Tuesday, July 07, 2009

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.

1 comment:

Facebook group said...

Brenda Steinhofer, Gina Gallagher and Don Hallett like this.

Chuck Geiger at 5:33pm July 7
Time has come, finally

Peter Schaad at 5:39pm July 7
I always thought "all-request radio" might work one day. This is pretty close.

Brad Helton at 5:39pm July 7
would there be more freedom for new music in this "format"? i like this, just would hope the catalog would be vast enough for someone to actually search what THEY want to hear no matter obscurity or not.

Chuck Geiger at 5:41pm July 7
A few comments yesterday that this is like YES/NO radio. it is not - It's an interaction with the audience, for real airplay for just data - I would recommend that it's set to play their requests in almost real time or no one will believe it - They will think it's more radio hype.

Debe Fennell at 5:44pm July 7
Yay! finally back to real radio!

Gina Gallagher at 6:04pm July 7
Right on target Jaye...keeping it real

Dan Baker at 6:30pm July 7
As long as those with more money than vision don't feel threatened enough to eat it up and bury it, it should be closer to the empowerment the listener craves....

Rick Walters at 7:40pm July 7
"Your audience can control the stations on-air product … within the parameters that the PD creates." This sounds like more theatre of the mind, another radio strength !!

Catfish Jim Prewitt at 8:24pm July 7
Jerry Clifton introduced "Passive Research" based on Passive listening. Active listeners many time a minority of your audience will call stations and participate in request/contests etc...Won't this new "control" idea work the same way. What if one person calls and request a stiff doesn't that drive away the passive listener? Just sayin...

Jeanne Brewer at 8:24pm July 7
"Imagine being able to improve your product while decreasing the cost of programming.” Well right now most stations have decreased the cost of programming by getting rid of their best talents. Most radio stations could do this now if they actually had live talents behind the mic. Instead they have voice tracking, syndication, juke box radio. ... Remember back in "the day" when listeners opinions DID matter? When they could call in and get a request on the air? Then the Corporate Suits said that listeners didn't really know what they wanted and it was up to consultants to make the decisions. The listeners were dumped in favor of market research and the advertisers. And most market research was done in someone else's market. So now they want to go back to listener driven radio and just slap a different name on it and call it new.

Rick Walters at 8:28pm July 7
As long as it's within the parameters the PD creates,there shouldn't be a stiff!! Music tests will take care of that.

Catfish Jim Prewitt at 8:34pm July 7
I do an All request hour at 5p on my show. My PD allows me the freedom to play just about anything within the format and demos.Even non country at times if it relates to a big story. My PD comes from the old school when personality was king. It really makes a difference rather than hour after hour after hour of the same songs.