I guess that’s why it’s called “commercial radio.” I basically stopped listening to it 10-12 years ago because of the staggering volume and mind-numbing moronity of advertisements. Thank goodness for Sirius/XM Radio and high-quality podcasts.
It just seemed that every time I turned on the radio back then, whether for news, talk, or sports, I was deluged with commercials and promotions. It’s arguably true that what station management considers to be “content” is, in reality, the advertisements and that any actual news, talk, or sports is simply filler.
I decided to experiment with what I theorized would be an outrageous split of 40 percent commercials and 60 percent sports talk on one of Boston’s leading sports-talk stations. The assignment was to turn on a radio preset to the station any time I walked into a room, which was randomized between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. seven days a week and see what I got.
The results over two months? I tuned into the station 60 times and got advertisements on 41 occasions or 68 percent of the observations, much higher than even I thought possible. The 19 times in which there was “sports talk,” most of it was lame and predictable though some of it was pretty good - especially on the weekends.
This station is highly regarded and, if ratings and advertisements are any indication, very good at its business. Ad volume is considered a success metric in radioland and essential for a commercial station’s survival and the jobs it provides. For me, however, it is simply unlistenable and seemingly unsustainable. I just don’t know how anyway deals with it.
