Three Reasons I Love Lists

1. McVay New Media's Daniel Anstandig reevaluates the role of program director.
   
   
2. Full Throttle Country's Chuck Geiger: are you ready for Fall 2010?
   
   
3. (I don't need to write anything today since these two extremely clickworthy posts are so good.)

This Country Station Leads The Way

Among the consistently best of all the E-Zine newsletters you could possibly subscribe to one of my fav's is "Radio 3-D" from McVay Online Media's Daniel Anstandig.

It's terrific to see that he discovered Delmarva/Wilmington's info websites for folks who are thinking about buying radio to promote their business. (click to get inspired and learn a few things too)

When I asked Jaime Solis if other broadcasters or newspapers in the market are providing information online similar to WXCY, he told me, “The short answer is no. Most traditional media properties in our area have an online presence, but only a few go beyond posting the phone number of the Sales Manager, or a one sheet with very general advertising information. It’s funny; some of the inspiration to build WXCYMedia.com came from my frustration with not being able to find any radio stations’ coverage map on their own web site.”

Anyone who sells radio will benefit from clicking on their case studies.

Country Radio Listeners: More Tech Savvy Than Ever

A & O recently released our annual study of country radio listeners and if you were at our Nashville client seminar, you know that the 2010 study surveyed over 8,800 country listeners--66% of them aged 25-54 and 89.1% P1's (heavy users of Country).

Thanks to Daniel Anstandig for not only speaking to our meetings, but for the coverage in his Radio-Info column this week. "Most noteworthy to country radio operators this year is the significant uptrend of listeners who consider themselves "savvy" when it comes to new media."

>> 25% of country radio listeners in this study reported that they consider themselves "savvy when it comes to things like using e-mail, texting, downloading podcasts, and posting videos online." That's up from 16.9% in 2009.

>> Only 26.8% of country radio listeners in this study consider themselves "below average" on the above-mentioned new media--which is down significantly from 47.4% of country radio listeners in 2008 and 33.8% in 2009.

This year may be a breakthrough year for country radio online. These numbers show opportunity for any savvy country radio station to move into the digital world--although it would appear that any station just getting serious now about new media would be following their listeners to the net rather than leading them there.

At the same time, country programmed internet-radio stations are gaining listeners.

>> More country music listeners are using internet-radio than ever before--with the Albright & O'Malley study showing that a staggering 56.8% of country radio listeners are using Internet-radio at least once per week. Remember that this study is mostly P1's, and it's clear that internet-radio could significantly steal TSL from a local country station if programmed and marketed competitively.

>> The good news for country radio stations in this study: listeners are spending a big chunk of their internet-radio time with LOCAL COUNTRY RADIO STATIONS. This year, 28.8% of country radio listeners are spending over three hours per week listening to a local country radio station online.

>> Furthermore, the study showed that 48% of country radio listeners believe it is SOMEWHAT or VERY IMPORTANT that their favorite country radio station is available to listen online.

>> Most (76.8%) of listeners of country internet-radio streams are listening through their computer/notebook. 5.6% of the respondents said that they regularly listen on their smartphone, and 9.5% on iPhones/iPod/MP3.

>> Internet-Radio causes country radio listeners to spend MORE time with their favorite radio station too. One out of four respondents said that they listen MORE to their local country station because of their internet-radio stream.

>> 92.4% of country radio listeners have visited a radio station's website in the past six months. Their top three wants: Access to concert tickets before they go on sale, country music news, and discount coupons. Is your country radio station offering those three?

The Interactive Media Action Plan

A&O is delighted to have Daniel Anstandig, recently recognized by Billboard Magazine as one of the top five innovators in media and the President of McVay New Media addressing our Pre-CRS client seminar on Tuesday, February 23.

“In 2010, the difference between hitting your budget and not hitting your budget will be interactive advertising. Many of our clients have rewritten job descriptions of key managers in the organization, revised bonus structures to include interactive audience and revenue benchmarks, and adjusted programming and promotions to include on-air and online elements together. Program Directors have been transformed into brand managers. Sellers have been transformed into Client Solutions Specialists, developing marketing plans for their clients that include on-air, online, and on-the-go (mobile) components. The bottom line is that we are still in the business of selling access to audience, whether the audience is on the other side of a radio, computer screen, or mobile phone/PDA.”

...one more reason to RSVP now!

Listeners Take Control Of The Radio

Cleveland area broadcasters Lee Zapis, Daniel Anstandig, and Mike McVay are hoping to empower broadcasters to become what they are calling "crowdcasters.©"

The listeners become the Music Director and the On-Air Talent with Listener Driven Radio. The software allows listeners to go on-line and offer their input into what plays ALMOST IMMEDIATELY on the radio station. LDR is constantly absorbing listener input, their song votes, and comments on a radio station’s music, and automatically adapting programming in real-time. Your audience can control the stations on-air product … within the parameters that the PD creates.

Meet your new weekend 'jock!'

McVay New Media President and LDR architect Daniel Anstandig:

“This is a new way of programming radio and growing your brand-community. Imagine being able to improve your product while decreasing the cost of programming.”

Zapis Capital CEO Lee Zapis:

“The software we’ve developed will allow the listener to truly take control of their radio. So many of us in broadcasting have been concerned about the competition we face from the Internet, Satellite and social networking. LDR diminishes those concerns and takes what’s best about the Internet and puts it on the air on your radio station.”

McVay Media President, Mike McVay:

“It’s time that radio operators get over their inferiority complex and embrace new technologies. The times have changed, and God willing, they’ll keep changing. Listener Driven Radio is the first application that marries the consumer’s wants with the PD’s desires … and that equals great and entertaining programming that’s good for any daypart.”

The for-barter service, according to their press release:

• Turns your listeners into collaborators. Constant research generated from active listener interaction. Listener’s log-on, click-to-pick their favorite songs and then sit back and enjoy hearing what they … and other listeners … selected to play on the air.
• The PD selects the universe from which the listener’s click-to-pick. Your station will still be “SAFE” while allowing the audience to program the music that you play.
• LDR makes it possible for listeners to vote for songs, request songs, pick which song should play next, and upload and vote for new music through radio station websites, iPhones, and Facebook.
• The radio station will NOW be CONNECTED to the social networking platforms used most by your audience. Turn your radio station into a community. Your listeners will communicate on line using the LDR Connection and will be encouraged to repeat visit and repeat listen to your station.
• LDR feeds Twitter automatically for radio stations, helping them to increase tune-in. LDR harnesses the marketing capabilities of social media.
• LDR engages listeners, constantly absorbing their input, votes, and comments about your station’s music. This creates a community around a radio station’s brand.
• LDR ties in directly to radio automation systems and instantly adapts a radio station’s programming based on listener feedback and parameters preset by the Program Director.
• LDR takes a four-pronged approach to reaching listeners. LDR is software that enables listener interaction via Mobile/iPhone, Widget (embeddable on any site), Your Station Website, and Social Networks (including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter). Then, listener input drives your on air programming and music scheduling in real time.
• LDR empowers your audience and gives them ownership over your programming, integrating their feedback into your music scheduling in real-time. Listeners can also comment and vote on new songs, giving them the power to elect new songs for airplay.
• LDR enables you to change your playlist in real time based on listener input. The end result is programming that adapts to your target audience. The LDR software is also fully adaptable to your branding and look-and-feel, seamlessly integrating into your radio station website.

For info, call 877-221-7979, or e-mail Anstandig.

I think you'll be impressed. I was.