MIW SPOTLIGHT)Alene Grevey

5-29-2012

Next month, Radio Ink will once again spotlight the Radio industry's most successful women in our business. Our Most Influential Women in Radio issue is now in year number 13 and we are honored to highlight the achievements of these women year after year. A big benefit for our readers is that everyone who makes it into the issue discusses how they achieved success, mistakes they've made (so you can avoid them) and steps you can take to become successful faster. Today we would like to highlight the accomplishments of Clear Channel Regional Market Manager Alene Grevey who we caught up with in Charleston, South Carolina. Her success in radio has a lot to do with setting goals, never burning a bridge and being passionate about what she does. Congratulations to Alene Grevey, one of radio's Most Influential Women.

"The best advice I can share about reaching the top and achieving goals is to have a plan and stay focused on achieving the plan. You can?t get to the top without goals. Goal setting is a critical piece to achieving success. Anticipating changes in a plan is critical.  Simmering reactions to a minimum and getting into action is essential when change occurs. Surround yourself with people who have the attitude that anything?s possible and the aptitude to get the job done."

"If you step on people to get to the top, it will come back to haunt you in the end. Never burn a bridge. Treat others they way you want to be treated.  Always maintain a balance between your career and who you are as a person. When you're certain you are correct, fight for what you believe.  Develop the ability to step back and access the course of action and or situation ahead.  Recognize what personality types you are dealing with and have the agility to adapt your style and approach quickly.  Don?t assume anything, ask questions, and listen more. 

"It?s no secret, I love my work.  I?m passionate about what I do, the company I work for and the people that surround me.  It?s real, not an act.  I tell my staff, the day you aren?t leaning forward and eager to start a new day, move on.  I?m extremely choosy with whom I hire and eager to see them succeed and move up in our organization. You have the choice to be an administrator, a manager or a leader.  Leaders succeed.   I am a leader in many ways.  I maintain a key focus on results not effort.  Speed to action is critical and fast decision making is essential."

Send congratulations to Alene Grevey HERE

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Kudos to Entercom's KEZW in Colorado

5-29-2012
Thanks to KEZW-AM in Denver and with the help of listeners, veterans and the local community the station hit its goal and raised $400,000 for the Colorado Freedom Memorial Foundation that was needed to break ground and to complete the project. The City of Aurora donated the land for the Memorial as part of Springhill Park, directly north of Buckley Air Force Base. For the entire month of May KEZW honored fallen soldiers during Freedom Month and raised awareness for the Colorado Freedom Memorial which once built will be a glass wall, etched with more than 6,000 Colorado veteran names.

KEZW PD Rick Crandall said, "This was the realization of 12-years of dreaming, planning, praying and never letting go of the idea a Memorial to Colorado?s fallen veterans was a good thing.  It?s been great seeing how many people are excited about this dream becoming a reality and I most happy for the families of the fallen who will now have a place to go and see our gratitude for their sacrifice.?

The veteran?s etched on the wall will include all Colorado veterans who have been killed in action including 102 in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Once complete the Memorial will give a place to remember and pay respect to those service men and women who gave their lives.

To learn more about the Memorial please go to http://www.cfmf.net/. 

Has your station done something great for the local community? Send details and pictures to edryantheeditor@gmail.com

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Rivers Remembrance Being Held Next Month

5-29-2012

The Friends of Steve Rivers are holding an event called "A Remembrance - Steve Rivers" on Thursday, June 14th from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Rivers died in March of cardiac arrest at the age of 55. The event is being held at Towne Stove and Spirits, 900 Boylston Street in Boston. View the invite here.

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Carolina Bermudez Ends Run With Elvis

Stating she's about to start a career on TV. Elvis Duran announced that Bermudez was leaving the syndicated morning show after more than 7 years. Duran said, on the air, "In those 7 years, this show has hit all sorts of highs, thanks to Carolina Bermudez."

Bermudez said "We talk every morning about how everyone should follow their dreams. I have chosen to leave the morning show to pursue an opportunity in television. It was not an easy decision. The bottom line was that I never want to live my life with regrets. Today, unfortunately, I'm announcing that I'm leaving the show. I wish I could do both. But life isn't fair sometimes. Leaving the job that you love is never easy." She'll be there until the end of May. Bermudez did not announce where she was headed on TV.

You can listen to the emotional Bermudez/Elvis Duran exchange on the air this morning HERE

(5/29/2012 5:49:46 PM)
:( she will be there until the end of June*
(5/29/2012 5:22:39 PM)
THANK GOD!!!!

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AUDIO)Rosso Goes Digital

Rosso gets the title of President, Market Development with Triton Digital, a newly created position. Rosso tells Radio Ink he'll be an audio evangelist, spreading the gospel about audio in general, and specifically Triton's services. He says online audio is growing tremendously and this is an incredibly exciting part of the radio business to be in. He talks more about his new position and what he'll be doing for Triton in our interview HERE.

Rosso most recently served as President of Citadel Media Networks. Prior to that, he held various senior digital media and distribution positions within Citadel Broadcasting and The Walt Disney Company?s ABC Radio Networks.

Triton Media Group COO Mike Agovino said, ?John?s combination of broadcast and digital experience makes him a great choice for this important new position at Triton. The explosive growth in listening to internet audio is attracting major attention from both local and national advertisers. John, and the rest of the Triton team, are completely focused on fostering this medium by helping marketers and audio publishers come together to engage audiences.?

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Thursday Radio Ink Sales Meeting

5-29-2012

This, and every Thursday, Radio Ink hosts a 30 minute Sales Meeting Podcast packed with money making ideas, real world sales challenges and information you can take to the streets immediately. All Sales Meetings are posted to iTunes Friday morning so you can take them with you on your smartphone and listen any time. This week we speak to veteran sales and management trainer Sean Luce. Send your questions in advance to edryantheeditor@gmail.com.

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CRS Accepting Hall of Fame Nominations

5-29-2012

The Country Radio Seminar has opened its nomination process for the 2013 Country Radio Hall of Fame. After processing the nominations, Country Radio Seminar officials will provide each nominee with an official application. Nominees may include air-checks, press clippings, awards listings and other materials for consideration.

Applications received after Sept. 7 will be held for consideration for the 2014 Hall of Fame class.  A selection committee of Country radio and industry veterans, as well as members of the Country Radio Hall of Fame determines the Hall of Fame class each year.The application must be returned to the CRS offices no later than Friday, Sept. 7.

CRS Hall of Fame Charlie Morgan said, ?Each year, Country Radio Broadcasters seek to recognize the true legends of Country radio by welcoming new members to the Country Radio Hall of Fame.  The caliber of past inductees ensures that this is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a Country radio professional, and we are excited to open the application process for this year?s class,? says CRS Hall of Fame Chairman Charlie Morgan.

Submit online nominations here at www.CountryRadioSeminar.com. 

The 2013 Country Radio Hall of Fame Dinner and induction ceremony will be held Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, at the Nashville Convention Center.

On-Air Personality Hall of Fame Criteria:
* Must have at least a 20 year on-air career in radio, minimum of 15 in the Country format.
* Significant contributions to the growth and development in the Country radio industry and ongoing contributions to the preservation and enhancement of Country music as an art form.

Radio Hall of Fame Criteria:
* Must have at least a 20 year career in radio, minimum of 15 in the Country format.
* Significant contributions to the growth and development of the Country radio industry and ongoing contributions to the preservation and enhancement of Country music as an art form.

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Radio Show Super Session to Feature Dave Ramsey

5-29-2012
Dave Ramsey will lead a Radio Show Super Session titled "Succeeding in this Economic Environment" on Thursday, September 20 at 9:30 a.m. The session will cover actions that Radio stations can take to succeed in the current economic climate. By age 26, Ramsey had established a four-million-dollar real estate portfolio, but lost it by age thirty. Using the wisdom he gained, Ramsey rebuilt his finances. In 1992, Ramsey founded financial counseling company The Lampo Group, Inc., which he developed into a multi-million dollar company and nationally recognized brand.

Ramsey also created Financial Peace University (FPU) to help people erase debt and develop sound money management habits. One and a half million families have attended FPU classes at their workplace, church, military base, or community group. More than 10,000 educational institutions offer his high school and college curriculums. The "Dave Says" syndicated column is available to more than 17.5 million readers monthly.

The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by 5 million listeners each week on more than 500 radio stations and is streamed on Daveramsey.com. In 2009, he was honored with a prestigious NAB Marconi Award. His four New York Times best-selling books - Financial Peace, More Than Enough, The Total Money Makeover and EntreLeadership - have sold a combined 7 million copies. The Radio Show, jointly produced by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), will be held at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas September 19-21.

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Who Wins When You Mock Your Compeition?

5-20-2012

Country consultant Jaye Albright, in her blog today, writes about "negative advertising," using the Houston country radio battle as a good example. "If you haven't checked out the Houston country battle lately, it's time to do some listening and thinking about what you'll hear." The big question is, does blasting your competitor hurt or help you in the ratings? And is beating up a station playing the same music you play good for the radio business? Ever see a local TV anchor make fun of a competing local TV anchor?

Albright says, "For several years on KKBQ/Cox PD Johnny Chiang has been saying things like:  ?We play the most music guaranteed in Houston, KILT plays the most commercials, up to 15 just last hour! We are the new 93Q. Now, something new on KILT/CBS PD Mark Adams' imaging:  ?Did you know the other station talked about KILT 28 times yesterday? [Various mock announcer voices] Yesterday, in the 12 noon hour, Kilt played? In the 4 o?clock hour, Kilt played? Friday morning, Kilt played? Kilt played? Kilt played? [V/o] Wow. WE don?t even talk about us that much." As a General Manager, would you allow this to happen at your station?

As Albright points out in her blog, it's a political year. "Barack is already talking about Mitt and Romney is responding in kind about Obama nearly every day. We all say we hate negative ads and yet, admit it, just as I do, you love watching Frank Luntz conduct focus groups for Fox News which will take what real people say, whether factual or not, and turn them into effective messages which get votes. The difference, of course, is that an election is one day when a candidate needs specific people to be passionate enough about an issue to take a specific action."

"Let's watch the Houston numbers in the coming months and see what these new tactics do to real listening, in addition to perceptions, which drive elections and diary ratings but do they impact actual usage, 24/7 too? Obviously, Johnny and Mark appear to think they do."

Leave your comments about the beat-down battle in Houston below

Read more from Jaye Albright HERE 
Follow @jayealbright
E-mail jaye@albrightandomalley.com

(5/30/2012 7:06:04 AM)
I am the former PD at the former KIKK in Houston in the early 90's and a little of what you are talking about started even then and I did not like it. I guess I'm just old school having spent over 40 years in radio. I NEVER want to acknowledge the competition in any form on the air. Plug yourself not them.

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Beasley's Power 96 Miami Launches New Morning Show.

5-29-2012

WPOW-FM launched a new Morning Show Tuesday featuring Afrika, Big Lip and JP. Afrika and Big Lip are already part of the Morning Show team and are welcoming JP to morning drive from nights where, for the past six years, he hosted Power 96?s number-one rated nighttime show. A Miami native, JP was raised on South Beach and lives and breathes the Miami lifestyle. ?I grew up in South Florida listening to Power 96,? says JP, ?to have this amazing opportunity to host mornings on Power 96 is both a dream and an honor.?

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WRKO and Tom Finneran Divorce

5-29-2012 

It's a mutually agreed upon seperation between WRKO and morning man Tom Finnerman, the former Speaker of the Massachusetts House. So much so, they issued an amicable joint release about their parting. VP of Programming for Entercom's WRKO sends us the details. "WRKO and Tom Finneran have announced that Finneran will leave the station after his show on Thursday, May 31st. Finneran has been with WRKO,  hosting morning drive, since February of 2007."  Todd Feinburg will become the sole host of AM drive on WRKO effective Friday, June 1. 

Finneran said "Over the past several days, Jason Wolfe and I have been talking about various plans and opportunities which lie ahead for me and for the station. Those opportunities are of interest to me, but are not compatible with the hours I keep and the effort I make to prepare for, and to execute, a well-informed show every morning. I try to learn from history and from our listeners, who in sharing some of their own histories, have been great teachers.  I thank them and WRKO for a fast and fun five years."

Wolfe said, ?Tom has worked very hard for WRKO these last five years and he did an excellent job. I?ve appreciated the opportunity to work with him, and on behalf of all of us at WRKO, we wish him nothing but the best in all his future endeavors.? 

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Bruce Williams Launches Network

5-29-2012

Bruce Williams, who recently launched a one-hour daily podcast, at http://www.taeradio.com/, says he has launched the Made In America Broadcast Network. Williams says the network's purpose is to provide informative and entertaining radio programming, but equally important is to only accept advertising of American products and labor in hopes of helping the American industry grow and prosper.

Made In America Broadcast Network will only accept advertising for products and services which are at least 90% manufactured in America with American materials and American labor. The network's goal is to help keep jobs in America. Williams is a former talk host for NBC, Westwood One, Liberty Broadcasting and others and a Radio Hall of Fame inductee

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Rubicon Advisors Takes 5.4% Stake in Entercom

5-28-2012

According to an SEC filing, Rubicon Advisors of New York City has purchased 1.69 million shares of Entercom stock. Reportedly, Rubicon, paid $5 per share giving the company a 5.40 percent stake in Entercom. The Rubicon website says the company "identifies, advises, plans and manages investments for funds and Individuals looking to build an offshore portfolio, mainly in Africa. Rubicon can manage conflict resolution issues for corporations who want to develop business in politically unstable countries and hostile environments. These include community development programs post social and environment impact studies."

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Davis Back on the Air in Dallas. Joins Salem.

After Cumulus decided not to renew his contract at WBAP, Mark Davis has been without a regular radio job. That's about to change. Davis has been picked up by Salem and will start June 4th on KSKY-AM (7AM-10AM). He says, "I will still enjoy the midmorning audience I?ve always had, in addition to meeting earlier listeners I?ve never had the pleasure of speaking with."

Davis adds, about Salem, his new employer, "I will tell you they are cut from very special cloth.  The station as a whole, with a full schedule of shows you are probably well familiar with, deserves your support.  As you join me in partnering with them, it is good to know that there is a company that will still do what it takes to nurture a full schedule of shows devoted to issues that matter, and devoted to the community where we all live and work."

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SOCIAL)10 Ways To Boost Station Events

5-29-2012

In radio, there are events. Sometimes it is as simple as after-work parties or concerts, sometimes it is a non-traditional revenue event. Of course, we are excellent at promoting an event on-air. But what about with social media? Radio can use social media to boost consistent participation levels in these events. Here are 10 ideas to help you boost!

1. Make sure your event has real appeal for your coveted audience. This falls under the idea of knowing your audience and giving them what they enjoy. If they don't find your event interesting, something is wrong and you are engaged in an event you probably shouldn't be.

2. Before your event, post pictures of a past event of the same type. Or if it is a concert, post pictures of the concert from other cities on the tour and encourage listeners to get involved as you prepare for the concert with your radio station.

3. Have your station on-air talent blog about the value of the event in advance. Give specific details on how to get the most out of the event. Make sure to include pictures and video (we're all visual creatures). Post your blog on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Doing this in advance builds excitement and puts your station at the center of the event when it comes.

4. Invite listeners to the event on Facebook. Include pictures and video from past events like the one coming up and encourage listeners to "like" your event.

5. During the actual event, take pictures and video of what your listeners find appealing (valuable) at your events and post them immediately. This "jacks" listeners for the current event and also future events of this type. In fact, radio often has events the general public considers fun and exciting. Take advantage of this by manufacturing that excitement on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and spread it to your website and these social media platforms along with station-loyal listener email. Again, the chief consideration should be the value of the content. If you build it, they will get excited about it.

6. You should post content regularly to at least Facebook and Twitter every 30 to 40 minutes during the event. This helps listeners not on-site to engage and it baits listeners who may not be able to attend the current event to attend future events.

7. Ask listeners at the event if you can post pictures of them and then do so you can tag them on Facebook and spread the impact of your influence to their friends. I don't have to tell you that when your friends see you having fun, they may want to join you.

8. Get listeners already on site at your event to talk about what they are enjoying about the event and post the quotes, video, and/or audio. This might seem like a no-brainer, but listeners will engage once they see other people already doing it. There is nothing like the feeling of missing a good time to motivate others to join you!

9. Get lots of "listener attributions" during the event so you can post quotes after the event on your website and social media platforms both during and after the event. In addition, get audio for future events so that you have a lead-in promo (even if it is only on your website and social media platforms). Something like, "Hi, I'm Walter. And I'm Nancy. And we love the Kiss 102 After Work Party at Midtown!" Listeners love the excitement of other people sharing fun with them. It draws them to events and you can use this tactic to pump up your events with consistency.

10. As you did before the event, post pictures and videos, and blog about the event. And always include pictures and video in the blogs. You can do this to take credit and promote ahead the next event.  This helps you build the image of being a good "party-giver." People like to know who throws the cool parties. Is it you?

You might consider all of this to fall under the simple philosophy of "Tell 'em you are going to do it, do it, and remind them you did it." However, simply engaging listeners at a high level on site can bring more people and more excitement to an event. Do that consistently and you will build an absolute following. Do it right and you will find your listeners will be doing some of these things along with your efforts. Cheerleaders are good!

With so many opportunities to be visual and lead listeners to your party, a little of this kind of structured activity before, during and after events will make you seem like the genius social media promotion expert on your team (and maybe in your company).

Loyd Ford has programmed successful radio brands in markets of all sizes, including KRMD AM and FM in Shreveport, WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte, and WBEE in Rochester, NY. Learn more about Loyd here: http://about.me/loydford. Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE  Visit his Facebook radio social media page www.facebook.com/socialnetworking4radio

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Survival. Major Newspaper Shifting to Online

As consumers continue their lifestyle shift online and toward devices, newspapers continue to struggle to find a solution to their costly print publications. Some time this year, The New Orleans Times-Picayune will cut back it's printed edition to three days a week and eliminate jobs. When that happens, New Orleans will be the largest city without a daily newspaper.

Times-Picayune publisher Ashton Phelps Jr. confirmed the paper will cease daily publication, moving to three days a week in the fall: Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.  "Press reports have necessitated our giving you this news now. We realize it  will make people anxious, but we do not know enough today to be able to announce how the changes will affect individual employees. We will move as quickly as possible in the coming weeks to make that determination and to inform each of you personally."
The Times-Picayune announced on its site that a new company, NOLA Media Group, will run the newspaper and its website, and another new company will print and deliver the paper. It said NOLA Media Group ?will significantly increase its online news-gathering efforts 24 hours a day, seven days a week.?

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Salem Board Member Makes Loan to Company

5-29-2012

Salem entered into a binding letter of intent with board member Roland Hinz for up to $6 million. The revolving line of credit is unsecured. And, according to an SEC filing the money may be used to repurchase a portion of Salem?s outstanding senior secured notes. The Salem board concluded terms of the line of credit with Hinz were more favorable to Salem as compared to terms of lines of credit available from unaffiliated third parties. Salem also entered into a new business loan agreement with First California bank. The loan is an unsecured, ten million dollar, fixed-term loan with a maturity date of June 15, 2014.

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It's Hard to Deny, They Are Growing the Revenue

While radio companies report relatively flat growth, the elephant trying to nudge into the radio room, continues to grow revenue and grow listeners. And while some may dispute whether Pandora's 6% share of total audio listening is real or relevant, and whether a few hundred million dollars makes much of a difference to a multi-billion industry, the fact is Pandora is growing and radio is not.

The latest swipe at the Pandora business model is that it will not hold up from the weight of the performance fees. Time will tell, but it's hard to ignore the numbers. Hundreds of millions of dollars, while a small percentage, are coming from somewhere. In the quarter that just ended Pandora's revenue was $80.8 million a 58% jump over the same quarter a year ago. The radio industry reported Q1 revenue for radio was up 1%. And don't forget more automobiles are coming to market with Pandora as an option on the dash. In fact, it's becoming a promotional highlight for car companies. (The battle for the Dashboard is a key topic at Convergence 12 in June)

Breaking down the quarterly revenue numbers, advertising revenue was $70.6 million, a 62% year-over-year increase. Subscription and other revenue was $10.2 million, a 38% year-over-year increase. Pandora reported total listener hours grew 92% to approximately 3.09 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2013, compared to approximately 1.6 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2012. 2Q13 And, Pandora gave guidance for the next quarter and the year. Revenue is expected to be in the range of $99 million to $101 million. Fiscal 2013 Guidance: Revenue is expected to be in the range of $420 million to $427million. Typically a radio company does not give much guidance, certainly not as specific as these numbers, citing lack of visibility and an uncertain economy.

(5/25/2012 7:49:21 AM)
For our small station, Im not concerned about Pandora. Why? Well I dont think Pandora will be broadcast all of the high school sports games, or have local news and obits(yes we still do that), our local polka show(with a well know local band leader) has a better variety than Pandora, Im doubting Pandora will be broadcasting from our local dairy breakfast, fair, and other local events. Yes Pandora is increasing its revenue, but there are still things our station can do that Pandora cant.
(5/24/2012 1:41:28 PM)
I am still struck by the fact that Pandora continues to lose more and more money each quarter. Their expenses continue to go up faster than their revenues. Mobile ads are less valuable and harder to sell and that is where there growing audience lies. Every new listener increases their expenses and at the same time makes their inventory less valuable because more and more of it is being created. Adding to all of that, there is a new rate setting proceeding coming up and SoundExchange and the record labels are not likely going to agree to reduce rates to keep Pandora afloat. I like the product, but how long can they continue to lose money and still stay in business.
(5/24/2012 9:31:18 AM)
Enough. It is time to rename your publication Pandora Ink.
(5/24/2012 8:15:56 AM)
I'll always remember the first time I bought my wife a bouquet of helium-filled latex balloons. God, they were beautiful! When I woke up the next morning and came downstairs, the balloons had descended from their ceiling kiss and were now dancing just a few inches from the floor. We all know the answer to how that happened. Word to the wise: Take the external threat represented by Pandora seriously. We've seen this slow leak of revenue and relevance before (remember that trendy little nothing called digital?). Popeye used to say, "If you can't beats 'em, join 'em!" The biggest radio groups have the core assets to compete. Let's not whine about the competition. Let's just do our thing better!

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Canales Heads Univision Radio/Dallas

5-24-12

Univision Radio picks Cesar Canales as VP/GM of its Dallas cluster, based in Dallas and reporting to Univision Radio President Jose Valle. Canales has been overseeing radio programming and operations for Univision in Chicago and programming stragies for the Central Region, as well as overseeing the Creative Solutions Department that serves Univision's local, national, and network sales.

"Cesar's programming expertise, leadership, and excellent management skills will greatly enhance our ability to meet our goals in this competitive radio market," Valle said. "We know that Cesar's vast experience and strategic vision will be great assets as we continue serving our listeners in Dallas with the content they desire."

Before his most recent post, Canales programmed Univision's Regional Mexican KHOT/Phoenix, and prior to that he was production and assistant operations manager for HBC/Houston.

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(DIGITAL) Here's What You Can Do About Pandora

5-25-2012

Pandora's been in the news again this week. Here on RadioInk.com, "Pandora Offers Better Solutions for Advertisers Than Radio" and "It's Hard To Deny, They Are Growing The Revenue" pretty well summed up that their fans consider their personalized music streams to be a form of radio as good as any other, as Pandora works aggressively to monetize that listening.

So what's radio to do? Here's a list of three things. One's for programming, one's for sales, and one's for the market manager or GM.

Programming: Embrace Your Stream

Our heaviest users just don't want to be limited by the transmitter anymore. For one thing, more and more listening is moving inexorably online. For another, mobile listening is growing like a weed. Too many PDs either pay no attention to their brand's stream, or they've mentally set far lower standards for it than they do for what gets delivered via the transmitter.

Start by regularly listening to your stream instead of just your radio receiver. Listen on your computer, your smartphone, your tablet; use whatever you have. You're the brand manager; make sure you know what the experience is like any of the different ways that your product might be delivered.

You might have to realign some of your priorities throughout the day to make sure that what people hear is the best you can deliver, every way you can deliver it. Your stream is just as worthy of your attention as your broadcast, and there's much more growth potential in your online stream. Plus, stay aware of new developments relating to what you can do with your streaming experience. There are a lot of changes coming that our fans will enjoy.

Sales: Learn the New Targeting

Back in the good old days, radio WAS the targeted medium. Now we have some learning to do to really understand how much targeting we can do using our digital tools.

Ads on all your digital platforms can target customers for your clients in new and exciting ways. The place to start is by realizing some of the key differences. For one, you know exactly how many people listen to your stream, or visit your website, or open your emails. You can track every click. You can even figure out regular patterns that people tend to follow. This means that you're dealing with real numbers, not listening estimates. In addition, you own the data; there's no Arbitron showing your competitors the same information about your brand and others.

For clients, both big and small, being able to hone a message efficiently and measure performance is a huge plus. Spend time learning what your tools allow you to do, and break out of the "selling spots" mold. You have exciting new ways to solve your clients' marketing problems. Don't let Pandora be the only one in your market doing so.

Top Management: Lead and Don't Let Up

Today, broadcast revenue budgets are still many times bigger than the digital numbers we have to hit. At some point that will change. Even now, where is it easier to get revenue growth from?broadcast, or digital? I think we all know that digital revenue is the under-tapped resource with the most growth potential.

General managers, market managers, and corporate leaders have a key role to play. Unless they make digital growth and improvement a priority, people in the programming and sales trenches tend to remain focused on what's in front of them -- reaching their broadcast goals -- rather than spending time learning what's up with the digital parts of their jobs. Change management is tough. If you want even your most talented people to make digital headway, you have to be keeping it on the front burner all the time.

Chris Miller has been a major-market PD in Atlanta, Portland and Cleveland. He now operates Chris Miller Digital, which he launched. Visit his website at www.chrismillerdigital.com.
Contact Chris via e-mail, chris@chrismillerdigital.com or 216-236-3955.

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Pandora Offers Better Solutions For Advertisers Than Radio

5-23-2012

Staying committed to his game plan to pickpocket your wallet, last night CEO Joe Kennedy told investors why Pandora will "disrupt the $17 Billion market for radio advertising." Without wavering, Kennedy said Pandora "brings dramatically better advertising solutions than those that are available from broadcast radio. Unlike traditional radio broadcasters, we offer targeted and interactive ads which transform the efficiency, effectiveness and measurability of radio advertising." Kennedy then used Planet Honda, who we have featured, as a shining example of a client who turned his back on traditional radio.

Kennedy says Planet Honda started out spending $10K in January and now spends $20K every month with Pandora. He added, "In the traditional radio world, our share and scale have made us highly relevant and increasingly difficult for advertisers not to consider. With just under a 6% share of radio listening, we are already larger than the largest radio station in many markets. We are on track to be the largest station in most U.S. markets by the end of this year. For national network radio buyers, Pandora is already the largest network in the U.S. in the key 18-49 demo. We have the audience and the ad products to massively disrupt this market."

Kennedy said two more things need to occur in order for the disruption to consider. The first is a reliable third party measurement system. Last week, Pandora announced a deal with Triton to measure both locally and nationally. And, for Pandora to be more integrated into the system so that when a radio buy comes up with an ad agency, Pandora is on the list. In other words, Pandora would be considered "radio" by everyone.

(5/24/2012 8:50:05 PM)
And time well spent, Smitty. At least, it was with somebody who liked you. Ain't Theatre of the Mind terrific?

Meanwhile, I wonder why anybody in radio cares about Pandora. There's nothing any of us can about what they do. In the meantime, we suck. Our Programming sucks. Our Personalities are, for the most part - nonexistent and our commercials suck.

I'm thinkin' our (music radio) agenda is, pretty much - set.

(5/24/2012 6:36:10 PM)
@Ernie: Well, I masturbated to Internet porn this morning.
(5/24/2012 5:52:56 PM)
Yak, yak, yak. Don't you people have something to do? Joe Kennedy is just as full of crap as Lew Dickey, and so it goes. Why don't we, radio and/or Pandora get out on the streets and work our tails off to get results for the customers. Let's stop buying sushi for uninformed "planners" that will always chase the shiny new thing anyway. Why don't stop the debate, get off our butts and go create new customers. When we meet for a beer, we'll see who won.
(5/24/2012 5:28:48 PM)
Earth to Mary Beth-

I don't mean to be too personal but it is painfully obvious, every time you open your mouth, that you aren't under 40 and I doubt you are under 50 even. Your data doesn't matter because if you actually ask people in the sweet spot age group they'll tell you they are listening to Pandora. They'll also tell you they are listening to Spotify (who's raising $100M in VC funds to expand) and they'll tell you they are watching video's and getting music from a bunch of other cool sources. They listen to the radio too- it just isn't the lifeline to music it once was.

The public knows that local radio has been gutted. Most stations don't have much in the way of personality anymore and those that do have the exact same playlist that every other station of the same genre has.

I hate to break it to you but kids don't listen to the radio anymore to hear a new song. (They watch YouTube. Those are videos that the labels put on the site that Google pays them for.)Very few kids could name a DJ and mostly they just want the DJ to stop talking.

(5/24/2012 4:42:20 PM)
The attack on Mary Beth is unwarranted. She speaks the truth and knows what she is talking about based on facts.

The BS campaign from a jukebox called pandora
is just that.

pandora wants to be radio but it is not and never will be.

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McQuilliam New Promotions/Mktg. Director At Journal/Wichita

 5-25-12

Mike McQuilliam is named promotions and marketing director for Journal Broadcast Group in Wichita. He'll continue hosting evenings on the cluster's KFDI. McQuilliam has been with Journal since 2001, starting as a tech and local producer for Kidd Kraddick on KMXW.

"Mike is a dedicated broadcast professional who has worked with our radio stations for the past 11 years," Journal/Wichita VP/Gm Eric McCart said. "We are very excited for him to lead our cluster of six promotionally active radio stations in serving the needs of our listeners and advertisers."

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USRN Debuts Final Lap Weekly

5-25-12

United Stations Radio Networks debuts its first long-form sports talk show, The Final Lap Weekly, extending the brand of its short-form feature "The Final Lap With Kerry Murphey." Murphey and veteran NASCAR writer Toby Christie will co-host the new one-hour weekend show starting with the weekend of June 2-3.

The Final Lap Weekly will be, USRN said, an "all-purpose NASCAR racing talk show," with the week's racing news, recaps, and previews, along with interviews with drivers and other NASCAR personalities. Listeners will be invited to engage with the show via social media and the show's website at www.thefinallap.com -- the weekly show began as a podcast on the site.

"2012 has been another solid year for NASCAR racing, with TV viewership and track attendance both up," USRN EVP/Programming Andy Denmark said. "At the same time, Sports radio is growing exponentially, so we felt it was a great time to bring a new long-form racing talk show to the airwaves. Kerry Murphey is a proven winner, his team covers the sport like no one else, and this is a great brand extension for Kerry and The Final Lap."

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(LEGAL) What Are The Rules on Spirits Advertising?

There was a time that beer was the only alcoholic beverage being advertised anywhere. Now, you see alcohol of all kinds being advertised everywhere. That prompted a GM to send us a question about the rules to advertise spirits. Are there any anymore? Do you have to watch what you say in an ad? Here's broadcast attorney John Garziglia with the answer.

John Garziglia:
Surprisingly, there are no federal regulations on beer, wine and liquor radio advertising.  The broadcasting industry and the sellers of alcoholic beverages themselves largely self-regulate such advertising.  

The Federal Communications Commission has no alcoholic beverage advertising rules or regulations other than the rules that apply to all advertising such that there must be accurate sponsorship identification.  For instance, when it is the local beer distributor running spots rather than the brewery itself, a sponsorship ID tag is often required at the end of the produced spot for an accurate sponsorship identification.

Until the early 1980s when it was eliminated as a potential restraint on trade, the broadcasting industry through the NAB code had in its standard of good practices a prohibition on the advertising of hard liquor for member stations.  On the advertiser side, in 2003 the Beer Institute imposed self-regulation with a commitment not to broadcast advertising in any radio program in which 30% or more of the audience is under the age of 21.

The Beer Institute self-regulation is the responsibility of advertiser and not radio stations.  There would be no direct FCC regulatory ramifications from a radio station taking alcoholic beverage advertising even if its audience was predominately under 21. 

As with any advertising, radio stations must remain aware of state and local laws.  In the area of alcoholic beverage sales and consumption, the United States continues with a patchwork of state and local laws mostly directed at the advertiser.  Some of these restrictions, such as bans on happy hour ads, may impact how beer, wine and liquor may be advertised in a particular locality.

It is worth noting that alcohol consumption and tragedies often go hand-in-hand.  As with any advertising, if a horrible event was to occur and somehow a claim could be made that pervasive or reckless radio advertising of an intoxicating product, particularly to underage or vulnerable persons, was done by a deep-pockets broadcaster without regard for consequences, a radio station could find itself defending a lawsuit no matter how meritless such a lawsuit might ultimately be determined to be. 

Finally, it must be mentioned that any kind of significant advertising of products generally viewed as harmful by a portion of the population might form the basis for an FCC objection at license renewal time.  While it is doubtful that such an objection would do anything more than delay the grant of a radio station license renewal application, having the objection filed and answering it is likely something radio stations would rather avoid.

Therefore, to the extent that advertising is run that the public thinks should be limited, a radio station does take a risk that, at license renewal time, members of the public or public interest groups, will voice their opinions to the FCC.  While it is unlikely that beer or wine advertising on a professional team sports show would inspire such objections, running beer commercials in a high school sports broadcast or commercials for alcohol beverages that are marketed to a younger demographic, could provoke such license renewal objections.  Thus, just because there are no specific FCC restrictions, that does not mean that some restraint by radio stations in the running of alcoholic beverage advertising is imprudent.

Fore more articles from John Garziglia go HERE
You may also like David Oxenford's BLOG

John F. Garziglia is a Communications Law Attorney with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice in Washington, DC and can be reached at (202) 857-4455 or jgarziglia@wcsr.com. Have a question for our "Ask The Attorney" feature? Send to edryan@radioink.com.

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Edie Hilliard Named 2012 MIW Legend

5-24-2012

On the heels of the recent report about the advancement of women in radio (see next story), Radio Ink announces that former head of Broadcast Programming Edie Hilliard has been named the 2012 MIW Legend. Hilliard was interviewed for the upcoming Most Influential Women in Radio issue, featuring RAB CEO Erica Farber on the cover -- the annual issue, now in its 13th year, highlights the accomplishments of many women in our industry. Hilliard, in many cases throughout her career, was the first woman to succeed at jobs in broadcasting that had been dominated by men, so we asked her if women are on equal footing with men today. She replied, "How many women are in the '40 Most Powerful'? And how has that changed? Seriously, I expected more progress for women." And she believes there's more work to be done.

Hilliard said, "I'm sure there are some companies where men and women compete on an equal footing, but there simply aren't enough women competing, because they don't see potential. Even the great ones hit a glass ceiling  -- or brick wall. I don't think it's because of overt discrimination against women in radio companies, but there is obviously a glass ceiling, and it's not getting thinner. I'm not aware of any serious efforts to address that. And until there are, it won't get better. I was so lucky to get my start with a company and bosses who saw I had potential and encouraged me, and remained friends and mentors throughout my career. It made all the difference."

There's much more from Edie Hilliard in our upcoming MIW issue. And she pulls no punches.
To subscribe to Radio Ink in time to receive the 2012 MIW issue, GO HERE
Reach out to Edie HERE

(5/25/2012 8:07:10 PM)
To even say so may open me up to charges of sexism. But, my bones are hard and I'm willing to take the grief.

Perhaps it is the case that the more women who can attain higher management positions, the better are the chances that we (music radio) might have a shot at redemption.

It has also been said by others and often that women have a better, intuitive sense of communications in general and language in particular. Perhaps it is they - as a group - or as strong and imaginative individual women who will be grasping the folly of radio's approaches over the years and will be more open to alternatives - as they are presented.

Gawd knows the guys have been pooching it for, like - forever?

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MIW Group: More Women In GM Jobs

5-24-12

The new MIW Gender Analysis Study by the Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio Group found that 1,807 AM and FM stations had women in GM posts in 2011 -- that's 16.6 percent of the 11,226 stations looked at. That's up slightly from 16.1 percent in 2010, and up from 14.9 percent back in 2004. In the top 100 markets, the trend was also upward: Women managed 17.4 percent of those stations in 2011, up from 16.7 percent in 2010.

Sales management still offers the best opportunities for women, although there was little change from 2004-2011, the report shows; last year, 30.5 percent of stations had female sales managers, a slight increase. In the top 100 markets, 32.1 percent of stations had women in the sales management post last year, also a slight gain.

Women programmed 11.1 percent of AM and FM stations in 2011, up slightly from 10.7 percent in 2004; in the top 100 markets, women program 9.6 percent of stations.

"The MIWs have been analyzing and publishing these gender numbers for the past 12 years," MIW spokesperson and Greater Media VP/Corporate Communications Heidi Raphael said. "It is very encouraging to see the percentages consistenly incrase. We look forward to seeing those numbers continue to grow on a larger scale in the future."

The annual Gender Analysis Study is compiled, analyzed, and released by the MIWs from information provided by MStreet Publications.

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Talkers Honors Barry Farber

5-25-12

Talk Radio Network personality Barry Farber will be honored with the Talkers Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award, on June 7 at the New Media Seminar in New York. The Barry Farber Show host will receive the award from Talkers publisher Michael Harrison. 

Farber said, "I never tasted this kind of sweetness before, and I wish I could share it with the whole world, beginning with Michael Harrison and his team at Talkers Magazine and Mark Masters, my boss at Talk Radio Network."

Talk Radio Network CEO Mark Masters said, "Barry Farber is one of America?s legendary talk show hosts. He brings meaning to what otherwise would be information through the art of storytelling. Barry transports the listener to places no other medium can take them, painting memorable images with a gentle Southern accent -- he is one of a kind. Congratulations, Barry!?

Farber began his career as a talk host in 1960 on WINS/New York, and went on to shows on WOR-AM and WMCA-AM/New York, then joined ABC Radio Network and Talk Radio Network. He's also an author, whose books include Making People Talk: You Can Turn Every Conversation Into a Magic Moment and the upcoming Cocktails With Molotov: A Generation of Unlikely Detours.

The Barry Farber Show is heard Saturdays live from 4-5 p.m. ET.

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Report: Gow Picks Up FM In Houston

5-24-12

The Houston Chronicle is reporting that David Gow's Gow Communications, which currently owns KGOW-AM and Yahoo Sports Radio, will pick up KFNC-FM and operate the FM station as an ESPN Radio affiliate. Radio Ink spoke to both Gow and broker Larry Patrick earlier this week, and both said nothing would be made official about the deal for another 30 days.

Cumulus placed several stations into a prepackaged bankruptcy proceeding last year. Boker Larry Patrick won a majority share of the stations, and this FM was a not a station Cumulus was particularly interested in keeping in its cluster. There has been speculation for weeks that Gow would be getting KFNC, but neither side wanted to announce until the ink was dry. That is, until the Chronicle ran the story yesterday. You can read it HERE.

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PJ Programs Merlin's WKQX/Chicago

5-25-12

PJ, who's been serving as interim OM of Classic Rock WLUP/Chicago, moves over to the PD post at Merlin Media sister Alternative WKQX (Q87.7) in Chicago.

In a press release written in typical Merlin style, the "Merlin Marlin" said of PJ's appointment, "Wait, we didn't get that guy's keys back when we hired Jim Richards?" Richards joined Merlin a couple of weeks ago as OM of its Chicago duo.

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Slater & Arnold Join Dallas' Fan

5-24-12

Jane Slater will arrive as co-host for middays and Chris Arnold takes over nights on CBS Radio's KRLD-FM (106.3 The Fan) in Dallas, effective June 4.

Slater will join Mark Elfenbein on Elf and Slater weekdays 10 a.m.-2 p.m, replacing Josh Slater, now doing play-by-play for the Mets. Arnold joins Gavin Dawson on the newly expanded G-Bag Nation, which will be heard from 7 p.m.-midnight.

"The addition of Jane and Chris to the full-time staff at 105.3 The Fan illustrates our commitment to be the live and local Sports/Talk station," CBS Radio VP/News/Talk/Sports Programming Bruce Gilbert said. "Their characteristics, personalities, and unique perspectives emphasize our goal to be the voice of the many diverse sports fans across North Texas."

Slater is coming over from CBS Radio clustermate KRLD, where she did news in morning drive. She's also sideline reporter for the Southland Conference Television Network. Arnold has been doing part-time on The Fan for more than a year, and is the in-game arena host for the Mavericks at American Airlines Center. He earlier spent 27 years as sports director and a member of the Skip Murphy morning show on KKDA (K-104)/Dallas.

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(PROGRAMMING) How Many People Are You Reaching?

5-21-2012

In a business like ours, which is designed to reach and be consumed, it's not only about the ears you attract, but it's also about the number of eyeballs that get to check you out at any given time. Do you constantly challenge your team to push the number of eyeballs and ears that check you out and try your brand? Isn't this the core principal beyond your brand promise that will drive you to success?

Are you keeping daily and weekly track of the eyeballs and ears that are exposed to your radio station? If not,you should. Are you setting monthly goals of the number of listeners that your various personalities meet and overall station goals? You should be. Here are five simple points that could help you in the battle for eyeball exposure. I realize these aren't new earth shattering revelations, but, if you make them a priority you will reap rewards.

1) Why have a station van if it's generally in the parking lot?
This makes me especially insane when it comes to drive times. Get those roving billboards in high traffic locations rather than only at paid promotional appearances. If you're not getting the vehicle out on the streets, at least park them in your own parking area in a front and center location so your logo can be seen by those that drive by.

2) Explore ways to imbed yourself in local communities that attach your station to the passion points of your listeners lives. The more you specifically learn about the makeup of a zip code, the better you can serve it.

3) Watch for local angles to serve topical cause related needs that help your communities and expose your radio station at the same time. Radio plays a vital role in serving our communities. If you follow your heart, you'll do the correct thing for your brand and your market.

4) Get your teams consistently to set up an events calendar at least 90 days out for big local events and festivals within your communities.

5) Most importantly, make this a daily and consistent priority.

Let's learn something from the political campaign cycle that we can use for our brands. Great local brands need to get out on the street and be a part of the lives of a marketplace. It's a big part of our competitive difference!

READ MORE ARTICLE FROM BUZZ HERE

Buzz Knight is the Vice President of Program Development for Greater Media and he can be reached at bknight@greatermediaboston.com. Knight was named among ?Best Programmers? by Radio Ink Magazine in 2007 and 2010. He has served on the programming subcommittee of the National Association of Broadcasters(NAB) and is currently a member of the Arbitron Radio Advisory Council and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) COLRAM Committee.

(5/23/2012 8:00:47 AM)
Buzz: You are so right with this one. J.

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Beasley Gives Courtney Smith a Nice Promotion

5-22-2012
Beasley's 5-station Vegas cluster promotes Smith to Director of New Business Development and Marketing & Events Manager. A Las Vegas native, Smith joined Beasley Broadcast Las Vegas in early 2006 as a Promotions Assistant. By the end of her first year, she was promoted to Marketing Director and in 2009 assumed additional duties as Events Coordinator for the Las Vegas cluster.

          SEND ALL YOUR NEW HIRE DETAILS TO EDRYANTHEEDITOR@GMAIL.COM

In her new role, Courtney is charged with creating benchmark events and brands that generate additional awareness of  -  and non-traditional revenue for - Beasley?s Las Vegas cluster. Additionally, she will continue to oversee established signature events such as Junefest, Countryfest, Fan Jams, National Finals Rodeo and Children?s Miracle Network Radiothon. 

Smith says, ?I?m extremely passionate about my hometown and I believe that giving back to your community is the right thing to do. Nobody does it better than Radio!  For the last 6 years, I?ve been working with our local clients on a daily basis. My new job will expand those relationships and broaden the reach of non-profits and community groups that need our help.?

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The 2012 Most Influential Women

5-21-2012

On June 18th Radio Ink will be announcing the names of the 2012 Most Influential Women in Radio. In our MIW issue, now in its 13th year, our MIW's offer great insight and detail on how they become successful in our business and what mistakes you can avoid. It's an issue you'll want to revisit many times over. Also, on our MIW cover this year is Erica Farber. Farber has had a stellar career in the radio industry including her most recent hiring as the CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau where she will focus her efforts on bringing more revenue to the industry. Farber tells Radio Ink some very interesting stories about her years in the business, especially the early years, that today you'll find hard to believe.

Subscribe to Radio Ink in time to receive the MIW issue. GO HERE
Read some of our previous LISTS

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Binnie Gets 30 Nassau Stations

5-22-2012

That was the result from the bankruptcy court yesterday to disburse of the remaining 30 Nassau stations that were not auctioned off in an earlier proceeding. Bill Binnie is successful businessman, who's made his money in plastics, and owns several Television stations. Binnie made an unsuccessful 2010 run at a Republican Senate seat. He's also the finance chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party. Binnie's Carlisle Capital will pay $12.5 million for the stations. The bid was made jointly with Jeff Shapiro, who owns a number of Upper Valley radio stations. Nassau was forced into bankruptcy last September.

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Cutair Leaves Pandora. Returns to Dial Global

5-21-2012
Dial Global says Matt Cutair will operate out of New York as VP of Digital Operations and Sales responsible for overseeing all digital advertising sales and operations for the company. Cutair returns to Dial Global after two years as Sales Manager at Pandora. Cutair spent seven years at Dial Global, working as an Account Executive and liaison between Dial Global's digital partners and its sales staff.  Cutair began his career at CBS Radio?s WJFK-AM as a producer and on-air talent.  

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$25K Fine For Missing Quarterly Issues

5-21-2012

This NAL (Notice of Apparent Liability) is levied against Pacific Empire Radio owners of Oregon stations KLBM and KUBQ in La Grande, KBKR and KKBC in Baker and KRJT in Elgin. The Commission says the company was missing issues and programs lists for twelve consecutive quarters (2008-2011) at all the stations. Pacific Empire stated that each of the stations was missing the same issues and programs lists from July 2008 to August 11, 2011 due to the lack of transparency between new management and outgoing management. In this process the files were either misplaced or missing altogether.?  

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(TALENT) 8 Quick Tips For Better Air Talent Blogs And Morning Show Websites

5-23-2012

Blog smog. You aren't a blogger. Why should you worry about improving your writing skills?

As radio companies put more emphasis on digital growth, you are now responsible for website traffic and social media engagement in addition to on-air ratings.

Becoming a better blogger will give you organic content for your social networks, increasing Web traffic as users are enticed to click through. Better blogs may also forge stronger relationships, turning casual listeners into P1s.

Convinced? Read on. (Unconvinced? Keep reading!)

Before we get into the tips, let's define "blog."  According to Google, a blog is "a website on which an individual or group of users record opinions, information, etc. on a regular basis." For radio, that includes your talent blogs, as well as the content you add to your website to reflect that day's show topics.

So your entertainment buzz, stupid news, phone topics, and audio clips count as blogs too.

Here are eight tips to improve your talent blogs and the content you post from the show each day:

1. Focus on your headline.  When you plan your show, you write teases to keep people listening. With blogs, you write headlines to keep people reading. It's really not that different.

2. Include your opinion.  Often you blog about pop culture, music, or current events. Listeners can find these stories anywhere, but they found it on your website because they have an affinity for your brand. Along with Gotye's new video or news about John Travolta's massage misbehavior, include your opinion the way you would on-air. Don't blog just to meet a corporate requirement or to provide listeners with strong content. Use the opportunity to showcase your character and create a connection with listeners that will keep them coming back -- to your website and to your show.

3. Define your goal before you begin.  Are you writing to inform, entertain, or inspire? Read your blog when it's done and make sure it cuts through in the way you planned. Will your readers learn something (about the subject, or about you)? Will they laugh? Will they be entertained? Will they be moved (to tears, or outrage)?

4. End with a call to action. "Write to Done" has a great blog on this that says, "You need to make the reader take action." Ask your reader to leave a comment, or to tune in to tomorrow's show to listen to the topic on-air. For example, end your blog with:

? "Are these masseurs telling the truth about John Travolta? Leave a comment and let me know what you think."

? "Listen tomorrow at 7:20 when we talk to Gotye and ask him about the ex that inspired this song."

5. Respond to blog comments.  Your blog is an opportunity to engage listeners. Call listeners by name. Continue the conversation with your reply. Be personable.

6. Craft your social media tease.  An enticing on-air tease often makes a great tweet or Facebook post. Like on-air teases, your social media teases should pique the reader's curiosity. Ask a question, develop a creative headline, and use images to increase traffic to your blog from your social profiles.

7. Be enticing, not misleading. As this blog by Daniel Sharkov suggests, make sure you can back up the claims you make. Writing headlines that are enticing but misleading will only annoy your listeners and keep them from coming back. http://reviewzntips.blogspot.com/2012/05/titles-that-get-retweets.html. Follow "Huffington Post" on Twitter for a good example. Their tweets are creative and intriguing, but never misleading: https://twitter.com/#!/HuffingtonPost

8. Measure. Don't wait until your contract is up for renewal to find out how you're doing online. Track your website traffic. Use Facebook Insights (or other third party measurement tools). Let the analytics guide your content. Listeners will tell you which blogs they find interesting. You just have to listen (or study the stats).

Have other tips to share? I'd love to hear them. Leave a comment below -- I promise I'll respond.

Stephanie Winans is the chief digital media strategist for The Randy Lane Company. You can find her blending the "experienced" media of radio with the "new" media of the Internet in her blog "On-Air to Online."

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Rusty Walker Funeral This Saturday

5-21-2012

Here are the details for the Rusty Walker funeral. Walker died Monday after suffering a heart attack over the weekend. Visitation will be 4-8 p.m., Friday, at Mt. Evergreen United Methodist Church (253 County Road 244, Iuka, MS). The Funeral will be held Saturday at 1 p.m., at the Tishomingo County High School Gymnasium (701 Highway 72, Iuka, MS). The body will lie in state at the gymnasium from 11 a.m. until service time on Saturday.

Read Rusty's obituary HERE

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Shakes Returns to CBS

5-22-2012

Market Manager Tim Pohlman makes the announcement that Dave Shakes is the new PD for CBS radio's KZON-FM and KOOL-FM in Phoenix. Shakes returns to CBS having previously served as PD for WBBM-FM in Chicago from 1990-1993. He said, ?It's quite the opportunity to work with the great teams at KZON-FM and KOOL-FM and to rejoin my many friends at CBS RADIO.  I look forward to maintaining the integrity and success of these two stations while bringing my own personal flair to the Phoenix market.? Shakes begins his new job Monday, June 18. 

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RadioSalesCafe.com Turns Three Years Old

5-21-2012

RadioSalesCafe.com is celebrating its third anniversary in May and giving away some very cool prizes in celebration. The grand prize is a one-year subscription to Roy Williams' Wizard of Ads LIVE, a $1440 value. RadioSalesCafe.com was conceived and developed by the staff of Grace Broadcast Sales (GBS), a longtime syndicator of short form radio features to help stations generate extra revenue for holidays, seasonal celebrations, and special events. Other prizes include voiceover sessions by top talents, books and periodicals including a subscription to Radio INK.    

With all the changes taking place in the radio industry and the boom in social networking, GBS account executive Rebecca Schwartz thought it would be helpful to provide her clients and other radio advertising sales professionals, managers, and station owners with a place where they could meet and interact other members of the radio advertising sales community, to discuss local trends in sales and marketing, share ideas for increasing ad sales, ask questions, address problems, and brainstorm for solutions.  Thus, RadioSalesCafe.com was born. 

Get more details HERE

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(SOCIAL) Making Your Social Media Meaningful

5-21-2012

(SOCIAL) When it comes to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms, it pays to have specific guidelines or "Do's" that focus your efforts for consistently excellent results. Here are seven very good guidelines:

1. Talk less, listen more.  Focus on the people who engage your brand and make it your top mission in social media to listen more than you talk. Find out what listeners expect and want from you by listening to them.

2. Step up to what your listeners are passionate about.  Those who most want influence are also the most likely to contribute to your success. They are the most likely to show up in your social media "stream" and most likely to be cheerleaders for your brand when you do things right. Don't be afraid to embrace their passion.

3. Think sharing.  Forget (if you can) 20th century thinking. Focus on great content where you give away "the baby."  In other words, don't hold back. Give first. Be open. The payoff you are after is larger than a little advertising.

4. Remember that social media is not advertising.  It is an error to judge social media the same way you would advertising. Social media takes consistency and patience.

5. Add value to the conversations about your product, brand, even listener benefits.  Show the value of consistent content focused on what listeners expect of you and where they benefit immediately from what you are sharing.

6. In social media, listeners want and respect validation and appreciate?appreciation.  Give it to them.

7. When someone comments on your content or even shares your content, acknowledge them and follow up both in public and in email, if possible.  But also go to their Facebook page if you can and engage in their content to let them know you are tuned in to them.

If you've been in the radio business for a while, you already know that you find out what listeners want and give it to them. You know that certain things are critical to your target audience. If you don't know what these things are, seek advice from someone higher up in management and make sure your efforts reflect these important expectations your listeners want and desire.

Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE
Visit his Facebook radio social media page www.facebook.com/socialnetworking4radio
Read more articles from Loyd HERE

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(SALES) Ask For Referrals On Every Call

5-22-2012

We work way too hard in media sales: making 20 prospect calls a day to secure just four appointments -- a typical, industry-wide 20 percent closing ratio. That's a tough way to make a living. To make your life a little easier -- and more profitable -- here is a solid technique to help you increase your business by 15 percent over the next 90 days. It's designed to help you ask for referrals on every call you make, and it will change the way you sell and double your closing rate.

The Referral Foundation

The best prospects are the clients with whom you already have relationships. Second best are those referred to you by a prospect who has said, "No." Third best are those referred to you by another trusted professional or friend.

A satisfied client can give you three of four good, qualified leads -- if you just ask. When you make a closing presentation and somebody declines, do you really think they want to tell you that? In some cases, there are conditions that they cannot fulfill in your closing presentation. Just remember: If they were not interested, they probably would not have had you make your presentation. This is a great time to ask for a referral, since most people would like to help if you ask. Third-party referrals are strong, since, in most cases, they come from people who can attest to your credibility and business savvy even though they might not have personally used your company before. They might be a community leader or have another strong community affiliation. Ask them for referrals, and then use those referrals.

Three Steps To 15 Percent

Most sales reps don't ask for referrals because, according to them, they forget. Some don't ask because they have never been taught to do it. Some don't ask because they don't feel right asking a client, as they also would have to ask the dreaded question, "Is it working?" Unfortunately, many sales reps don't believe in their own product's effectiveness.

The following three-step process won't help you improve your memory skills, and if you don't believe in your own product, nothing can help you. Thus, we'll deal with the never-been-taught element.

Step #1: Describe a typical viewer/reader/listener. Start with, "Would you do me a big favor"? (Most customers will say, "Yes"). Next, say, "Typically, our listeners are [for example] between the ages of 35 and 54, female, household income $50K, and they have some college?.

Step#2: Have them imagine faces. If you ask clients, "Is there anybody you know who might be interested in?," they will have to think of everyone they ever met. Instead, have them visualize specific people they know. I worked with a rep, Jeanette Radar, and she is textbook when asking for referrals. She would ask them: "Who is your financial planner?" "Who works on your car?" "Do you trust him or her?" "Do you think they would be the right type of client to serve our listeners, as you are?" In other words, as Radar says, "Each of your clients gets their kids' teeth cleaned, each has a financial planner, and each knows other business owners in categories related to their own business."

Step #3: State a success story and wait for the response. Ask: "Who do you know who might like to hear about what we did at Sunrise Ford, where we helped move an incremental 20 cars over the past weekend?" Now, wait for the answer. The longer they ponder, the better the chances that they will think of someone.

Over the past 12 years in seminars, I've challenged more than 50,000 sales reps to ask for referrals as outlined above, and I have received numerous emails form reps who say their business went up by more than 15 percent. Hopefully, you'll try to prove me right, instead of wrong, and build your business like never before -- working smarter, not harder.

Sean Luce is the Head National Instructor for the Luce Performance Group and can be reached at Sean@luceperformancegroup.com.

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Why Your Station Should Be on SOME App

5-21-2012

Though Steve Jobs is known for his innovations with the Macintosh computer, iTunes, the iPhone, and the iPad, many experts say the most important thing Jobs introduced to the world was the app. What about the radio app? Is your future an aggregator like TuneIn or iHeartRadio? Or does your station need an individual listening app? What about revenue opportunities and interactivity with your listeners, now that an app is as important as your website? What about apps for your sales organization and advertisers? What is the ultimate app design for radio listening and revenue generation?

We answer your app questions June 4tha nd 5th at Radio Ink's Convergence 12 at the beautiful Santa Clara Convention Center in Silicon  Valley. Scott Wallace of YouPlus Media leads a panel of experts talking about when (and whether) to create an app, how they work and why, and your  brand's best approach to getting onto smartphones and tablets. Wallace says, "Apps, apps, apps! As apps take over the world, what are the important things to know, and how do they affect your strategy going forward?We'll provide clear-cut ideas and discuss the tough issues, how to monetize, and now to work effectively with developers."

Don't miss the stellar lineup of keynoters at this year's Convergence: Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari Corp. and the Chuck E. Cheese pizza chain, and one  of the world's most innovative tech thinkers. Rob Glaser, founder and chairman of RealNetworks, who's been it streaming tech since its earliest days. Kris  Jones, author of Search Engine Optimization: Your Visual Blueprint for Effective Internet Marketing, will tell you everything you need to know about search engine strategies, while Ken Rutkowski, founder of the METal group, explains how to see through the "BS of social media." Rob Curley, of the Las Vegas

Sun and Greenspun Media, will talk about what it takes for real media success in a constantly connected world. And you'll want to hear from Kurt Hanson, publisher of RAIN and CEO of Accuradio, and one of the leading authorities on radio and the Internet.

Click HERE to see the Convergence agenda to date.
Click HERE to register for Convergence online, or call 561-655-8778.

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(DIGITAL) Hoping Facebook Ads Won't Work? Be Careful What You Wish For

5-23-2012

I knew it was coming. Living in the great netherworld between social media and radio, I?ve come to be able to predict with almost dead-on accuracy what kind of emails I?m going to get, and when.

As soon as the story came out that 50 percent of people think Facebook is a "fad," I heard from just about every social media doubter in radio I know. This, in their eyes, was proof that the masses were going to eventually reject Facebook, as well as all things digital, and channel all that time back to terrestrial radio listening. I reminded them it?s not such an either/or proposition and pointed them to a previous blog I did about multitasking.

Well you can imagine their delight when GM announced they were pulling all paid advertising from Facebook. You?d have thought the "shot heard round the world" happened all over again. They couldn?t have been more pleased.

But let?s think about that. Radio?s entire business proposition has always been that we gather a large mass of users (listeners), and then sell access to those users to advertisers. I don?t know what your cume is, but Facebook has 800 million users worldwide. Anyone in radio who celebrates the fact an advertiser doesn?t feel the need to pay a penny for access to 800 million users needs to stop blasting themselves in the foot.

Not only are those users there, advertisers can drill down to focus their dollars on extraordinarily specific demographics, locations and interests, then get data back on what kind of engagement, if any, their ads got. Can you do that with your over-the-air signal? GM says the paid ads didn?t lead to actual car sales. Really? Did GM find a rock-solid ROI formula for social that none of the rest of the industry has yet discovered? They?re in essence making a statement that branding doesn?t lead to sales. That ain?t good for us in radio folks, so let?s not shoot off fireworks.

The next round of "I told you so" emails I got came after the opening day of Facebook?s IPO. Everyone expected to find me crushed that the stock didn?t skyrocket on Day 1. It was a total validation, in their eyes, that this "social thing" holds no revenue-making value. I wasn?t crushed. I wasn?t even really surprised, given the hammering Facebook took during the pre-IPO blackout period. And again, do we really want to celebrate indications that paid advertising no longer works?

I personally believe Facebook will figure it out. They live, eat, sleep and breathe figuring things out. And by the way, GM never said they weren?t marketing on, and making big investments in, Facebook. It?s just not on their paid ad product side. GM has no problem admitting there?s tremendous value in having the kind of access to consumers and relationship-building functions social offers. And so far, no other big advertiser seems to be following GM?s lead.

If you?re celebrating the rejection, by one company, of paid advertising to reach a cume of 800 million (with heavy "TSL" by the way) because there was no indisputable proof that Ad Dollar X led to Sale Dollar Y?then what the hell are you out there selling?

Mike Stiles is a brand content specialist with the social marketing tech platform Vitrue. Check out his monologue blog The Stiles Files and follow him @mikestiles.

(5/23/2012 1:10:24 AM)
I think Mike might agree that: no matter the perceived strength of the presented certainty or the cut of the corporate suits, Radio people are experiencing a desperation that is relatively new in the industry.
Any small whiff of a cloud over somebody else's turf is considered a sign their doom is imminent.

Of course, that same cloud over our territory is hoped to be a harbinger of blessed rain for parched, radio throats.

Facebook, meanwhile, is seeing to their own knitting. We aren't.

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Fox Sports Adds Larry Miller's Salt Lake Combo

5-21-2012

Following news that Larry Miller Communications, a sister-company of the Utah Jazz, has agreed to purchase several new radio stations, FOX Sports Radio says two of the stations, KZNS-AM and FM, will begin airing its programming starting Wednesday.

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MainstreamNetwork Purchases StreamAudio

5-21-2012

Streaming company MainstreamNetwork has acquired Tacom based StreamAudio. The purchase of StreamAudio marks the third such acquisition in the last three years by ChristianNetcast.com, the parent company of MainstreamNetwork. In April 2009, CNC purchased NWR Network (NWR) of Colorado Springs and in 2011 they acquired Barnabas Road Media of Indianapolis. As the parent company, CNC now owns and operates MainstreamNetwork, BRM, NWR, and StreamAudio. Terms of the StreamAudio deal were not disclosed. 

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TuneIn Creates Channel For Hot 97 Summer Jam

5-21-2012
Emmis owned Hot 97 (WQHT-FM) has partnered with TuneIn to create a channel specifically to promote the station's successful Summer Jam event. The new channel will feature uncensored and uninterrupted music from from event headliners, including; Nicki Minaj, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and Trey Songz. There will also be archived performances from past Summer Jams.

SVP/Market Manager for Emmis New York Alex Cameron says, ?TuneIn now offers some of the most passionate music lovers and HOT 97 fans a unique way to participate in the biggest and most renowned hip hop event on the planet.?

This year Summer Jam will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, June 3, 2012. Listeners can download the channel now with the free TuneIn Radio app, online at http://www.tunein.com/ by searching ?Summer Jam.?

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Former St. Louis Host Guilty of Murder

5-20-2012

Former St. Louis radio host Leonardo Drisdel (pictured) was found guiilty of first-degree murder for "beating, biting and smothering" 28-year-old Cassandra Kovack to death in 2005. Drisdel hosted a weekly radio show called "The Human Factor" on WGNU in St. Louis. Kovack died June 4, 2005, after she had invited Drisdel home and cooked him a pasta meal. Apparently there were drugs involved in the visit as well, according to news reports on the trial. Jurors took 45 minutes to convict Drisdel. 

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Fire Causing Problems For Scottsdale Station

5-20-2012

They call it the Gladiator Fire in Scottsdale, Arizona and it's giving Sierra Broadcasting fits. Sierra Broadcasting GM Michael Mallace tells Radio Ink his station is moving to back up facilities. "We were off the air for 19 hours Thursday night through Friday on KNRJ.  We were running a seven hour loop of music on KAJM during that time as we lost audio to the site on both stations. Currently, we are off the air on KNRJ since 2AM Sunday morning. And we have been on a backup transmitter at greatly reduced power on KAJM since about 2PM Sunday afternoon. We have lost all power to the site due to the fire. We are live on our streams and are updating people on Facebook, twitter and our website."

(5/21/2012 2:02:19 PM)
The Gladiator fire is north of Crown King, near the transmitter site. The studios are in Scottsdale, AZ.

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Rusty Walker Dies at the Age of 59.

Scott Huskey, Vice-President/Consulting Services at Rusty Walker Programming has just confirmed that the family is once again dealing with tragedy. Rusty Walker died today after suffering a heart attack Saturday morning while riding his bike with friends. Walker is one of the radio industry's top consultants and a friend to so many people. Walker had to deal with tragedy earlier this year when his 18 year old daughter passed away.

Jaye Albright comments on the passing of a friend. "As someone who had actually been consulting for at least a decade longer than Rusty, thanks to an opening at Drake-Chenault in Los Angeles where I learned what Bill Drake, Jim Kefford and Denny Atkins considered the right way to work with radio stations, I had a front row seat to Rusty's start, first as a winning and creative Program Director and then as a consultant. He reinvented the business and took the art of working with country radio to a level no one had ever done before. The proof is in the success and sound of his radio stations, of course, but it's also in the depth of the relationships he forged. His knowledge and spirit were infused in everything he did. I loved him and his family, respected his abilities and as someone who probably competed with him directly in more markets than anyone over a 25 year period, I have to say that there is a big hole in my heart today and in country music radio. He lived his life in so many ways that have made him a role model for hundred and hundreds of people. His legacy, of course, lives on in all of us. He coped with the loss of two of his children in such a loving, courageous way. He not only taught us how to program, to win in the ratings, to build what became the largest country consulting business in the history of our format, but in the end, he taught us all how to live."

"In Heaven today, I am sure that Rusty Walker is regaling the Angels with his endless supply of wonderful tales of radio wars.""I knew Rusty well ... McVay Media competed against Rusty, and we served together on the Country Radio Broadcasters board of directors, as well as  were professional friends. He was the type of person that you wanted to compete against because he was fair, very good and raised everyone's game.  His family has suffered much tragedy with the loss of a son  a few years ago, then his daughter most recently and now Rusty himself."Michael A. McVay
Senior Vice-President
Corporate/Programming
Cumulus Media

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Clear Channel Renames Dallas Station

5-20-2012 

KDMX in Dallas is now 102.9 Now. Clear Channel renames the station saying it reflects the station?s ongoing evolution to embrace the targeted audience and play more current music programming. Operations Manager Pat Davis says ?102.9 Now is more reflective of the station?s current musical position which focuses heavily on artists such as Gotye, Rihanna, Katy Perry and The Wanted. The station has evolved from the ?90?s to now? to even more current music programming to capture this very hot cycle for contemporary music.  KDMX has always had a great tie to sister station, KHKS, and this new name brings them even closer.?

102.9 Now will play a variety of listeners? favorite songs from today?s artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Adele, Foster the People, Flo Rida, One Republic, Gotye, Nikki Minaj and Fun.  102.9 Now will also feature Chris Jagger as the new morning show co-host for Jagger and Tara in the Morning.  Jagger is a radio veteran with a variety of on-air hosting experience including previous roles as morning show host for 102.1 The Edge is Dallas and Q102 in Philadelphia.

(5/21/2012 8:41:55 AM)
The audiences are out here, including the specialty cliques and fans of the fractured genres. When a station is compelled to change formats, it is an admission of, as Strother Martin's character, The Captain, in Cool Hand Luke opines: "A failure to communicate".

Either that or, as they say back in the offices: "The audience is stupid." Yeah. That's it.

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$21,500 Fine For Unattended Studio

5-20-2012

This Notice of Apparent Liability for Mt. Rushmore Broadcasting, owners of KZMX-AM and KZMX-FM in Hot Springs, South Dakota for failing to maintain a management or staff presence at the Stations? main studio, by failing to maintain a local telephone number in its community of license or a toll-free number for either station, by failing to make the Stations available for inspection, and by failing to operate Station KZMX-FM in accordance with the terms of the station?s authorization. 

READ ATTORNEY JOHN GARZIGLIA'S BLOG ON COVERING YOUR STUDIO

On May 31, 2011, in response to a complaint, an FCC agent from Denver Office attempted an inspection of the stations main studio during regular business hours. The door to the main studio was locked and there was no staff or management present at the building.  There was no contact information posted at the main studio location, consequently, the agent was unable to gain entrance to the main studio.  The agent stayed at the main studio site for several hours, monitoring the stations.   The agent telephoned multiple phone numbers, including two published phone numbers associated with Mount Rushmore and the Stations several times, but none of his calls were answered.  During the time the agent was at the main studio location, an individual identifying himself as a former employee stopped by the main studio location and informed the agent that no one had been present at the main studio for more than a year.

On June 1st, during regular business hours, the agent returned and again attempted an inspection of the Stations? main studio.  The agent stopped by the main studio several times throughout the day, during regular business hours.  Each time, no employees were present and the agent was unable to gain access to the main studio.  Both Stations were in operation and during each visit, the agent telephoned several phone numbers associated with the Stations but his calls were not answered.  The agent then visited a non-affiliated business in the area owned by the president of Mount Rushmore.  After being informed that the Mount Rushmore president was in the area, the agent left his business card with an employee who agreed to have the president contact the agent, however, the agent never heard from the president.

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Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell To Keynote Convergence

He forever changed the way young people spend their entertainment time. And at Radio Ink's Convergence '12, you'll hear from Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari Corp. Bushnell. Bushnell is called  the "father of the video game industry" You are registered for Convergence aren't you? Bushnell is a REAL innovator. Steve Jobs once worked for him. And Leonardo DiCaprio is going to play him in a movie.

"Nolan is a legend in Silicon Valley and known for his game-changing innovation," Radio Ink Publisher Eric Rhoads says. "He continually reinvents industries and will share some very strong feelings about media and where it's going. It's a rare opportunity to have Nolan on the stage, and it should not be missed.

Bushnell, a sought-after speaker with a big personality and a quick wit, also founded the Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theater chain along with, over the past 40 years or so, tech incubator Catalyst Technologies; Etak, the first car-navigation system; personal robotics company Androbot; and ByVideo, the first online ordering system.

And what all that tells you is that he's a high-energy, original thinker with wide-ranging interests, and a constant eye on what's ahead. Bushnell, his shelves piled high with awards for his creative and entrepreneurial accomplishments, is currently turning his attention to both education and anti-aging technology.

Convergence is packed with speakers and panels that will give you the real, practical help and information you need for success in the digital era. Click HERE to see the agenda so far -- and there are lots of additions and updates to come. Convergence is coming up soon, and our hotel rooms are filling up. Go HERE to get all the info on the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara and to register online, or call 888-421-1442 and mention Radio Ink's Convergence to get the special $189 room rate.

We encourage you to bring your whole team to Convergence to listen and learn firsthand. Call 561-655-8778 for our special team discount: With three paid registrations, a fourth team member can attend for free.

Click HERE to register for Convergence online, or call 561-655-8778.

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(DIGITAL) The Goldmine Hidden In Your Email

(by Chris Miller) There's a digital tool to put your content in the hands of your fans, and also create revenue opportunities for your brand. You probably already have this tool, but aren't using it to its potential. It's email. For some broadcasters, the newness of social media has caused us to forget about database emails as a tool to tactically help both programming and sales.

"Email can hit that magic spot of being both sellable and beneficial for the recipient, too," says Ruth Presslaff, President of Presslaff Interactive Revenue. The best radio database emails are "relevant to the listener, but not exclusive to revenue."

Presslaff says that the real value to sales is "not just in the three-hundred-dollar ad that we include in the email. It's the data we get." She points out that "the information you get [about your listeners] is the real goldmine," because you can use it to create opportunities to get new and bigger business. The ones who really profit from their database email program are "the ones who know how to use the data we get to create sales presentations that open new doors." As an example, Presslaff describes pitching business from a new bank, and showing them on a Google Maps overlay "how your database lives where the bank's trading zone is."

She also points out that "there can be so much information in your database, and there are so many different sales opportunities" that it can be hard to choose where to focus first. She recommends having a database marketing specialist to help make sense of it all. "What do your zip codes tell you? What about your gender balance? If you did a promotion that got responses from a whole bunch of men but you tend to skew female, what does that mean?"

Presslaff says that she looks at database information, and "all I see is money." It can start with just looking at your "open rate, click-throughs, and your unsubscribes." She recommends that you not just make a judgment about one metric one time, but, instead, watch how the information trends over time to gauge how your content is being received. For instance, if you don't have a lot of people unsubscribing from you, that doesn't mean that they're necessarily passionate about what you're sending them. It's very easy to be ignored in email. "The opposite of love isn't hate," Presslaff says, quoting author Leo Buscaglia. "The opposite of love is apathy."

Email and your social media can also be complementary parts of a good overall media plan. Presslaff notes that "Twitter and Facebook have a constant stream of information, which is great if you happen to be there to see it. But if you want to go back and find something, where is it?" Plus, she says, "Email drives action better than anything else." Compared to saying something on the air, adding it to your social media, or posting it on your website, "Email has been shown to drive action like nothing else."

Chris Miller has been a major-market PD in Atlanta, Portland and Cleveland. He now operates Chris Miller Digital, which he launched. Visit his website at www.chrismillerdigital.com.
Contact Chris via e-mail, chris@chrismillerdigital.com or 216-236-3955.

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