5-10-14
In a cover story interview that hits the street today, syndicated talker Sean Hannity tells Radio Ink the biggest challenge facing radio is its inability to accurately measure listeners. "One of the problems with radio in general, and this impacts all formats, is that in the last 10 years, our lives, in terms of technology, have changed dramatically. Radio needs to wake up to this fact. It?s the single biggest threat to the radio business today ? that is, the measurement system is flawed in a dramatic way." Hannity believes he has millions of digital listeners he is not able to get credit for.
"For example, in New York, if you?re listening to The Sean Hannity Radio Show on the WOR website, even if you have a Portable People Meter, I can?t get credit for that. We know that WABC, at times, had well over 1.4 million people listening online. If we can?t get credit for that, then all the data that?s being put out there is just inaccurate. Then you add to that those people who listen to me on satellite. That?s unmeasured. If people listen on my website, that?s not measured. I?m a big proponent of iHeart-Radio, but that?s also unmeasured. What we have is a situation where, especially in big cities, it?s almost impossible to get an AM signal, and for the people listening to my show, and they are, there is no way that we can get credit.
Hannity says. he knows for a fact he has millions of online listeners. "I have never seen it below a couple of million people. Ever. This is not a small issue. This is a massive issue."
The Radio Ink issue featuring Sean Hannity on the cover comes out today.
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(5/12/2014 11:13:05 PM)
I agree with Chris Stevens. Hannity's problem is not ratings methodology; his problem is, that his right-wing views are completely out of touch with most Americans. Unless you are Caucasian and 50 or even 55+, and right wing, you are not going to listen to Hannity.
(5/12/2014 2:50:54 PM)
Hannity would feel this way because he's in the format most suffering from aging demographics and listener fatigue, political talk. His ideology requires him to believe "real America" HAS to be on his side, so the idea they aren't listening is problematic to him - and he searches for an excuse. Pathetic.
(5/12/2014 1:22:11 PM)
I heard Sean's comment at the Sports Programming Conference in San Diego and totally agree. There has to be a meeting of the minds with Nielsen because the paradigm is different and if there is no accuracy to what you are measuring, why do it. The current reporting method stations are using for on-line listening is difficult to work with or believe at best. This problem requires a good solution from Nielsen...now.
(5/12/2014 11:45:02 AM)
I say again -- add PPM encoder to your internet streams. This is not shocking revelation. Also, manipulating server logs, Fred? We're going down the conspiracy road now? Come on.
(5/12/2014 9:48:03 AM)
Hannity is absolutely correct. This is an "Elephant in the room" issue for radio. What exactly is being done about it? Nothing yet.
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