What Makes a Good Radio Remote: Factors Leading to Perceived Cost-Effective and Well-Received On-Site Radio Promotional Sales Ev

The most important things the business client brings to a remote are (a) Location and (b) the Products that are sold or the Services that are offered. The most important things the radio station brings are (a) Giveaways/Promotional items and (b) Station Personalities. These four factors, when combined, create the Local Promotional Event.

Who attends these Events? This research shows that a portion of the walk-in traffic are people who come primarily because of the business. These are people who are familiar with the business and the products or services that are available. A second group are those who are fans of the radio station. These people are motivated to respond to the giveaways and to meet the station personalities. They may or may not be familiar with the business and therefore constitute potential future buyers. A third group are those who show up primarily for the Event itself. These people enjoy the activity of going to a new place or business and experiencing the festive atmosphere generated by the radio station at the client site.

The implications of these findings are that radio station remotes may have a multiplier effect tied to the equity of the station as well as the equity of the brands being promoted. Advertisers need what the radio station provides--a certain element of balance or neutrality to a business promotion. Rather than emphasizing the obvious goal of selling or promoting a business, the station also provides a "name brand" that is often associated with celebrities (personalities), fun, and excitement. The goal is to change the perception of consumers--rather than attending a sales pitch, they're going to a party.

All three types of attendees derive benefits. Those who were going to the business regardless of whether there was a remote have the unexpected pleasure of being entertained. The payoff for the radio station fan is to meet the radio personalities in a context that allows them (the DJs) to be personable without the concerns that would be there if they simply showed up to the radio station. The business gets the benefit of higher customer traffic. Finally, there must be a payoff for those who come primarily because of the event--research findings suggest that attending radio remotes may be habit-forming.

In addition, the data suggest a correlation between purchasing behavior and frequency of attendance at radio remotes. This is the payoff for the business client--not only in terms of dollars, but also in terms of loyalty and local involvement. Perhaps it's true that people don't mind spending money if they're being entertained, especially if the entertainment appears to have no strings attached. If so, then the good will generated through radio station remotes is invaluable to the local station and the local business. The remote is a way for local businesses to connect with local stations to create the local identity that attracts the local consumers who live, work, and participate in their communities.

As U.S. radio station ownership becomes increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few corporations, the distance between the station owner and the local business becomes greater than ever before. Radio--the personal medium--becomes more and more impersonal. These findings are a reminder of the medium's greatest strength--localism.

There were several limitations to the data compiled in this study. First was the lack of generalizability due to the nature of the sample. Small sample sizes for businesses and radio stations also make interpretation difficult. Future research should focus on the people who attend radio remotes. This study found evidence that the more experience people have with the remotes, the more likely they are to make purchases at remotes. Further investigation of sub-groups (such as the 10% who show up alone to sales remotes) is needed.

More research is also needed regarding the business clients who contract for remotes. This study found that businesses generally like remotes and see them as important ways to generate traffic and sales. But more information is certainly needed--what types of businesses are most successful using remotes, and what businesses are least successful? Also, getting feedback from businesses on when a remote is not successful would be very helpful to radio stations as well. Finally, further research should investigate what factors influence the on-air personality. Since all parties--stations, businesses, and audience attendees--agree that the on-air talent are important factors in executing a successful remote, identifying what helps and hinders this performance would benefit the station employee and presumably lead to even more successful radio remote experiences.

In sum, the factors that result in a successful remote are (1) Location, (2) Client Product Sales, (3) Station & Client Giveaways, and (4) Engaging and Effective Air Personalities. These are clearly with in the grasp and the resources of many clients and stations. Both the business client and the audience attendees expect "warm, entertaining, and well-informed" air personalities. They expect the air talent to help drum up excitement and transform the mundane sales day into an exciting and electrifying event. As stations continue to fulfill this role, business clients and audience attendees will continue to enjoy the radio remote as a staple of modern radio business practice.

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An earlier version of this paper was presented to the National Association of Broadcasters & Broadcast Education Association, April, 1997, Las Vegas Nevada.

This study was funded by grants from the National Association of Broadcasters and the Department of Broadcasting at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

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Jeffrey S. Wilkinson (Ph.D., University of Georgia, 1992) is an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Broadcasting, College of Communication at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is currently on leave serving as Assistant Professor in Communication Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong. His research interests include media effects, radio management & programming, new media technologies, and broadcast journalism.

Benjamin J. Bates (Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1986) is an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Broadcasting, College of Communication, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His research focuses on telecommunication economics, management, and policy, and the development and impact of media and information systems.

Todd Chambers (Ph.D. Candidate, University of Tennessee) is a Lecturer in Telecommunications at Texas Tech University. His research interests include media economics, broadcast regulation and the public interest and the use of new media technologies.

Steven McClung (Ph.D., Tennessee, Knoxville, 1999, M.A., B.A. Marshall '86, '84) is an Assistant Professor of Broadcasting at Georgia Southern University. His research interests include broadcasters use of the Internet and college radio.

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