Content Is What Content Does

The Olympics have turned into a valuable research project for NBC Universal; examining the impact and effect that new media is having on old media. And the NBCU research department has discovered a number of key findings--some of which are educational and actionable for the radio industry.

The 2008 Summer Games have been the poster child for cross-platform distribution. These summer Olympics have combined traditional TV coverage, multiple cable channels, web, video downloads, VOD, and mobile.

As you have read, watched or heard these games are a big winner in terms of delivery of audience. Even Olympic content requested on peoples cell phones is coming close to breaking through half million mark daily.

Read on and you will see how something counter intuitive like encouraging viewers to use other delivery systems actually drive larger audiences and success on the main channel. Of course the added byproduct is the development and growth on new distribution channels which naturally will continue to mature and grow with time.

Source: AP Television Writer DAVID BAUDER

NEW YORK (AP)—About half of the people who are using mobile phones to pull down video or information about the Olympics have been trying out that technology for the first time, NBC said Wednesday.

NBC Universal has been using the Olympics as something of a research lab to track the adoption of new media technology. Since the opening ceremony last Friday, the company has made content available online, through video on demand and via cell phones along with traditional TV.

The number of people requesting Olympic content over their phones is still relatively small—494,506 on Sunday and 476,062 on Monday—but NBC executives say they’re stunned at how many of those never used the phones for this purpose before.

“To some extent, the Olympics are beginning to influence how people use new technology,” said Alan Wurtzel, research president for NBC Universal.

By far, however, television is still the preferred format. Of the estimated 107 million people to experience at least a few minutes of the Olympics on Sunday, 95 percent watched it on TV, NBC said.

Given the choice between a high-definition TV placed before a couch or a small, grainy picture on a computer screen, it’s still a pretty obvious call, Wurtzel said.

NBC’s prime-time ratings are running well ahead of the Athens games in 2004. Through five days, the average prime-time viewership for NBC is 31.3 million, the network said. Interest in Athens started slowly but heated up with gymnastics, while the Beijing games have been a draw from the start.

It has become a communal event that the country has enjoyed sharing, Wurtzel said, a rarity in the day of media fractionalization.

“I don’t think you’re going to see too much of this in the future,” he said.

Americans downloaded some 1.7 million video streams of Monday’s stunning swimming relay where the American team came from behind to beat France and keep Michael Phelps’ gold medal streak alive. An estimated 1.5 million video streams were e-mailed from one person to another, Wurtzel said.

NBC Universal worried in past Olympics years that its decision to air much of the Olympics on cable outlets like CNBC, MSNBC and USA would siphon interest from prime-time, which is still where the network earns the bulk of its advertising revenue.

But the opposite proved to be true and, this year, the same thing has happened with the digital content, said Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics.

Having Fun!

I really enjoy launching new radio stations--and that's exactly what I got to do this week in Alexandria, LA. RED 104.3 was born yesterday at around 3PM central time. Having launched a lot of radio stations I can tell you this one was a little different.

We not only needed to worry about the normal "old skool" stuff like music, jocks, clocks, production, and spots but it was imperative that our on-line launch would coincide with on-air. While the homepage is a temporary one, it includes links to our stream, our myspace, facebook, and twitter pages. Listeners can also email us. Wow, that is starting to sound archaic--emailing.

I also thought it was important to launch with jocks. After all, we are a radio station and not a jukebox, right? Yes, the research will always tell you to shut up and play the music. I've never seen a study that didn't. [I bet you could ask a talk audience that question and they too would want to hear music! Just kidding.] I say, so what! Go against the research. Fight the temptation to put on a non-stop music machine. Use the music format you choose to play as a catalyst to entertain people. Who owns the storyteller position in your market?

There's still fun, a lot of fun, to be had in this business if we would just allow ourselves the freedom to have that fun. I hope you had some fun this week too.

Thanks to Sean Ross at Edison Media Research, who writes the Infinite Dial blog, for the nice write up today:

First Listen: Red 104.3

Written Aug. 1, 2008

Got a chance to listen to an early stretch of Harve Alan's new project, Opus Media's KEZP Alexandria, La., which just flipped from Classic Rock to a very hit-driven Alternative as Red 104.3 -- a good name for a radio station even outside the state of Louisiana. Besides doing a good job of cherry-picking the poppiest of today's modern rock, Red also gets liner of the week awards for this end-of-the-stopset sweeper: "Going back to the music beats going back to jail!"

Here's Red 104.3 at 10:45 this morning:

Muse, "Starlight"
Ludo, "Love Me Dead"
Shinedown, "Save Me"
Beck, "Where It's At"
Beastie Boys, "Sabotage"
Carolina Liar, "I'm Not Over"
Nirvana, "Dumb"
Trapt, "Who's Going Home With You Tonight"
Three Days Grace, "Never Too Late"
311, "Come Original"
Foo Fighters, "Let It Die"
Linkin Park, "What I've Become"
Staind, "Right Here"

Bon Jovi Gets New Media

Let's start at the website. Fans are invited to created videos centered around their towns and then submit them so they can be included in the concert when the band comes to town. They're working with You Tube to showcase these videos plus some video from their shows. There also a Bon Jovi news section that includes the latest information and fan comments. How cool is it for a fan to be in Bon Jovi's on-line community?
Then when the band comes to town it all comes to life in the show on stage and on the massive Hi-Def screens that surround the stage.

Jon Bon Jovi has figured out how to stay relevant after all these years. My first exposure to Bon Jovi was in the early 80's when the band was featured on the WAPP-New York homegrown album. The song? Runaway.

CNBC did a great story on Jon Bon Jovi and the mega-millions high tech concerts he's putting on. He talks about how his four kids keep him clued in that what's current. Couple that with the fact the he is a tech-head himself and it's not surprising he now features live text messaging at his shows. Those messages could be messages to the band to what songs should be played in the encore. Smart.

Check out the CNBC video right here.