Local radio stations have the edge over Internet music solutions when it comes to addressing the needs of a local listening audience. Providing music and services to a specific geographic region allows radio to limit their scope. Instead of having to be all things to all people, radio can concentrate on the needs of people who live within listening distance. Enhancing the structure of radio programming based on the needs of a local audience will help radio not only survive, but thrive.
When it comes to daily living people are concerned about things that happen in their neighborhood. They may watch sensational news stories from oceans away or listen to global music, but when it comes down to what matters most to them it will be what is making an impact right outside their front door. Other than the local newspaper radio is the only media outlet that ties the needs of a local community together. According to David Sharfenberg of The Boston Phoenix, many newspapers are attempting the ultra-local approach. “There may, in the end, be no way to save the American metropolitan newspaper. Plummeting advertising revenue and competition from the Internet often seem forces too daunting for even the savviest of publishers. But in the last couple of years, broadsheets from Boston to Denver to San Francisco have settled on a single strategy: go local.” In times of a disaster radio is the outlet people turn to in order to find out about road closures, school closures and where to get emergency supplies. In good times radio provides timely news discussions, local event information and live high school sports coverage. Because stations are answering a need with a localized framework around music distribution, local advertisers and musicians can benefit.
A localized framework will assist advertisers who in many cases are trying to reach potential clients within a specific geographic area. Many opportunities for Internet advertising have a larger scope and so the advertisers message is diffused. While programs such as Adsense may target clientele based on keywords, it does little for building local brand recognition. Local musicians are faced with a similar dilemma. While producing music on the Internet has its appeal, local recognition provided by radio will give musicians the audience that will purchase their music and local concert tickets in those crucial early years.
Incorporating the Internet into community outreach will create additional value for listeners, advertisers and radio stations. Utilizing the framework of local programming, a radio station can increase the visibility of local bands and advertisers via a non-traditional medium. Programs such as Listener Active will help radio stations leverage the scope of the Internet and mobile technology (via radio software) while maximizing exposure to a local audience. According to CBSNews, last year local radio hit a record high of $20 billion in revenue, signaling the strength of a local approach. While the Internet may allow for great discovery, many consumers will return home to local advertisers and entertainment venues. By continuing to provide high quality programming and infusing the Internet with its unique local voice, radio will not get lost in the media shuffle.
]]>In the radio listening experience, the role of the DJ is one of the few unique benefits of radio. Members of today’s music audience want to learn more about the people who guide their listening experience. No longer content to simply listen to the recommendations of a self-proclaimed (or executive proclaimed) expert, listeners want to connect with DJs and learn more about them. Radio, by investing time and resources in their DJs will strengthen the role radio plays in audio entertainment.
The only thing that separates radio listening from uploading music to an iPod is that on radio, someone else plays deejay. [Source: CBSNews] Because technology allows listeners to create playlists of their favorite songs without interruption, DJs can be perceived as an annoyance or inconvenience when listening to the radio. But the importance of a DJ led experience should be enhanced, and listeners should be educated by radio stations about how a DJ is vital to the discovery of new music. The DJ, who understands both a particular musical genre and the listening audience, is the perfect person to screen, review and recommend new music. Without this process music discovery will stall as listeners look exclusively to old favorites to fill their music needs.
More than ever before a sense of trust between the listener and the DJ is what will make or break the listening experience. Audience members want to know that DJs and the music they play represent the desires and needs of the audience and aren’t just preprogrammed radio shows packaged by executives. Today’s listening audience wants to connect with the DJ and feel like they have input into their own listening experience. This change is based on a fundamental shift away from music being the commodity. Instead, it is now the listeners time and attention which is in demand.
In order to elevate DJs into a position of trust and gain the attention of listeners, radio stations must provide DJs with tools such as Listener Active to facilitate interaction with the audience. Increasing the methods of interaction will result in more opportunities to build listener trust. A DJ, based on his/her taste, and the knowledge of his/her audience, selects quality records and tests them. [Source: The MoTownElevator] Combine the natural affinity of a quality DJ to pick relevant music with instant feedback from the audience and this method takes most of the risk out of new music discovery. If the DJ has built up enough trust with the listener, the listener will be willing to forgive a bad recommendation, advise the DJ and the overall music experience will benefit.
Giving the DJs more control over guiding the listening experience will reduce the growing resentment towards canned repetitive programming. By capturing instant statistics, radio executives can free themselves from the paranoia that an unproven song will cause listeners to tune out resulting in lower ratings and less revenue. By embracing the unique role a DJ plays in guiding listening experiences, and allowing the audience to partake, the radio industry can once again reclaim its title as the leader in new music discovery.
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