Everyone's A Critic (Including Me)

This isn't about KFKF or WYCD, it's about all of us these days and the things we think we need to do to get our share of web revenues. In fact, I single out these two stations because in many ways their websites are loads better than most radio station home pages.

High marks: the KFKF loyal listeners signup form right at the top of the page and the fact KFKF puts its image and branding in the top of the frame so that the first impression you get is about the station you came to visit, not an ad.

Low marks: if first impressions are lasting ones, the fact that almost half of the page is advertising may tell a first time viewer that the station carries almost as many ads as programming on the air too.

High marks: WYCD puts its "listen live" button right at the top and that the amount of ad real estate on the page is about the same percentage of space as the music to commercials percentages on the air.

Low marks: let's find a way to show advertisers that our websites are worth the money and will get results without having to use irritating, flashing banners above our own image and usage-building on our main page.

Hats off to WYCD for making sure that the very prominent rotating banners are all about ME, their listener and invite me to get more-deeply engaged with the inside pages. Nice to see "listen online" at the top of KFKF's menu bars.

Tip for both: where are the podcasts of today's best material? That's where I'd put the ads, inside the content listeners expect when they come to our home pages.

Compare your station's home page to www.google.com. Is your web presence as clean, simple and easy to immediately figure out what you're there for so I can get what I want as fast as possible without having to think?

If you know of a radio website which achieves that, I'd love to learn about it.