around him will remain
similar till lunchtime and a 'Mid Morning
Show' captures this day part. In this
day part information on traffic, weather
and news becomes unnecessary in most cases.
One would expect lesser number of listeners
at this time though they listen for longer
duration. Traditionally, a more conversational
host can take charge now.
The
activities may see a minor change once
again around lunchtime through to evening
when kids are coming back home. Depending
upon the nature of the city and the lifestyle
there, this day part gets captured in
the 'Afternoon Show'.
The
late afternoon is in many ways similar
to the Morning Show as people are leaving
offices and want to plan their journey
home. Traffic updates become important
once again. However the time of leaving
office may vary widely. These updates
would need to be spread over a longer
time. At this time listeners are also
planning their evenings and is a good
time for TV soaps/ shows; theatre shows
to advertise.
The
'Night Show' or day part coincides with
high TV viewing time. Radio needs to respect
that. This is also the time when people
are not likely to be busy at work or doing
other things. A good time to have more
interactive programs for the listeners
as they have the time to call in, talk
and be more actively involved with the
medium.
The
format strategy worked wonders for the
radio industry. More and more radio stations
started coming up and competition increased.
Varied formats started emerging as radio
stations tried to create a meaningful
niche for themselves. This included 24
hours news station, talk radio, CHR, Adult
Contemporary Hits, Slow Rock Hits, Sentimental
Hits to name just a few. Nowadays in developed
radio markets you could have a radio station
that caters to females between 15 and
25 with just love songs.
Irrespective
of the form it came in, format radio definitely
made radio not just survive the onslaught
of TV but also made it grow tremendously.
Being the only medium that could be carried
and used wherever you are, it could update
you about your world throughout the day
while providing you with the entertainment
you like all the time. Radio became "The
Constant Companion". A medium that
can be used for longer durations than
other media and therefore provides an
opportunity to a potential advertiser
to be able to drive his advertising message
home more frequently.
By
Sandeep Kapur
Vice President - Marketing, Hutchison
Telecom
(The author is the ex Head of Marketing
at Radio City)
