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We were sitting around The Ratings Experts ranch at RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. when we had a sudden epiphany. JUNE is the third month in a row that can also be used as a person’s name. It is not a common name but is a legitimate one, nonetheless. So we put on our thinking beanies and tried to think of famous JUNEs. It appears that even with GOOGLE’s assistance, we could only come up with two that had any relevance to radio: JUNE CARTER CASH (of course) and JUNE POINTER (yes, of ...
We were dealing with a lot of stuff in APRIL. The class clown in your office played the fool a day early, and we ripped through Passover, Good Friday and Easter in a four-day span; dealt with the taxman; and even celebrated Mother Earth – all while dealing with a lot of odd weather. It’s a wonder we have the energy left to parse the data. But when duty calls, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in a tight formation with the number crunchers from XTRENDS ...
Our long day’s journey into night has finally brought us to the DECEMBER survey. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the magical elves from XTRENDS – are here with visions of sugar plums and the stench of pine needles. This is the book that upends everything. Every single stinkin’ market will have at least one station that sold its soul to the evil BURL IVES (Fun aside, if it wasn’t for holiday music, would anyone still know who that guy ...
The purpose of today’s TED talk is to parse the results of the so-called NOVEMBER survey. A curious thing about that. This book actually began on OCTOBER 13th (it did end on NOVEMBER 9th). That means the first three weeks (or so) of the survey were normal radio stuff. However, once Week 4 rolled around, we had the dreaded return of BURL IVES and his minions. Was this enough to gum up the works? Rest assured, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the elves ...
It is that time of year when we are reminded of that famous Bart Simpson meme – “There is no such month as ROCKTOBER.” Write that on the blackboard 50 times, please. There is, or was, a NIELSEN survey with the OCTOBER label plastered on the calendar. As is usually the case the month and the survey did not match up. This one began on SEPTEMBER 15th and reached its denouement on OCTOBER 12th. It featured (in order) a change of seasons, ROSH HASHANAH, YOM KIPPUR, and a ...
We have reached a milestone. As The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in close cooperation with the math mavens from XTRENDS – prepare to deliver yet another scintillating foray into the ratings universe, the SEPTEMBER survey marks the tenth anniversary of this here missive. That’s a decade worth of smarm, snark, and sarcasm. So, as an added feature to this month’s column, we will fondly look back at what was happening then in the markets we examine. This ...
We’re here to discuss the ratings fortunes that befell radio during the survey affectionately known as AUGUST. We should be clear, however, that this book’s title is only half correct. The time period in question commenced on 7/21 and reached its denouement on 8/17. There were no major holidays to foul people’s plans, but it was the last gasp of freedom for many prior to the beginning of the school year. The Ratings experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along ...
To borrow and twist a horrible radio cliché – welcome to hump month! Yup, JULY is smack dab in the middle of the 13 “months” that NIELSEN has deemed survey-friendly. As with most of these predesignated periods, the actual dates did not align with the month in question. This one began on JUNE 23rd and concluded on JULY 20th. It did contain a federally-mandated three-day weekend, but other than that, it was your typical 28-day entity. There are a lot of numbers here, ...
JUNE is busting out all over and The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with our cohorts at XTRENDS – are busting our collective keisters to bring you the latest in breaking ratings news. Thanks to an inconvenient federal holiday, all the data has been delayed by a day, which only heightens your anticipation (or trepidation). We will attempt to give you the facts possible mixed in with a snappy retort or two. The so-called JUNE survey began on May 26th and ...
Welcome to our first look at the MAY survey. It was quite the month. There was May Day, Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day. Plus a bunch of non-Hallmark kinds of “days.” Those were distractions for radio listeners and opportunities for radio promotions – or, at least, some clever imaging. How it all played out is where we step in. We’re The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., and we comb through the data with a healthy assist from the number ...