Apples and Complexion
Yo diggity Dr. Wimmer: My intern told me that her sister eats an apple before every meal. Supposedly, there is something about an apple that speeds up your metabolism to make you burn calories faster. Think there is any truth to that?
Also, I have noticed that my skin (in my late 20s), particularly my face, does not heal from injuries as fast as it once did. For example, when acne leaves me there are still signs of it's existence left. I am afraid I'll start becoming “Scarface.” Is there anything I can do to help my skin heal faster? I often have dry skin too in a specific area. Moisturizer helps temporarily, but this area has been a problem for two years now. Have a great day! Eat an apple. - Anonymous
Anon: Yo diggity? OK.
First, a disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and don’t know anything about nutrition. What I know is what I found on the Internet, and if you do a search for Apples and Metabolism, you’ll find several sources that discuss the relationship. However, if you read several of the sources in the search, you’ll find several that discuss apples as great for metabolism, and others that say something like this:
"Although metabolism is often determined by genetic factors beyond our control, by far, the best way to boost metabolism is with a regular exercise program. In the hours immediately following a hard workout, there is a significant increase in metabolism. As far as food goes, there is not really any miraculous metabolism-booster.”
There is no indication that eating an apple before you eat a meal is detrimental in any way, but there doesn’t appear to be any hard evidence to show that the practice will guarantee increased metabolism. This is very much like the discussions about weight loss by professionals. They say that the best way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. In other words, all the hyped weight loss programs are just that—hype.
Next…your question about your complexion and my second disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist, but my wife is, so I showed her your question. She obviously can’t provide any medical advice here because she would need to see you (and you should not interpret this information as medical advice), but this is what she said (I’m paraphrasing):
The perception that you aren’t healing as fast as you once did is probably only a perception and not reality. You may just pay more attention to your skin than you once did, and it’s likely that you think healing is slower, but it actually isn’t. However, there are a few situations that may cause slower healing, and if you’re concerned about it, you should see a dermatologist. However…
Sometimes people perceive that healing after some type of skin problem is slow because a mark of some type (at the location of the problem) seems to last a long time. This is known as Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation and it’s aggravated by exposure to the sun. So…if you have some type of acne problem, or other lesion (any where on your body), it’s important to use a good sunscreen because the sun will darken the lesion as well as the area around the lesion. The darker skin, therefore, usually creates the perception that the wound takes longer to heal. Got it? Use sunscreen on your face as well as any other area exposed to the sun.
Finally, if you continually have dry skin in a specific area, there may be something else going on and you need to have the area checked by a dermatologist. The continuously dry area could be one of five or six possible problems, but it’s probably not just “dry skin.”
Let me know if you have other questions, but take my advice and see a dermatologist.
Appointment Setting
Would you please share your thoughts on appointment setting? You know, telling listeners exactly when you will do a big contest, or play a new song from a popular artist. Good and or bad, pros or cons. I have wanted to pick your brain on the subject for some time now. Share, Please! Thank you and I love your column! I'm eagerly waiting to hear what you have to say, and I will check back often for your response. - Anonymous
Anon: Eagerly awaiting, eh? I'm glad you enjoy the column. Thanks. On to your question . . .
Actually, you describe two different types of appointment setting. The first relates to the contest, where you invite listeners to tune in for a certain number of hours (or a specific time) to participate in a contest. What I have seen during 30+ years of research in radio is that even though only a small percentage of listeners participate in radio station contests, most of those who do participate like to know when a contest will be aired.
People who participate in contests generally become frustrated with radio stations where listeners must listen, for example, between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to hear the "mystery song." People who participate in radio station contests are more likely to tune in if you provide a specific time when the contest will happen, and something like "around 2:00 p.m." is fine—you don't have to provide an exact time.
The second appointment setting you mention is actually only a tease to entice listeners to stay tuned for a song or some other content (interview, news story, etc.) Teases are OK as long as you don't get carried away with them, as demonstrated on most TV news broadcasts where they tease before every commercial break. However, some people argue that teases may announce a song or content that some listeners don't like, and the tease invites people to tune away earlier than they would if no tease were provided.
Overall, I haven't seen a lot of significant listener complaints about teasing. If you limit your teases to only the most important content, then the approach can be effective to hold your listeners. Just don't get carried away and tease before every break (like the TV folks do).
AQH Rating vs. Cume Rating
What is the difference between the AQH Rating and the Cume Rating? Which should I use in choosing the top two stations in a market? (i.e. for Summer 2000 Arbitron, the 2nd place AQH rated station for NY has a 15th place cume rating ranking.) In addition, how can I express the cume audience as a cume rating? I'd appreciate any answers you could provide me with. Thanks. - Heather
Heather: I edited parts of your question. It’s still a bit confusing to me, so let me know if I changed what you asked.
For your information, the definitions of AQH Rating and Cume Rating are in the back of your Arbitron book. I’m assuming you have access to an Arbitron book, so in case you don’t, here are the definitions:
AQH Rating: The Average Quarter-Hour Persons estimate expressed as a percentage of the appropriate estimated population. (That is, the AQH persons divided by the total number of persons in that demo. The radio station’s AQH share is the AQH persons divided by the Total AQH for the demo.)
Cume Rating: The estimated number of Cume Persons expressed as a percentage of the appropriate estimated population. (That is, the radio station’s cume divided by the Total number of people in the demo.) This is the way, as you ask, to express the cume audience as a cume rating.
Which numbers should you choose to rank the radio stations? This depends on the purpose of your ranking. If you want to show "frequency," use AQH; if you want to show "reach," then use cume.
Archive Articles - Finding Them
Dr. Wimmer: I often use your questions and answers in my class (I give you credit). But sometimes I have a difficult time finding what I need. I know you have a list of questions on your archive, but is there a faster way to find things? - Michael
Michael: First, thanks for giving me credit for the information. I appreciate that.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the Question Index available on the Research Doctor Archive, then do a search. Here’s how:.
1. Go to Google. It’s the best search engine.
2. Type this first (use the quote marks): “research doctor archive”
3. Follow that with whatever you’re looking for.
For example, let’s say that you’re interested in finding the mentions for “dayparts” in the archive. Your Google search will look like this: Search Step 1. When you get there, look near the bottom of your screen and find this:
In order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted some entries very similar to the 2 already displayed. If you like, you can repeat the search with the omitted results included.
Click on the red link.
When you click on the link, you will find more references. This is what the additional search provides: Search Step 2.
Get the idea? First enter “research doctor archive” then type what you’re looking for, and then click on the link for more sources.
Archive Printing - Updated 5-11-09
Hi Dr. Wimmer: Your column and “The Research Doctor Archive” are required reading for my college class in media research. Instead of going to the Archive all the time, I was thinking about printing it so I could read it when I’m away from my computer.
Do you know how many pages it would take to print the Archive and are all the questions the questions you ever answered included in the Archive? - Derek
Derek: Hi to you too. Hmm…I haven’t thought about this before so I had to check the files on my computer (the same files uploaded to the server so you can read them).
The Research Doctor Archive located on my business website Wimmer Research is about 7.6 MB, which equals about 1,400 printed pages. If your printer prints 10 pages per minute, it will take more than two hours to print the entire Research Doctor Archive.
The answer to your second question is “no.” The Archive does not include every question I have answered since the column started in January 2000. The directory on my computer that contains every question and answer is about 11 MB, or more than 2,000 printed pages.
Area Code
Doc: I'm just curious about something. Do you know when the 213 area code for California was established? - Anonymous
Anon: As with most of the original telephone area codes, the 213 code was officially established on January 1, 1947. I found the date on an Americom website that shows all the information you want to know about any area code. Enter the area code you want to know about in the little search box in the middle of this web page.
"Argue with Idiots" - Grammar Question
Doc: Is this statement grammatically correct? Never argue with an idiot. They bring you down to their level and beat you with experience. It doesn't seem correct to me. Thanks. - Anonymous
Anon: No, the statement (or axiom) isn't grammatically correct. "An idiot" refers to one person, so "they" should not be used in the second sentence. It should be singular, such as "he" or "she."
However, in situations like this, it's better to use the plural form, like this:
Never argue with idiots. They bring you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
Artist Information
Doc: Do you know if radio listeners are interested in hearing about the artists we play? I mean things like where they started, or what they're doing now. I'm thinking about doing a few segments every day, but I'm not sure if I should spend the time. - Anonymous
Anon: I have tested this topic several times and the answer is always the same—listeners like to hear information about the songs and artists radio stations play. Listeners don't consider this "talk" as is the case with inane banter and other things.
For example, I would think that many "older" people would like to know things about a song from 1965 called, 96 Tears by Question Mark and the Mysterians. A short segment could include a variety of information. In addition, you might also consider putting an "Artist Information" section on your radio station's website so you could include links to videos your listeners could watch. Some information about Question Mark and the Mysterians might include things such as:
The lead singer's name WAS Rudy Martinez (born in Mexico in 1945). I say "was" because he legally changed his name to Question Mark, and the legal spelling of his name is "?" His friends call him "Q." As an adult, Q has never appeared in public without wearing his sunglasses.
When Q wrote the group's most famous song, the original title was 69 Tears, but it was changed to 96 Tears because there was a concern that the original title might cause some radio station programmers to avoid playing the song. (Duh? Oh, really?)
In a biography of Q, he claimed he was born on Mars, lived among the dinosaurs in a past life, and that voices from the future have told him that he would be performing 96 Tears in the year 10,000. OK, sure.
The original video from 1965 isn't very good quality, but you need to see it for comparison to a more recent video — click here.
Let's see how the group is doing now (or recently). I think this video was made in 2005 or 2006, and it includes ALL of the original band members. Does Q look a little different to you? Click here.
Prepare yourself, but there is much more information on the group's website—click here.
Artist Separation and Selector
I just heard of a programmer who has removed the artist separation codes stating that the listeners of today do not care about hearing the same artist over and over. Is there any research that supports this theory? - Anonymous
Anon: You raise an interesting point that I have wondered about for many years. For several decades, I have heard PDs and Music Directors talk about music scheduling and the rules for artist separation. I don't know when the practice started and I don't know who came up with the idea. I think it's one of the many radio programming urban legends that exist. Someone at sometime in the past said something like, "Oh, we can't play the same artist too often. Listeners don't like that" — and the "artist separation" code was established. Most radio stations now have an artist separation code that prohibits the same artist from being repeated with a given amount of time—usually somewhere between 90 minutes and four hours. But I don't know why.
Over the years, I have heard a handful of complaints from listeners that a specific radio station plays too much music by one artist or group, but those complaints are so infrequent that I can't remember when I heard them. I don't know of any research that verifies that artist separation is an important element in the success of a radio station.
Now, this doesn't mean that a radio station should play the same artist every hour because one of the main reasons people listen to music radio is to hear a variety of music. However, there is no information I know about documenting that an occasional break from the typical artist separation rule is wrong.
Effective music scheduling is a combination of art (the programmer's knowledge of music and the audience) and science (information from music research). My guess is that the programmer you heard about who eliminated the artist separation code doesn't blindly accept what the scheduling software produces. My guess is that the PD felt the separation code was too restrictive (or maybe there was information from a research study) and eliminated the code to provide an opportunity to be more flexible in the music played on the radio station. I can't find anything wrong with that.
People don't have artist separation codes on their CD and MP3 players, iPods, or cell phones, so why is it so important to have separation codes on radio stations? What's wrong with an occasional repeat of an artist? Why is it necessary to wait 90 minutes or more to hear the same artist again? I would be happy to hear the reasons behind the practice. I gots ta know.
Artists’ Names
In call out research, does giving the name of an artist impact a song’s ratings? - Anonymous
Anon: By "impact," I’m assuming you mean a positive or negative affect on the score.
I haven’t seen that, but what I have seen, just as in recruiting research projects using song hooks, that the artists’ names will probably reduce the amount of unfamiliarity with some songs.
Any research should provide respondents with as much information as possible. I don’t mean providing answers or presenting leading questions. But most people are some uncomfortable with research situations and they often forget things because they’re nervous. Providing artists’ names is a help to these people.
Artists and Titles
I’m a college junior and would like to ask a question. I hope you don’t mind. I work at our university’s radio station. A marketing class did a research project for us and one of the things they found out is that our listeners want us to tell them the artists and titles of the songs we play. This seems a bit silly because we don’t play unfamiliar music and it seems like the students would already know these things. Isn’t that just a waste of time, and doesn’t that add a lot of clutter to the radio station? - Kevin
Kevin: Do you hope that I don’t mind that you’re a college student, that you’re asking a question, or both? My answer is "no" to all three options. Ask as many questions as you would like. Here’s your answer . . .
At some time in the late 1970s or early 1980s, when radio research really started to become important, researchers began to learn how to ask new questions about radio (this continues today). As simple as it may seem now, I can remember discussions about including questions such as "What do you like most/least about your favorite radio station?" In these types of questions, radio listeners started to complain about not knowing the artists’ names and the song titles. The reaction at the time was similar to what you said, "We play the same stuff all the time. The listeners have to know the artists and titles."
For several years, PDs did nothing about the listeners’ request, but in study after study, we always got the same request: Tell us the artists and titles.
It’s difficult for me to remember the exact timing, but somewhere around 1984 or so, a few radio stations did start telling artists and titles. Guess what happened? In surveys conducted later where respondents were asked to describe what they like most about their favorite radio station, one of the top responses was, " They always tell the artists and titles of songs they play. "Jeez, I shoulda had a V-8!
Now, if you have been reading this column for any length of time, you have seen me explain many times the philosophy of conducting a successful business: Find out what the people want, give it to them, then tell them that you gave it to them.
It took many years for PDs (and others) to embrace this approach. Yet, there are still many PDs who don’t "buy" the information from their listeners. These PDs still subscribe to the idea that "all of our listeners know this information." Quite frankly, I can’t understand this position. If the listeners resoundingly request that artists and titles be mentioned, why would anyone conclude that it’s not important?
I hear complaints such as, "This information doesn’t fit the flow of the station." "There is no way to do it since we play 12 in-a-row. And other things. Know what? Never in my career of more than 25 years of radio research have I heard ONE listener comment on a radio station’s flow. But I have heard thousands and thousands of listeners say that their favorite radio station doesn’t tell the artists and titles.
So . . . you can do what you want at your college radio station. It’s your choice . . . give the listeners what they ask for, or give them what you think they need. If you think they don’t need artists and titles, then don’t do it. But don’t be upset if you lose listeners (or don’t gain new ones).
One more thing . . . I have never heard radio listeners categorize information as clutter if the information is something they want to hear (e.g. artists and titles, time checks).
Artists and Titles - Test
I’m a PD for an AC radio station. Two of my jocks protest about having to say the artists and titles of songs. They say that, “Everybody knows that stuff.” Is there something I can say to them to convince them that saying the artists and titles is important to the radio station? - RM
RM: Oh, if I had $1.00 for every time I was asked this question. But here ya go…
The importance of telling the artists and titles of songs played has been documented countless times since the early 1980s. This is true for all formats and for all demos. The importance of this element in radio programming is so well established that it is a “given” in radio programming, and there aren’t many “givens” in radio programming.
However, let’s assume your jocks don’t “buy” the information from the countless number of studies that have been conducted. Make a bet with them. Pick a song you have in high rotation—any song.
Use that song as an example and ask
the two “rogue” jocks five questions. If they can answer any of the
five, you can tell them that they no longer have to say the artists and titles.
If they can’t answer any of the five questions, then they have to say the
artists and titles. The questions are:
How many listeners are new to the format and don’t know the artist and/or title?
How many listeners tuned to the radio station for the first time during your show and don’t know the artist and/or title?
How many listeners heard the song for the first time and don’t know the artist and/or title?
How many listeners have heard the song before, but have a memory block and can’t remember the artist and/or title?
You say that “everybody” knows that stuff. How many people—exactly—are in the audience when you play this song?
I guarantee that the jocks can’t answer any of the five questions. In other words, they will be telling the artists and titles.
Ask for Money Too Often? - Listener Supported Radio
Howdy Doctor! I’m a PD at a listener supported station. In the 3 years I’ve been here, we have gone from two fundraisers a year to four. How can I find out if we are asking our listeners for help too often? Have you seen that be a tune-out or turn-off factor in the past? I’ve read statistics that say 10% or less of your cume will generally respond to requests for help. If we have reached the 10% mark, should we back off? If we have not, should we keep pushing? I know that asking my listeners is important, and I plan to. I’m just looking for help with wording the question effectively, and also looking for other perspectives than my own. Thank you. - Anonymous
Anon: Howdy to you to. Tough question. Normally, I would immediately say that you need to ask your listeners in a statistically reliable research study, but my guess is that you don’t have a research budget. (What else is new?) That means we need to speculate a bit, then I’ll offer a research suggestion.
But before I get to the speculation, you might ask something like, “If I can’t afford a research study, can I ask people who call the radio station, or can I ask the people who donate during one of your fundraisers?” The answer is “no” to both questions. Listeners who call your radio station to make a comment may not represent your audience, and the people who donate are already predisposed to the activity, so their opinions are biased.
OK, so let’s speculate. What do we know?
Audience supported media walk a fine line between what’s acceptable begging and what is unacceptable begging. (I’m not using the word “begging” as a negative, just telling it like it is.) You need audience support, but you don’t want to drive them away by asking too often, but if you don’t ask often enough, you won’t have enough money to operate (Catch-22.)
The information I have seen about audience supported media suggests that the audience knows well that you need their support to operate and they assume that you will ask for help. P1s and heavy cumers of your radio station are probably not offended by the increase in your fundraisers. These heavy listeners will probably stay with you even if you go to dead air. (Remember, I’m just speculating. I don’t know this for sure and won’t unless I asked your listeners.)
The audience you most likely drive away during your fundraisers are the lower TSL people. They listen to you occasionally, but aren’t really into your programming enough to send a check. When the fundraiser is on, my guess is that some will tolerate the “intrusion” and others will not. My guess is also that some are not excited about the increase in fundraisers and probably listen less often.
You have one major problem: You don’t have research (your own or Arbitron’s) to help you understand what happens to your audience during the fundraisers. You asked for my opinion, and here it is…
If I were in your shoes, I would contact a few of the station’s major supporters to find out if they would help fund a research project to get the information you need. I think you would be able to get help from a researcher who would be willing to reduce costs because you’re a non-profit radio station. Try to convince your GM and board of directors (I assume you have a board of some type) to conduct such a study. Fundraising is your life and you need to know more about what’s going on. You don’t want to kill off your audience by begging too much.
Ask Jeeves (aka "Ask")
Are you in constant competition with "Jeeves" from Ask.com? Here is a test to see who gives me more information:
1. What is the main export of Guam?
2. Why are there 10 hot dogs in a package but only 8 buns in a package?
3. In the "Garbage Pail Kids" card series from the 1980s in series #1 what name was card number 24?
We will see how you rate against "Jeeves." - Anonymous
Anon: I’m not in competition with anyone or anything. By the way, Jeeves
(now known as Ask.com)
is a search engine. I’m not. Here are my answers to the questions
that you have already searched . . .
Guam:
Click here.
Hot dogs and buns: Why
should there be an equal number in each package? The same companies don’t make
the buns and hot dogs. That’s similar to asking, "My family consists of
22 people. Why don’t gum packages have 22 sticks?" The answer is: Because
they don’t. And that’s the same answer for your hot dogs and buns question—because
they don’t
Garbage Pail Kids:
Click here.
The questions you ask for your "comparison" are questions that require
a simple search on the Internet. If you are compelled (for whatever reason) to
conduct a test, then go to your Jeeves site and ask these questions:
1. What statistical procedure do I need to use to determine if there is a relationship between song order and song score in an auditorium music test?
2. Which type of question is best to use in a perceptual study to determine if I should change my morning show team—open-ended or closed-ended?
3. My PD friend in Boston conducted a music test and I’d like to compare my results to his. What do I need to do to accomplish this task other than converting the data to Z-scores?
4. What do listeners in the Southeastern states think are the most important elements in a radio station’s TV commercial?
5. Finally, type in the question you sent to me (word for word) in Ask.com and see what it finds.
Search engines search for keywords. I don't.
Click Here for Additional A Questions
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