Author: Brian Lee
It doesn’t matter what United does, part 2
As predicted, United Airlines came out of its fiasco from a few months ago essentially unscathed. I had asserted previously that it didn’t matter what United Airlines did to restore its image, because consumers are faced with few choices when flying.
An article in today’s New York Times titled “The Boycott That Wasn’t” revealed that in the second quarter, United Airlines’ revenue increased by six percent and profit by 49 percent.
Sadly, that’s what happens in industries with little competition: You can violently remove a man from his seat on an airplane and then increase passengers flying on your airline by 4.2 percent.
Don’t be different in radio
I find it interesting how radio stations seemingly change formats frequently (compared to other forms of media). Looking at my car’s presets, I realize I have some redundancy.
Here’s how this happened in Madison, Wis.:
- In 2012, Entercom-owned 105.1 FM (WMHX) changed from playing everything (in the Jack FM mold) to a mix of Top 40 and adult contemporary. However, over the past year, 105.1 seems to play more and more Top 40. In Madison, iHeart-owned 104.1 FM (WZEE) plays Top 40.
- In 2016, iHeart-owned 92.1 FM (WXXM) changed from being progressive talk to “Rewind” (60s, 70s and 80s). In Madison, Entercom-owned 94.9 FM (WOLX) plays those decades of music, although less and less music from the 60s.
So to recap, Entercom ditched one format to copy an iHeart format, and then iHeart ditched one format to copy an Entercom format.
More interesting points:
- Entercom stations boast about playing 10 songs in a row. The iHeart-owned 92.1 FM ups that by playing 20 songs in a row (though unfortunately, the commercial breaks also are twice as long).
- Last month, former 104.1 FM DJ Aaron Rogers joined Entercom (in Kansas City), and his morning show airs on 94.9 FM. The station also is running promos to attract listeners by mentioning that Aaron “made the switch (from 104.1).”
Unlike in normal business, in the radio world, trying to be the exact same as your competitors apparently is the preferred approach.