March 18, 2019, Issue 644
CRS Dive: Continuous Measurement
by Sue Wilson Confession time: The mysterious and intimidating ratings system almost kept me from a career in programming. That may have been an unexpected reflection to have as I sat in on the CRS panel “Programming In An Always On World,” but as my radio life progressed, I realized I was not alone in that thinking. Having met many programmers along the way – and for the many who are new to programming now – understanding diary methodology and how it compares to PPM can be a challenge. As 200 diary markets begin a three-phase transition to Nielsen’s “Continuous Measurement” monthlies Jon Miller in August, the company’s Jon Miller led a crucial session for any programmer facing this significant methodology change and hoping for a better handle on a slippery system ... before it’s too late. (Ed. Note: No less than iHeartMedia Chairman/ CEO Bob Pittman recently suggested that radio ratings could be phased out in less than 10 years.) Poll Position: But first, a story. It was the love of music, first and foremost, that drew me toward a career in radio. I quickly became more fascinated with the medium’s behind-the-scenes operation over the behind-the-mic stuff. How does a station pick which songs to play and how often? Why are some songs moved up in rotation and some moved out? Clearly those decisions made much of the difference between stations with good ratings that everyone listened to and those with low ratings. But not being a numbers person (heck, I chose radio because I thought it required very little math!), I felt alone in my understanding of ratings methodology and felt dumb asking too many questions. (continued on page 6)
Through The Looking-Class: The Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 2019 at this morning’s (3/18) press conference (available here). Pictured (l-r) are Ray Stevens (Veteran Era Artist), Jerry Bradley (Non-Performer) and Brooks & Dunn’s Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks (Modern Era Artist).
Big Yellow Dog Lets Music Lead
Conventional thinking would have Big Yellow Dog Music drawing a straight line from their successful development of Meghan Trainor, Maren Morris and Tenille Townes to Logan Mize and beyond – perhaps even status as the next upstart record company. After all, co-owners Kerry O’Neil and Carla Wallace have a label services staff and recently contracted established promotion pros to work Mize’s single “Better Off Gone.” Conventional, however, isn’t their style.
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