Blizzard of 2015 takes center stage up and down Northeast radio dial

INSIDERADIO
January 27, 2015

 As a monster blizzard barrels down on the Northeast, radio once again is stepping into its role as first responder. With hurricane force winds and snowfall measured in feet rather than inches in many parts of the Northeast, it’s the biggest winter challenge so far this season. "We have a dozen air mattresses and a lot of food stocked in to keep the team going for as long as it takes," Cape Cod Broadcasting general manager Bev Tilden says. "No shows will be tracked, all live and everyone ‘living’ at the station to get us through." In her market the biggest issue is likely to be winds, not unlike what a market in the Southeast would deal with during a tropical storm. Across the region many stations have been airing news updates, traffic reports, phone calls with emergency management officials, and lots of weather reports. The generators have been tested and gassed up and staff is preparing to spend a few nights at the studios of JVC Media’s "103.9 Long Island News Radio" WRCN-FM, which is remaining live and local 24-hours — even putting a few air personalities up at a nearby hotel. JVC president John Caracciolo says local leaders are relying on radio to get news to the public with calls throughout the day and night. "The Island is getting ready to get socked," he says. "We are in full blown panic mode." With many of the market’s so-called "snowbirds" in Florida for the winter, Caracciolo says they’re also feeding reports to their sister stations in West Palm Beach. The forecast there is for sunshine and 70 degrees today.

Analyst: local ad market turns ‘marginally better.’ Four weeks into the new year, it’s still early to peg the first quarter. But Wells Fargo Securities analyst Marci Ryvicker says her research shows local advertising is experiencing a bit of an uptick compared to what had been a "pretty good" December. "First quarter ad trends seem to be marginally better than what was seen in late 2014," she writes to clients in a report. Ryvicker says her market checks also show a "stabilization" in national advertising. Across all media sectors, including radio, she says the local spot market is pacing up low-single digits with national billings ranging from flat to up high-single digits. Year-on-year comparisons will get easier beginning next month since last year’s Polar Vortex cast a chill on first quarter revenue.

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We hear from sales managers in many markets that automotive dealers aren’t buying spots in local markets. But Borrell Associates forecasts the auto category will grow 5.2% for radio in 2015. So if the local dealer isn’t buying spots on your station, what might they buy? You still have an audience that is still buying cars and trucks. Most dealers are conditioned to want more.

 

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Wouldn’t you love to get credit for leads and sales made by dealers that advertise on your station? That’s now possible with CarPoint. It’s an easy way to generate incremental advertising revenues while providing local dealers with a program that is accountable and measurable. CarPoint is an easy way to add a digital element to your radio station schedule — and the combo really works.

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CarPoint offers accountability. We know radio works. Now radio can deliver sales leads directly to the automotive dealers who already advertise with you.