Blue Water

[Garlic Bread]

Sooo the "free" pandora has commercials just like the "free" radio....hmmm

[kdubba]

This is the first time I have posted a reply. I have posted unfortunately when Russ Regan(Dothan Radio Personality) and Neal Riddle(Engineer at Wdhn-TV and worked for other radio stations) died.
So here we go.Technology is wonderful.It's like anything else you have to use it to your advantage.Iphones,apps,tweet text or whatever is all being used by radio stations,tv stations,etc.My reply to the person that gets his weather via the phone:

First of all you may get your updates or watches or warnings but when you are live on the radio,the tree that is in the middle of county road 59 or the telephone pole is blocking the road,it's great when a listener calls in to let you know.You will get it by phone but sometimes not as fast.By the way there are still some folks out there cannot afford to have all the bells and whistles on the phones.Some are lucky to have a phone.Yes radio has it's problems but that also is true for all types of media.We just have to keep trying to reach the listener and make them feel like they are appreciated and be there when they need us.If we can just forgot what the consultants of the 80's and 90's told us,read liner cards and 40 more minutes of.... and just try to be local I think we will survive.In the words of Forrest Gump "That's All I Got To Say About That"

[jharmon]

FREE means you get what you pay for...
I will gladly pay for quality service that I want.

[Xenophobe]

I don't know why this topic has been sticking in my craw, but I want to throw another posting in the mix.

JHarmon, not sure if you are currently in the radio business or possibly a disgruntled former employee, but you Do have good points.  Iphone and Pandora have lots to offer.  Hell, I listen to Pandora and my MP3 player just as much as you do.  And to tell the truth, I listen to Talk Radio more than any music station. 

I will attempt to give you 10 reasons as best as I can, in no particular order.

#1 Radio Is Free.  (already mentioned this)

#2 Radio offers companionship,   either in your car, or at home, or in your earphones. We as personalities try to be a friend, and we do our best to convey that, even though we may never meet the listener. 

#3 Weather Coverage    I don't know about you but the first thing I do when the lightning flashes and the thunder cracks is check the radar on my computer, then click on the radio.  It's a reflex because I want to know who is talking about it, and if my station is on top of the coverage.  Listeners want to know what is going on, and that is why we encourage listeners to be a part of our broadcast and call in power outages, accidents, etc.  That makes them a part of your show. 

#4 Insight & Knowlege,    I strive to provide as much information to the listener (as time allows), by letting them know when the song charted, if it went to the top of the charts, and all around stuff about the songs, artists and their lifestyle, in an honest and forthright manner. 

#5 Local News and information.    We give the listeners news updates from our area, local Public Service and traffic announcements, as well as advertising from local companies, which may offer what services you are looking for.

#6 Prizes and Contests We offer contests to provide the listeners a chance to win prizes and experiences that they may not ordinarily be able to afford or take time to do.  And we make it fun and exciting to win.

#7 DJ Interaction   We keep our phone lines open for those who take time from their busy day to call up and request a song, talk about their day or just to say "Hello!".  This is very precious to me and I thank each and every one who calls, because they took the time to do it.  I have had many conversations from music to politics to religion and all things in between.  And respect them all.  And listeners appreciate that.

#8  Emotions  Now hang with me here.....Ever listen to the radio and the DJ says "Remember this one", or "Where were you when this song came out" or another insight that pertains to you at that moment.  And you find yourself staring off into the distance thinking about the emotions that particular song brings back, whether a good one or bad.  That's the effect that radio can have but it gets its' start by the personality talking about it and eliciting that response from you.  We can also provoke anger and frustration, which can cause the listener to also call, letting us know that people are listening and are moved enough to call.

#9  (Wracking my brains on this one...but will get back to you on it)


#10 -- Me     Radio brings you ME....So go ahead and turn on the radio and listen in.  You never know what you might hear, and that's the beauty (or bane) of radio. 

[jharmon]

VERY GOOD POST!
To answer you question, I spent 35 years in radio and left on my own to get into another business.  Not disgruntled, not mad at radio, but with two teenage daughters in high school, I have witnessed their entertainment choices and unfortunately radio is not on their radar.  Iphone, Hulu, Pandora, FlowTV and others have taken their interest away from what I grew up with....wanting to be in the radio business.

I truly wish the best for the medium and know in my heart that it will survive in some modified form and fashion.

Inside radio has an interesting article today about Pandora in automobiles.  HD radio was supposed to be the salvation, just like AM stereo was going to re-energize AM.  There were many more going way back to quad stero and they did not make any difference in listener's mind.

Personal choice is the reason, in my humble opinion, that Iphone, Ipod, MP3 players and others are so popular.  Drop your favorite songs on the phone or mp3 player and listen to them over and over again.  Sounds like a Drake-Chenault format metric doesn't it.

You can get a lot of stuff on your phone or mp3, but you're right, you can't get ME and that is the most important factor for radio to survive.  Great air talent and good content.

There's my two cents.

[Xenophobe]

It all comes down to what you grew up with.  We had TV and Radio, because that's all there was for us.  Sure records, tapes and later, CD's were available, but radio was what we played in the car and at work. 

Gods, I'm sounding so old.....

Kids growing up today have other influences, as you have said.  To me, Radio has to embrace, incorporate and take advantage of all it can to promote itself.  If that is the Web and "teh Intertubes", then so be it.  People look on station web pages to get the MySpace or Facebook pages and other web pages. I say, lets give them what they want.  Just don't neglect the physical things like appearances and live remotes.

[brettmason]

Now that was an outstanding list. Now that i see it, there are more than 10 cause I can think of a few others.

I commited the sin of getting XM. I was cool for about a week. Less so by week 2. After one month
it was collecting dust.

I slacked off and waiting a while to cancel my subscription but finally did cause I was just donating money.

There is a very tangible quality that radio has. It's almost tactile. I can describe it. With XM it is just
not there. It's very sterile and not personal.

The younger generation will find their new music in different ways. Radio is definitely out as far as that goes.
But the things radio can do are numerous.

[Tidd-a-lee winks]

I appreciate our sales team and they know it. I think they do anyway.

I think our programming and sales department work together in ways that I have
never seen in radio before. It's a line that is hard to find sometimes but making
sure we work together is what is keeping the doors open and the paychecks coming.

As for the text and social updates being a mistake, that is just rediculous. Much like the
80/20 rule where you tease your upcoming story/bit with 80% of the information they will
get if they wait around, they want the other 20%.

You can't give in depth coverage in a tweet. But you can remind everyone who is on top
of the 'story' and when they can get to a radio you will be the one they tune in to. OR if they
happen to be listening to some oblivious jock who is dropping the ball they will change.

And if none of that matters, you are relating and having a conversation with your listener and
strengthening the brand.

The is NO downside to this. Everyone on our text list is there because we told them WHAT we
were going to do if they signed up. So they voluntarily opted to received what we send. And it
wasn't a bait and switch. We send the very type of texts we told them up front they would receive.

Yes "Tease" a promotion is ok encourage the listener to tune in. But Sending Weather Warnings on cell phones Myspace Twitter Etc. Etc. like that was posted earlier in the thread is crazy. Like I said before you telling the listener not to listen.

[Nate Wesley]

Yes "Tease" a promotion is ok encourage the listener to tune in. But Sending Weather Warnings on cell phones Myspace Twitter Etc. Etc. like that was posted earlier in the thread is crazy. Like I said before you telling the listener not to listen.

If they're sticking with your brand for content and information (their website, their Twitter account, etc.) that's still a win for the advertisers who partner with them.  The stations that are staying on top aren't solely relying on just their terrestrial presence anymore. 

There's not a PD alive who is stupid to think that every one of their P1s are listening to their station every day at every hour, etc.  If anything, the efficient use OF MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter can enhance promotion of the times when its to a listeners best benefit to listen (special guests for the morning show, listen and win contests, special reminders for live broadcasts, etc.). 

[phr8trayn]

I am puzzled as to why "audio quality" is not a reason.
A well processed FM station with "linear" analog audio sounds so much better to me
than the bit rate reduced audio of XM, iPods, mp3's, etc with their "edgie metallic sounding high frequencies"
and codec artifacts. I just can't listen long to bit rate reduced music.
But it doesn't seem to matter to the youngsters. Thinking back to my youth, I tolerated the tape hiss and noisey sound of 8 tracks
and cassettes and the static of AM radio to hear "what I wanted". 
Maybe we just need to give them "what they want".  Maybe there is a "generation gap" between broadcasters and the youth of today.
With fewer young people interested in and entering the broadcast industry, I think I understand why.