Month: October 2022

Content from BPRUS auto makers are ceasing production of car audio systems that include the AM medium-wave band. European car makers have been doing so for years.So why are US auto makers deleting AM medium-wave band from car audio systems? The reason may not be so obvious.In the US, almost all AM stations have reverted to news/talk programs as car listeners have come to realize that the audio quality of AM medium-wave is clearly inferior to that of FM and digital audio. However, an additional reason for the abandonment of AM stems from the fact that electric vehicles (EV’s) produce electromagnetic waves at around the same frequency as AM medium-wave signals. The result is significant interference between the AM receiver and the EV’s engine.It is ironic that the advent of electric vehicles will be the final straw that breaks the back of AM radio listening in the US.Electric vehicles are here to stay. EU member nations have agreed to stop sales of internal combustion autos by 2035. The large US auto makers will probably not be far behind as internal combustion engines go the way of tyrannosaurus rex.The Jacobs Media Tech Survey 2022 that was conducted in the US shows that Bluetooth has now overtaken FM as the preferred audio source in automobiles. The reason is fairly obvious. An increasing number of car listeners use their mobile phones as a primary audio source and Bluetooth is currently one of the most common methods of connecting a smart phone to a car audio system. We can safely conclude that the smart phone is for many users the primary source of audio content in the car.As this trend progresses, radio stations are finding themselves directly competing with virtually every other digital audio source available on a smart phone.Even FM radio has become harder to find in modern car audio systems. FM is just one of a number of listening choices on the car touch screen.Once again, we are reminded that radio companies are essentially audio content providers. Our job is to ensure that our program content is appealing and unique. In the age of digital audio, all players are equal. It is only the content that distinguishes the winners from the losers.By Andy Beaubien, BPR […]

Selling Radio Direct with Pat BrysonThe looming new year sometimes means we have client agreements coming up for renewals. This can be a bit scary as we wonder if they will renew, will they try to cut back expenditures? Will they NOT renew?Renewals often require increasing rates. Most salespeople will not want to rock the boat. Have you ever tried to sneak a new agreement past your manager using last year’s rates?Renewal time should be a time to find ways to better serve our clients. Business is evolving rapidly tossed about by external factors beyond our control. These shifting sands require businesses to constantly change how they do business. The marketing plan they used last year, last quarter or even last week may need to be changed. It’s almost a certainty that their message will need to be changed.Before we ask for a renewal, we need to sit with our clients and do a needs analysis. We need to benchmark the business. We need to know what has changed. We need to know what they anticipate the next year to be like.Here are some questions we need to ask:How has your business changed in 2022? Up, down, flat?What are the major challenges you are facing now?How have these changed this year?What concerns you most about 2023?If it’s supply chain, ask what they can get, what they can’t get. When do they expect it to loosen up?If it’s staff, how has this affected the business specifically? Shorter hours? Days?Is revenue back to 2019 levels? Exceeding 2019 levels?Has your store traffic returned?Any lingering effects of 2020?Where do you want to be by the end of 2023?What needs to happen to get you there?How have your profit centers shifted?What will it be important for your customers to know about you in the next few months and 2023?Are you seeing smaller orders? Less people? A combination of both?How important to you is being involved with community events?You probe for changes in the business. You ascertain goals and objectives for 2023. You understand your client’s perceptions of his world. These new challenges can trigger changes in how they have been advertising. If clients have not been using effective schedules, you may now find ways to introduce them to doing so.If clients believe our campaigns can help them to solve problems, they will give us money. Renewals start with understanding where the client’s business is NOW and where they want to be at the end of 2023.Take the time to understand. It’s not about us: it’s about them. Easier renewals await! […]