[BC] Getting the Commercials on

[Cowboy]

On Saturday 20 November 2010 02:08:32 pm Barry Mishkind wrote:

>         Good ideas. But in recent years, hasn't the
>         threshold for listener participation generally
>         risen to where big money is expected?

 Methinks not !
 Basic human nature is to respond when one is appreciated, regardless
 of any other compensation.

>         Or, 
>         do we have current data to show that an
>         involved audience doesn't care if the prize
>         is $1million or $10?

 Methinks we have more than enough data to indicate that PD's
 *believe* that audiences are bought, not earned, which may tend
 to substantiate your claim.
 If we accept the premis that audiences are bought, not earned, then
 the dollar value of the prize is everything.
 This would also tend to suggest that audience loyalty does not exist,
 so program content is irrelevant save for the dollar value of the prize.

 On the other hand, if we accept the premis that listeners who believe
 that *their* station appreciates *them,* then the dollar value of the prize
 is irrelevant, and content is everything. ( appreciation is priceless )
 ( this is also why a Thanksgiving turkey pays more dividends than
 a raise in salary ever will )

 Now, if we assume that it is possible for a listener to actually listen and
 absorb the content from two stations simultaneously, then the dollar
 value of the prize *might* be relevant, but only as a motivation in
 which contest to participate, assuming a choice must be made.

 We seem to have programming today that treats listeners as nothing
 more than life support for the revenue stream, otherwise worthless
 and irrelevant. If that is true, then purchasing an audience is the only
 option, and will tend to perpetuate the big money myth.

 As long as we, the "theater of the mind" assume that our listeners
 have no mind, any and all of the "hard data" is seriously flawed.


-- 
Cowboy