Alot or A lot? - Word Question

Doc:  Which of these is correct—"alot" or "a lot?  In other words, is it right or wrong to write something like, "There are alot of radio stations in the country." - Anonymous
 

Anon:  The correct way is a lot.  It's always wrong to write the words as one—"alot," so your sentence should be typed or written as, "There are a lot of radio stations in the country."

Alternative Format Crossovers

What, if any research has been done and what, if any, results have been produced as far as the success of Alternative radio stations playing the Hot AC/CHR crossover songs versus those Alternative radio stations playing the songs until they crossover and then dropping them, keeping their image far away from the world of Hit music?  Which approach would you recommend? - Anonymous

Anon:  Good question, but it’s very difficult for me to answer.  The reason is that you’re asking about the relationship between one variable (crossover songs) and success of a radio station (success in Arbitron, I assume).

The ratings a radio station receives in Arbitron are the culmination of the affect of many, many variables, not just the radio station’s approach to playing crossover music.  It would be necessary to conduct a controlled scientific experiment to determine the specific influence of crossover songs on an Alternative radio station’s ratings.  And I doubt that an Alternative radio station in the United States would pay for such a study.  (If a radio station has conducted such a study, I haven’t seen it since it would be considered proprietary.)

The best thing to do is ask your listeners.  They are they only people who can tell you which approach (of the two you suggest) is best.  I will not make a recommendation because my opinions are meaningless to you—I’m not one of your listeners and what I think is irrelevant.  The same holds true if you asked a programming consultant.

If you find a successful Alternative radio station and find out, for example, that they do play songs until they crossover to Hot AC or CHR radio stations and then drop them, you can’t automatically assume the radio station’s success is based on this one item.  You need to look at every part of the radio station and also find out how important this approach is to the listeners.

Final note:  With all that said, I did talk to a few PDs who said that the most successful Alternative radio stations usually play Alternative titles and drop them if they crossover to another radio station (Hot AC, Modern AC, CHR, etc.)  But that doesn’t mean that you should follow the same approach.  Ask your listeners.

Alternative Music - 80s

Why is it when a station plays 80s, it tends to play 80s alternative acts?  I’d rather hear Air Supply and Christopher Cross over Duran Duran, INXS, REM, and U2.  Wouldn’t most people?  Why are these sorts of artists played over more mainstream acts? - Anonymous

Anon:  Hmm…let’s see here…I would assume that an “alternative” radio station wouldn’t play artists like Air Supply and Christopher Cross because they probably don’t fit the “feel” of an alternative radio station.  Although I’m not a programmer, I would guess that that Air Supply and Christopher Cross would more likely fit on an AC radio station, probably a Soft AC (“jump in the bathtub and slit your wrists”) or Mainstream AC.

I don’t think an “alternative” format necessarily relates to the tempo of music played since Duran Duran, INXS, REM, and U2 produced songs with a variety of tempos.  I also don’t think that “alternative” means “non-mainstream” since the four groups are as “mainstream” as Air Supply and Christopher Cross.  (The major problem is to find an exact definition of “alternative.”  I don’t think there is one.)

Today’s radio stations tend to focus on a small segment of music to establish a unique identity.  If you want to hear Air Supply and Christopher Cross, I think you need to find an AC radio station that focuses on a softer identity.

One more thing…You said…”Wouldn’t most people?”  I don’t know that answer because I can’t speak for “most” people.  However, my guess is that the good 80s Alternative radio stations have conducted research to find out what their listeners want to hear.  I would also guess that they conduct music tests.  The research information probably suggests that people who like Duran Duran, INXS, REM, and U2 don’t have high regard for artists like Air Supply and Christopher Cross.

Alternative Rock Name

Did the phrase “alternative rock” come from the movie “Barbarella?”  I heard that in the movie, the villain says it.  Is this true? - Anonymous

Anon:  Good question, but unfortunately, I don’t think there is a definitive answer.  I talked to five PDs and programming consultants and received five different answers as to the origin of the name.  If I called another 10, I’m sure I would get another 10 different answers.

In addition, the term may be used in the movie Barbarella, but I wouldn’t necessarily attribute the name’s origin to this source.  I can’t find any verification for that from people or from the Internet.

The problem with “alternative music” is that “alternative” is a generic name.  You can find the word used to describe music as far back as the 1920s.  I’m sure there are many people who claim to have used the word first and all are probably correct in one way or another.  I’m also sure that there are many people who know exactly where the term came from, but I have my doubts as to their authenticity.

For more information, click on this link—alternative music.

Alternative Rock Videos

I saw the question about alternative rock, and I had to wonder: what are the best alternative rock videos? - Anonymous

Anon: Don’t make me come out there. As I said in the answer about the best guitarist, you would have to have an operational definition of "best alternative rock videos" in order to conduct a study to determine which are the best.

The problem here is that the perception of music videos is very personal, much like the perception of any other art form, and you would have a difficult time trying to arrive at a universally accepted definition of best.

So…the answer is…the best videos are what you say they are, but don’t expect everyone else to agree with you.

Aluminum Foil

Doc:  Sometimes I throw a box or package that has aluminum foil of some kind into my fireplace, the aluminum foil never melts.  How hot does the fire have to be? - Anonymous

Anon:  Well, let's see here.  A quick check of the Internet indicates that a fire in a fireplace, when it is going very strong, reaches a temperature between 1,000 and 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit (538-816 Celsius).  However, the typical fireplace temperature at the center of the fire is about 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (538 Celsius), but that's not sustained for a long time.  Therefore . . .

The reason the aluminum packaging material doesn't melt is that the melting point for aluminum is about 1,220 degrees Fahrenheit (660 Celsius).  The fire may reach or go beyond aluminum's melting point, but it doesn't stay at that temperature for long enough to do the job.

AM and FM

Doc:  I'm just curious . . . Do you know how many non-radio people know that AM stands for "Amplitude Modulation" and FM stands for "Frequency Modulation?"  Thanks. - Anonymous

Anon:  My guess from dealing with so many "typical" people in research studies is that most people don't know what the letters stand for.  However, and that is why it took me a few days to answer your question, I decided to conduct a small non-scientific study to get some preliminary information.

During the past four days, I randomly stopped 100 people in my travels around Denver.  I explained that I was conducting an informal survey and needed to talk to people between the ages of 18 and 54.  (The sample included 50 males and 50 females.) If they said, "Yes," I asked:

In reference to radio, do you know what the letters AM and FM represent, or stand for?  Here is what I found:

Only 8 of the 100 people knew the answers—92 (92%) had no idea.  I then told these people what the letters stand for and most just looked at me as though I were speaking Greek or something.  Most were surprised that the letters stand for anything.  Just amazing.

One footnote:  I asked one of my wife's employees the question.  He didn't know the answer, but he said that his 85 year-old grandmother told him a while ago that she only listens to AM radio because that's "American Music."  She doesn't listen to FM radio because that's "Foreign Music"  Whoa.

Although my little study is non-scientific, I think it provides a good indication that the unawareness level of the acronyms AM and FM is probably around 90% among adults 18-54.

AM & FM Classes (Radio Information)

Doc:  I'd like to learn more about the different types of AM and FM radio stations.  Is there a website that provides this information?  Basically, I'm interested in learning more about radio and the rules and regulations involved. - Anonymous
 

Anon:  By "types," I assume you mean the classes of AM and FM radio stations.  In both cases, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is one of the best sources:

Here are the links for the classes of  AM Radio and FM Radio.

Now, since you're interested in learning more about radio in general, the FCC provides enough information to keep you busy for several weeks or months.  For example, if you want to know just about everything there is to know about AM Radio and the FCC, click here.  If you want information about FM radio and the FCC, click here.

You may have noticed that the pages I referred to are part of the FCC's "Audio Division," which is located here.  If you click on the little black triangle to the left of the "Retrieve" button, you'll see a complete list of topics contained in the "Audio Division" section.  As I mentioned, you'll have enough material to read for a long time.

AM Format

There are only a few formats that seem to be doing OK on AM now—all news, all talk, or a hybrid of the two. All sports seems to be proving itself as a viable format, and there is Spanish and religion. However, in many markets these formats are not viable from a sales point of view. Nostalgia seems to be dying after its loss in NYC and now KABL in San Francisco. Do you have any ideas about a format on AM to take the place of nostalgia? - Anonymous

Anon: This is a sensitive issue for me to address because I conduct research for many of the top news/talk radio stations in the country. Information from these studies in the past year or so has provided answers to your question, but they relate only to the markets where the studies were conducted.

I will say two things:

• An appropriately designed research study shows that there are alternatives for AM radio stations—AM radio does not have to be relegated to only a handful of formats.

• I have been conducting research for AM radio stations since about 1974. There have been many instances where people have suggested that AM radio should just "throw in the towel" and give up. However, if you conduct the appropriate research and ask the correct questions, it’s amazing what you can find out. The fact that Nostalgia is losing ground doesn’t mean anything to me. What is important are the people who say, "Let’s find out what else we can do."

AM Music

Hi Doc:  Your column is very insightful. You've touched on AM formats briefly, but I wanted to ask you if music choices are as critical for a small market heritage AM station that focuses on local news and community events.  I realize you may say ask your listeners, but we don't have the budget for research.  We go back and forth on what is the right format for the audience from soft AC to Oldies.

Is there research that shows listeners to this type of station listen just as much for the music?  Or do AM and FM listeners differ in what they are listening for (News/Info vs. Music)?  The other local FMs are on satellite with no local programming.  Should music be a priority as much on this small market AM (10-12,000 people)?  I really want put the arguments to bed on this subject.  Thanks for all your help! - Anonymous

Anon:  I’m glad you enjoy the column.  Thanks and on to your question…

First, I need to say that I can’t answer your questions because I don’t know anything about your radio station or your market.  In addition, which is most important, is that I’m not one of your listeners.  While you say that your radio station can’t afford research, I’m afraid that research is the only valid and reliable way to know for sure what you should do with your programming.

OK, with that said, the only thing I can do is make a few guesses, but realize that my guesses may be 100% wrong.  Now, assuming that’s clear to you, here are my guesses:

1. People in very small markets tend to rely on radio more that people in larger markets.  While there are many reasons why people listen to the radio, the research I have conducted in small markets indicates that these folks rely on radio not just primarily for music, but also for news and events related to them and their city, even including such things as obituaries—something you wouldn’t hear on a large market radio station.  (This reliance on radio for local news and information indicates that the FM radio stations in your market are probably not considered very important to the listeners.  Too bad for them and good for you.)

2. My guess is that most of your listeners are 35+, but I would imagine that you have a decent number of younger listeners because (as the research I have conducted shows) the young people have been exposed to your radio station because of their parents and/or grandparents.  Your radio station, and others like it, has a listener base that usually spans a few generations.  Once again, that’s good for you and bad for everyone else.

3. Another guess, based on research, indicates that most of your listeners don’t tune to your radio station to hear a heavy dose of music.  If they want to listen to a lot of music, they’ll probably go to FM or another source.  However, my guess is that most of your listeners expect to hear some music on your station if you have been doing that for many years, and if that’s the case, then you should continue playing music.

4. But what kind of music should you play?  Another guess…Since most of your audience is probably 35+, it would seem logical to play Oldies or Soft Rock.  My guess is that if you play something your audience doesn’t like, they will probably call your radio station.  In fact, since you can’t afford research, this may be one way to get an indication of what your listeners want to hear.  (Don’t make any decisions based on only one or two phones calls.  However, if you get a few dozen listeners calling in to complain about a song, you probably should consider it to be an indication that other listeners also don’t like the song.)

5. Finally, my guess is that your listeners, although some may be 55+, don’t expect to hear a lot of music on your radio station during the day.  If you want to play a lot of music, you probably should consider playing it only at night.  My experience indicates that people who listen to AM radio don’t expect to hear a lot of music on an AM radio station that focuses on news and information.

AM Radio Stations - Promoting

I work for a new AM station in South Florida.  Can you give me some ideas on how to promote the station on-air and off-air without using a big budget?  Thank you. -  Ambrose
 

Ambrose:  I have been associated with radio for about 35 years and I'm continually astounded when I hear the comment you just wrote.  Radio stations are in the communications business—sales reps go out every day to try to convince clients to advertise on their radio station.  Owners and GMs constantly push sales managers and sales reps to increase revenue (get more people to advertise or increase the amount spent by current advertisers).

While the owners and GMs understand why businesses should advertise, many don't allocate money in their budgets to advertise and promote their own product.  Why is that?

Radio is a product and needs to advertise just like any other product.  Why is it logical for non-radio business to advertise, but illogical for radio owners/GMs to spend money to advertise their own radio station?  The typical owner/GM comment is something like, "We don't have enough money to advertise."  Gag me.  What would these people say to McDonald's, Target, Wal-Mart, or any other business, if the owners/managers said they don't have enough money to advertise?  They would have a whole list of reasons why these companies should advertise on radio.  Why don't these same radio owners and managers look at the answers they give to clients who say they have no advertising budget?  I don't get it.

OK, off the soapbox.  What can you do?  I'd like to tell you to quit your job and find a radio station that is operated by business people, but that won't work.  On-air advertising is simple—just promote whatever you think the audience needs to hear.  Off-air is more difficult if you don't have any money, so the best thing you can do is try to create events that attract the attention of local newspapers and TV stations.  In addition, you can also try things like remotes to try to increase awareness of your radio station.

Free advertising is a luxury that only a few products and services experience.  In most situations, radio stations must follow the same communication rules that other businesses follow, which means that they have to pay for the awareness.

AM Radio - Why Can I Hear Them?

I’m 13 years old and read your column all the time.  I like it.  I live in New Hampshire and I would like to know why I can hear some A.M. radio stations at night from cities far away from my house? - Dave

Dave:  I’m glad to know that young people read the column and I’m happy to hear that you like it.  Here’s a non-technical answer to your question.

AM (amplitude modulation) radio waves are known as “medium” waves.  One unique characteristic of medium waves is that they can propagate (travel) long distances by bouncing off  (reflecting) the Kennelly-Heaviside layer in the ionosphere (about 59 to 80 miles above the earth’s surface).  The waves can literally follow the curvature of the earth.  This layer of the ionosphere was found in 1902 independently and simultaneously by the American electrical engineer Arthur Edwin Kennelly (1861-1949) and the British physicist Oliver Heaviside (1850-1925)…ergo, Kennelly-Heaviside layer.

The ionosphere consists of three layers: D, E, and F.  The D layer is present during the daytime, but isn’t a good reflector of medium waves.  This is why you can’t usually pick up long-distance AM radio stations during the day.  However, the D layer disappears after sunset, and this exposes the E and F layers, both of which are great reflectors of medium waves.  That’s why you can hear some AM radio stations far away from New Hampshire.  By the way, some people have a hobby of listening to “far-away” radio stations.  They are known as “DXers”…the DX stands for “distance.”

By the way, you can’t pick up FM (frequency modulation) radio stations from far away because they operate on Very High Frequency (VHF) waves, and they don’t reflect off the ionosphere.  FM radio waves are “line of sight” (they don’t bend) and travel about 65 miles or so from the antenna.  Listen on, young man.

(Ambigram) Word Thing

Doc:  What is the name of the word manipulation thing where you can read a word left-to-right or upside down, or whatever? - Anonymous

Anon:  I'm fairly sure the "word thing" you're referring to is called an ambigram, and you can see a whole load of them by clicking here.

By the way, many people get ambigram tattoos—click here.

American Idol Voting

Doc:  From a researcher’s perspective, what do you think about the voting process on the TV show, “American Idol.” - Anonymous

Anon:  Sorry it took a while to get to your question, but I wanted to watch the show to learn a bit about how the voting process works.  I also read many articles on the Internet.  For those who don’t know, viewers are invited to call a toll free number to cast a vote for their favorite performer.  Here is what I found…

When a performer finishes his/her song, a telephone number is displayed on the screen and Ryan Seacrest (the host) invites viewers to call the number to cast a vote.  From all the news stories I read, there are millions of calls made for each program, in addition to millions of text messages on Cingular (at 10¢ per call!).  Sounds simple, but that’s not the whole story.

The “investigating” I did turned up at least four concerns.

No Limitations  There are no limits placed on how many phone calls a person can make or text messages a person can send.  Theoretically, a person could cast hundreds or thousands of votes.  One person, or a group of people, can significantly influence the voting results.

Computers  In my search for information, I found several computer software packages available (free and purchase) that allow a voter’s computer to make the calls—unlimited calls.  With these packages, a person could literally cast thousands of votes.

Phone Problems  I found thousands of articles discussing telephone problems that have occurred in the past, and maybe even during the current season.  There have also been charges of fraud and manipulation.  I have no idea if the charges are true or not.

Backlash  I also found an interesting website that I can only perceive as a form of backlash against the show.  It’s called www.votefortheworst.com, although this domain name is only a pointer to the website www.griffinity.com/ (directory /dave).  To get there, click here.  The purpose of this website is to encourage people to vote for the worst candidate, not the best.  (I’m not sure how much influence this website has on the outcome of the show, but from what I have seen, there may be some influence.  Why else would Scott Savol, the worst participant, continue to win?)

OK, you asked what I think about the voting on American Idol from a researcher’s perspective.  The only way to do this is to investigate if the voting method is valid—does the telephone voting method actually record a person’s vote—and reliable—is the voting consistent from one week to another?  Let’s take a look at these two items.

Validity  I will accept that a phone call or text message does record a vote.  However, considering that a person can cast an unlimited number of votes, computers can be used to cast thousands of votes, and websites and other people/groups encourage viewers to vote for the worst candidate, the validity of the method is highly questionable.  In fact, I wouldn’t have any hesitation to say that there is no validity to the voting method.

Reliability  This area is a bit more difficult to analyze since the contestants change from one week to the next.  However, considering all the problems I mentioned in the validity area, my guess is that the results are not reliable.  I don’t think I’m stepping out of bounds here and making assumptions that don’t have merit.  I think I’m “OK” in questioning the reliability of the voting procedure just because there are so many problems with the basic voting procedure.

In summary, from what I have seen on the show and from what I have read about the voting, I am fairly confident in saying that the voting procedure on American Idol is virtually worthless.  It would be better for the show to use a panel of judges (celebrities and/or “average” viewers) who would rate the performers on a standard scale of some type.

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