1-29-2015
Interesting findings in the Nielsen study on the habits of "local digerati" in the latest Local Watch Report. Despite the fact that you can check the weather in Timbuktu and the news in Beijing in an instant on your digital device, US consumers are still heavily invested in their own hood. Are Alpha Media and JVC Media on to something with the local focus in their markets?
The Nielsen report "On My Block" clearly shows that consumers are using digital to augment their local experience. The global digital village is indeed very local. According to Nielsen, this group is, "Nearly 30 million strong in the U.S. While 11% of adults across the U.S. can be pegged as local digerati, Boston (15%), Denver (15%), Orlando (14%), Philadelphia (14%) and Washington, D.C. (14%) boast the top markets for these consumers." Here's where it gets really interesting: The largest group of local digerati are 55 percent female. The local digerati skews on the younger side and peaks in the 25-34-year-old demographic at 25 percent, and they gradually decline as age increases.
There have been many detractors against turning "back" to a local angle on radio, and voice-tracking and network-based shows have kept a lot of stations from really hitting the bullseye of the local angle to listeners. With lower demographics rapidly skewing to new media, managers have been rightly worried about the use of digital from their younger demographics. The Nielsen report shows that these younger, digitally addicted listeners that many broadcasters have in their sight, are indeed "going local."
The local digerati not only skew younger, they've also got cash to spend. Nielsen reports that about 70 percent of them are educated, employed, and close to 40 percent of them make more than $75K per year. As Nielsen points out, these local digerati represent a very desirable group and a huge opportunity for broadcasters to leverage their unique local content.
The question managers need to be asking themselves is how are they targeting these local digerati with their product. Is shaving dollars from your budget and not employing talent truly plugged into your local community, and using your station's digital assets to target this group a wise fiscal policy or penny wise and pound foolish? Some would argue that with "everything/everywhere," local is essentially meaningless. That it's all about having the best product, whatever the delivery method. From Nielsen's findings, reaching the local digerati demographic with the locally targeted product they desire, might just end up being a very sound fiscal investment.
(1/30/2015 5:55:18 PM)
Yes, we all got our starts working for AM toilets in Buffalo Groin, Alberta or some such - it was fun and mostly for free.
Today, any attempt to populate the airwaves with live and local "talent" - talent that is either too new to know, too incompetent to be a resource to the station or too stupid to realize they are on a track to nowhere - given the lack of opportunities to experiment and develop themselves as "personalities" will only destroy the stations' credibilities.
That's an awful lot of "may" there. Hey Rionald (nice name, BTW) - how do you think the big talent got their start? Yep - LOCAL RADIO. Without local talent, there's no national talent. Your view is very short-sighted and ill-considered.
(1/30/2015 10:32:13 AM)
These arguments always delete the most important aspect of going "live and local". That would be: The quality of the talent.
Fact is: They're(generally) no good. Further, they may be so incompetent as broadcast communicators they may also move into the realm of "tune-out factors".
I mean, who is training them to do what, specifically? Huh?
Why would we skimp on talent or content, would a great restaurant serve cheap food? if they did, would you go back?
(1/30/2015 5:38:01 AM)
One word: Bravo!
Add a Comment | View All Comments Send This Story To A Friend
