What You Can Learn From A Competitive Review

1-26-2015

When I was operations manager at Clear Channel (now iHeart Media) in St Louis, I really believed in Mason and Remy, the upstart young Country morning show on 937 The Bull.

Mason and Remy were in an uphill battle against Cornbread, the funny and talented drive host with a long heritage of winning at WIL.

Bonneville owned WIL at that time. Bonneville had big budgets to give Cornbread advertising, producers, a big cast of co-hosts, and the nicest station vehicles in town.

We could provide Mason and Remy with, uh.... a willingness to take advantage of their habit of working unreasonably long hours, and their outstanding social media prowess.

Around that time I had just re-read "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, the ancient book on battle strategy, and one phrase stood out to me:

"If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles without jeopardy."

I began to wonder what we might learn by studying our opponent. I invited Mason and Remy to air a recorded "best of" show for one day and to come over to my house for a big breakfast so we could spend the morning listening to Cornbread's entire show live.

We took a lot of notes, made new realizations about what Cornbread was doing well and discovered some areas where we realized that his great show might be open to attack.

For instance, Cornbread had a habit of veering off on political tangents, and at times could rant his opinion on an issue quite negatively for an entire segment.

Also, while the show was energetic and executed well, Cornbread was the only person on the show who could be considered a ?character." The other folks on the show were likable enough but you really didn't know much about them as real people.

Whatever Cornbread did, we did the opposite. Where Cornbread was strong, we didn't compete. Where he was weak, we attacked.

"An army may be likened to water, for just as flowing water avoids the heights and hastens to the lowlands, so an army avoids strength and strikes weakness."

Since there was only one strong character on the Cornbread Show, we gave listeners two characters. We emphasized the opposite personalities of Mason (somewhat cynical and a little grumpy) and Remy (overly soft-hearted and romantic) and built content around their authentic differences when possible.

We also stayed completely away from politics of any kind, focused on relationship-based content that would appeal to women who might be turned off by negativity. We also made it a goal to sound more fun, to laugh more, and keep things generally positive.

It worked. Within seven months Mason and Remy had beaten Cornbread in 18-34, and within a year, our show was #3 in the market with an 8.3 share.

What could you learn by studying your enemy? Consider taking a single day off the air and listening intently to your main competitor with your program director, producer, and others whose opinion you value. Where are they strong, where are they weak? How could you do something compelling that they are not doing? 

"What is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy."

Good luck in your attack. And, congratulations to Mason and Remy on their new gig in Chicago on Big 955 WNUA, just announced last week.

Jeff McHugh is a 30-year broadcaster with a background in marketing and talent coaching. Jeff works with radio and television personalities, public speakers and presenters to add storytelling, drama and character to their content.

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What Radio Managers Can Learn From TV

12-12-14
Even though it may be about a year, in time for the 2016 election, before you have to file online, it's smart to know exactly what the Commission might be looking for. Luckily there's a little history to go back and study as TV was made the online filing guinea pig. Earlier this year, broadcast attorney David Oxenford and his colleague David O'Connor conducted a webinar for TV stations to discuss exactly what documents needed to be filed online. It's an excellent lesson on what you might soon be required to do, complete with slides and a review of NAB forms to track documents. Get more information and watch the webinar HERE

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One Word Managers Should Learn To Love -- Mobile

7-2-14

eMarketer just came out with a report that says ad spending in the United States will see its largest increase since 2004 -- and the main reason is mobile. Total ad spending is projected to hit $180.12 billion in 2014, an increase of 5.3 percent over 2013. Of that $180.12 billion total, television will see the lion's share with 38.1 percent which is down from 2013's 38.8 percent. Digital will grow from 25.5 percent in 2013 to 28.2 percent in 2014, and in the digital category, mobile advertising is projected to jump from 5.7 percent last year to just under 10 percent in 2014. Radio, excluding digital and off-air, will decline from 8.9 percent to 8.6 percent, according to eMarketer.

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(IDEAS) What Can Radio Learn From TV?

10-23-2013

With the beginning of a new era of audience measurement after the Nielsen Audio purchase of Arbitron, it's instructive to study some elements of television to decipher what radio can learn from the television business.

Some of these observations may have no direct bearing on TV ratings success but are worth your consideration. I'm quite certain that television has invested lots of their own research to help determine some of these important tactics.

1) Television has had a head start in understanding audience behavior while
maximizing its largest available audience. Television seems to have a better grasp of the short attention span in its packaging and presentation (just look at any local TV newscast.) Radio needs to do a more efficient job at catering to a short-attention-span society in the way it promotes and packages on the air and online. Writing that is colorful, quicker, and better is an important goal to attain and it is worth studying TV to emulate its success.

2) Radio can learn from the impactful appointment setting that TV has made commonplace. Remember the first moment we saw a TV newscast setting hyper-specific appointments? We may have been uncomfortable with that practice but eventually it became commonplace. Always go back to your product and inspect the effectiveness of your appointment setting. Ensure that you have a plan that is consistent 24/7 in appointment
setting.

3) Television has made the "art of the tease" a standard procedure. It is obvious if you watch any TV product that this is an ongoing area of perfection that they attain. The words and style are crafted in such a way that you are enticed to hang around for another "viewing occasion" Have you constantly reviewed every one of your tease methods? Monitor any television station and observe their tease methods so you can improve your process with your brand.

4) Television has worked at perfecting the art of "hyper-local" when a big
local story breaks. Even though we see a steady dose of national content, TV stations maximize the moment when a local story takes front and center. When the Boston Marathon bombing happened, all of the local TV stations performed at their best. Radio has proven in times of need the importance of a local "heart and soul" and we shouldn't forget about this critical priority. TV has realized that local is a part of their core attributes, and radio is no different.

5) Television has perfected the art of "seamless transitions," when one show ends and the next begins. The forward momentum and pacing is so strong you sometimes don't even realize one show has ended and another has begun. This is another area of TV we should study and note how it executes in a metered world. If you want your audience to hang around longer, mastering the art of
seamless transitions can help.

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.

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(TALK) Learn How To Play The PPM Game

5-24-2013

The more I listen to current radio hosts, the more I go crazy. They do not practice the PPM skills they need to succeed in the ratings, which of course translates to more revenue. The old Arbitron way is out. Radio hosts need to change or they will be changed.

I was listening to a radio host in a Top 10 city the other day and the dude was so horrible at teasing into segments and brutal at carrying an audience from segment to segment. If you want to succeed at talk, whether it's politics or sports, here's some advice -- get to the meat of your tease within the five-minute mark after returning from your spot break. If you don't, your audience is lost and  has no idea what you are talking about. The result is...CLICK.

Most radio listners hang around a radio show for about five minutes a day. The host simply must punch the topic in the first five minutes of each segment or face losing the audience bulit up from the previous segments. Hosts and producers need to watch time and teasing with interviews...one of the MOST destructive things a radio host and producer has to deal with are live guests. Radio guest are the fastest way to destroy a PPM hour if the host doesn't know how to reset and the producer doesnt watch the time of the interview.

Ninety percent of all interviews should be taped so the timing of PPM stays in the format. There are daily examples on the radio of producers getting a guest on late and a host blowing through the break. That PPM hour is lost. If the guest is late put him on and ask if he can stay for the next segemnt. It's more important to stay in format than getting the scheduled guest on. Unless that guest is President Obama or Hank Aaron -- you get the point. Producers have a tough job but sometimes the producer of a show lets their ego get in the way of what's right for the show.

It's also important for the program director/host/producer to be on the same page when it comes to benchmarks, whether it's contesting or trivia or any other benchmark. One of the most important things to a show, especially when a station doesn't have massive cume, is repeat visitors. The more repeat listeners, the better chance you have at getting great PPM ratings.

Guys like Rush, Stern, or Beck are awesome storytellers, with Limbaugh being the best of all time, but he's not the greatest at PPM. His storytelling is like listening to Hemingway read "The Old Man And The Sea" on the air. He's a brillant writer but he doesnt really practice PPM skills. But, he's Rush! The point: There are exceptions to PPM. However, 99.9 percent of us have to use these skills today or, as I said, "change or be changed."

Dan Sileo, also known as "The Bonecrusher," is a sports talk show host who has worked at KGO & KNBR-WDAE and WQAM. He can be reached at Umiam93@yahoo.com and on Twitter at @dansileoshow

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(TALENT) Nothing Left To Learn

9-1-2012

It?s an amazing thing to talk to radio executives and senior talent who profess to already know everything there is to know about radio. I feel this is the pervasive attitude, and part of my evidence is that radio has made no improvements that are not technologically based in the last 30 years.

As the oldest of the electronic media, radio has been relegated ? by others and us ? to playing the part of ?Gramps? in a series re-run of ?Lassie." Our demands are low and our desires even less so. We have stopped even thinking about competing with the new and aggressive whippersnappers.

Still, the leadership and executive-corps could make a fairly frenzied if not compelling argument for how engaged and busy they really are. Busy, busy, busy. Sales executives are straining to squeeze, if not choke, every possible nickel out of advertisers without adjusting the product whatsoever. Programmers are taking ?deckchairology? to new heights of foolishness. Their default position is ?less is more." This has resulted in the suppression and/or elimination of local talent ? a situation gleefully embraced by management.

Online competition for listeners has not yet taken on the specter of a plague of locusts, but well-read individuals do have an appreciation that these maladies come as gifts from the gods and also tend to arrive in a series ? one-trial learning hardly ever being the case. (Most recently, the lowering of music royalties on outfits that are running online does little for radio and a lot for the Web crowd. Another gift/curse.)

Yes, a growing number of broadcasters who have, otherwise, demonstrated their credibility, are also voicing their chagrin on a number of issues that are extremely important to the future of radio. Sometimes it takes the efforts of someone like Radio Ink?s Ed Ryan to pull the issues to the foreground, and sometimes other insiders will just 'fess up and declare their concerns. I note, however, that most of the issues could be described as emanating from external forces ? government inactivity or over-activity, the influences of other media, or the machinations of corporate head offices. Indeed, at the single or cluster station level, home office edicts tend to be perceived as another ?external? and do little but frustrate and minimize the efforts of the locals.

As is typical in the general, business culture, radio leadership also invites input from the minions. Occasionally, they will issue memos and hang banners. Maybe hire a band. Unfortunately, any acceptance of these invitations tends to result in another suddenly missing minion. (?If I wanted your input, I would have asked for it ? with a lot more sincerity!?)

Meanwhile, in the past few days, a number of managers have come out and said the unthinkable. One put it fairly succinctly by stating that our locally produced commercials ?suck.? While I was impressed by his candor, I disagree with his solution: the creation of a central, internal ad agency that specializes in radio commercials. Although not a bad idea as a stand-alone entity and, perhaps, a profit center, the creation of an uber creative department has enormous liabilities built in well before the first spot is cut. The place would be overwhelmed in mere days; the quality would suffer from deadlines that actually mean right now, and advertisers in the townships would be unimpressed by ?those big city advertising weenies." Or, as is so typically said by unsophisticated, but still influential advertisers: ?I don?t need creative. I need to sell cars!? (The significance that the latter works better with the former is a lost concept. And that?s our fault.)

Readers of these pieces are already aware of my insistence that until broadcasters are taught to exploit our medium through a vigorous re-training in the techniques of ?indirect communications? ? radio being the prime example of just such an indirect medium, we are doomed to making no further inroads into the open marketplace. The ugly question I put to management generally takes the form of, ?What are you going to do, specifically, that will significantly increase your station(s)? audience penetration, its influence on behalf of advertisers, and your own resulting prosperity??

Now, I would be less than candid if I were to suggest that the radio industry is on the cusp of great inroads and even greater days of prosperity. Rather, I am convinced that radio will continue to be the weakest of all electronic media and will be regularly beaten soundly by any number of other outfits. Not because it?s necessary or even a sick form of fun, but because giving radio a sound thrashing is easy and is just a collateral result of the other media organizations going about their businesses.

We have all heard that ?confession is good for the soul.? I would say, "Confession is terrific for the intellect"!

I want to be a part of that meeting where senior management or ownership stands in front of the group and admits, ?We have hit a wall and we don?t know what to do next.? This would be an extraordinary event, but an unlikely one, nevertheless. As is so often the case, we tend to be unaware of our situations. In other words: We don?t know that we don?t know. So, we have nothing to confess.

In previous articles, I make the (arguably) outrageous claim that I wouldn?t allow any new or used talent on the air or into the creative departments until I had thoroughly trained them, first. My position, however, allows for the circumstance to be only temporary. There is a way out.

I have thought this through often and over a very long time. I have worked the principles and strategies for years and my conclusion continues to be: The position, as I have described it, ought not to be "spun" and is, indeed, accurate for our business. Again, I have no expectations that radio ? as an industry ? will be making any vast improvements over the foreseeable future. The very best I can expect is that some manager in some organization ? somewhere ? will have one of those ?road to Damascus? moments and begin to re-think the potentials of their own business. To realize it would be helpful to begin considering other useful strategies in order to crank up those potentials would be a significant step. This is not something I would expect from or ask of a ?Gramps."

Ronald T. Robinson has been involved in Canadian Radio since the '60s as a performer, writer and coach and has trained and certified as a personal counsellor. Ron makes the assertion that the most important communicative aspects of broadcasting, as they relate to Talent and Creative, have yet to be addressed. Check out his website www.voicetalentguy.com

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(PROGRAMMING) What Radio Can Learn From "The Artist"

3-1-2012

(by Frank Stanitski) What can we in radio learn from ?The Artist?? On Sunday night, for the first time since 1929, a silent, black-and-white movie defied all odds and won an Oscar.  Here are two key takeaways for radio.

1. Be a risk-taker. 
Releasing a silent movie in 2011 certainly came with its share of risk. Yet, someone thought it was worth taking the path less traveled. There is value in being unique. What planned, calculated risks are we taking as an industry to keep radio moving forward?  Curtis Media just debuted an All-Comedy station in Raleigh.  Will it work?  Time will tell, but we?ll never know unless someone is willing to give it a shot. 

Remember the skeptics who said that All-Sports would never be successful? What will a radio innovator do tomorrow to create a unique listening experience that will have the rest of us saying, ?Why didn?t we think of that??  On the flip-side, are we being too risk-averse when almost every station in the market is running its commercials at the very same time?  Our risks won?t always pay off, but no risk means no gain. 

2. Don?t forget our roots. 
There has never been a more exciting time to be in the radio business with almost daily innovation.  But ?The Artist? also teaches us to not forget our roots?the fundamentals of what established radio as Americans? daily companion.  A silent movie succeeded now for the same reason it did in 1929?because its content was compelling.  As long as radio keeps its content compelling, topical, and local, that bond our listeners have with their favorite radio stations will always be intact. 

It?s the foundation that radio is built on, and it has delivered results to our advertisers for decades.   It is ironic that radio broadcasters can learn from a silent movie.  Taking a risk and going against the grain does have its dangers.  The real possibility of failure does exist.  There is little doubt, however, that well-thought-out risk taking and the fundamentals of entertainment that led to the success of ?The Artist? have parallels with radio and are what will keep our industry progressing.

Frank Stanitski is Vice President of Operations at Research Director, Inc. To reach Frank call 410-295-6619 or e-mail fstanitski@ResearchDirectorInc.com
Visit ResearchDirectorInc.com

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What Radio Can Learn From The Ford Motor Company

1-23-2012

Every year after visiting CES I come away even more impressed with The Ford Motor Company.
They hired current President and CEO Alan Mullaly in 2006 and they have continued to invigorate the car industry with their innovation and respect for the consumer. The Ford company always manages to create a ?buzz? at CES. For example this year they displayed their EVOS concept- a cloud connected vehicle that syncs the car to your office or home. So what lessons can radio take from the Ford Experience:

1) Fresh perspective is critical to success
Since Mullaly?s arrival they have benefited from his outside the car industry thinking(he came from Boeing). He didn?t approach the challenge by approaching everything from the status quo. They set a course that ultimately has caused others in the industry to follow. They have transformed from a car company to a technology company that happens to make cars. By transforming their own brand they?ve helped transform an entire industry. Radio managers sometimes need to step away from our inside the business thinking and take a fresh perspective on seizing opportunities.

2) Innovation encouragement makes a brand stand out.
Ford has made a habit of opening app development up to developers outside their company. By recognizing that open-source software is a collaborative community they?ve made their brand stand out in the pack. At CES 2012 Ford announced that ?Roximity?(a location aware daily deal notification service)was the winner of the Ford Sync App Developer Challenge. They showed Roximity?s smartphone app at the show as part of their display after announcing the contest in November.

The app provides real time deals and specials relevant to a users location. Ford?s goal is to forge an open collaborative bond with the wireless and consumer electronics industry as well as the app developer communities. Radio needs to find more ways to encourage innovation inside our buildings and beyond.

3) Let the consumers drive the experience.
By talking to their customers Ford is consistently able to get feedback that presents them with new opportunities to enhance their identity. I would venture a good guess the new Ford Energi which will go up against the Prius is an idea born out of customer feedback. Ford knows the importance of the customer experience and how it needs to stack up with customer expectation. By staying in sync with the listener experience radio can build upon it?s connection with a local market.

4) Capture a ?buzz? from something already hot in technology
Apple lead the way with ?Siri? the voice command system for the IPhone 4S and Ford has taken voice commands to the next level for their Sync Applink system. Ford drivers can fire up their own radio station thru the use of voice control to create the ultimate listening experience. By staying connected to what?s hot radio can be a greater top of mind medium.

5) Everybody on the team is on the bus and a brand ambassador
The Ford team that I experienced at CES has complete and passionate buy-in. From set-up crew to key engineers and designers to PR crew everyone acts as a Ford Brand Ambassador. Does your team at your radio station feel like it can be your best brand ambassador on the street?

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.

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TALENT - What Radio Can Learn From Tim Tebow

1/17/2012

By Angela Perelli

?When guys say ?I?m not a role model?. Well, yes you are. You?re just a bad one.?  -Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow is a true HD character. He's authentic, real and honest. He's passionate, principled and inspiring. He has heart. He?s vulnerable. He?s the boy next door and an underdog. After years of Athletes Behaving Badly with money-grubbing, drug arrests, assault charges and worse, here comes good looking, God-loving, squeaky clean Tim Tebow. And according to ESPN, he is already the most popular professional athlete in the world.

He is not a football fan?s quarterback; he is the people?s quarterback. But he?s not ?perfect.?  What HD character is? While many people appreciate his faith, he pushes other people?s buttons with the on-field praying. And he talks about Jesus. A lot. He doesn?t just go to church. He?s saving himself for marriage. It?s extreme. And his quarterbacking skills have come into question. Charles Barkley calls him a ?national nightmare.? It?s the combination of his endearing qualities and his perceived flaws that are cutting through and crossing him over from the sports pages into pop culture.

He has been parodied by Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live. 

There is a ?Shit Tim Tebow Says? video montage on YouTube. There is a grilled cheese sandwich with his ?tebowing? silhouette on eBay. And he is now apparently going to date Katy Perry, if her minister mother has anything to say about it.

Internationally Tebow isn?t a football player; he is a phenomenon. He is as buzzworthy, and almost as polarizing, as last year?s Charlie Sheen media frenzy. Tim

Tebow, like Sheen, fits The Randy Lane Company's description of all great talent:

1. He's a high definition character (authentic, real; consistent; tells the truth).

2. He's dishing out sticky content (both his own personal underdog backstory and the content of the games themselves).

Last year we suggested that you channel your inner Charlie Sheen to become a true personality brand. If being a ?bad boy? isn?t your thing, how ?bout channeling Tim Tebow? Work hard. Have heart. Be a role model and a winner, on the air and off.

Angela Perelli is a SVP at the The Randy Lane Company (www.randylane.net).

She can be reached at angela@randylane.net

www.facebook.com/TheRandyLaneCompany
www.twitter.com/TheRandyLaneCo

(1/17/2012 1:48:35 PM)
That's my point, Angela. The guy isn't a self-generated media star - he's a media-generated media star! :)
If he wasn't a starter for the Broncos, I wonder how many folks would even notice his ramblings... or take him seriously.
Nope. No role modelness-ish here.
(1/17/2012 1:34:56 PM)
His quarterbacking skills can definitely be questioned (especially after that rout on Saturday night!) but there's no denying his ability to cut through, to evoke emotion, to polarize, as proven by the comments!

People know his name and they know what he stands for. That's what the article is about, getting people to sit up and take notice (not necessarily to agree with him).

(1/17/2012 9:50:07 AM)
For some of us, the Denver QB comes off as just another gullible, credulous "keener" who is operating under unique circumstances for enormous amounts of money. He is granted mewling patronization and an overabundance of credibility where little else - beyond his athletic abilities - exists.
This is no "role model". This is a media-generated freak who couldn't walk on Offense or part a Defense.
Let's get a grip, shall we? It's a long and bumpy ride.
(1/17/2012 8:23:52 AM)
It is nice to see Tebow setting an example, but it was even better to see the Patriots rip into Denver over and over on Saturday.

Beliefs are one thing, but the Patriots showed that teamwork, practice, and experience will always carry the day in the long run. THAT should be the REAL take-home lesson.

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What Did We Learn From Emmis Yesterday?

Some detail from Smulyan's comments about June, July and August worth noting that we'll be watching as other public company's come to the reporting table. 9 out of the top 10 Emmis advertisers for August came from the beverage or wireless categories. In fact, the beverage business was up a whopping 45% in August of 2011. That includes beer, spirits and soft drinks. Additionally, for the quarter, Emmis' top five categories were Automotive, Beverages, Wirelss, Health Care and Movies. Smulyan, who is always upbeat about his company and radio in general, also said Emmis sold 81% of its inventory in the quarter but was able to increase rate by 7%.

As a result of the sale of three stations to Merlin, Emmis has been able to repay 38% of its debt and hopes to refinance when the credit markets are more favorable for the company to do so. Smulyan said "we have just about gotten to the top of a very big hole. We're not there yet but we have come a very long way. We are seeing some positive signs."

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6 Things Radio Can Learn from Food Trucks

Mike Stiles

If you haven?t experienced the food truck phenomenon in your city, you probably soon will.  Here?s how they operate.  They paint colorful trucks.  They come up with unique menu items.  They find a place to park, tweet & post their location, and serve the long lines that pour out of offices.  The next day, they go somewhere else and do it again.

Why do people love them so much?  And what can radio stations learn from food trucks? 

Tip 1: It ain?t about the food.  It?s about the experience.  Diners like the surprise of learning from a tweet a food truck is downstairs.  They like telling other people in the office about it.  They like going to the truck as a group.  And they like telling others what they?re doing on Facebook and Twitter.  What is your station?s ?experience??  How can you make the discovery and acquisition of what you offer fun and social?

Tip 2: Food trucks give us something familiar, but served up in a different way.  There?s nothing new about razors.  But if you?re Gillette and sent experienced barbers into the lobbies of major office buildings to give free shaves using Gillette products, then you?ve presented your product in a new, experiential way.  How can you deliver your music and information in new and unexpected ways?

Tip 3: Food trucks became hip.  A party atmosphere surrounds them wherever they go.  It?s a culinary flash mob.  How hip is your station?  Be honest now.  Is your station the hottest thing going to your audience?  Is there an ?event? atmosphere everywhere you go?  Do people want to socialize at your events as groups?  Do your events generate a sense of anticipation?  Or?do you park your rickety-ass van on the outer edge of a shopping center and make the 4 people who stop by spin a wheel for the chance to win a sticker?

Tip 4: Food trucks activate the natural desire in people to blab.  And people have more ways to blab now than ever before.  But?the news has to be newsworthy.  When an office worker gets a tweet saying a food truck is downstairs, they?ll tell everyone within earshot.  They?re doing the truck?s marketing for them!  Social media is uniquely suited for ?breaking news.?  What news is your station putting out there your listeners will want to break to friends?

Tip 5: Food trucks can change their menus and locations quickly and nimbly.  If they get a better cuisine idea, no problem.  Location stopped working, just put it in drive.  This is where the news is good for radio.  No other type of media (other than social) can change and adapt faster than radio.  A great show idea doesn?t require moving the stick.  Capitalizing on breaking news doesn?t require stopping the presses.  The problem is, even though radio has this speed and flexibility, it?s rarely used.  The technology is there, only your own corporate culture can bog you down. 

Tip 6: Food trucks are a ?limited time only? value proposition.  Who knows when that truck will come around again?  This might be the only chance to ever experience that truck.  The great thing about radio is also the bad thing.  Your listeners know you?re there, doing the same thing, 24/7.  You?re reliable, but totally un-special.  So beyond your regular programming, what opportunities or experiences can you dream up to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity?  Remember, it?s got to be significant if you want people to wake up and care.

To summarize, there?s a HUGE difference between people listening to you and experiencing you.  Create experiences.  Surprising, timely, limited, innovative, fun, rewarding experiences your listeners can group around and share.

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. Find him on Facebook or on Twitter @mikestiles
Stiles Facebook: www.facebook.com/mike.stiles

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Learn How to Win From Our Independent Warriors

In the June 20th issue of Radio Ink magazine we interviewed several small market operators.  We wanted to know how these station owners and operators survive and thrive with only a handful of stations. They face many challenges competing against bigger, consolidated groups. They face the same revenue challenges when the economy goes into a recession. They also have a lot less red tape and corporate rules to deal with than the bigger groups do.

There are thousands and thousands of independent operators all over the United States. All of you will get value from reading our June 20th special report. In the issue, we interviewed Amador Bustos, President of Bustos Media Holdings, Ben Downs from Bryan-College Station Texas, Larry and Susan Patrick of Legend Communications, Galaxy Communications Owner Ed Levine, Scott Poesse of KBRX in Oneill, Nebraska, Dennis Jones from South Georgia and Larry Fuss from South Seas Broadcasting. The information they provided on how they win in their markets is outstanding.

If you do not subscribe to Radio Ink magazine, here is a link to our subscription page.For a taste of what these operators told us, we have added a link to our website. It includes all the information these Independent Warriors provided us that did not make it into the June 20th issue.

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