PEAK PERIODS
The time blocks may vary from location to location,
but these peak listening periods generally occur Monday
through Friday during three dayparts:
. Morning drive time. People are waking up,
planning for the day and driving to work or
school. Programming should be up-tempo. This
is when they want news and information
concerning the weather and the activities of the
day.
. Midday drive time. Fewer sailors and marines
listen. However, news is once again highlighted
at noon. This period falls during the lunch break,
and many people tune in for both information and
entertainment.
. Afternoon drive time. Finds people driving
home from work and tends to attract younger
audiences out of school. The music generally
increases in tempo while the emphasis shifts back
to news, time and updates on the happenings of
the day.
Nonprime-time and “fringe” time dayparts may also
be identified as useful in making programming
decisions.
OTHER SIGNIFICANT DAYPARTS
Now that the common prime-time periods have
been identified, it will be helpful to consider other
periods of the broadcast day with regard to audience
activity.
. Time segments after morning drive and
midday drive. These periods often represent the
times when the majority of the audience is
occupied (working or at school). Other audiences
that can be served during this period include
family members, hospital patients, mess
personnel, and so forth. Onboard ship and in
many workshops ashore, the radio will still be on.
But in general, there will be a smaller number of
listeners so AFRTS-BC programs could be
scheduled in this period instead of the live shows
of your station.
. Time segments after afternoon drive. Audience
listening habits will become more static.
Listeners who are going to be away from their
radios during the evening will have completed
their preparations and have already left or they
may be watching television. Normally, those
listeners who remain will continue to be attentive
for at least part of the evening.
SCHEDULING PROGRAM MATERIAL
It is generally accepted, both in commercial and
military broadcasting, that prime-time programming
should be directed to the target audience, regardless of
how diverse the audience makeup. Because music is the
most important type of radio program and music “sells”
the information, a DJ show is the best vehicle for that
information. This idea can be tine-tuned to consider the
needs of a station’s immediate audience. As a result of
geographic separation, NBS detachments must respond
to different audience needs than the network or key
station. The best way to meet these local needs is with
a locally produced DJ show.
Local Live Music Shows
The local live DJ show should include information
of immediate interest to the local community. This
reinforces the purpose of scheduling local live time in
prime-time. An AFRTS-Arbitron survey concluded that
the best way to meet the varied tastes of the military
audience was with a “mixed music” format-a skillful
blend of top-40, country, urban and adult contemporary
music. If your survey indicates audience interest and
your station has the capability to counter program
(explained later), there might be a situation calling for
programming other than mixed music in local time. The
AFRTS-Arbitron survey concluded that country was
also a significant format, and considering programming
strategies, might be a viable prime-time local show
format.
Given sufficient manpower and audience interest,
local live DJ shows can be slotted at times in the
schedule other than prime time. However, local live
prime-time should be programmed first. The following
are additional considerations when you program local
live time:
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l
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Audience survey results indicating local
prime-time (when to schedule)
Audience survey results showing music
preference (what to schedule)
Station manpower resources (how to work it)
Requirement for percentage utilization of
AFRTS-BC package that might limit local time
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