Hey Radio Industry! We’re innovating so you don’t have to
September 25th, 2008
Sorry for the gratuitous headline, but I don’t mind jumping on the soap box once more to help radio leaders become aware of our desire to help.
With the August radio revenue numbers being down 11%, the already troubling situation facing radio’s leadership role in media has become more acute. In talking with various heads of networks over the last few months, we see the clear trend is that their capacity to look long term and to consider innovative ways to develop new revenue sources keeps shrinking. Of course, there are many on the fringes that not only decry the situation, but have stepped into the role of the detractor. Some would say that radio is endemically non-innovative, and I find it hard to disagree when I hear radio leaders over and over again state that they are looking outside the industry rather than inside for radio’s next iteration.
The resulting situation is that although there are many great new media innovations being presented, radio executives mostly see them as a blur, if they can afford to look up from quarterly pressures at all. Mike Agovino declared in a recent interview that Triton has “kissed the frogs so you don’t have to”, suggesting that their initiatives are an effective filter determining all that is worthy for the industry to consider. Great marketing Mike. I applaud both your success and your metaphor. The truth is however that the innovations presented to radio both from the outside and by newcomers like CelleCast are not something to delegate to others to filter out. They are opportunities for any entity to avoid being painted into a corner.
Bottom line is that we love innovating, and are happy to do so for an industry that is being squeezed out of its ability to do so. We love building new ways for radio’s great audiences to listen, gather as a community, share radio content, and speak back to your on-air talent. We do all this not as outsiders, but as a full Radio 2020 partner, operating within the all-accessibility standards that sets radio apart as a leading media industry.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
This is very topical. I’ve been talking with many front line radio folks dealing with the challenge of replacing lost advertising money. Revenues are down “10% to 20%.” They’re looking for immediate revenue and protecting every bit of on-air inventory. They know their programming needs to be delivered via many distribution systems but their immediate method is terrestrial and the battles are being fought today. The CelleCast solution really meets both challenges. Producers can trust that CelleCast will innovate, market, and cross pollinate their programming for new and existing listeners while developing a consistent stream of revenue. During tough times it is easy to see the long term possibilities even when they are right in front of you. Delivering content to consumers via CelleCast doesn’t compete with the goal of immediate revenue but it does begin the process of building for the future.