The Unbearable Frequency of Internet Radio Ads

[rollercoaster]

Whether it's an outfit like ServiceMagic.com or Quicken Loans -- both of whom are under investigation by consumer advocacy groups for deceptive advertising; or a get-rich-quick scheme like one John Cummuta's Transforming Debt Into Wealth System, whose web page includes what is purportedly a photo of Cummuta casting him in this sort of folksy, innocuous "Mr. Peabody"-type character as an older gentlemen (not at all unlike "Andy Willoughby", if this is his real name, who is evidentally making every effort to disarm his skeptics by packaging his 3 Step Plan) around this homespun, Cracker Barrel look; or any one of a dozen boiler rooms claiming to provide credit card debt relief -- many of these unscrupulous operations have discovered the unlimited reach Internet radio affords them in peddling their wares at a discount to a listening audience that includes a considerable number of retirees and older people, who have been vulnerable in the past to unethical enterprises.

Using cheap gimmickry like repeating ad nauseam toll-free numbers and Web addresses with the same, nasally pitchman -- or an errant ringtone strategically placed during an ad to garner what little notice sane people pay toward their content -- their frequency is nonetheless a serious nuisance to any listener, since they'll often lead myself in particular to press the mute button and "tune out" from a program entirely -- often forgetting to return.

They would also be an interference for broadcasters desperate to eke out as much content between commercial blocks as possible, who lose my listenership during that space of time when I forget to return to their station or "unmute".

What little impact I hope this thread provides is for many of us who enjoy listening to Coast to Coast online along with many other programs -- who in recent years have turned to our smartphones to listen to our favorite programs clearly around the world clearly -- I would look forward to hearing other peoples' grievances about some of the most annoying radio commercials ever created in the history of radio.

[MV/Liberace!]

the most annoying internet radio advertising that i've heard comes from leo laporte on his twit.tv podcast network.  he doesn't just give a quick :30 or :60 pitch for a product or service.  nooo... he delivers a SPEECH... a dissertation... on why the product would/should be to your liking as a listener.  it's awful.  he seems to enjoy hearing his own voice far more than anyone else does or could.  what he doesn't understand is that when you spend THREE MINUTES talking about netflix... the listener's eyes glaze over and/or he hits the fast forward button to jump ahead.  if you can keep the spots short and sweet, the listener 1) won't get zombie-eyed and 2) won't bother going through the trouble of reaching for the fast forward button because he knows the spot is going to end soon.  hell, he might even ACTIVELY listen to the spot!  leo laporte's advertising methods throw off the whole rhythm of the shows he produces.  i find it insufferable.