Q & A With Fike Shway

Q & A With Fike Shway

Q –Is Radio too expensive?

A- I have heard over the years from several business owners who have stated radio is expensive. And they can be right, if you look at all the choices that an advertiser has today, radio can be an expensive option. I tell every client that is radio does not work, yes, it is too expensive. That why it is important that you work with the right Account Executive to match your product or service with the right audience for maximize result.

Q –Does Radio Work?

A - The simple answer is yes. But it is not a cookie cutter process. Individual attention needs to be given for every new client. Example: You could take two dealerships that sell the same line of vehicle. One advertiser sells on price, the other sells on quality. The radio campaign needs to match the clients brand, unique identifying feature, and the message they deliver with their overall advertising.
Q – How does a Radio Station price their commercials?

A- Each radio station prices their inventory in various ways. Radio stations can offer 15, 30, and 60 second radio ads. One standard in pricing their ads is using market analysis on where they stand in overall market share. For national business a formula of Cost Per Thousand is used based on the overall 60 second “spot” cost. For regional and local business a rate is used for the time period you are buying. “Prime Time” is the when the station has the most listen, thus, they can charge more per minute. Usually a radio stations morning show 6a-9a Mon – Fri is considered the most expensive.

Q – How do I buy Radio?
A – There is now exact formula for buying radio. If this was true, their would be no need for Account Executives. Each campaign should reflect what it is you are trying to sell to the listeners. Example: A restaurant client. This client would target the time period that reaches the listeners when they are most likely to make the decision to eat. Qualitative analysis would be available to pin point those time periods that would be best.

Q – What does FM and AM represent?

A – Frequency Modulation and Amplitude Modulation. In basic terms, it means the wave the radio wave travels. Typically an AM signal can travel a farther distance with low wattage.

Q – Why are AM stations usually talk radio?

A – Because of the way sound travels on an AM radio wave, it is general best for voice tracks. With new technology of course this can all be corrected for both FM and AM. So the biggest reason is because of history. Historically when radio started, AM was used to get local news and weather out to local populations. When FM was developed, stations would play music. It just sort of stuck after many years. However these days, you will find FM talk shows and AM music stations.

Q – What is Fike Shway?

A- Funny story. In 2006 I worked with a general sales manager in the Sonoma county marketplace. He and I would come up with extremely creative ideas to solve client advertising problems. He stated that I needed a moniker (Personal ID Tag) that explained my creative thought process. Between coffee and managing clients one morning it hit us…Fike Shway. A play on Feng Shui. Sort of a movement and creative style used by me to help clients solve their advertising needs. So Fike Shway was born.

Q – What is satellite radio?

A- Satellite radio is a subscription radio service. It is similar to cable TV, in that it provides a wide range of programming not available on traditional AM/FM radio for a monthly fee.

Q – What is the difference between satellite and AM/FM radio?

A- While satellite radio offers you a large coverage area where you can tune into a wide array of programming, it does not provide local programming. That is local programming that is relavent to the area. Weather, News, Concerts, Events, and local stories. While there was a big push for satellite in 2003 today it only has around 11 million total sucribers. AM/FM has over 285 million. The biggest difference, is that AM/FM is FREE.

Q- How does a radio station program its music?

A - Radio stations for the most part use what is called a time clock. That is a formula that they set up using A, B, C, D and sometimes E. Each letter dictates the genre or artist type that they want to play at the minute in that hour. The formula is under the control of the program director and is the secret sauce to a stations success or failure.

Q – Why do most commerical radio station play the same song several times throughout the day?

A- There are different audiences at different parts of the day.

The morning show - commuters
Lunchtime shows - office workers etc
Afternoon show – Office workers, People looking for a jolt in their work day.
Afternoon show - commuters
Evening shows – Active Adult, Teenagers, 2nd Shift Workers.
Night shows – 3rd Shift, Night Shift, and Truck Drivers

Plus they want to play popular songs to keep their audience or play requested songs which tend to be the "Hits" of the moment. Radio stations know that there is a burn out period for a song and the industry is working hard on improving sounds quality as a whole.

Q – What is HD Radio?

A- HD Radio is an upgrading of the way AM and FM radio signals are transmitted, from analog to digital signals. Sounds neat. But what does that mean for us listeners?

HD Radio technology allows broadcasters to transmit a high-quality digital signal. For listeners who have an HD Radio receiver, the benefits are:

FM radio with near CD-quality sound
AM radio that sounds as good as traditional FM
No more static, pops, crackles or fades
Transmission of additional information, such as song titles and artists
Increased listening options with multicasting
Tagging a song for later purchase through the iTunes® Store

Q- How does HD Radio Work?

A - HD Radio technology works pretty much just like traditional analog radio transmission:
1. The radio station sends out the analog and digital radio signals, along with a third signal for text data.
2. The digital signal is compressed before being transmitted.
3. The three-layered signal is transmitted from the radio station's upgraded digital transmitter.
4. Multipath interference, caused by the signal reflecting off of buildings, is ignored by the digital radio, which is able to discern the true signal and ignore interference.
5. Your radio receives the signal and, depending on your equipment, you hear either the digital or analog feed.

Q – Where can I heard HD Radio?

A- For now in major markets only. It is costly to convert a radio station to HD. It is estimated that between $75,000 and $120,000 will be spent for each station in a a radio group. Most groups are 3-7 stations.


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