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How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
A radio researcher looks at how many spots listeners will stick with before changing the station. For some, it's about three. For others, it's zero. And some will never turn off their favourite format.
How many is too many for you? As an inveterate dial switcher, I'm closer to zero!
"Across the stations reviewed, each hour had an average of 16.5 units, which lasted 10 minutes and 22 seconds. The average listener during an average hour would hear over sixteen commercials lasting a bit over ten minutes. Here’s another way to look at it: 17.3 percent of every hour on these stations in this daypart consisted of commercials."
Is AM/FM Radio Still Worth It For Listeners Despite the Commercial Conundrum?
- Easily Amused
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
Certainly a differing opinion on the format being played. Talk format would seem to be better using commercial blocks, where shorter ads interspersed into music seem better to hold a listener's attention.
- mace
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
If the ads are funny, I will listen. When they are annoying, I bolt.
- RayDeeOh
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
Canon megatank commercials make me bolt and lock the door! It's so annoyingly repetitive. Yes I remember the product; No, I'll never buy it.
- Shorty Wave
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
I can handle about two minutes of commercials tops, so I’m SOL as most AM breaks are 5 minutes. I must say though, AM740’s commercial breaks are shorter but I think there’s more breaks per hour. It wouldn’t be so bad if there were better commercials, as it seems the crappier the spot is, the more it airs, like Spence!
- newsguy1
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
There are some particularly annoying radio ads going around recently.
Mega Tank is one of them.
Another one is for an insurance company which talks about a woman accidentally hitting a pillar and getting damage on the "rear back side" of her car.
What the hell is the "rear back side?"
I am also infuriated by the interminably long ads for Frank Leo.
Each one requires the host (reader) going through a long drawn out script that seems to take up to two minutes for the host to read.
And of course the ads are in pretty well every ad break on all major stations.
BTW if Frank Leo has such an amazing marketing system, why doesn't everybody do it?
And, of course, there's the ongoing tedious Spence ads.
They don't even try to do cutesy soap opera storylines anymore.
They just hard sell jewelry which they call a bargain at around three thousand dollars a pop.
And don't get me started on Tom's Place and his gag inducing ramblings.
- MJ Vancouver
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
My limit is 2 minutes, though these days I usually change the station as soon as the commercials start as I know most of the stations I listen to will go on for 5 minutes or more. The ads simply don’t reach me anymore.
The one exception is if I’m listening to live sports, as I know there’s breaks in the play (especially baseball between innings).
Last edited by MJ Vancouver (August 27, 2025 1:11 pm)
- Walter
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
Good examples of horrible radio ads thus far. May I humbly suggest: 'Freddy the Yeti', and Eugene Levy's 'Sleep Daddy' join the list?
- newsguy1
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
Yes, for sure Walter.
I felt a little embarrassed for Levy when I heard the ad.
I thought I could detect a little chagrin in his voice too like he sorta knew it sounded really lame.
As for the yeti who can drive a car. Bleecch.
- mace
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
I listen online to a Chicago Classic rock station [97.1 WDVR] They are currently running a series of ads for First National Bank of America. The premise is that their customer service is superior to the big more well known competitors [aka Bank Humongous] The large cast of voices are odd, quirky and reminicent of those used in the Chickenman series. The writing is crisp, sharp, non annoying and the ads make me chuckle.
- newsguy1
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
Yes, just like the old Alpine Credits were funny and they kept making new ones.
The ads they run now about their agents being super heroes are lame and unimaginative.
- Walter
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
Another long-running, and long in the tooth, ad that has to go is the growler chasing little kids around the room at Ronald McDonald House. A fine institution, and worthy of support, but that commercial has become an instant channel changer.
- RadioActive
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
Walter wrote:
Another long-running, and long in the tooth, ad that has to go is the growler chasing little kids around the room at Ronald McDonald House. A fine institution, and worthy of support, but that commercial has become an instant channel changer.
A great cause but my most hated spot that never stops running.
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Thread Starter- Walter
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
Another long-running, and long in the tooth, ad that has to go is the growler chasing little kids around the room at Ronald McDonald House. A fine institution, and worthy of support, but that commercial has become an instant channel changer.
A great cause but my most hated spot that never stops running.
Never, is right. Because of the worthy cause, and all, is it possible that it runs for free? That might be one way to explain the monotonous longevity.
- Chrisphen
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Re: How Many Commercials On Radio Is Too Many? A Researcher Weighs In
There is a theoretically ideal number of commercials - zero. This level will likely never be reached, as too many in the broadcasting industry do not consider zero a number.