The radio industry has become a business of niche formats. There's one thing you can count on - No matter what format you're in today, someone will be trying to carve another slice out of you tomorrow.
In a world in which everyone seems to be doing music and perceptual research, what makes the difference between stations that are consistent Winners and those that aren't? For one thing, the Winners are passionate about their audience. They want to know everything they can about the people who listen every day.
Winning radio stations match-up their music programming exactly to the tastes of the target audience ... the music format is a mirror image of the likes and dislikes of their biggest fans. The Winners aren't weaving all over the road. They're focused and traveling in the best lane for their target listeners.
A Format Boundaries clustering study from Bob Harper & Company will put your station in the right lane and define your ideal music position. We call it Format Boundaries because the study tells you which music is in-bounds and what kinds of songs are over-the-line.
“Most people, after accomplishing something, use it
over and over again like a phonograph record till it
cracks, forgetting that the past is just the stuff with
which to make more future.”
-- Freya Stark
Soft AC's can get a decent MPT score from "Stairway To Heaven" and the listeners in a Country test might score "Unchained Melody" by the Rightous Brothers in the Power range. But, common sense tells you those songs don't fit the formats being tested.
A Format Boundaries study applies sophisticated clustering techniques to every type of music you might play. Our report draws the chalklines for your best performance. We'll tell you what kinds of songs to play and which you don't even have to waste time testing! |
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How many different lanes are there? How many different format options do you have? Is there just one way to do your format, or will a Format Boundaries study point you in a new, and more lucrative, direction? Is that new competitor really in your way or not? |
As the movie reminded us, "... if you build it, they will come." That's just as true for your radio station as it was in that Iowa cornfield.
The Format Boundaries report shows you how to build it and who will come.
How Format Boundaries works...
- Give us 15-20 categories of music, and we'll give you a new way of understanding your competitive environment.
- If a Listener isn’t certain about a group of music, we’ll play all the music hooks down the phone line. There's no guessing if the audience knew what kind of music we were asking about.
- Both specific categories and broad format descriptions are tested.
- Clear and easy-to-interpret graphics will tell you ...
1. Who is in your target cluster.
2. What stations have momentum.
3. Specific music "loves" and "hates".
- The turnaround is a quick 20-30 days. You won't be waiting for answers.
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