• by Joe Mandese , February 9, 2005

Clear Channel Radio may not yet be getting any more from advertisers, but its decision to run few commercials in its radio broadcasts is winning more fans among listeners. According to results of two separate studies released by Clear Channel on Tuesday, the company's so-called "Less is More" initiative indicates that the reduction in programming interruptions and shorter commercial breaks is improving the involvement of radio listeners.

One of the studies conducted by Burke across nine markets--including Atlanta, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Chicago, Denver, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and San Diego--tested commercials from a range of advertisers in the telecommunications, retail, automotive, beverage, insurance, and home improvement categories.

A second study conducted by Navigauge measured audience behavior during and around the commercial breaks of Clear Channel's stations. The research found two promising results:

* The first position, 30-second spot retained more audience than a comparable first-position, 60-second spot, no matter how many spots were in the break.

* With shorter commercial breaks (averaging four or fewer ads), roughly 80 percent of listeners were still listening after the second commercial, and roughly 70 percent were still listening after the third spot.