Effects of Local-Market Radio Ownership Concentration on Radio Localism,the Public Interest,and Listener Opinions and Use of Local Radio

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 and ensuing radio ownership consolidation are often blamed for harming radio localism and the public interest. The present research sought to determine effects of local-market radio ownership concentration on listener opinions and use of radio—potentially indicative of stations' localism and public service—by surveying listeners in markets categorized by ownership concentration. Findings suggest concentration does not strongly influence perceptions; however, overall results indicate potentially negative consequences from local and national consolidation on amounts of local music, news, and public-service programming; live-local programming; and station responsiveness.     

Introduction to the Symposium on Canadian Radio Research

There has been a dramatic shift in the philosophy of broadcast regulation. After decades of managing the local radio market structure with policies of ownership regulation, Congress and the FCC have mandated policies of ownership deregulation. This study examines the effect of deregulation policies on the small market radio industry. Recent research has explored issues of radio market structure and performance in larger markets; however, few studies have examined the impact of policy in smaller markets. This study analyzed 52 metropolitan statistical areas with populations less than 125,000. The study used regression analysis to identify the effect of deregulation on the number and type of radio owners in the small markets. Overall, the results revealed that the Telecommunications Act of 1996 had a dramatic impact on the number of local radio owners in the small markets.     

Media Ownership Regulations and Local News Programming on Broadcast Television: An Empirical Analysis

This study analyzes the provision of local news programming on local television and its relation with station ownership characteristics and market conditions. The results show that station financial strength and market competition have a significant, positive relation with the quantity of local news programming. However, there is little evidence that ownership characteristics (e.g., duopoly ownership and ownership by one of the big 4 broadcast networks) contribute to local news production. The findings call into question one of the underlying rationales of the Federal Communication Commission's current policies toward more relaxed national and multiple ownership rules.     

Local Ownership and Radio Market Structure

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 changed the nature of radio markets. Recent policy recommendations from the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Congress have led to questions about localism in local radio markets. This study analyzes station ownership, the number of clusters, radio programming, and audience data from 32 radio markets and compares the information for the years 2000, 2004, 2007, and 2010. The results suggested a degree of stability for the types and size of radio owners, the market power of local radio clusters, and the number and type of formats.     

Localism and All-Sports Radio

All-sports radio became a natural byproduct of the informational radio trend of the 1980s. It originated in New York and other large markets. Although it originated as a large market format, today there are dozens of sports radio stations on the air in markets large and small, with many major markets supporting more than one sports radio station. This article analyzes all-sports radio in a medium market, Peoria, Illinois, the 150th largest market in America. National sports networks provide an essential connection to big league sports in Peoria, but coverage of local sports is valuable in establishing a brand identity.     

“Riding Two Horses”: Radio at Television's Creation. An Interview With Dr. Frank N. Stanton

This study investigates both the internal competition for advertising revenues among radio stations and the external competition with other media. The study of the advertising revenues of the Greek radio market from 1988 to 2007 shows that there is a low concentration in the sector, allowing low barriers to entry. However, the radio market is inferior to other media regarding advertising revenues. A key reason is the constant decrease of the advertising cost, something that in the future may affect the intensity of competition and the quality of radio station content.     

The Politics of Playing Along: Radio and Regulation in Democratic Europe

The loss of localism has been a common trend in most radio markets in Europe and the United States. Deregulation of ownership led to a concentration phenomenon that has affected local radios in several western democracies. New forms of regulation have been considered as possible ways to stop the erosion of localism by applying rules to markets in the defense of diversity, pluralism, and the local dimension. This article analyses the local radio market in Portugal, by assessing the changes in the legislation and by examining the regulatory action that can, according to its remit, act preventively to avoid market forces to harm these principles.     

Optimizing Radio Advertising in North Queensland,Australia: A Mathematical Programming Approach

Decision making could be described using 2 steps: (a) understanding the effects of a particular course of action and (b) selecting an action given this knowledge of effects. It is my contention that businesses wanting to advertise in radio have only partial information about the marketplace. There are approximately 500 commercial and community radio stations in Australia. However, only commercial radio stations, which make up 47% of the total radio stations in the country, systematically conduct radio surveys. In this article, I profile radio audiences in North Queensland, Australia using the list of values measure (LOV; Kahle & Kennedy, 1989). Also, I present the combinations of commercial and community radio stations that could deliver the maximum possible impact on the pertinent target market.     

Tuning In to Radio: Promoting Audience Transference During Frequency Shifts

This investigation explores the interaction between radio listenership, station attributes, branding and promotional strategies, and their impact on total audience and target audience transference during frequency switching. A multistation, single market switch in frequencies serves as the focus of this case study analysis. Although the enhancement or deterioration of signal strength is a primary contributor, stations whose formats had the greatest competition within the market and who had highly accurate and accessible Web sites did the best job of product differentiation through station branding and were most effective in maintaining and, in some cases, increasing audience share.     

Turn On,Tune In,Drop Out: Radio Listening,Ownership Policy,and Technology

Radio listening in the United States fell by more than 10% between 1998 and 2003. During this time, broadcast radio faced new competition from satellite radio and the Internet while the industry was also undergoing significant changes due to increased radio ownership caps. This article quantifies the effects of these factors on audience sizes and explores the implications for audience composition and programming content. The results show that industry consolidation played a larger role in decreasing overall listening than new technology. New technology did have a role in altering the distribution of listeners among programming formats.     

Double the Units: How Increasing the Number of Advertisements while Keeping the Overall Duration of Commercial Breaks Constant Affects Radio Listeners

Recently, a major radio station ownership group pressured the advertising industry to transition the accepted unit of advertising from the 60-second commercial to 30-second spots. This transition shows signs of being successful, and it is now possible for stations to play twice as many individual ad units while keeping the overall duration of commercial breaks constant. This within-subjects experiment tests the effects of such a circumstance on variables including listener cognitive effort, arousal, attitudes, and memory. Results suggest that breaks with more ad units lead to cognitive disengagement, increased duration estimates for the ad breaks, and more negative attitudes compared to ad breaks with fewer units.     

The State of Spanish-Language Radio

This study focused on the ownership, programming, and competition patterns of Spanish-language radio stations in the top 50 Hispanic metropolitan areas. Data were collected from industry resources and measured a variety of variables, including ownership type, concentration, and format diversity in these Hispanic radio markets. Overall, the results indicated moderate levels of ownership concentration in these markets, a degree of format differentiation within the local Spanish-language radio industry, and some degree of competition among Spanish-language radio stations.     

A Political Economy of Radio in the Digital Age

Digital radio- which encompasses digital production and digital distribution (via broadcasting and the Internet)-is being marketed in the UK and Europe as a set of technologies that will enhance public choice, democratic participation, and interactivity. An analysis of it from a political-economic perspective, however, suggests that in a loosely regulated market economy, digitalization will not necessarily significantly increase choice or participation: On the contrary it is likely to encourage further concentration of ownership in the radio industry, thus restricting diversity. It may also risk exposing radio to structural subordination to other mass media. The article draws on trade and specialist reports as well as broader theoretical perspectives to support its central claims.     

Radio stations and the world wide Web

Based on a survey of 419 industry professionals responsible for maintaining radio station Web sites and a content analysis of 900 radio station Web sites, this study provides an overview of the state of Web radio in the late 1990s. This study investigates the extent of Web radio, the range of content offered on radio station Web sites, the benefits realized as a result of having a Web site, and the problems encountered with Web sites, and makes recommendations based on the findings. A general conclusion of this study is that although the Web presents a wealth of exciting possibilities, most radio broadcasters are currently underutilizing the Web and their Web sites.     

What Makes a Good Radio Remote: Factors Leading to Perceived Cost-Effective and Well-Received On-Site Radio Promotional Sales Events

In the US., the on-site radio remote is commonly used to generate listener interest in the station and the client. Factors that were most important to stations, businesses, and audience members were studied in five radio markets. Investigators attended 30 remotes, collecting usable responses from 432 attendees of remotes, 31 radio station personnel and 74 businesses. Results suggested that Location, Product, Giveaways, and Station Personalities were most important to having a successful radio remote.     

Radio Station Innovation and Risk Taking: A Survey of Programmers and General Managers

We conducted a survey of radio station program directors and general managers to explore the perception and role of innovation within radio programming and the key factors that influence this perception. In the study, we found that, in general, programmers and general managers perceive little innovation in programming except at their own stations. Results also indicate perceptions that more risk taking is needed in radio programming, that risk taking is essential for the financial health of a station, that increased artist diversity and an innovative music rotation influence the perception of innovation at the station level, and that too many commercials are being placed within an average hour of programming.     

BEYOND THE MILITARY SPHERE

The article discusses the political and public debates in Israel over the appropriateness of a military radio station in a democratic state. The Israeli station was established in 1950 to assist the defense forces in absorbing and educating new Jewish immigrants, but later developed to become one of Israel's major media outlets. Previously unstudied documents reveal that the initiative to launch the station was met with criticism from its early stages; concerns about letting the army run a radio station without public oversight have been raised repeatedly ever since. This research project illustrates the benefits of media historiography as an effective prism for studying wider aspects of societies in which various media organizations operate. It adds, as well, to the historiography of military radio stations around the world.     

打造声音品牌--浅析专业电台频道整体形象包装设计

面对日益加剧的媒体竞争局面,单一做广播节目的年代已经过去了,广播媒体的建设是一项系统工程.广播电台一方面要明确电台的专业定位.另外更重要的是建立专业频道的品牌概念,塑造专业电台的视觉识别系统与听觉识别系统,确立专业电台的整体品牌形象.专业电台靠加强专业电台品牌的竞争力,一步步渗透到听众的耳中、心中.     

Regulatory Changes and Impacts on Media Management in the United States: A Look at Early Research

The increasing consolidation of radio and television stations in the United States as a result of changing regulatory policies is having a direct impact on the role of the media manager. This article reviews the regulatory changes that have taken place regarding media ownership, and how it brought about changes in management practices. A summary of 2 research studies undertaken to examine the impact of regulatory changes on media management of radio and television stations is presented. Managers of radio clusters (at least 3 stations) and television duopolies were surveyed to ascertain how consolidation was affecting the way stations are managed. The data and findings in this article are discussed in terms of broader implications for media management outside the United States in an era of increasing globalization.     

The basis of liability for broadcasting defamatory remarks

In an article that appeared in Winter 1958–1959 issue of the Journal of Broadcasting, Profesor Gordon Greb added a new contender for the title of “oldest station in the nation.”; As a result, KQW has joined KDKA, WHA and WWJ as a candidate for the honor of primacy in American radio broadcasting. Although Greb's article created as much interest and controversy as any that has appeared in the Journal, it did not—and could not—still the confidence of the other claimants.

In the instant article, Mr. R. Franklin Smith does the field of historical radio research a service by setting forth, for the first time, a logical set of criteria by which to judge these conflicting claims. To illustrate he has utilized early records of WHA. Using these criteria, it is shown that WHA cannot claim to have been a true broadcasting station before the latter part of 1920. Comparison of the claims of the several contenders is outside the scope of this article. However, it would be extremely interesting if these criteria were applied to the conflicting claims by persons having access to the detailed station records and other data necessary for thorough analysis.

Perhaps Mr. Smith has given us the impetus and the tools necessary for determining which station really was the “oldest in the nation.”