Radio InSights

Radio Asleep at the Wheel...Again.

Yesterday we brought you the story of Rebecca Black, a 13 year-old who’s parents helped her produce a music video.

Ridiculed with comments like hilariously dreadful and mind-meltingly horrific, she just may be having the last laugh. Her video is approaching 38 million views.

 The phenomenon has generated nearly 500 web stories so far, an appearance on the Tonight Show, and kind words from Lady Gaga herself.

The perfect grist for radio morning shows, right?

Out of the roughly 1,600 CHR and AC radio stations that ought to be all over this, by our count 27 have played the song. Fewer than 2% of stations in the two formats have bothered to exploit the story.

About one-third of the spins were on Clear Channel stations alone. CBS, Citadel, and Cumulus, in contrast, had each managed to play the song once when we checked.

The monitors may have missed a few spins, but even if we're off by a factor of 10, it says a lot about radio's loss of focus. Friday went viral, and radio didn't even seem to notice.

Is there any stronger evidence that radio is out of touch?

Is This the Worst Song Ever?

Can a song with over 33 million YouTube hits be the worst song ever? What if the song is also ranks 45th on iTunes?

The song is Friday, sung by 13 year-old Rebecca Black and produced by Ark Music Factory.

 

According to Physorg.com:

As the tune began to attract attention on YouTube, a Yahoo! music blog called it a "mind-meltingly horrific song" and asked readers "Is YouTube Sensation Rebecca Black's 'Friday' The Worst Song Ever?"

Time magazine described "Friday" as a "train wreck" and the video as "hilariously dreadful."

The poor reviews only fueled more interest in the video and it has become a viral hit, racking up millions of YouTube views, spawning a slew of parodies on the video-sharing site and making Black an Internet sensation.

A 13 year-old unknown can generate over 33 million YouTube views, but most radio station videos generate views in the hundreds. What does it say about the state of radio and radio morning shows?

Why can't a multi-billion dollar industry that prides itself on its marketing skills create a viral sensation? After all, even a kid can do it.