Here is the third and final installment of my interview with Phil Bernstein, Portland’s Finest Media Rep. Be sure to read the entire interview here. 

Brett Duncan: I’ve been told that talk radio is usually better for advertising, simply because listeners are more used to just hearing people talk, so they’re less likely to change the channel during ads. Is that accurate? 

Phil Bernstein: I’m a big fan of news/talk radio for advertising. Listeners come to a talk station because they want information, and a good commercial is just part of the information mix. The other advantage of information radio is that people are likely to be paying attention — there’s no reason to have a talk show on in the background. 

BD: With that said, I find myself often switching between the local sports talk station, and then flipping over to ESPN radio during the other station’s commercials. Do you have any research or insight into how many listeners will continue to listen during commercial breaks, how many flip stations, and how advertisers can take the most advantage?

PB: I’ve seen some research that indicates that long breaks can cause listeners to bail out, but it’s pretty rudimentary right now. Arbitron — the radio ratings company — is testing a device called the “portable people meter” that may ultimately give us a more accurate look at who’s actually listening at different times during a break. The main thing to keep in mind is that people will listen to something if they find it interesting and relevant — and that includes commercials. Which makes good copy more important than ever.

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BD: Is radio a stronger medium for local advertising or national? 

PB: National and local campaigns both work on radio when they’re done well. It’s got a particular advantage for local business, since it’s the one way to reach customers in the car when they’re out shopping.

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BD: How has streaming online radio changed the game? I know most stations will throw in some opportunities on their website. Are they worth it? What really works for advertising on a station’s website, and what doesn’t?

PB: The streaming audience is still much smaller than the over-the-air audience, but it’s growing. Right now, a streaming audio commercial works best as a supplement for an over-the-air campaign. We don’t give streaming commercials away, but they don’t cost a lot of money, either. The game-changer for streaming audio may come when people can get reliable internet in their cars. We’re probably not too far from that happening. 

In the meantime, I’ve found that there’s real value in combining radio and online tools. Instead of walking into a store or calling a salesperson, consumers are now doing much of their pre-purchase research online. If my clients can get them to do the research on their site instead of a competitors’ site, they win. And we’ve already trained our listeners to come to our station sites. So a radio ad might tell people to go to a station web site and click on a banner. The click-through might go directly to the client’s web page, but we can also build a custom landing page with specific information about a promotion. If you think the whole thing through — and it’s my job to think it through — it’s a very powerful tool.

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