Mobile Radio Simplified. Accessible. Relevant.

There is a reason the local news channels go into full tilt aggrandizement mode when the bad weather hits. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are having a rare sub freezing weather week, and our local channel 8 News has branded it “Arctic Blast 2008″. Not that I blame them. My wife being a teacher and my kid being a student, we were watching the news with unusual interest last night to make sure our school was indeed closed like most of the rest of them this morning.

This makes me think of one of the more inspired reasons why we started CelleCast, which is to make notifications much easier for schools, corporations and more in times like these. Instead of watching crawlers on TV screens, waiting for your name to show up, what if any organization could push that information to your phone in a reliable manner? Well in 2009, watch for VMCast service to rollout, which will allow any group with a list of phone numbers to send important messages to their members. We think churches, schools and more organizations will turn to this service we offer, which will save consumers a lot of time and fuel, helping them to avoid wasted drives and more. The consumer will be in control of how the message is delivered.

Just wanted to say Merry Christmas to all this Sunday morning. We have rare snow here in the Northwest. enough to cancel church, so I want to just wish you all a wonderful white christmas, and leave you with a message I recorded for the Holiday Party about my first white Christmas last year.

We put together a new small mobile campaign experiment today, inviting supporters of various campaigns to shout out their support for the man who earned their vote.

Here is what it looks like at first glance on many phones:

This is a preview of what we are gearing up our service for big time. So far the response is great as the mobile community loves the advantages of a click to call system, with easy browsing, playlist control and more.

The official announcements will come soon.

You can preview our mobile site now by just putting cellecast.com into your phone wap browser now.

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.

Although there are many resources you can easily access to find reports on the Austin conference, both for and against its success and relevance this year, it is a good idea for you to hear from me on the specifics of how the industry is advocating mobile radio… or not. I was there pressing our case of course, getting a great response, advancing the cause, and at times discerning a ration of lip service.

Michael Harrison had a great session that created the bedrock context for serious discussion of radio’s relationship with the changing media landscape. He spoke about the advent of the media station, with the emphasis being the continued loss of relevance of the AM/FM delivery bands. There was a degree of emotional resistance in the room, and I had the opportunity to comment in the session that regardless of whether people can or should accept the ultimate decline of the status quo, the next step is to progress beyond the debate and seriously consider the merits of the newer platforms. Michael so clearly and respectfully sounds the alarm, it makes it easy for me to come in and outline a path toward solutions. So here goes… If you are a content owner and/or producer (whether you are a network, group or station) your most productive course is to:

1) Accept that you need to consider diversifying distribution onto new platforms.
2) Research the various new ways to get your content distributed. (Streaming, podcasting, cellecasting, webcasting, etc.)
3) Weigh each distribution method according to their key consumer benefits, including: accessibility, immediacy, interactivity, mobility, mainstream adoptability, and mostly its personalization and on-demand appeal, which are the key trends of this hour.
4) Then weigh the new media tools that make the cut in step 3 on the benefits they can bring to your bottom line, including: Revenue per listener, brand enhancement, reinforcement of radio tune-in for affiliates (to complement, not supplant radio identity), PR value, competitive reach, listener loyalty, ad sales support, and most of all — REVENUE, REVENUE, REVENUE.
5) Record the results of this research on paper and write above it in all caps: PLATFORM DIVERSIFICATION STRATEGY - FIRST DRAFT

This list crystallized in my head as I was listening to Michael, so sorry if you just wanted a basic report, but most readers here want an actionable report relating radio’s latest news to ways to profit in the mobile revolution.

Within the context of the entire show, I felt that the majority of the people I interacted with were ready to move on toward productive steps rather than just picking sides of a debate on whether radio can keep it’s relevance. Most of the sessions were helpful in gathering people around ideas, even if some in attendance were resigned to playing out remaining on the wrong side of them. There was continued top-down advocacy of HD Radio from David Rehr, but little support from attendees, and even small signs of revolt on the subject. It was good to see the clear disconnect on this issue, as it is forcing radio’s leaders to look more diligently toward viable solutions that fit the demands of today’s consumer, rather than depending on a delegated entity to secure radio’s longevity.

People on many occasions loved to bring up the fact that AOL Radio’s iPhone app was the sixth most downloaded app on iTunes. I felt it was just one story among many that could have been shared about mobile radio. Rehr and Haley each said that 13% of cell phones have FM tuners, which irks me when we can deliver radio now to 100% of cell phones (264M) and 100% of landlines (181M). But hey, they will catch on soon.

I could share 100 personal stories of meetings both chance and planned, but all in all, the conference was great. We were able to position ourselves as key advocates for mobile radio being a centerpiece of radio’s future. Not as rabid detractors, but as welcome newcomers.

I am optimistic about what the next months will bring.

At his talk at Jacobs media summit, All Access reports him saying:

“We have to learn to treat the audience with respect,” LAPORTE said, defining that as giving the listeners what they want, including full-show versions of his syndicated “THE TECH GUY” show rather than excerpts. In addition, LAPORTE discussed the value of TWITTER, online video,and blog comments in building a radio show’s community. He noted that his podcasts have a monthly reach similar to a major-market radio station at a fraction of the cost.

We say bravo to all the above, and add that when the further advantages of cellecasting are included, then you have interactivity and greater engagement on top of all the other elements.

I usually don’t send a retort to posts on competitors’ blog, as I just figure people can derive their own conclusions from what they read, but I am so annoyed by this effort to cajole the radio industry that I have grown to respect, that I will only feel relief by openly rebutting it. It is nothing other than a cheap shot at an industry in genuine transition. I understand what drives the thinking within it, because I too have been frustrated at the slower than expected pace of radio networks moving content to mobile radio, and have been tempted to do likewise. The thing that stops me though is the wisdom of mentors who cautioned me not to lash out for attention when you are frustrated.

Before I go deeper into how counterproductive this partisan outsider approach is, my first point is that the 36 month prediction of radios relegation to “the dustbin” is just plain wrong. Not only is there no precedent for it, as radio has survived quite well over many cycles of similar predictions, the various tools emerging to potentially supplant radio are only now getting their first market tests (apart from general web streaming). They are mostly device and/or carrier dependent, not to mention requiring consumer adaptation hurdles acceptable currently only to narrow demographics. To borrow from Thomas Jefferson, “We (those within the radio industry) hold these truths to be self-evident”. In short, the industry will not expire, but it will gradually transform into a multi-platform model. The platforms that still reach 93% of the population are not going away anytime soon, nor should they.

Secondly, talking down radio, as David Rehr so aptly stated in his NAB Radio Show Opening Keynote Address today is a senseless self-inflicted wound that we would expect to be reserved for radio’s detractors. The only people that benefit from creating a divide between new and old media are those seeking to acquire old media’s hard earned treasure. What happens when we leave these kind of new media startup pronouncements left unchecked? We create two narratives: One where new media people continue to talk about the stodgy old radio executives that are too slow to progress, and another where radio executives are content to withhold support from new initiatives without high guarantees of success.

The course I have decided upon for CelleCast, as newcomers working within a mature radio industry, is to present cell phone radio on demand as a complement to the goals of radio, rather than a supplanter of the position of radio. Not only does this dismantle the pointless partisan narrative that impedes progress, it opens dialog to where it needs to be. For the life of me I can’t figure out why this has eluded so many, unless it is indeed true that radio’s culture is so change resistant that it vilifies all newcomers. My experience is not consistent with that. Instead, I talk to smart radio people everyday that, despite the deluge they are under trying to do more with less, are totally open to what we offer, provided that we are not pushing the revenue question off into the future as Silicon Valley seems content to do. Radio has a long legacy of making money, which of course newcomers want to grab a piece of, so it is no surprise to me that today’s industry gatekeepers are slow to experiment with unproven ideas.

Long live Radio!

Well, we decided I should go after all.

I think I made my vacillation on the issue a bit of a public discussion, but on balance, the words of encouragement to attend outweighed the value of working the phones, product and marketing contracts sitting on my desk. I just can’t help wondering out loud through this decision process, and I thought I was alone in my public musing, until I ran across Perry Michael Simon’s open rant in his newsletter. He sums up my thinking pretty well, and articulates it better as you will agree:

These shows always seem to go like this:

1. Financial forum in which group heads issue general platitudes about how prosperity is just around the corner and things will stabilize once the economy is better.
2. Presentations along the lines of “How Your Station Can Profit From (Podcasts/Streaming/Websites/NTR/Sending Your Promotions Director To The Corner With A Tin Cup And A Cardboard ‘Please Help’ Sign).”
3. Speeches from invited “visionaries,” most of whom avoid talking specifically about, um, radio.

Mix in a bunch of guys in suits and there you have it. The last few Fall shows have been increasingly depressing. Last year, you’ll recall, the NAB unveiled “Radio 2020,” pitched as a major public relations offensive and revamping of the industry to boldly march into the future. At the time, I was unaware that the “2020″ part meant that nothing would come of it until the year 2020. Anybody see anything about “Radio 2020″ since then?

Here here Perry! I do think however that with each year and each wave of new ideas bolstered by the gradual shift in listener habits, there will be more progress over posturing where these shows can be a place to close deals. Let’s just hope more people are willing to lead through a broadening of partnerships and sincere quests for emerging revenue channels.

We intend to oblige.

The political season is in full swing. It is a season for hopes and dreams, dreams of a better future and the promise of innovation. No matter which candidate you support, it is likely you believe your favorite will deliver on the promise and their potential. The political tussle is a good example of how some of us are drawn to change, and new ideas and a different way of doing things while many are happy with the status quo, the safe way and the proven approach.

I believe the radio industry’s reaction to change is a great example of how these opposing points of view work in the real world. I’ve been involved in this industry for 20 years and the changes in the business have been dramatic. Over the last 5 years the need to move rapidly to new technology, new products, and new delivery methods has become essential and inevitable. Any external analysis of the radio industry shows a decline in audience and an increase in the number of alternatives to terrestrial radio. Industry pundits beat this drum daily, and yet the traditional broadcaster is moving slowly if at all into the realm of alternative delivery. In spite of the obvious need to change and the volume of evidence that time is of the essence many of the leaders in the industry are touting change but hanging on to the status quo. It is time to try new things or be replaced.

CelleCast is one of the truly compatible services giving terrestrial broadcasters a mobile, time shifting partner to expand listening and deepen the relationship between listener and program. Innovators like Dr Laura, Envision Radio, United Stations and Lou Dobbs, among others, are doing more than talking about the future, they’re doing something. Each has taken the first step by offering their programming via CelleCast on their listener’s terms, and on their schedule, and each will see the benefit of a more loyal and engaged audience as alternatives grow.

We’re watching the politicians and the industry executives with the same cynical eye, asking the question, “Are they serious change agents for the future, or the same old thing?” It is time to get off the sideline and take a chance on something new, something bold, and something fresh.

Ok, so if you are paying an extra $70/mo to Sprint, or perhaps your boss is, that makes you an exclusive member of 3% of the 264M US cellular subscriber marketplace. Congratulations to you for getting the NFL games live to your phones for the 5% of the time you gotta have it, and have time on the road to catch it live.

Mr. Brian Rolapp, talk to us when you want to reach 100% of the marketplace, as we can deliver all the games via mobile radio on demand so people can hear them not only when it is live, but on-demand on their own schedules.

Then, you’ll have a cool press release.