According to Nielsen, 1,983,988 adults tune in to their favorite Charlotte radio stations every week. This is significantly more consumers than are reached by all other advertising-supported media, including local TV, local cable, streaming video, social media, online audio, and local newspapers.
Charlotte radio's unchallenged reach is why many local business owners depend on the medium to capture the largest possible share of the $56.2 billion dollars consumers are expected to spend at retail this year.
However, other local small business owners may be surprised to learn that by most marketing metrics, radio remains the best way to advertise in Charlotte.
Here are four more facts about AM/FM radio that may surprise many local marketers.
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Every week, according to Nielsen, Charlotte radio reaches 1,983,988 adults. This is more consumers than use any other medium, including local TV, local cable, streaming video, social media, online audio, and newspapers.
Reach, though, is only one component used to calculate ratings. The other metric that contributes to the rating formula is the time spent using each medium. So, although for the past 10 years, AM/FM radio's reach has been significantly higher than the reach of local TV, consumers spent considerably more time watching TV. As a result of the math, TV has enjoyed higher ratings than radio.
For the first time, however, AM/FM radio ratings have exceeded local TV ratings by three percent among the key advertising demographic of 18-49-year-olds, according to Nielsen's Total Audience Data for the third quarter of 2023.
In the Charlotte area, there are 1,425,172 18-49-year-olds, the majority of whom are millennials, a generation that now accounts for nearly one-third of all retail spending.
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streaming TV,
am/fm radio
The combined weekly reach of Charlotte's broadcast television stations has slipped to 72.5% of all adults, according to Nielsen. These stations include WBTV, WSOC, WNSC, WCNC, and WJZY.
The combined Charlotte TV audience now falls behind cable programming at 74.2% and just ahead of streaming platforms at 66.6%. To put this virtual dead heat into perspective, none of the three video media is a match for Charlotte radio which reaches more than 74.7% of local adults every week.
But although the reach of broadcast TV, cable, and streaming are neck-and-neck, the share of time consumers spend with each of these media is dramatically different.
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television advertising,
OTT,
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svod,
avod,
cable tv,
local television,
streaming television,
streaming TV
According to Nielsen research, 1.8 million people in the Charlotte area will likely participate in the upcoming election on November 8th. To sway these voters, candidates and political action committees are expected to spend a record amount on advertising.
AdImpact, a company that measures advertising expenditures by political campaigns, says more than $3.6 billion have been spent to reach voters so far in 2022. This puts spending on a course to obliterate the record level of campaign dollars set during the 2020 presidential elections.
Despite crumbling ratings, through August 1st, 58% of all political spending has been dished out to local TV stations, according to AdImpact.
Nielsen reports that since 2017, the reach of broadcast TV stations like WBTV, WSOC, WNSC, WCNC, and WJZY has decayed by 10%.
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television advertising,
online advertising,
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local television,
streaming television,
internet advertising,
streaming TV
During the past seven days. according to Nielsen, only 70.9% of local consumers tuned in to Charlotte television stations like WBTV, WSOC, WNSC, WCNC, and WJZY. TV's diminishing reach among adults 18 and older has been eclipsed by the audience size for social media, cable, and Charlotte radio. Furthermore, streaming video services such as Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and Disney+ are quickly reaching parity with over-the-air options.
The erosion of local TV station audiences is stunning when comparing prime-time ratings from the past. In 1980, the highest-ranked TV show was Cheers with a 21.3 rating. The 30th-ranked show was The Wonder Years with a 14.2 rating.
Twenty years later, Survivor was the number one show with a 17.4 rating and Family Law was the 30th ranked show with an 8.8 rating.
Finally, in 2019, Sunday Night Football was the number one ranked show with a 10.9 rating. Survivor tied with Dancing With The Stars in 30th place with a 5.5 rating.
It is stunning to think that the number one TV show in 2019 had a 24% lower rating than the 30th-ranked show in 1980.
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best way to advertise,
small business,
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television advertising,
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small business advertising,
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television,
pay-tv,
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direcTV,
satellite TV,
CTV,
svod,
avod,
cable tv,
local television,
streaming television,
streaming TV
Every week, 2.1 million Charlotte consumers watch something on TV.
Not too many years ago, when a Charlotte consumer sat down to watch TV, the program options were limited to what was on WBTV, WSOC, WNSC, WCNC, WJZY, or, maybe, what was on a handful of cable channels. That was then. This is now.
Today, according to Nielsen, each time a TV is turned on in a Charlotte living room, the viewer has more than 817,000 options not only from broadcast stations and cable systems, but also from streaming video platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, YouTube, Amazon, Tubi, Crackle, and FreeVee.
Of course, Charlotte consumers don't even need to sit down in front of their big-screen LCD, anymore. Most of the 817,000 available programs can also be viewed on their computers, tablets, gaming devices, and smartphones. But as far as viewers are concerned, though, it's all just television.
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television,
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svod,
avod,
cable tv,
local television,
streaming television,
streaming TV
It wasn't too long ago when advertising on Charlotte television stations was considered the gold standard for marketing by local business owners. But over the past few years, the number of viewers reached by WBTV, WSOC, WNSC, WCNC, and WJZY has plummeted. In all only 71% of adult consumers now tune-in to at least one of these channels during the week, according to Nielsen.
The consumption of video content isn't diminishing among Charlotte consumers. What has changed, though, is how they are watching it.
In November, according to Nielsen, the share of time watching broadcast television has fallen behind other video options including cable programing and internet-delivered choices such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and hundreds of other streaming networks.
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television advertising,
OTT,
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television,
pay-tv,
cable television,
direcTV,
satellite TV,
CTV,
streaming video,
svod,
avod,
cable tv,
local television,
streaming television
It used to be so simple. When a small business owner wanted to advertise on Charlotte television, there were only a few options including, WBTV, WSOC, WNSC, WCNC, and WJZY. But slowly, the number of options expanded to include cable channels provided by Spectrum, DISH, DirecTV, and Google Fiber.
Heading in 2022, local advertisers have even more options as internet-connected devices deliver hundreds of more programming choices to North Carolina. Collectively, this type of content is called OTT (Over-The-Top-Television) or CTV (Connected-Television). For the purpose of this discussion, OTT & CTV will be referred to singularly as streaming video.
Streaming video can be viewed on any device that can connect to the internet. This includes computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Programing can also be accessed using a smart-TV, Roku Stick, Amazon Fire Stick, or a game console. In all, according to Nielsen, 95.1% of Charlotte households own a device capable of receiving streaming video.
In all, says Nielsen, 1.4 million consumers watch streaming video content every week. Combined, these internet channels now reach more adults every week than local newspapers, podcasts, and digital audio services like Pandora, Spotify, Sirius/XM. Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio.
Surprisingly, streaming video now reaches almost as many adults as local TV and local cable.
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cable tv,
advertise in charlotte,
internet,
local television,
streaming television,
internet advertising
Every week, according to Nielsen, 2.5 million adult consumers in Charlotte watch something on television. But, of course, the definition of what it means to watch TV has changed since the time when the number of available viewing options could be counted on the fingers of a single hand.
Today, Charlotte consumers have a gargantuan number of viewing choices. This includes programs from stations like WBTV, WSOC, WNSC, WCNC, and WJZY. Or maybe cable and satellite systems like Spectrum, DISH, DirecTV, and Google Fiber. There's also content delivered over the internet from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime.
No longer are Charlotte consumers tied to the 21-inch Zenith in their living rooms. Instead, TV can be watched on giant LCDs, smartphones, and tablets from any room in the house, in the backseat of their cars, or practically anywhere else.
The best way to think about TV watching in Charlotte is in terms of three buckets:
- Over-the-air...including all broadcast channels
- Cable...including all premium and non-premium programming
- Internet...including all streaming services. This is also known as OTT or CTV
Here's how many Charlotte adult viewers fall into each bucket. Remember, viewers are not limited to a single bucket.
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OTT,
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dish network,
CTV,
streaming video,
cable tv,
internet,
local television,
streaming television
Broadcast television came to Charlotte in 1949 when WBTV-TV signed on for the first time. In those days, only about 0.5% of local households actually owned a set, a number that would grow 100-fold by the mid-1950s.
At first, Charlotte consumers needed rabbit-ears or outdoor antennas to receive signals from a small handful of local stations, including WSOC and WAYS (now WCCB). The quality of reception varied day-to-day.
By the early 1960s, however, local cable systems began to bring higher-quality, reliable reception to households throughout the Charlotte area. The number of programming options, though, remained limited to affiliates of ABC, NBC, and CBS.
In 1972, viewing options began to expand as local cable began offering Charlotte area consumers the opportunity to purchase premium services, including HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax. Five years later came an explosion of non-premium cable channels such as TBS and CNN.
In the early 1990s, Charlotte viewers could not only receive their television programming over-the-air or by cable, but options expanded to include satellite delivery by DishTV and DirectTV.
The next TV innovation came in 2007 as Charlotte consumers started turning to the internet to watch streaming channels like Netflix and Hulu. These new services allowed viewers to watch TV on their phones, computers, and tablets as well as their living room LCD and Plasma screens.
Today, all of this video technology offers viewers the ultimate flexibility to choose how, when, and where to watch TV. So, what are they watching?
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television advertising,
OTT,
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television,
cable television,
CTV,
streaming video,
svod,
avod,
cable tv,
local television
As the pandemic rages on, advertising is no longer a luxury for the
92,000 small businesses in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area
.
Advertising has become a tool for survival.
As cash becomes precious, though, Charlotte area small business owners and retailers need to ensure that every dollar spent on advertising has a significant effect on sales.
To make the best advertising choices, thousands of local business owners have sought advice and direction from
www.AdvertiseInCharlotte.om. Here is a recap of the top 5 articles read on the site during 2020.
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television advertising,
newspaper advertising,
newspaper readers,
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small business advertising,
OTT,
television,
pay-tv,
cable television,
radio listening,
CTV,
svod,
avod,
cable tv,
2020
There is cheerful news for small business owners from Davidson to Matthews and every city and town in between.
Based on the latest projections from the National Retail Federation, holiday sales are expected to grow 3.6%-5.2% over 2019. This means despite the economic ravages of the pandemic, Charlotte area shoppers will be spending between $6.4 and $6.5 billion on gifts and other trappings of the season.
The NRF forecast is based on an economic model that takes into consideration a variety of indicators including employment, wages, consumer confidence, disposable income, consumer credit, previous retail sales and weather. NRF defines the holiday season as November 1 through December 31. Numbers forecast by NRF may differ from other organizations that define the holiday season as a longer period or include retail sectors not included by NRF, such as automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants.
"Consumers have shown they are excited about the holidays and are willing to spend on gifts that lift the spirits of family and friends after such a challenging year," says NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. "We expect a strong finish to the holiday season."
“Given the pandemic, there is uncertainty about consumers’ willingness to spend, but with the economy improving most have the ability to spend,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “Consumers have experienced a difficult year but will likely spend more than anyone would have expected just a few months ago."
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consumer spending,
small business,
small business owner,
television advertising,
roi,
return on investment,
small business marketing,
small business advertising,
retail spending,
retail,
television,
retail sales,
retail stores,
retailer,
cable television,
holiday advertising,
holiday shopping,
christmas,
advertising ROI,
consumer confidence
Every week, according to Nielsen, significantly more consumers are reached by local radio than by Charlotte TV.
For Charlotte small business owners whose marketing budgets have been ravaged by the pandemic, though, the question is which of these media can provide the best return for their advertising investments. An ROI study conducted by Nielsen and commissioned by Cumulus Media | Westwood One provides a conclusive answer.
Between April 30 and May 27 of this year, Nielsen analyzed the sales results of a major retailer who conducted an advertising campaign on both radio and television during that period.
Using their Portable People Meter panel of 80,000 consumers, Nielsen measured the purchase behavior of consumers who were exposed to the advertiser's commercials on both radio and television. To learn more about the methodology, click here.
The result of the study indicates that the money invested in radio advertising had a much stronger return than the money spent on TV.
Here are the key findings of the ROI study:
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small business,
small business owner,
television advertising,
roi,
return on investment,
small business marketing,
small business advertising,
retail spending,
retail,
television,
retail sales,
retail stores,
retailer,
cable television,
advertising ROI
Before we explain AVOD, it is important to understand SVOD.
Charlotte small business owners may not be familiar with SVOD, but chances are they let it into their homes and onto their phones.
SVOD is the abbreviation for Subscription Video On Demand. That is the collective name for streaming networks like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime. For a monthly fee, these services provide commercial-free access to TV shows, original content, and movies.
These SVOD networks are delivered to viewers' phones, tablets, computers, and smart-TVs via the internet and not over-the-air or cable systems.
SVOD makes up a significant part of what advertisers refer to as OTT (Over-The-Top-Television) and CTV (Connected-Television). OTT/CTV is video-programming content that viewers can only watch on smartphones, tablets, computers, smart-TVs, Amazon Firesticks, and Roku Sticks. Nielsen reports that 92.3% of Charlotte adults own at least one of these devices.
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best way to advertise,
small business,
small business owner,
television advertising,
small business marketing,
small business advertising,
OTT,
streaming media,
television,
cable television,
CTV,
streaming video,
svod,
avod
Advertising on Charlotte television and cable is becoming less attractive to local business owners as viewers rapidly defect to alternative video entertainment sources including, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Amazon and Disney+.
Collectively these streaming services are referred to as Over-The-Top Television (OTT) and Connected-TV (CTV). Viewers can only access this OTT and CTV content via smartphone, tablets, computers, smart-TVs, Amazon Fire Sticks, and Roku Sticks, Nielsen reports that 92.3% of Charlotte adults own at least one these devices. Furthermore, they are using them.
According to Nielsen, OTT and CTV networks now reach 43.4% of all Charlotte consumers every week.
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best way to advertise,
radio advertising,
small business,
small business owner,
television advertising,
small business marketing,
small business advertising,
OTT,
streaming media,
television,
pay-tv,
cable television,
advertise on radio,
CTV,
streaming video
More than one-third of Charlotte area households are 'cord-cutters' or 'cord-nevers'. This means, they have fired their cable or satellite television providers or never subscribed at all. Instead, these consumers are choosing to find their video entertainment elsewhere.
The number of local homes that subscribe to pay-TV services began plummeting in 2013. New technologies has allowed viewers to bypass cable and satellite for more compelling content at lower prices. These cord-cutters now depend on services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime to fill their multiple screens.
For many years, Charlotte small business owners have been investing a significant portion of their advertising budgets into cable-TV. The medium had proven to be a low-cost, high-reach alternative to buying commercial on over-the-air television stations.
Now, because of cord-cutting, there are 748,000 adult consumers with unconnected TVs. This profoundly diminishes the value proposition of advertising with local cable systems.
There is a powerful and affordable solution, however, for small business owners to reach both the diminishing cable audience and the expanding number of cord-cutters.
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best way to advertise,
radio advertising,
small business,
small business owner,
television advertising,
small business marketing,
small business advertising,
television,
pay-tv,
cable television,
advertise on radio,
radio commercials,
cord-cutter,
cord-never,
satellite TV
There is alarming news for small business owners who advertise on Charlotte television stations: broadcast TV viewers are disappearing at a rapid pace.
Nielsen reports that halfway through the first quarter of this year, the number of people using television has dropped 7.5%. This compares to -6.3% in the fourth quarter of 2019, and -7.0% a year ago,
"If the trend holds, it would represent the largest quarterly decline for TV viewership in our data set," explains UBS analyst John C. Hodulikadding. "Trends have worsened across most age demos with persons 25-34 now falling -17% vs. low double-digit declines throughout 2019. The persons 55+ demo continues to trend down -2%, similar to 2019 (the first year of declining ratings for the demo)."
Radio listenership, on the other hand, has remained quite stable, according to Nielsen. Since 1970, the medium has reached more than 9-in-10 consumers every week.
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best way to advertise,
consumer spending,
radio advertising,
small business,
small business owner,
television advertising,
millennials,
reach,
frequency,
branding,
reach & frequency,
television,
generation y,
generation x