Klarinet Archive - Posting 000835.txt from 1997/11

From: "BALDY" <comic@-----.com>
Subj: Re: market size and radio stations
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 15:46:16 -0500

It really should not come as that much of a surprise. It's all
demographics, that's what advertisers look at, and they look at who is
going to buy their product. What is the average profile of a listener of
classical music versus the profile of someone who listens to rock, classic
rock, easy listening and even talk radio. All of them will pull bigger
number, hence more advertising and more money for that advertising. The
arbitron ratings for radio is the basis for how each station sets their
advertising rates, much as a newspaper or magazine will do it on sales
figures.

In Wisconsin we have a terrific public radio system - and yes, they do have
have pledge drives and if they annoy you too much you can turn off for the
week or so they are on the air. The Wisconsin Public Radio system has
stations oll over the state, and they keep adding more. They have two sides
to it, one which deals with issues and news, the other music, primarily
classical but some jazz and folk as well.

In addition to that system, in Madison there is an independent public
station WORT that gets along by the skin of their teeth, has mostly
volunteers, from DJ's to engineers and has one of the most wonderful music
programs, classical, folk, blugrass, reggae, blues, etc.

It is possible to keep classical music on the air through public radio, but
it needs your support. If you do not have a station locally, pitch for one.
If you have one listen to pledge drive and give. They don't ask because
they want to, government funding started drying up years ago and continues
to do so.

Baldy

----------
> From: Edinger/Gilman <wde1@-----.com>
> To: Klarinet list <klarinet@-----.us>
> Subject: market size and radio stations
> Date: Saturday, November 22, 1997 11:16 AM
>
> Re the slow extinction of "classical" radio stations - I don't know if
> it's me or what, but it seems like the large cities are where these
> stations are gone first. And I mean that there are NONE left. I had a
> terrrible time in Washington (DC) finding anything, and now in
> California, in Fresno, pop. 400,000, there's just one (it's a pretty
> good one though). In Geneva, NY, pop. 15,000, I was in range of FOUR
> very good stations: Syracuse, Rochester, Binghamton (via Ithaca), and a
> local substation in Geneva, plus several others you could get if you had
> better equipment than I had. Boston seemed pretty meager too (my
> tolerance for Lurtsema is very low), but Albany had several. Maybe the
> market parameters in large cities make low-audience stations non-viable,
> whereas in smaller markets they can survive? Anyone have any expertise
> in this? It seems odd.
>
> Bill E.