Despite the CRA media release that boasts a 5.76% rise in revenue for commercial radio in metro markets, the fact is that many stations outside of Perth are struggling. Nowhere is the pain being felt more than in Sydney where the market as a whole lost ground to the tune of 1.17%. Doesn’t sound much, but given that some stations are still raking it in, others must be losing a poultice.

With no mining boom to supercharge ad sales, and a marked decline in the investment category since the US subprime crash, some stations, especially in Sydney, rely heavily on the carpet saturation buys from the erectile dysfunction sector. But while this apparent epidemic of male malady may keep the sales department pumped, there’s some evidence that listeners may be wilting under the barrage of ads promoting a cure.

In the Fairfax press Heckler column last week entitled, Mothers for Prophylactic Free Radio, Lisa Humphries wrote, “In the midst of a tricky lane change, I lunge for the radio to change stations, but it is too late. A little voice pipes up from the back seat: “Mum, what does premature ejaculation mean?”

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Is the revenue that erectile dysfunction advertising brings in the short term worth the listeners it may lose in the long term? Does Lisa Humphries represent the tip of the ice berg or is she merely a one-off looking for a clever topic for The Heckler?

Any suggestions on how to keep the revenue without losing listeners?

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