"Don't Focus On The Product...

Focus on the experience you want to create, and build a system that gets you there".

Those words were said not with radio in mind, but with hard goods. As illustrated in this (goofy) picture:

Of course, our product is the experience...except if we are talking about HD radio and then it's about the hardware and not so much about the experience.

What was supposed to always be about the experience (whatever the intended experience was supposed to be) somewhere along the way the word experience was replaced by appliance. The appliance for music, news, sports, weather, traffic, etc. Like most appliances, after a while a new and improved appliance comes along replacing the old one. In this case that would be broadband and the internet.

Let's be honest. Radio was NEVER about the experience; programming was created in order to sell RADIOS. Now, as it turned out the experience was pretty good and it all worked out.

Today, as good as a lot of radio programming is, it's lost its luster as new more flexible platforms have come to market--especially with younger audiences.

What are we to do?

Focus on the user experience. How can we leverage our deep market penetration and our deployment of new platforms (broadband and internet) into a more competitive medium for today and into the future?

We need to think beyond "the morning show" and "10-in-a-row" and be open to and TRY new ideas (many of which will probably fail). "Focus on the experience you want to create, and build a system that gets you there".

And that brings me to the source of the quote: Peter Merholz who is the President of Adaptive Path a company that helps create products that deliver great experiences. Impressive group! Mr. Merholz put together an excellent presentation on the user experience and you can watch and listen to it right here:

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Social Media Not a Fad

That according to Disney President and CEO Bob Iger. Broadcasting & Cable Magazine has the story on-line today. Iger was addressing the attendees at the McGraw-Hill Summit in New York.

He criticized media executives for their skittish view of the multiple-platform approach to delivering content.

“Brand managers look at technology with a deep-rooted aversion,”

“People take a protectionist view of it, but we’re projecting the brand versus protecting the brand.”

And check this out:

Iger spoke of using technology to “completely change the perception” of the Disney brand when he took over in 2005. He forecasted $1 billion in digital revenue for Disney this year, up from $750 million in 2007.

Quite impressive for an old-line company to project 25% revenue growth in a very important sector of their business.

But here's where Iger shows his true understanding of where things stand in today's media world:

Iger stressed how social media was far from a Gen X or Gen Y fad, but in fact a part of everyday life for children. He said the computer will soon supplant the television as children’s screen of choice. “In the years ahead, broadband on the computer will be the primary source of entertainment for kids,” he said. “It’s just as important to them as the TV set now.”

And I would go so far to say that the word wireless should be included when talking broadband. One also could project that the traditional "computer" for today's kids will not be the typical box we use today and manifest itself in a much more portable form...maybe hand held and portable? Exactly.

As you read through this it's hard not to draw the many parallels between Iger's vision and plan for Disney and what the radio industry needs to accomplish.