Mike Stiles
I had a friend who heads up digital for one of the major radio companies say something interesting to me the other day. They said, ?Remember, radio is the original social network.? That swirled around in my head for days. I don?t even know why it made such an impact on me, but it did. The first thing I did was figure out in what ways that statement is true. Yes, there was a time when jocks connected to listeners. That conversation was one-sided for the most part, but it could be 2-way if a listener called in. And, it?s certainly true radio used to create ?communities? of people who were like-minded in at least a couple of ways, location and taste in music.
The problem is that pesky phrase, ?used to be.? Because while online social networks have moved forward and exploded in usage and influence, broadcast radio went the opposite direction. The social network qualities of broadcast radio were minimized, if not eliminated. Yes, listeners hear a jock, but limitations in what they can talk about and how long they can talk make it much harder for listeners to get to know them, or hear their true personalities, or feel like they?re a friend...all the things that used to be radio?s competitive advantage.
There was a time when you could call a radio station to make a request or comment on something, and the DJ you were listening to picked up the phone and talked to you. Now, the DJ you?re listening to is on the other side of the country and recorded what they said sometime late yesterday. If you?re lucky?you can get through to a board op. Social networking is about a constant flow of 2-way communication. You can?t have that if one side isn?t listening. Or isn?t there.
It?s also hard to picture radio as a social network because while even if the jock and the listener are connected and talking, the station?s listeners aren?t connected to each other?another key component of digital social networking. There was a time when listeners saw and connected with each other at station events like concerts. I?m not talking about a promotions assistant parking the station van 5 blocks up the street at just any concert. I?m talking about a concert the station put on where it?s the station that brought people together. It still happens, just not nearly as much.
So sure, while radio can claim the title of the ?original social network,? it?s moved so far away from what gave it that distinction, it?s reduced to a nostalgic claim at best. The last thing radio needs is something else that contributes to any image of a ?nostalgic? industry.
With the elements that made radio the original social network fading, it becomes more important than ever for stations to seize, embrace, invest in and maximize their social network strategies on the platforms today?s digital entrepreneurs have set up, and use those tools to build their community and get the 2-way conversations going again.
Mike Stiles is a writer/producer with the social marketing tech platform, Vitrue, and head of Sketchworks comedy theatre. Check out his monologue blog, The Stiles Files.
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