Communication outlets that use “air space,” including radio and television, make up the broadcast media. Advertising often can be purchased, or publicity garnered, for your business from local as well as national media outlets.
Television: Even though TV advertising rates are comparatively high, television can be an effective media option. An entrepreneur with a new business can sometimes negotiate discounted rates or get free mention (publicity) if he or she has a good story. If you have a product or service that would benefit from TV or radio advertising, consider going with a media-buying service instead of purchasing it yourself. Media-buying services are granted the same 15-percent discount as advertising agencies, but they often return 10 percent of the savings to you, the advertiser, keeping 5 percent as their fee. You can find media buyers in the Yellow Pages.
The nature of TV advertising has changed significantly from the medium’s early days, when there were only three channels and limited programming. The number of channels has grown tremendously, and the availability of TiVo, DirecTV, videos, and other options has changed the impact of television advertising. With the targeted audiences for cable channels, advertising can be more focused. At the same time, the sheer number of viewing options, and the capability of the viewer to skip over advertisements, means that effectiveness can be hard to measure.
Radio: Radio advertising is sold in a variety of ways, with prices based on the length of your ad, the time of day it will run, and its duration and frequency. Radio stations can provide you with sophisticated data regarding their listeners, so that you can more readily determine whether there is a good fit with your target market. University and local community radio stations often do not carry advertising but might be willing to mention a new business venture that has an interesting or unusual angle. As with TV, radio advertising has changed over the years. The recent advent of satellite radio—and the ability to hear music without ads—has had an impact as well but, according to the annual RADAR report from the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), the weekly audience for radio was over 242 million in 2012, which totaled some 93% of the U.S. population over 12 years of age.
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