Looking back on our analytics from this past year, these were the topics of the five most-read Radio Consulting Services Newsletters of 2020. As for which subjects resonated the most, one was the big story in 2020: the coronavirus pandemic. Here are the five most-read newsletters of the year, counted down from number five to number one. 

5.       Christmas Programming 101 by Jon Holiday (October 29, 2020)
We offered some practical advice for determining your best options for holiday programming. Christmas music is an even bigger escape this year compared to years past. As of Tuesday, December 15th, a record-breaking 540 stations have flipped to All-Christmas, shattering the previous record of 529 set in 2014, according to the Inside Radio/Precision Trak database.  

4.       There’s No Playbook For This by Michael Gifford (March 30, 2020)The first state issued COVID-19 stay-at-home order was issued by California on March 19th. Our Talent Coach Michael Gifford offered our clients some helpful advice on how they and their airstaffs might navigate in the early days of the pandemic. Wish we could end 2020 by saying the pandemic is over, but we’re are optimistic about 2021 will bring and glad so many found our advice helpful.  

3.       Are You Ready For Ratings? by Jon Holiday (January 31, 2020) With the Spring 2020 Ratings Survey beginning in less than 60 days; we shared some things you should check on. Here are some things you should check on and act on ASAP! Are you ready?  

2.        Where Do Listeners Get Their News? by Jon Holiday (July 31, 2020) The digital era is making its mark on local news. Nearly as many Americans today say they prefer to get their local news online (41%) as say they prefer to do so through television (37%). Those far outpace those who preferred a printed newspaper (13%) or the radio (8%) respectively), according to a Pew Research Center survey of 34,897 U.S. adults. 

1.       Is Being Number Two A Bad Thing? by Jon Holiday (June 30, 2020)If you can’t be number one, the best position you can possibly shoot for is number two. Whether it’s sports or in the radio business; number two is the strongest position you can be. Because when number one has trouble or makes some mistakes, number two is there to take over and format changes are expensive. 

Have a safe and Happy Holiday Season and Happy New Year, we’ll see you in 2021!

Radio Consulting Services have been helping stations with the All Christmas format since 2005, including two syndicated 24/7 versions. While the window for a launch gets tighter each day, we do have a solution for stations wanting to go All Christmas. Contact our partners at Sun Broadcast Group about our “Christmas 24/7” format at 800-871-6163 or info@sunbgi.com