Any evaluation of the dynamics of drive-time delivery, particularly morning drive, must inevitably stumble against the old conundrum — Which came first — the drive time or the Jock?
Given the broader understanding of the term Jock, and the fact that a number of Jock Test websites have qualifying criteria such as “use words of one or two syllables regularly?” and “been embarrassed by your apparent lack of intelligence in public?”, we have to ask why the elite vanguard of radio broadcasters still encourage the wearing of this particular badge of distinction.
On reflection though, the Jock Test also includes criteria such as “scratched your crotch— in public— even though it didn’t itch?”, and given the Schusteresque offering of many morning drive shows, perhaps, as a generalisation, the term is not that far off the mark.
There are of course obvious exceptions to the Jock — if you scratch it they will come— method of audience outreach. SAfm’s AM Live, insightfully presented by John Perlman and Nikiwe Bikitsha, gives the latest breaking news, insight and analysis. 702’s John Robbie might have been a Jock once upon a time but now he is an aggressive, no holds barred, talk show host.
So there is no universal definition of what constitutes a Jock and no common platform of delivery which is a guarantee of success in morning drive.
The term drive-time is also somewhat misleading, in that it implies a universal practice of listening to radio in the car. If we examine the morning drive time habits of LSM 1-2, where 99% of households don’t have a car, and compare them with those of LSM 10 households, where 99% do have a car, there is no significant variation in the overall listenership pattern. The overwhelming bulk of listenership to radio, over drive time, takes place in the home and not in the car.
So if it’s not the Jock and it’s not the car, what does it come down to from a planning perspective?
The initial and primary planning decision in any radio campaign is the broad matching of the radio station to the target audience. If we map out radio listenership in Gauteng (Past 4 Weeks), on a student: mature age (35+) working full time axis (see chart), we can see two critical points —
- Station listenerships segment themselves quite clearly in broad terms.
- Drive time listenership (6am – 9am) within the station does not differentiate itself markedly from the broad station positioning.
From the chart we can see that YFM has a strong orientation to students, Classic FM offers the mature market and 94,7 sits somewhere in the middle. These are the hardcore adherents to the station who to a large degree subscribe to the station format, irrespective of the individual Jock. This, in isolation, is what will whet the planner’s appetite for investment.
Radio research also indicates distinct patterns of listenership across an average day. These patterns are quite consistent across radio stations and determine what is referred to as the “available audience” at any given point in time. Ultimately this average available audience determines the advertising rate which the planner will pay for commercial exposure at that time.
At this point, within the broader positioning compatibility of the station, it’s about the number of listeners at the right price.
Despite the considerable variance in positioning for each of the three radio stations under consideration, Yfm, 94,7 and Classic, the basic drive-time listenership pattern across the day does not vary massively. The real fight is more about maintaining this audience’s loyalty and attracting from other available audiences, than it is about creating new audiences.
It is, however, in these micro variations that the planner can manipulate the cost efficiencies of rates and available audience. So while YFM has the strongest station affinity and delivery against students, and morning drive the highest audience yield against this market, it’s clear that afternoons also provide a viable communication platform. There is even a mini-peak in the late evening.
The cost implications? Morning drive delivers at a cost per point of R496. Afternoon drive at R470, and late evening at R244. Late night exposure is in fact 100% more cost efficient than drive time.
So what’s the answer to the question of who came first, the Jock or the audience.
The bottom line is that irrespective of who anchors the morning drive on any radio station, there will be an audience and that audience will be larger than the afternoon audience, or indeed any audience on that station. Every programme, and every Jock, is a viable platform, provided they remain within the overall station positioning.
It doesn’t really matter that Pabi, Thato and Macfarlane anchor the YD Awake show in the mornings and Chilli M and Dineo the Essential Rush in the afternoons. Swop them around and nothing much will happen. Each show will pick up some new listeners who love the new vibe and lose some disenchanted listeners, who resent the change. But the core will not change because they buy into the station delivery platform.
On the other hand, give John Perlman the mike at the Rude Awakening, stick Jeremy on Classic and give Tony Blewitt a shot at the YD Awake Show and you’ll have a riot on your hands.
It’s all about mirroring the brand image. Few if any media planners attach their brands to a Jock personality— they buy the station positioning and they pay for the listeners.