Full Throttle ?

Not Country....but communications....connections.....

Wow just four more posts!!!!

This has been a blast over the past few years writing daily and posting on FTC. We've covered a lot of ground and made a lot of new friends. The one main point we have tried to communicate to folks involved with Country Music Radio: To program your prospective radio station with creativity, emotion, listener involvement, topicality and localism. If one person took home some of the ideas we portrayed, then we did our job. 

Is this your last show (Doug Erickson)

If you knew today's show would be your last, how would that affect your content?

If you knew you had these final 16 or 20 breaks to fill, how would you fill them?

What would you say?

Same old, same old? Liners, time and temp, Battle of the Sexes?

How would the ways you think about those who listen to you change?

What would you want them to know about you? What sorts of stories about you would you want them to tell?

What would you want to be sure they heard you saying to them?

How much variety your station has, or how yours is the best station at work?

Or...

would you want to thank them for sharing their days with you all these years?

Would you want them to know that everything about your job has been a gift, that the chance to make money talking and sharing with hundreds of thousands of people was so fun, so rewarding emotionally, you'd have done it free if you could've afforded it.

Would you want to be sure they heard the 2 or 3 most important stories of your life?

To understand why those couple of weeks after your father died, you weren't yourself on your show.

Or how it was impossible to concentrate and answer your phones those first days after your spouse filed for divorce.

Do you want your very final words to be some weak tease or live promo? Or will you share something personal, something fun or funny, that leaves them smiling or gasping because they're laughing so hard?

What do you want to express? This is your very last chance.

Don't you want to, finally, make sure they feel how much all of this has meant to you, how much all of them have meant to you?

What are you waiting for?

This is the content they've hoped for. This is the personal connection they've always wanted to make. This is the substance that makes your show unique among all other choices.

And even if you've never done any content that caused emotional ripples, can't you now understand how powerful it can be?

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.

And that's precisely why each show you do should be your last.

Arbitron shuffles around 10 diary markets

TEN ARBITRON METRO GEOGRAPHIES SCHEDULED TO REDEFINE IN FALL

In March 2011, Arbitron updated key business rules relating to its Metro Redefinition policy in Diary markets. The recent update to the Metro Redefinition policy gave our subscribers the opportunity to consider whether they wanted their Metro redefined. After evaluations from the subscribers and a majority in agreement, the Metros in 10 markets will be redefined effective with the Fall 2011 survey.

A list of redefined markets follows.

Market	Spring 2011 Metro Definition	Spring 2011 Metro Rank	Fall 2011 Additions	*Estimated Fall 2011 Metro Rank
Albany, GA	Dougherty and Lee, GA	262	Baker, Calhoun, Terrell and Worth, GA	239
Amarillo, TX	Potter and Randall, TX	193	Armstrong, Carson, Hutchinson, Moore and Oldham, TX	168
Bryan-College Station, TX	Brazos, TX	233	Burleson and Robertson, TX	206
Corpus Christi	Nueces and San Patricio, TX	137	Aransas, Bee, Jim Wells, Kleberg, and Refugio, TX	108
Des Moines	Dallas, Polk, Story and Warren, IA	91	Boone, Clarke, Greene, Guthrie, Jasper, Lucas, Madison and Marion, IA	72
Fayetteville (NW Arkansas)	Benton and Washington, AR	128	Madison, AR	127
Ft. Smith, AR	Crawford and Sebastian, AR and LeFlore and Sequoyah, OK	175	Logan and Scott, AR and Haskell and Latimer, OK	159
Jonesboro, AR	Craighead, AR	284	Greene, Lawrence and Poinsett, AR	234
New Orleans	Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. Tammany, LA	52	Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. James and Washington, LA and Pearl River, MS	45
Portland, ME	Cumberland, ME	168	Androscoggin, Oxford, Sagadahoc, and York Remainder, ME	89

* Estimated Fall 2011 Metro ranks are based on Nielsen Claritas population estimates projected to January 1, 2011. The final Fall 2011 Metro ranks may change when Arbitron implements this year's population update, which is scheduled to include population estimates based on Census 2010 projected to January 1, 2012. Other Arbitron market changes may also affect final ranks. For more information regarding Arbitron and Census 2010, see the White Paper.

Arbitron recently announced the schedule for this year's population update. Watch for more information from Arbitron in the near future regarding population and Metro ranks.

Life after radio!

Yes Virginia or Meet Virginia (Train reference), there is life after radio. I have talked with a number of professionals who have developed careers after hanging up the Koss Pro-4's. Rob Walker former programmer in Seattle, Little Rock, Ann Arbor. I just read Tim Dukes, former Clear Channel and Tribune star is headed to Dallas to help run a company that helps folks with the second leg of their careers. Where were you Tim when I stumbled for two years after radio? Getting stuck in dead end sales jobs.

I still read about folks that tell me they have had enough and they are taking some one's word on another radio job that will fizzle due to them not being a part of someone else's plan, making too much and the budget doesn't support that for the next year, or they plain get cheap and have the pimple face kid from promotions run Ryan Seacrest. 

I loved radio and still have a fondness for it. There is nothing like rockin' the box, listening to a killer sweeper or nailing a great phoner. I just have a problem with the people running radio stations, stuck in a retarded business plan, trying to hit unobtainable budget numbers with a inane way of selling and  marketing the product.

I have a friend who is a major market Country PD and we have a great developing friendship on Facebook. My wife says "Why don't you ask for a jock job". WHAT - I'm 56 years old. Most 56 year old air talents have been at the same station for years or still on the air. Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth: No!

Main Street Country in Small Market USA

I ask a PD who just left programming a small town Country station to summarize what I have been telling people for two years about the disconnect between the staff and the new PD in a small market CMR station. If you are aggressive, you are looked at as not fitting in and rocking the boat. Due in part to the staff not understanding or wanting to understand a full-throttle posture for the station. They think because it's a small market they can sound small and play 100 songs as currents. Check out the following and you might agree:

Well, here I am in in “ Small Market USA. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with small market radio. I have actually have heard and done some of the best radio in the small markets and yes the budgets are smaller, but sometimes you can actually get more done with less and be more creative. 

The problem is the people and the mentality. Just because you are in a small market, you do not have to think small. The problem with the people is that they are under paid and they have that IJDGAF attitude. There were a few people that had a great attitude, but she was the one that was sleeping with the boss and then the boss has to cater to her needs to make sure the nighttime was the right time, if you know what I mean. Sales were selling commercials for next to nothing and dropping their pants even more just to get the sale, so there was no rate credibility. 

Consultants tried to help with this station from 3000 miles away, never coming to our small city and adding music that was researched from the same region 3000 miles away. There was theft, nepotism, dissension and a bunch of people that really didn’t care, mainly the people that were running the group. There was one situation where one in charge stated that if we make too much money, the price for the station will go up and I will have to pay more for it when it comes time for me to buy it. So not only was sales dropping their pants, management was allowing it. 

I saw a ton of pocketing prizes for there own personal use and or a client and the listeners never really had a chance of winning. Promotions was handled by management and used as they saw fit. In this market there was no need for a PD or a promotions person. I guess the good thing in this small market was, the trade was a flowing and you could trade almost anything, but you had to keep it under the radar. Waaaaay under. So it really wasn’t good for the client. When I got there, commercial sets were 8 minutes long, remotes were not booked as commercials and promos belonged to sales. 

Plus let’s not talk about local sports starting at 5pm on a 100k flame-thrower. This station was bartered to death and was sold out and not making budget. No inventory management and no rate credibility. Not a good place to be. The web site was dismal and they had no idea on how to monetize it. I brought a few ideas in, yet they gave it away for that five-dollar rate. Let me end by saying, you can run a small market on a small budget as long as the ideas are BIG. It’s not a money thing. It’s not a market size thing. It’s an attitude thing. They think small in small markets. It just doesn’t have to be that way~

Saturday Catch-Up with our man from McVay Media

Anstandig’s Digital Summer Reading List – Part 2

In last week’s connected, you got part one of Anstandig’s Digital Summer Reading List. In case you missed it, you can find it here.

One of the topics most frequently covered in connected is the shifting of our industry’s audience to digital media, and the associated shift of advertising revenue. The following is a series of articles that focus on both of these topics—perfect for browsing on your iPad next to the pool this summer (don’t get the iPad wet, though).

The AUDIENCE is Shifting

While Program Directors and Brand Managers may find this series of articles most germane to their daily responsibilities, there is information here that can be helpful to anyone whose career depends on accurately targeting and understanding the audience (and that’s all of us).

 1. Three Programming Pointers to Drive TV and Radio Station Website Traffic: Unless there is a specific reason to go to your site, viewers and listeners will never make it a point to go there. In this connected article, three ways to naturally drive traffic to your website by getting smarter about integrating “traffic drivers” into your programming.

 2. Visualizing Your Market: Getting to know your market is everything, whether you are in content/programming or sales. This week, I’d like to share some of today’s best digital resources for visualizing your market. You’ll read about sites that can help you get to know your market and “paint a picture” for your programming team and buyers alike.

 3. Facebook Fast Facts: Still trying to figure out if your company should have a strategic presence on Facebook? If so, these fast facts on Facebook may compel you to move quickly into the social space.

4. How to Know What Your Audience is Talking About: Knowing what your audience cares about today is priceless information. In this week’s connected, I will give you three tips for quickly identifying what your audience cares about today. Whether you are an on-air personality preparing for a show or an account executive who wants to efficiently stay on top of what’s happening with your clients, these tips will save you time and energy.

 5. Moms Get Connected: Moms are important decision makers when it comes to family purchases. About one in five people online in the USA is a woman aged 25-54 with one or more children. It’s no surprise that marketers are increasingly targeting online moms. This week in connected, some fast facts on today’s connected mom.

6. Radio Through the Eyes of America’s Youth: This year, Edison interviewed 1,533 people aged 12-34 across America in an effort to shed some light on media usage among this young media generation. The results showed what Edison’ Larry Rosin called, “the impact of an incredible decade of media transformation, the extraordinary resilience of radio, and the challenges radio faces.” Read the takeaways here.

 7. Hispanics Are Valuable Digital Targets: More than eight in 10 Hispanic adults use a cell phone, and Hispanics are more likely than other population segments to use text messaging. These and other facts emerging in recent research about Hispanic digital media users are making them an increasingly valuable target for media outlets and advertisers alike.

8. Media Multi-taskers: You have an audience of multi-taskers—and they are only getting busier. For generations, listeners have incorporated radio into working, driving, cleaning, cooking, and socializing. How can you continue to cater to the busybodies in your audience?

 9. Why Consumers Leave Brands on Social Networks: Losing a fan on Facebook, subscriber in your database, or follower on Twitter is one of the most costly breakups for your brand. This week in connected, we’ll take a look at the actions and motivations behind your audience’s “social divorces” from your brand online. 

 10. Five Keys to Growing Your Streaming Numbers: If you are compensated based on your streaming traffic, this is an article that could pay dividends for you! In this article, you’ll learn five keys to increasing your streaming tune-ins.

11. What Is Your Plan For Mobile? The average American teen now sends and receives an average of 3,339 texts per month. A new study from Nielsen points out that usage of SMS text messaging is up 8% from last year—averaging six messages for every hour that the average teen is awake.

12. Exposure vs. Immersion: Most radio chiefs are satisfied with a listener being casually exposed to the brand, but in 2011, exposure is just the beginning of developing a relationship with your customer.

 13. Five Ways to Grow Your Website Traffic: If you ever find yourself asking, “How can we get more visitors to our site?” this article will give you give helpful tips to build your web traffic. 

14. Audiences of Millions With NO Tower: The most interesting “midday personality” in your market may not be on the radio. In this article, we profile some of the world’s most popular entertainers—attracting millions of followers with absolutely no broadcast license behind them. They are the YouTube sensations of 2010.

15. The Media Revolution Continues: Learn about Wired magazine’s new “immersive environment” publishing using the iPad as well as the Bay Area News Project. These are both leaders in reaching the progressive and daily-growing digital audience.

16. Internet Radio Audience and Revenue Growing: Bridge Ratings predicts that the annual spend for Internet radio advertising will double between 2010 and 2015, going from $324 million in 2010 to $803 million in 2015. Read more on the development of Internet Radio here.

17. Time Spent Listening in the Car: Most radio stations earn upwards of 60% of their Average Quarter Hour audience from listeners in the car—a listening location that is increasingly challenged by new media. Learn about the oncoming competition in this article. Also, read more about the “connected car” here.

The Revenue is Shifting

 1. Five Fast Track Digital Shortcuts: Read five ways that you can accelerate your sales team’s traction with digital sales.

2. An Introduction and Comparison of Mobile Ad Networks: Do you have a mobile site? If not, developing a mobile version of your website should be a priority, as mobile web traffic is growing fast. In this article, you’ll find an introduction to the biggest mobile ad networks, accompanied by a helpful mobile ad network comparison at-a-glance, produced by Mark Fidelman.

 3. They Research You Before Buying: Often, our team hits the streets with account executives from local radio stations to visit their major clients and digital prospects. It’s an invaluable opportunity to work hands-on with account executives to get a real sense of the local market’s buying preferences and prejudices. This year, I’ve been impressed by how much buyers (especially digitally savvy buyers) know about us, despite our best efforts to limit their accessibility to information about our stations.

 4. Now Connected; Your Wallet: Google, Mastercard, and Citigroup have come together to make your leather wallet look like an uncool antique with their announcement of a wireless payment system called Google Wallet. Read three key takeaways for your local media company in this article.

5. Lessons for Radio From Old Spice: When was the last time you had a room full of geeks, marketers, and writers brainstorming ways to market your station using social media? For Old Spice, that day was last July. On July 13, 2010, when a team of eccentric creative people gathered at a private location in Oregon and produced 87 short (minute-or-less) videos about Old Spice.

6. Sales Prospecting 2.0: At one time in our industry, account executives were expected to “make it” on the yellow pages. Now, technology has opened new doors for prospecting that can help any account executive to discover information on local companies and generate new business. This article will help you make money!

7. Insights for Radio on Google’s New Display Ad Network: Learn about Google’s new ad network that pulls together resources from all Google properties, including Google AdSense, DoubleClick Ad Exchange, gMail, Blogger, YouTube, Google Finance, and over one million web, video, gaming, and mobile display partner sites.

8. Viral Video: Missed Opportunity for Radio? Many major marketers have turned to viral video this year to promote their products. Learn about some of the leaders in “viral videos” in this article.

And, for some articles by other people…

1. Finally Someone is Listening, an editorial by veteran programmer Greg Dunkin.

2. Digital Budgeting for 2011: McVay New Media’s Jon Erdahl weighs in as a guest columnist to say, “How about a challenge this year? It's time to reexamine how you view digital, and the only way is to honestly assess where you and your team are tracking in the digital space. You are in the content business now, so you need to examine any viable content competitor (newspaper, TV station, local and state web portals, etc.) to keep competitive.”

About the Writer

Future-minded and passionate, Daniel Anstandig’s experience includes developing digital business strategies for media companies, designing content strategies for broadcast and interactive, and coaching executives. He is President of McVay New Media, and editor of Radio-Info.com's new media newsletter, connected.

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