U.S. Ad Spending Expected to Increase 3.4% This Year

8-15-14

That's the word from GroupM which just released its global ad spending forecast. The company says global ad spending will reach $534 billion in 2014 -- a 4.5% increase over 2013. The 3.4% forecast for U.S. spending would result in a total spend of $162 Billion. In 2015, the company projects the U.S. market to grow another 4.2% to $168.3 billion. GroupM's North America Chief Investment Officer Rino Scanzoni says, ?The U.S market should experience moderate Ad growth in 2015 consistent with nominal GDP. We expect 2015 overall Ad volume to exceed the 2006 high water mark of $161.9B by 4% on a nominal basis. TV share should remain consistent. Digital share of Ad revenue is expected to grow by 1% driven by search and on-line video." There was no mention of radio in the company press release.

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Digital Spending To Increase 14.8% In 2014

4-4-14

eMarketer now says worldwide spending on all things digital will reach $137.5 billion in 2014. That includes advertisements served up on desktop and laptop computers, mobile phones, and tablets. According to eMarketer, the $137.5 billion will now make up just over one-quarter of all paid media spending worldwide. That?s up from about one-fifth in 2012. The U.S. is the biggest spender on digital ads.

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SiriusXM Revenue Rises 11%. Plans Price Increase

10/24/13

SiriusXM reported third-quarter record results of $962 million, up 11 percent from Q3 of 2012. The company also announced it will be raising its price by six dollars per year for basic packages starting in January. This is the second price increase since a government ban was lifted following the merger of Sirius and XM in 2008. CEO Jim Meyer said, ?While changing prices is a hard decision, especially in the competitive audio entertainment market, we are assured that our subscribers see substantial value in our service and that this modest change will not considerably impact retention next year.? In 2011 SiriusXM increased the cost of its basic package by 1.50 dollars.

Meyer said the company "had a great quarter," adding more than half a million subscribers. We also saw double-digit growth in revenue for the seventh consecutive quarter, a new quarterly record for adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin, and significant growth in free cash flow."

Adjusted EBITDA for Q3 was up 21 percent, to $296 million, with adjusted EBITDA margin at nearly 31 percent. Free cash flow was $245 million, up 26 percent from $195 million in Q3 of 2012.

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Saga Says Q3 Will Increase up to 2%

9-17-13

Saga CEO Ed Christian (pictured) created some new lingo during his August quarterly conference call, stating radio revenue would continue to experience "MSG," or moderate sluggish growth. That followed a second quarter revenue increase of 2.6% and an admission that Q3 would be "a challenge." Yesterday Saga issued a statement that Q3 revenue will come in flat to up 2.0%. Back in August, Christian said August and September were pacing down plus the company was facing tough political comps.

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SiriusXM Reports 14% Revenue Increase

11-1-2012

Checking in with third quarter record revenue, SiriusXM says it generated $867 million for the months of July, August and September. The company also added 446K subscribers to push its total to 23.4 million. Net income for the quarter, after a debt extinguishment charge, was $75 million and free cash flow was up 159% to $195 million. Outgoing CEO Mel Karmazin said "The Company has produced more free cash flow in the first nine months of this year than in any full year in its history, and we've used this cash to reduce our debt to its lowest level since the merger of Sirius and XM."

Karmazin added, "We're excited about the increase in subscriber guidance to 1.8 million net additions that we reported earlier this month, as we believe growth in the fourth quarter will continue.  We continue to make investments across our business, particularly in R&D, customer care, infrastructure, and programming.  We are also investing in new businesses, such as the telematics service we announced in the third quarter with Nissan, and we believe these investments will reward our shareholders in the years to come."

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(SOCIAL) Use Social Media To Increase Your Value!

10-17-2012

So, here we are. Almost 2013. Congratulations. You made it. Companies say, ?Do more with less.? A lot more with a lot less. Either you?ve been in this business a long time and adapted to the continuing changes of radio today, or you are new and want to make your mark. Since companies are constantly trying to cut expenses and drive profit, at this point you must be thinking:  How can I make myself so valuable that budget-cutting CEOs and market managers don?t want to fire me and will go out of their way to make other cuts before cutting me?

Maybe the answer is being excellent at multitasking inside the station and becoming a person who is known to drive real value through social media. As the digital future changes radio, how you use social media could become one of your market-leading skills and save your job. Let?s take a look at a few ways you can get there.

1. Be clever. Yes, I said it. If you want to be noticed on social media, you should always provide information listeners will want to share. But it helps to remember that content is king and that this includes clever content that can and will be shared by listeners with other listeners. That's the rule of entry for being an employee with top-flight social media skills. Everyone else is pretending.

2. Do good. That?s right. Be someone who focuses on the positive and on being a positive influence. This can be taking on a local charity that your listeners (and you) care about. It could be simply going out of your way on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media platforms to do something to help someone else. However, being positive and doing ?good? attracts other people. It is essential in floating to the top of social media.

3. Invert your thinking. All of us think about ourselves way too much. Turn your thinking around when you are posting on social media. Purposefully reduce and eliminate the ?me factor? so that your posts look as if you are reading about them and not yourself. Eliminate words like ?I? completely from your posts. Insert words that indicate listeners ? not the station. When you mention the radio station, your show, or reasons listeners should engage you, your content should have a very high standard before you execute. It should be highly valuable to THE LISTENER.  This way, you always filter through ?them? and not ?yourself.? Anyone can be selfish on social media, but it is definitely not the way to float to the top.

4. Think people first, marketing last. We?ve all heard that social media is not marketing. In the U.S., everything is marketing. However, you should use caution if you think everything is advertising. In other words, reduce your focus on being a social media guru and make sure you put people ahead of your goals. Don?t take this lightly. Listeners (people) can smell insincerity. They can feel manipulation. If you don?t put them (and their feelings) first in what you are doing in social media, you might be able to have some limited success, but you will never become one of the top performers we are talking about here. Reduce the feeling that you are marketing in your copy and you will have more influence. It?s just the way it works.

5. Use pictures. Why do people respond to a smiling human? Because we are human. Are you aware of how much more likely listeners (people) are to read and respond to something that catches their attention with a picture? It is the number one way to inflate active participation with your content.

6. If you have a headline, make it a good one. If you understand the ?content is king? rule for radio and all media, you must double the standards for a headline and make sure your headline makes people curious about wanting to know more. Lure them with your headline as much as the photo you use.

7. Be consistent. So many people think they?ve ?got it? because they have a Facebook page or they have a Twitter account. Most radio stations have sad Facebook pages filled with self-serving contesting and reflecting inconsistent and mostly poor effort. The poor effort part means there is no consistency to what many are doing. This is wrong. To have a real presence in social media, you must be consistent. That means day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year. You must have a short- and long-term plan and you must stick to it.

8. Don?t underestimate how much listeners feel people don?t listen to them. At work, home, and even among friends, people often feel others don?t listen to them. That is a large part of why Facebook now has a billion users -- much of the attraction of Facebook is that people want to be validated (they want to be heard). Make that matter for listeners in your market. Listen.

Make a huge difference for yourself and your employment opportunities. Invest in learning social media and truly engaging listeners. Times are not changing; they?ve changed. Change with them. See yourself as a 21st century person. It can mean more money in your future and you?ll be so glad you did.

Loyd Ford is the direct marketing, ratings and social media strategist for Americalist and 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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(SALES) Increase Your Appointment Closing Ratio

9-16-2012

In the early morning, when most sales departments are abuzz with reps on the phone setting up appointments with prospects, I often hear the proverbial, ?I?d like to come over and talk to you about advertising.? Inevitably, I also hear, ?We have something special that you might like to see coming up for Christmas.? These techniques endure despite their meager five percent closing ratio.

Don?t Get Scared Away

Here are some of the worst responses you may hear from prospects.
? ?Don?t ever call me again. You got that? I never want to hear from you again.?
? ?Who the heck are you??
? ?Why don?t you take a flying leap, pal!?
? ?You salespeople are all alike, a bunch of nitwits. Stop bothering me!?

But if you follow the steps below, you?ll be setting up appointments with a 70 percent closing ratio.

Proper Form
1. Introduce yourself and ask for the prospect by first name: Don?t ask for the ?market director? or ?GM.? This is very impersonal; from your research, you should already know his or her first name. Once you get the decision-maker on the phone, try something like this: ?Mr. Johnson, this is Sean Luce with Name Of Your Company.? During the call, pause, smile, and stay relaxed-and stand up, don?t sit down at your desk.

2. Purpose in calling/credibility statement: There are two ways to establish your credibility and purpose statement. One is to explain the research you have done on their business. ?Mr. Johnson, I had the opportunity to walk through your furniture store last Tuesday afternoon. I spoke with one of your sales reps, Christy, who seemed very knowledgeable. I noticed some things inside your store that I may be able to help you with. I have some expertise in moving people through retail stores, and I?d like to share my observations, as well as learn a little more about your business.?

The second opening is to use a benefit statement such as, ?We have worked with many retail stores and have been successful moving potential customers through doors and also increased their website traffic. During the past few months, we have worked with use some examples of successful stories where your company has increased traffic. Perhaps we can do the same for you. I need 20 minutes to determine if there is an opportunity to help with your business?s marketing strategy.?

3. Trigger the buying motive: Ask one question that you know will have a positive response based on your in-store research. For example: ?Is increasing the electronics part of your operation important to you?? Make sure you never ask a close-ended question unless you know the answer. The information on electronics should have come from your discussion with Christy during your in-store visit.

4. Trial Close: ?Good, I need 20 minutes. I will be in your area on Friday.?

5. Contact concerns and objections: No matter how prepared you are, and even if you have already identified a need, you are still likely to encounter objections. How would you respond to the following?
? ?I?m not interested in buying anything.?
? ?I?m happy with my current advertising.?
? ?Tell me over the phone/send the information over email.?
? ?I don?t have the time.?

All objections can be answered by sticking to the reason for your call: to gain 20 minutes of their time to undergo a process that will benefit them by determining the potential for garnering increased prospects to their business (or whatever your pre-call research revealed that you could help them with). It?s also important to note that, on this first call, which will determine if there is a match or fit with your company, you will not be selling advertising -- and it will be the most beneficial 20 minutes they?ve ever spent with anyone in marketing. You must truly have that confidence in yourself and your product.

6. Confirm the next step: Once they have said yes, establish a time to meet. You want to get in the routine of setting up appointments on the 10, 20, 40 or 50 minutes after the hour. Remember, you are the busiest sales rep in the world. People want to do business with people who are busy, versus have a blank calendar and can fill in an appointment anytime and anywhere. You are different! The offset times will stick in the prospect?s mind. Confirm location. Thank them by saying, ?I look forward to meeting with you.? Be sure to let the prospect hang up first. You don?t want to convey the message that you are in a hurry, anxious, or happy to get the call over with.

Send your confirmation note immediately -- in the mail. Note, I said "in the mail," so they receive it a day or two before the appointment. If you don?t have that time and let?s say the appointment is the next day, send over an email using the subject line to say thank you and that you?re looking forward to seeing them tomorrow. This cuts down on no-shows and lets the prospects know you are serious about what you are doing. If they receive a confirmation/thank you note, there is an obligation to meet with you, or at least schedule an appointment when they know they will be there.

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

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(SALES) Increase Your Appointment Closing Ratio

9-16-2012

In the early morning, when most sales departments are abuzz with reps on the phone setting up appointments with prospects, I often hear the proverbial, ?I?d like to come over and talk to you about advertising.? Inevitably, I also hear, ?We have something special that you might like to see coming up for Christmas.? These techniques endure despite their meager five percent closing ratio.

Don?t Get Scared Away

Here are some of the worst responses you may hear from prospects.
? ?Don?t ever call me again. You got that? I never want to hear from you again.?
? ?Who the heck are you??
? ?Why don?t you take a flying leap, pal!?
? ?You salespeople are all alike, a bunch of nitwits. Stop bothering me!?

But if you follow the steps below, you?ll be setting up appointments with a 70 percent closing ratio.

Proper Form
1. Introduce yourself and ask for the prospect by first name: Don?t ask for the ?market director? or ?GM.? This is very impersonal; from your research, you should already know his or her first name. Once you get the decision-maker on the phone, try something like this: ?Mr. Johnson, this is Sean Luce with Name Of Your Company.? During the call, pause, smile, and stay relaxed-and stand up, don?t sit down at your desk.

2. Purpose in calling/credibility statement: There are two ways to establish your credibility and purpose statement. One is to explain the research you have done on their business. ?Mr. Johnson, I had the opportunity to walk through your furniture store last Tuesday afternoon. I spoke with one of your sales reps, Christy, who seemed very knowledgeable. I noticed some things inside your store that I may be able to help you with. I have some expertise in moving people through retail stores, and I?d like to share my observations, as well as learn a little more about your business.?

The second opening is to use a benefit statement such as, ?We have worked with many retail stores and have been successful moving potential customers through doors and also increased their website traffic. During the past few months, we have worked with use some examples of successful stories where your company has increased traffic. Perhaps we can do the same for you. I need 20 minutes to determine if there is an opportunity to help with your business?s marketing strategy.?

3. Trigger the buying motive: Ask one question that you know will have a positive response based on your in-store research. For example: ?Is increasing the electronics part of your operation important to you?? Make sure you never ask a close-ended question unless you know the answer. The information on electronics should have come from your discussion with Christy during your in-store visit.

4. Trial Close: ?Good, I need 20 minutes. I will be in your area on Friday.?

5. Contact concerns and objections: No matter how prepared you are, and even if you have already identified a need, you are still likely to encounter objections. How would you respond to the following?
? ?I?m not interested in buying anything.?
? ?I?m happy with my current advertising.?
? ?Tell me over the phone/send the information over email.?
? ?I don?t have the time.?

All objections can be answered by sticking to the reason for your call: to gain 20 minutes of their time to undergo a process that will benefit them by determining the potential for garnering increased prospects to their business (or whatever your pre-call research revealed that you could help them with). It?s also important to note that, on this first call, which will determine if there is a match or fit with your company, you will not be selling advertising -- and it will be the most beneficial 20 minutes they?ve ever spent with anyone in marketing. You must truly have that confidence in yourself and your product.

6. Confirm the next step: Once they have said yes, establish a time to meet. You want to get in the routine of setting up appointments on the 10, 20, 40 or 50 minutes after the hour. Remember, you are the busiest sales rep in the world. People want to do business with people who are busy, versus have a blank calendar and can fill in an appointment anytime and anywhere. You are different! The offset times will stick in the prospect?s mind. Confirm location. Thank them by saying, ?I look forward to meeting with you.? Be sure to let the prospect hang up first. You don?t want to convey the message that you are in a hurry, anxious, or happy to get the call over with.

Send your confirmation note immediately -- in the mail. Note, I said "in the mail," so they receive it a day or two before the appointment. If you don?t have that time and let?s say the appointment is the next day, send over an email using the subject line to say thank you and that you?re looking forward to seeing them tomorrow. This cuts down on no-shows and lets the prospects know you are serious about what you are doing. If they receive a confirmation/thank you note, there is an obligation to meet with you, or at least schedule an appointment when they know they will be there.

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

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(SALES) Sell Digital to Increase Revenue

6-14-2012

By Sean Luce

I attended Convergence 13 in Santa Clara, California. It seems like yesterday I had my then-less-than one-year-old son, Henry in the very same auditorium 13 years ago. That was 1999. In radio, we were Prince and partying like it was 1999 -- and going into the new century, it was nothing but optimism for radio. And why not? Satellite radio, in my opinion, wasn't really going to buck the "free content" model of terrestrial radio -- same opinion I hold today. In an article penned in Radio Ink close to 11 years ago, "10 Years From Now," that technology was moving too fast for satellite to gain a true foothold with a non-advertiser-generated model. Enough on satellite radio.

One year later, I did an 18-city "tour" promoting my new business, and included was a session on selling the Internet. The Internet session, which was optional for attendees, was received with a lukewarm reception in 2000. It seems not much has changed in radio 12 years later. At Convergence 13, there was still some talk about how digital can "add value" to the radio revenue experience. The only way radio revenue will get back to the 2007/08 levels is with digital sales added. However, the model of adding digital to radio is old and lacking substantial growth curves.

The Ocean Versus The Lake

Often I'm asked, "How can a tiny company in Western B.C. bring that kind of revenue in a market that size?" See www.castanet.net. A couple things: first, digital revenue takes out, on average, 30 percent of the total advertising pie now. The greatest risk is where the nastiest sharks swim -- in the ocean not the lagoon where the 30 percent revenue is. Internet revenue is also growing at 15 percent a year. If I can do the math, certainly you can do the math. Compound your digital revenue by those figures and voila. Add it up. I answer the original question with, "Sell it like it's the only thing you sell and you'll be successful." In other words, separate your digital and radio. Sell digital like it's the only company you have and you'll figure out a way to sell it and make money. If you had to pay your mortgage with what you sold, you would figure it out wouldn't you? Radio swims in the 6 percent total advertising lake. That's nothing to scoff at. However, that lake is not increasing its size by 15 percent a year.

Where the Big Fish Were?At Convergence 13

Eric Rhoads doesn't need a suck up. No sucking up here, just the truth. Radio Ink puts out a Radio's Most Powerful Top 40 people issue each year. It's a stellar issue and they rate the Top 40. With all due respect to those much more powerful that I am, I think Radio Ink should just start out with Eric as No.1 and then just fill in the remaining 39. Seriously, who could have put together such powerbrokers of the Internet in their own home -- Silicon Valley (for some of them, they could just walk over to the convention center) -- and have them address radio people? Maybe that was it: It was an Internet conference and worth much more than what they were charging to attend. With the lineup Eric and Deborah Parenti had, it should be jammed with 5,000 of radio's best management, programming, and sales reps. Maybe it's a matter of just flipping the target audience and that might very well happen next year.

It was a great line-up. Here are just a few highlights that I liked:

-- Ken Rutkowski. This guy walks on water. Whatever he tells you to do for your radio station, or anything in social media for that matter, do it. He's the real deal.

-- Maybe one of the smarter guys I've seen in a while? Search engine guy Kris Jones. Not only does he look smart, he is smart. Anyone who has the guts to start out Tony Robbins-style gets my attention.

-- Kraig Kitchen and Brian Glicklich of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck fame, just to mention two of the people they work with. What they did with Glenn Beck having his own TV network is pretty incredible. These two are at a different depth than most.

-- The last session was over the top! Sitting there were four of Silicon Valley's top 1st through 4th generation start-up revenue investing engines people. It blew me away. How did you get these guys into the same room and on the same panel? Most important thing said: They like to invest in the management team that's been together a while as well as the product they are financing. How smart! In my opinion, in digital, I think the team that put it together and sells it is just as valuable as the product. See Patch.com and the problems they are having. Patch is a flawed model. If you are going hyperlocal, then go hyperlocal, no substitutes. They also said something to the effect that it's not always advertiser-generated models that they seek to invest in. Hmmm?.interesting. They said, in some cases, get the users and the revenue models will come.

-- Christine Merritt of Google's Channel Sales Team of North America. You better find out what they are doing! They might be in your market!

-- 200,000 Hispanics will turn 18 this month. Just think about that for a second.

I could go on and on, and of course I'm leaving out many people who went over the top at Convergence 13. It's just that I'm over the top of the number of words I can use in this blog.

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

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(SALES) 10 Tips To Increase Your Billing

2-28-2012

How much time do you actually spend in front of prospects or clients each day? Is it as much as 45 minutes per client? Most of us work eight to nine hours per day. Could one more call be squeezed in per day? The answer in most cases is ?yes?. I want to discuss how to make that extra call every day. Salespeople are in front of qualified prospects only 40% of the time which means a rep being is in front of the wrong decision maker 60% of the time. The most successful sales reps invest better than 50% of their time in front of the correct decision makers.

Here are 10 techniques that will eliminate time wasting calls:

1. Prime selling time. Sixty-four percent of successful closing sales calls are made before noon. Prime selling time is usually defined as 9 a.m. to 3-4 p.m. depending on the market and average time between appointments.  Flip-flop the call mix. Make the closing presentations in the morning and the new calls in the afternoon. This method will increase the closing ratio as prospects like to close early and fight fire later.

2. Salespeople love to set up appointments with prospects. Many times the potential clients are not qualified. Walk their showroom (if possible) and research the company?s website. Try to determine whether the prospect is serious about doing business before meeting them. Surveys of major selling organizations have determined that each outside sales call costs an average of $144.53. If two of your calls are made on unqualified prospects, those calls add up to almost $300.00 that has been wasted.

3. 20 minute increments. Busy executives look at their time in 20 minute increments not by the hour. Set up your appointments on the 10, 20, 40 and 50 minute periods of the hour. It is another technique to appear busy even if it is not the case.

4. Drive time. If a rep has an average commute of 30 minutes per day, that time adds up to 120 hours of commuting per year. Those hours do not include driving to sales calls. This is quality time that should be used for training with such things as CD?s and podcasts. Poor territory management of sales calls is also another large time waster.

5. Meetings: Monitor how much time is actually spent in front of the prospects during a meeting. In certain cases, an hour has been scheduled, but the call could be wrapped up in half of that time. That is not to say that an hour in front of a prospect is not time well spent. Make sure to maximize the time though.

6. Time suckers: I never had one of my co-workers buy advertising from me. If they want to chitchat over coffee, make sure they do it on their time not yours.

7. Post: Even in the ?digital world?, there is still a good reason to prospect with the U.S. Postal Service. It is such a surprise anymore when someone receives something by snail-mail. A hand written letter can be used to state a specific reason for a meeting or let a prospect know that you had visited their business recently. Using the mail service is not the norm which makes helps the rep rise above the clutter of email.

8. CMS: Contact Management Systems and smart phone calendars can streamline appointments, to-do lists, schedule meetings, eliminate paper shuffling, and help make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Sometimes just the proper use of a planning calendar will do the job. Believe it or not, the norm which sales people is not necessarily a good time management system. Get one!

9. Service: Nothing beats the warmth of seeing the prospects in person. Far too often, we discount that a client does not need to see us in person. While you put off that personal visit to the client because of the relationship, the competition has teed them up and developed a better relationship. Don?t let that happen.

10. Supplies/Propaganda: Carry all the necessary tools which include a good computer to feature ads, media kits, credit applications, testimonials, etc. in order to conduct business in a professional manner. Otherwise, time is being wasted driving back to the office. If you make $75,000.00 per year, every hour is worth $38.42. Make every minute of every hour count?. starting now!

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

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OCIAL- 4 Ways To Increase Social Media Effectiveness

1-17-2012
by Loyd Ford

Is your social media stuck in the early days or have you broken free to establish active participation with listeners based upon what excites them about your radio station, what they care about and what you stand for in 2012?

Here are four ways to increase your 2012 effectiveness in social media:
1. Take listeners into your backstage area.  Ask yourself about the parts of your job that would be interesting to someone who works a ?regular job.?  Give them a fun view of what it is to be in the entertainment business.  This can be anything from a short feature on an afternoon talent to an inside interview with an artist or how you present the station at a concert.  Listeners like fun.  Put your fun out there and lead them back to your radio station.

2. Connect your social media, radio station and website.  Listener?s lives are more complicated than you might think. We need to always make it easy for them.  Make it easy for them to move between your social media, your website assets and on-air. 

3. Ask questions.  When you point your questions toward listeners, you hear much more than what you are promoting.  You hear what is important to listeners.  What?s the value of that?

4. Ask for the order.  I always talk to stations about balance.  It is important to make sure you balance content so that you are not simply only about your station, your promotion, your keys to what you want.  However, at the end of the day, you cannot be afraid to ask for the order.  The joy of providing balanced content and focusing on the listener is that you can ask them to become active for you when you need it.  And they will respond.  But that only happens if you have a great social media strategy, your team executes that plan and you are open to opening up to listeners. 

So, open up?.and ask for the order. It is unlikely that you have the resources you had five years ago. At the same time, social media is so cost-friendly that stations, management and ownership can take it for granted or think they are deep in social media when they are actually only doing the basics.  And doing the basics only in social media can be a killer. So, open up, have a plan, focus on listeners and ask for the order. It will make you more effective this year.

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 www.facebook.com/socialnetworking4radio

(1/17/2012 1:37:59 PM)
I think that these 4 points are well taken and make a lot of sense, however I feel there needs to be one more step. Radio stations need to address the mindsets of the generations that are the core of their listenership. To see what I mean, go to www.genergraphics.com and look for some of the ways radio can do this.

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Multi-Tasking Does Not Increase Productivity.

12-5-2011

by Beth Armknecht Miller

You see it at work. You drop by an employee?s workspace to discuss a current project and she continues to work on the computer while you are having the discussion. How do you feel as the person continues to ?multi-task?? Alternately, you are at home and your spouse is in the kitchen preparing dinner or loading the dishwasher. You start a conversation with him or her and they continue on with their task at hand while conversing with you. Did they really understand what you said? Did they really hear you?
So, you do see the behavior. Do you also find yourself part of this multi-tasking phenomenon? Multi-tasking, for many people in this ever changing and demanding world, has become a badge of pride. I can?t tell you how many executives I have worked with who actually believe that multi-tasking increases their productivity. It Doesn?t Increase Productivity
Yet, research shows just the opposite. Back in 2001, in the article "Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching," found in the Journal of Experimental Psychology - Human Perception and Performance, Vol 27. No.4, Joshua S. Rubinstein of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and David E. Meyer and Jeffrey E. Evans of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan conducted a study which ?revealed that for all types of tasks, subjects lost time when they had to switch from one task to another. Because time costs increased with the complexity of the tasks, it took significantly longer to switch between more complex tasks. Time costs were also greater when subjects switched to tasks that were relatively unfamiliar.?
In a 2007 New York Times article, Jonathan B. Spira, an analyst at the business research firm Basex, estimated that extreme multitasking costs the U.S. economy $650 billion a year in lost productivity. And a recent (September 2009) article from the Harvard Business School (HBS) references another study from Stanford University that supports the 2001 study. This article also suggests that while single-tasking is probably not totally practical in the 21st century, we should instead consider focusing on the value of each task, rather than focusing on the number of tasks to be completed.
Multi-Tasking Effects on Interpersonal Relationship
And even if you don?t believe this scientific evidence which shows that multi-tasking does not save you time, think about the other effects it has. What message are you sending to the people with whom you are multi-tasking? They probably wonder what is more important than the discussion they are trying to have with you. They may even think that you are just being rude.
I agree with the HBS conclusion that it is difficult to move to single-tasking, BUT only when the multi-tasking does not involve interpersonal communications with another individual. 

So how can you change your multi-tasking behavior when you are confronted with someone wanting your attention?  Set aside time during each day when you will not multi-task. At this time focus on only one task or one person. When someone approaches you for a conversation and you are in a time crunch, let the individual know either, that you only have a specific amount of time to speak due to a work-related deadline, or offer them the opportunity to come back at the specific time you have set aside each day for single-tasking. This is the time when you can give them your undivided attention. However, if you do have time to speak with them when they first approach you, then turn away from your computer and put your PDA and cell phone on silent so you aren?t tempted to multi-task.
Giving your employees, team members, family, and friends your undivided attention during an important conversation will build stronger relationships by increasing understanding, decreasing stress, and increasing respect. Managing multi-tasking will also increase your productivity and will model appropriate behavior to other employees. With these benefits in mind, what?s keeping you from starting to manage your multi-tasking behavior?

Beth Armknecht Miller is Founder and President of Executive Velocity, a leadership development advisory firm accelerating the success of senior executives and the companies they lead. Her career spans over 30 years and includes management positions in Fortune 500 companies as well as several entrepreneurial ventures, one of which was honored as an Inc 500 winner. Visit www.executive-velocity.com or http://executivevelocityblog.com

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Arbitron Reports 6% Increase in Q3 Revenue

Arbitron reported third quarter revenue of $105.6 million an increase over Q3 of 2010 of 6.1%. Third quarter net income increased 35.5%. And the company stood by 2011 earnings guidance of 6-8%. The revenue increase was attributed to commercializing the Portable People Meter into new markets during the fourth quarter 2010 and price increases on existing customers.

When asked about the progress on getting Cumulus back as a customer, the company says they are still in Dialogue with the industry's number two company (in terms of stations) but would not comment any further on where those negotiations stand.

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5 Things You Might Not Be Doing To Increase Ratings

by Randy Lane

1.    Commit to a weekly planning/brainstorming meeting.
Everyone connected to the show from intern to PD should attend this meeting. Use 100% of the available creative brainpower at your station. At the meeting, everyone is responsible for bringing in multiple ideas from categories like: phone topics, personal stories, games, new features, guests/interviews, production piece (song parody, etc.), promotion, stunt idea, serial story line, web/viral content idea.

2.    Make imaging the show a priority.
Imaging speeds up the process of  familiarizing people with the show, for both new and established shows. Many  people cume the radio station yet may not listen to the morning show. Make the promos a priority as opposed to being the last thing the show does before flying out the door.  We can help you brainstorm ideas on how to best promote your show.

3.    Asking is better than telling. 
An effective way to start a difficult conversation with an employee or coworker is by asking a question. Often a personality or employee will know themselves when and even why something didn't work. If you start with "That sucked!" or "Why did you do that?!" the person feels defensive immediately. By asking a question, like "How do you think that [break] went?" the person has the opportunity to learn from their mistake by taking responsibility. "I know. I hated that break." 

Then you can follow up with questions like "What can [we/you] do differently next time?" and the person is still with you in the conversation, not mentally on the phone with their therapist. 

4.    Create more anticipation for content by mastering the art of the tease.
When you pose a question that creates mystery -- or what scientific studies call an information gap in the brain -- it arouses people's curiosity and they feel compelled to find the answer or the resolution. So the purpose of teasing is twofold: One: to retain listeners through each segment of the show. Two: to create a mystery or create an information gap that engages listeners emotionally. It breaks down to: mystery (the information gap) + resolution (fill information gap) = ratings (more listeners).

Raise a question (create mystery/set up an information gap) for every segment including every phone topic, show feature, guests and appearances by the show or individual players. Listeners will feel like they're going to miss something if they aren't listening.

There are two types of teasing:
#1) Vertical teasing is for content that is coming up later in that day's show.  
#2) Horizontal teasing is for content you're doing at the same time on future days. You can be confident that most of the people listening at 7:45 am on Tuesday can listen at 7:45 am on another morning. Add a column to the show's run sheet that includes a "coming up in the next couple of days".

Horizontal sells should be longer and more exaggerated than vertical sells. It is not too much to spend three minutes selling something that is going to happen at the same time later in the week.

5.    Take an improv class. 
Improv sharpens listening skills, builds confidence, gets the creative juices flowing, teaches you how to build and expand the  content and conversations, improves team rapport and bantering skills. Maybe most importantly, it stretches you and gives you practice being out of your  comfort zone. The less guarded you are, the more your authentic personality can come through. And believe it or not, it helps not just talent, but also producers and even managers, to find their comedic voice and to loosen up. 

Email randy@randylane.net
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Westwood Reports Slight Increase in Q2 Revenue

There were no stray cats in the radio industry in the second quarter of 2011. For the most part, all the public companies were consistently flat or up a smidge. The year started off a lot brighter with hopes of bigger revenue increases all around. However, a natural disaster in Japan and a political system in gridlock caused a recovering economy to hit the wall. Westwood One CEO Rod Sherwood (pictured) reported in to Wall Street last night with numbers comparable to all the public radio players. Nothing spectacular, nothing devastating.

The Westwood 1.8% increase ($40.8 million from $40.0 million) was primarily due to increased advertising revenue from the Company?s news programming, partially offset by decreased advertising revenue from other programming. Westwood One President Rod Sherwood said ?Our revenue was up slightly in the midst of slower than expected growth in the Network radio industry, and the seasonal absence of major sports programming in the second quarter.? Sherwood also said the NFL lockout may cost Westwood some revenue in Q3, if advertisers made an early decision to go elsewhere, in Q3 but that should pick up again in Q4.

Sherwood said the most significant event of the second quarter was the sale of Metro Traffic to Clear Channel. ?This transaction reduced the Company?s senior debt by approximately $104.0 million, strengthened our balance sheet, and helped position the Company for future growth.  Since that time, we have continued to expand our programming assets, renew key partnerships, invest in our digital business and our IT infrastructure, and build new alliances with affiliates and advertisers and their agencies.? 

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How to Increase Listener Participation And Client Involvement.

June 23, 2011
by Mike Stiles

Location based challenges are a way for radio to restore the glory days of listener participation and client involvement. Remember when you could get your listeners to jump through hoops and create an attention-getting spectacle to win a prize?  You still can.  But I?m not talking about that small core of diehard players who always show up, willing to perform any zaniness you come up with to win?whatever.  You know who they are, God bless ?em.  They sure do love you, but you have secret desires of seeing a lot more people than the ?usuals? show up. 

Want wider listener participation?  Want them to have fun with you?  Want to drive them to your clients? locations and prove the power of radio to them again?  Fine, but you should do it with your social media. Coca-Cola is using location-based service SCVNGR for a summer promo in which teens are challenged to go around malls, concerts and amusement parks, taking pictures or checking in to get an instant prize and/or accumulate points that?ll score them an even bigger prize.  Live Nation is aboard as well, offering challenges at 31 ?secret sound check? locations.

Radio can come up with check-in challenges that take the technology users have already shown they like to use to play games, and kick them up a notch with the creative elements your team are such pros at dreaming up.  What?s a client prospect more likely to get excited about, your morning show getting a few people into their parking lot on a Saturday to turn themselves into human banana splits, or experiencing an influx of hundreds of brand new people over the course of a week or several weeks?

SCVNGR passed 1 million users in February and is also working with brands like Subway, Sears and Swatch.  But you?ve also got options in Foursquare and Facebook Places.  The point is, there?s verification that the players did what you wanted them to do. 

What?s the on-air component for location based challenges?  Use your station to do what it does best, advertise the mobile/social game you?re running.  Use your left hand not to execute, but to be the promotional partner to your right hand.  Resist your urge to make on-air the driver, because your social is where all the real action is going to be happening?and that?s okay!  It?s your brand driving prospects into their stores, so it?s your brand they?ll come back to so it can happen again.

Mike Stiles is a writer/producer with a social network marketing company and head of Sketchworks comedy theatre. Check out his monologue blog, The Stiles Files.

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