No Brainer!

Stream.

Arbitron and Edison Media Research just released their Internet and Multimedia study and it's no surprise that on-line radio listening in the workplace is growing fast. In 2007 12% said they listen on-line while they work compared with this years study which grew to a very robust 20%.
We don't question the expense of keeping the transmitter on the air and we can't (shouldn't) question the cost of streaming when it is very clear that our listeners are moving their radio listening on-line.

In many ways this is a dream come true for broadcasters. No building penetration issues anymore; no disparity between Class A and B/C signals anymore; and the opportunity to provide visual artist/song/promotional information accompanying every stream. There are few desktop radios that have RDS.

Of course, with it comes new competition and infinite choice. So we better be at the top of our game. No one ever said it was going to be easy.

Here's a short steaming basics checklist:

>Make sure the stream sounds good.

- decent audio quality (equal to FM)
- well produced
- no dead air
- DO NOT repeat the same PSA over and over and over again

>Monitor your stream feed to ensure it does not go off the air

>Remember your stream lags behind your terrestrial signal and will impact call-ins and contests

>Aggressively promote on-line listening as you would your terrestrial signal

>Make your stream open access (don't limit the stream to a proprietary player)

>Streaming listeners, already computer friendly, are strong database prospects--don't miss out on that opportunity.

>Use your stream to leverage your other on-line initiatives

The Oprah Tour Brought To You By....

She may very well be THE biggest star on the campaign trail. Oprah Winfrey is not the first celebrity to endorse a political candidate--not even close, but she towers over the rest. [Read the story here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316223,00.html] When Barack Obama got her public endorsement and she agreed to hit the road with the presidential hopeful; he instantaneously gained cred he may have never gotten. He is now reaching people who may never have given him a second thought or even knew who he was, until now.

While I have my own political POV, this blog is apolitical and this post has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with star power and how vital it is--even in r-a-d-i-o! Barack (or his people) gets it. But do we? Sure, it would be nice to hire a high priced celebrity to host our afternoon show. Of course, that is no guarantee of success as many have learned. But what if we began coaching our existing talent and hiring our new talent to be more that just announcers and more like local stars? Yes, I am suggesting we open pandora's box and create shows filled with big ego STARS! How many local stars are there in your market?

The creation of a star goes far beyond using this mornings prep sheet and working the latest Britney or Paris gossip into a music sweep. This is not a cookie cutter endeavor. It takes a well thought out strategy, an honest assessment of what defines a star in your community, and the inherent talent of the host who wants to be a star. Stop for a moment and think about the biggest stars on radio, TV, film, and now the internet (Perez Hilton http://www.perezhilton.com/, Matt Drudge http://www.drudgereport.com/, and that guy on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/ creating shaky video magic); they all have a quirky and unique personalities that cut through and evoke emotion, passion, ire, and most importantly a human connection on some level.

We have stars in our business (both local and nationally syndicated) but we are going to need many more if we are to raise our standing as a top shelf entertainment medium.