An Early Start on Holiday Music

8-9-13

It's always a winning format and Envinsion Radio Networks wants to take advantage of the early. Envision is getting in the holiday spirit early with The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time, a ten-hour radio special hosted by TV game show host Wink Martindale. Available on a cash basis, this special holiday programming will count down everyone?s favorite Yuletide hits from 100 to number one.

The song list is based on data compiled by Billboard Magazine and listings of the Christmas tracks most played on radio over the past decade.  This compilation includes hit singles as well as classic tracks from the most-loved and best-selling Christmas albums of all time. 

Augmenting each hour is a handful of ?bonus tracks? ? other beloved Yuletide gems guaranteed to make you laugh, move your heart and rekindle your life?s fondest memories. Wink Martindale supplies the story and fun facts throughout the 10-hour broadcast. Stations interested in more information about The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time should visit envisionradio.com or contact Hannah Rosenthal at hannahr@envisionradio.com or 216-831-3761.

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Holiday Shopping More Mobile Than Ever

1-1-13

This is good news for radio, if radio uses the information it certainly already collects from listeners and crafts promotions and ideas for local clients. eMarketer reports that consumers are big fans of in-store offers they receive on their cell phones. Holiday shoppers were more likely than ever this year to whip out their smartphones for some mobile assistance, according to the research.

More than eight in 10 smartphone owners researched and browsed for products on their phone, up 15 percentage points from 2011, and nearly three-quarters bought something via mobile, up 19 percentage points.

These increases also come as smartphone ownership overall has increased. eMarketer estimates that nearly 116 million U.S. consumers had a smartphone in 2012, vs. 93.1 million in 2011. So higher percentages of smartphone owners doing any given activity are amplified by the fact that the overall base of smartphone owners is larger as well.

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(SOCIAL) 7 Holiday Streaming Tips

7-9-2011

By Loyd Ford

You can?t get much out of the holidays and social media, right? Wrong. You can use creativity to give a powerful impact to listener holidays and bond them to your brand.

This is not about 4th of July or Christmas. It is about holidays in general and how to engage listeners or connect with them. Imagine using your creativity to create a stronger bond with the listeners who will matter the most to your connectivity in the market and ratings.

Let?s take a look:

1. Dress staff and vehicles for the holiday and provide listeners with a virtual ?holiday card" they can share on their Facebook walls and in email (among other ways of sharing).

2. Use your creativity to make a video that includes many of the things your listeners will be doing during the holiday; have some fun with it. Highly engaged listeners will love it and share it if the creativity is there. You can even encourage listeners to post their own holiday videos or pictures on your station Facebook page.

3. Upload holiday-oriented pictures of past station events relating to the holidays; post artwork promoting current holiday events. Put in special effort and creativity and it will be rewarded.

4. Think about offering ?rewards" for Facebook and Twitter fans and include an event and/or advertisers, but be careful to keep the listener benefit at the foreground of what you are doing ? not advertising. This takes planning, but it can be done well. Again, use creativity to capture the moment and reward sharing or participating. Think discounts and small gifts to make the holiday easier.

5. Create holiday-themed Facebook and Twitter pages. Tons of people do this and you should think about using creativity to engage listeners in the way they feel about the holiday by having your own theme. This is easier to do than you might think. Don?t miss opportunities to encourage listeners to include your station in their holiday plans in your themes.

6. Show pictures of your staff volunteering during holidays or create an ?event" where your team (with listeners and engaged staffers) does something in the community during the holidays. If you really want to connect with listeners, this is a great way to do it.

7. Create an opportunity ?window" for listeners to vote for their favorite charity for a donation from your company or give listeners the opportunity to add on to your donation and vote for the charity they would like to see receive the donation.

The point here is:  You can use creativity and what you already know about listeners, the specific holiday, and your own brand to make a large impact and have real connectivity with listeners in their lives. Why not?

After all, this is radio. Social media has nothing on radio. With a little thought about your listeners and the creativity radio is known for, you can actually bring listeners closer to you, your personalities and your brands this holiday. No matter what holiday we are talking about today.

Loyd Ford programmed very successful radio brands in markets of all sizes for years, including KRMD AM & 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 HERE

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Broadcasters Foundation Launches Holiday Campaign

The Broadcasters Foundation of America has launched its ?Holiday Giving Campaign? to provide more aid to colleagues in acute financial need.  The campaign asks broadcasters to spread the word about the mission of the Foundation to those who may need its assistance, and encourages donations and memberships. Often a last refuge, the Broadcasters Foundation has helped families remain in their homes, and made it possible for retirees to afford life sustaining medications.  This year, the Foundation will grant more than $675,000 in assistance ? a 35 percent increase over last year and more requests for aid arrive every day. 

?Our challenge is that we are distributing grants at a faster pace than we are amassing donations,? noted Jim Thompson, President of the Broadcasters Foundation.  ?We need every broadcaster to help us close that gap so that we can continue to help those who need us the most.?  Current recipients include the family of a 20-year broadcast veteran who died of a sudden massive stroke, leaving two children and a wife who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis; an elderly couple who have outlived their savings and are saddled with enormous medical costs; and a man who in the prime of his life and at the peak of his career became paralyzed by a tragic accident that has left him confined to a wheel chair.

?The sole purpose of the Broadcasters Foundation is to provide financial relief to broadcasters in need,? observed Phil Lombardo, Chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation. ?Through the generous support of individuals and corporations in our industry, we can maintain the ability to help colleagues whose lives have been devastated by unthinkable circumstances.  I ask every broadcaster to consider making a donation or becoming a member.? Over the past 60 years, the Broadcasters Foundation has provided millions of dollars in aid to hundreds of broadcasters who lost their livelihood through a catastrophic event, debilitating disease, or unforeseen family tragedy. 

Individual membership is only $150 a year and can make a difference in the life of a colleague who has fallen on desperate times.  Donations also can be made as a personal gift to the Guardian Fund, the Stu Olds Memorial Fund, and the Rick Buckley Memorial Fund.  Corporate contributions are accepted through the Angel Initiative.  To make a donation, please visit www.broadcastersfounation.org, or call 212-373-8250.

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Hannity Holiday Concert Will Salute Troops

Sean Hannity will be hosting a concert series this holiday season ? Sean Hannity?s Holiday Concert Salute to the Troops ? in four cities; New York, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. The events are being produced by Townsquare Media and will benefit the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, designated for the education of children of U.S. service members who have been killed or permanently disabled in an operational mission or training accident.

Featuring three-time GRAMMY? winner Michael W. Smith, combat-decorated Marine/best-selling author Oliver North and platinum selling recording artist John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting), Hannity?s Holiday Concert Salute to the Troops will bring together some of the country?s best-loved performers and personalities in one intimate evening to celebrate the holidays by paying tribute to the men and women of our Armed Forces, their families, and the principles they fight to defend. 

The concert will travel to New York City?s Hammerstein Ballroom on Nov. 27; Pittsburgh?s Byham Theater on Dec. 2; Washington, D.C.?s Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill on Dec. 3; and Atlanta?s Cobb Energy Centre on Dec. 18.  Tickets for each concert go on sale Friday, October 21.

Tickets may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at (800) 745-3000. To purchase tickets online, or to find out more  information on Sean Hannity?s Holiday Concert Salute to the Troops, please visit www.Hannity.com. 

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Lightning Causes Holiday Havoc For Indiana Public Radio

Lighntning was the reason three Indiana public radio stations were off the air for  24 hours this past weekend. General Manager Marcus Jackman told Radio Ink last night the blower from the transmitter needed to be replaced but the stations were back on the air after the equipment was hit Saturday evening during a series of thunderstorms. Jackman says he got a call from his engineer at about 1:30AM with the news. "We got through to Harris Corporation early in the morning hours Sunday when our engineer had diagnosed what had been damaged." The part was shipped out and the stations WBST-FM (Muncie), WBSB-FM (Anderson) and WBSH-FM (Hagerstown) were back on the air last night.

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