Question about usage of jingles (with listeners in different timezones)

[Wwzapper]

At my station, I've got about 65 % listeners from Europe, about 25 % from North America and about 10 % from the rest of the world. The 10 % are a nice bonus (glad they are also listening...), but this posting is mostly about those 25 % from USA and Canada.

 

Is it o.k. then to broadcast a lot of jingles, fitting the (central) European Timezone? Is it putting off for people in the USA or Canada to hear (by example) a rooster sound at (for them) 1/2am, which is 7am in Europe, when people are awaking?

 

Or to hear about a Sunday morning lounge, or something like that, when it's - for USA and Canadian people - still 'party night'?

 

Even if I start every hour with something like 'it's about 8pm Central European time', to make clear where the station comes from.

 

If a will make an 'exclusively' European jingle schedule, even with extra 'shows', fitting the parts of the week/day (based on the European biorhythm), the station can sound a lot more creative than now. But on the other hand, the station has to be relatable enough for the listeners not living there. I don't have any idea if I will win many European listeners with it (for thém, it CAN be more relatable), ór loose many listeners outside of Europe.

 

So, help me out.

[GKIye]

Internetradio is a Worldwide "event" ...

it means that everyone, at any place at the Globe can login to a stream

 

Several parts of the World do love the content of a stream for reason that it is broadcasted from an other part of the World

Imagine :

- Somebody is living at Australia and likes to check some tunes from the EU ... Wow ! They gonna like it

- Same happens with people from the EU who like to check some sounds from fellow broadcasters at the UK, USA, New Zealand or whatever region in the World

- Many people from Asia (Japan etc) are even "fan" of stations located outside of their country

I have the experience that listeners from Asia are listening with their mobile phone device

 

So ... if Your project is known to several people ... Keep it that way

Just some examples / ideas :

- Make or edit Your TOTH (Top of the Hour) as : Live from The Netherlands ... this is ... etc etc etc

- Edit some IDs with shouts with male and female voices of foreign people (those people can even be friends / people from Your own neighbourhood who are having their roots at an other country)

If You don't have those different voices, You can open a topic at the free voice-over section and ask that fellow members do make a read in their own language ... (spanish, russian or whatever language ...)

The content of a line can be : I'm listening to "name-station" + slogan or/and I love it etc etc

 

Even if You only have a "HI" sample made by different people You can make superb IDs

example :

The word "HI" in Swedish, UK English, US English and so on ....

[Wwzapper]

At the moment, I'm broadcasting mostly timezone related jingles (scheduled at the right times): 'Good afternoon USA', 'Good morning, Europe', etcetera. Every three/four hours. That's somewhat related to the 'hi' part in the post above.

 

And from time to time a strictly European jingle, 'The heart of Europe awakes', 'In Europe, it's almost weekend', etcetera.

 

So, in fact is a mix, now. But it can be neather fish nor flesh, when it comes to being relatable for my listeners.

[Bivs]

didn't even think about these factors when it came to Online streaming or casting. thanks for the thread!

[Wwzapper]

Now, I've decided to order a jingle package with more times/days/etc. mentioned. I've just received it.

 

One of the lines is, after the start of the friday night show (starting at 7pm), "your weekend starts right here".

 

The use of the word 'your' is a quite personal way of talking to your listeners. The line fits the European biorhythm perfectly, but how do Americans listen to it? To the line "It's 7pm Central European time, YOUR weekend starts right here", while it's 1/2pm thére?

 

(There is always the possibility to schedule that line 5/6 hours later; the friday night show is 7 hours long.)

[GKIye]

I think that You are thinking too much about the how, when and why issues ...

 

Run Your project as an EU project (aka project from The Netherlands) ...

 

Imagine that a listener at the US starts with his / her nightshift and is listening to Your radio ... and he / she ends the nightshift at ... lets say : 05am (their local US time)

At the first part of their nightshift the EU local time is Midnight, at the end of their Nightshift the EU local time is already morning

Think about this : the example is meant for people who are living at the "East coast" of the US

 

What about listeners, who may tune in, and who are living at the center or West coast at the US ?

(see the attached file about the US timezones)

They have a difference of 3 hours

 

What about the different versions of tracks / songs ?

At the EU anything can be played (also at public radio), even the so known "dirty or explicit edits" ... By playing these tracks, US people "can get" offended of that type of music for reaosn that they are used to the "radio edits" (aka "clean edit")

"radio edits" = without the fuck, and other words who can't be used at public projects (they even can't be used at their own community, into their daily life, unless they use it to people they know)

Typical for the US is also the differences between stations : CHR channels, Christian channels, RnB channels, Hip Hop channels, 80s music, etc etc

CHR stations do have their own "seperated" genres : CHR Pop, CHR Top40 etc

 

At the EU people are used to listen to a mix of different genres ...

 

and yes, You can produce some "shout-outs" to "welcome" listeners from an other timezone, but without any other details ...

As I wrote earlier : "keep it simple"

 

If people like Your project (so the listeners) they gonna tune in more often at your station

Example :

Most of the Asian listeners don't understand what is told on a foreign station, however they are the people who are listening "very" often to stations outside their borders

Problem : is that all languages at Asia are different, Japanese, Chinese, Thailand, etc etc

Are You gonna make for each country a "shout-out" ?

 

The answer is no : for reason that it gonna "rape" Your format and You gonna loose the interests other listeners have

 

I'm into radio since 1978, I agree that I don't and can't know everything

but, I learned that doing things (leading a project, a station etc etc) does attract people if they hear (so music) without too much talking, without too much IDs and without too much interuptions during a broadcast ... otherwise they gonna leave and are in search for an other station ...

 

Its that easy !

 

I don't know Your age, I guess You are way younger than Me, but please accept to make radio for the people ... difference of I-Radio compaired to local FM radio is that at I-Radio people are tuned in to listen to their favorit music and nothing else - except if they prefer talk-radio

[Wwzapper]

I'm almost turning 32, so not thát young. But when it comes to making radio, I'm still green/in the phase of figuring out some things (started just two years ago, never had made radio before).

[GKIye]

Age ain't the problem, and yes 32 is a superb time into your life

 

However experience is important

 

What I wrote on top of these is my view of what I learned during decades

 

Has everyone to agree with my point of view ? No

But its a guide to show people what the spirit can be ... What I wrote : "... the how, when and why issues ... "

There is a main rule into media :

"KISS" ... and no that ain't the station at Los Angeles

it means : "Keep It Stupid Simple"

Most of the huge and major stations (so those who are real famous) are all using that rule

That rule makes that a listener/viewer gets/creates a fast and tight connection with the subject (radio or tv)

 

Life is already complicated enough ...

So free time has to be enjoyable, even someone is listening at an office, it has to create a flow of "good feeling" without the listener has to think about what is played

 

In fact internetradio is important to people who are willing to hear "their" music - whatever a format is, they gonna connect with their favorit type of genre(s) etc etc

and with a bit of luck they gonna return to Your station daily, weekly etc

I'm almost turning 32, so not thát young. But when it comes to making radio, I'm still green/in the phase of figuring out some things (started just two years ago, never had made radio before).

As new member to BW, You are learning now what BW is all about (BW = Broadcastingworld.net)

You can ask a read (ID etc) ... but also very important some of Us have a huge experience into media

and We are all from different places at this planet called Earth and We share Our knowledge to other people

 

All of those people gonna add some of their experience to a question, topic or other

and that way someone who is new (or who starts) with the subject media, is able to learn how to achive a good sound qualty, a nice format ... or whatever subject You can think about

 

So what You read, is once again my point of view

You can copy some of the ideas and add them to Yours

and that way you can create the best of both worlds

[johny c]

I never say the time or day with my live shows because they are played later in other parts of the world. My main listeners are people in my own town as I transmit over the air as well as my internet stream. All my trailers for shows say when they play in my time, but on my show page I have a clock showing my time so people can work out when they are on in their time of the world if they wish to listen to the stream. Gk is right, do every thing for your time and keep it simple or you will be making a lot of work for yourself.

[scott s.]

I'm almost turning 32, so not thát young. But when it comes to making radio, I'm still green/in the phase of figuring out some things (started just two years ago, never had made radio before).

 

with 16 years in a local radio industry behind me, and just play around online, I'll stick my head in on this one....

 

You're trying to do too much. The internet is global, you have to have a network attitude. Keep it generic. don't run ID's with saying hi to anyone. If you're not live when you have control and "can say hello and good morning" to a specific region as part of local surveillance while live, there's no sense to do it in my mind. few things I have heard over the years really try to focus on regions on one channel.

 

Any jingles/imaging for the station should be totally focused on the station itself. nothing else. Unless you are specifically doing separate channels for specific regions, there's no sense to do all this work.

 

If you have programming that runs a set time however, pick a time zone for your station, and stick to it in notifications. That can be up to you, but I use eastern time in north america, as it is a standard that is well known. You might consider GMT (greenwich mean time) in europe as that is also a well known global standard. let the listeners figure out the rest.

 

You can't please everybody, so focus on what you want to do.

[Wwzapper]

I've asked on two boards (the more advice, the better), and the result was equally positive/negative/neutral.

 

In fact, I've decided to try out out time/day related jingles, targeting Europe (my biggest 'market' already), since last monday. Hoping other listeners find it interesting to hear something from another continent. I've removed the 'good morning USA', 'good afternoon, Japan', etc. jingles.

 

Besides that, I'm mentioning the (central European) time every hour, seasonal imaging (in both Europe and the USA, it's spring now), and some lines about the part of the day/week (although mostly quite subtle). Based on the European biorhythm.

 

The main goal was to make the station sound more human, less like a jukebox at random.

 

Till now, the effect in both Europe and North America seems to be good; even better ratings than the week before. No problems with North American listeners. Listeners outside of these two area's seem to like it less though. In the hours both continents are asleep, the ratings are lówer. I guess it's the spring part.

 

But indeed, you can't please everybody. And if Europeans and Americans like it, in the end the ratings are the same. Still thanks for your comment.