NEW Website....Come visit at the new www.harvealan.com

www.harvealan.com 

Can You Answer this Question?

Way back in 2008 I posted this question in the form of a brief exercise.  

It's a good question.  Can you answer it? 

Harve Alan Media: Save The 18-24's!

Originally published February 2008.  This is what I had to say about radio's future and the 18-24 demo. Gut check time.  How'd we do?



Harve Alan Media: Save The 18-24's

The Flash...A New Format! Launching 2016

Tap into a huge underserved audience with THE FLASH.  There's nothing like it on the radio today. Contemporary in presentation with the rare magic of fully rested music ready to appeal to a wide cross-section of adult listeners.  All Top 40 hits.  Even the spice!  This format is gold-based but designed for 2016 and beyond.  Your 70's and 80's research will not expose the potential of this music.  That's the honest truth.  Trust your ears.  If you've been looking for something fresh with a healthy shelf life check out THE FLASH.  The Flash ROUGH CUT Demo

It's called Rough Cut because it's simply my musical vision for this format.  No fancy production to distract you...just the music and how it might flow on your station.  I hope you will share my excitement about this format.  While everyone continues to Zig (70's and 80's) share my vision and Zag to THE FLASH!

     
Please give me a call for more details.  860-997-0314

What In The WIde World of Harve is Going On Here?

Over the last few days I have heard from people, more than I ever would have imagined, asking why I haven't updated the blog recently.  Really?  Really?  Well, thank you!  It means a lot to me. I enjoy sharing knowledge, learning, and interacting with people from across the world. 

While the blog has been on hiatus, I haven't been.  As many of you know, this past January I moved to the Los Angeles area and continued to work with a wonderful group of client stations and I still am.  I am most appreciative of that.  A few months ago the opportunity to join Westwood One/Metro Traffic presented itself here in LA and I decided to accept the position.  So now, I am the Regional Director of Operations for Los Angeles--which includes overseeing San Diego, Portland, and Salt Lake City. I couldn't be more pleased with my decision.  I am working with a great group of people and truly enjoy going to the office every day. 

It's been a very busy time for me and I anticipate it will remain that way for a long time to come...and I wouldn't have it any other way! 

So, that's the update.  If you were wondering how to reach me...not much has changed.  My cell phone number remains 860.997.0314; my email address is still harve@harvealan.com.  Please stay in touch and watch this space for periodic updates. 

Thank you! 

Harve

Engaged For 45 Years

Dick Purtan did his last show on Detroit radio today.

Do you think he's a celebrity in Detroit?  

According the the Detroit News, "On the way to WOMC this morning, Purtan was pulled over by the Ferndale police. He wasn't speeding. "The officer said, 'You didn't think we would let you go in without an escort today, did you?'" Purtan said. So with police lights flashing, he made his entrance into the CBS Radio Detroit station on Woodward Heights". 

A real life celebrity!  He means something important to that community.  Purtan was engaging listeners long before "listener engagement" were industry buzz words.  Sometimes, what's old is new all over again. 

Do you think 45 years from now there will be a local radio celebrity that gets the sendoff Purtan got today?  I have my doubts...but I hope so.

Here's some video from Dick Purtan's show. 

The World In Your Pocket

According to a new report from the Pew Research Center a quarter of American adults now read news on their cell phones. 

Some highlights of the report:

• 26 percent of Americans get news on their phones. 
• 43 percent of those under 50 said they are mobile news consumers
• 15 percent of older respondents.

37 percent of cell phone owners said they use the Internet on their phone

Within that group:

• 72 percent said they check weather reports. 
• 68 percent said they check current events 

 What information do you make available on your mobile app? 

There's quite of bit of information to digest with this study.  See the synopsis from Pew right here

Two Items Worth Reading

First, a story of content and distribution written by Ty Ahmad-Taylor and published on Paid Content.  He is a former executive at Viacom and Comcast and makes the case against limited channel/pay firewall distribution.  It's a good read and the comments that follow are thought provoking as well.  This topic is not new to us in radio, but I found his perspective interesting and worthy of recommending.  

He states: Distributing across multiple channels in real-time—and cannibalizing existing lines of business—isn’t just the right thing to do. History will reflect that this is the only thing to do. Here’s the key fact for media companies to remember: The value of a customer who doesn’t watch a TV show or a movie is $0.

Read the entire article here

Second, is a front page story from the Sunday New York Times profiling Fox News Channel's Roger Ailes.  I think the man is a media genius.  You can love or despise his politics.  You can love or despise his channel.  But there is no debate about how successful he and the FNC brand are.  He's a nobody from the Midwest who has razor sharp instincts and smarts with the guts to bring them to life.  It's an amazing story of building something from the ground up to achieve grand success. 

From the New York Times:At a time when the broadcast networks are struggling with diminishing audiences and profits in news, he has built Fox News into the profit engine of the News Corporation. Fox News is believed to make more money than CNN, MSNBC and the evening newscasts of NBC, ABC and CBS combined. The division is on track to achieve $700 million in operating profit this year, according to analyst estimates that Mr. Ailes does not dispute.

That article is here

Happy New Year

Happy Holidays!

16 Social Media Trends for 2010

I know...blah, blah, blah...another list of trends.  Hey, it's that time of year.

Stick with me here...this ones pretty good.  If nothing else it reaffirms a lot of what we have been writing about this year.  Take a few minutes and flip through the deck and pick up some interesting points and stats. 

16 Social Media Trends for 2010 by Agent Wildfire

View more presentations from Sean Moffitt.

Local...Local...Local

Local...that's one of the big buzz words these days among many of the B-I-G players and portals like ESPN and Yahoo!.  They are rushing to come to YOUR town with hometown content.  The more local the better.  Seems like they are taking a page out of the old radio playbook.

Paidcontent had this article that provides an update on MSN, AOL, and Yahoo!'s local plans.  

They have not perfected the "local thing" just yet.

ESPN seems to be a little bit further ahead

Local for local sake is a bust.  However, relevant and interesting local content remains a big win.

Taking a page out of the old radio playbook--find unique and creative ways to be local.

What local content will cut it with your listeners?  Hmmm.  Sounds like a good poll question to put on your Facebook fan page.  Let your listeners help make that decision.  They are the very people you want to ferry to your website--why not cater the local info TO THEM.

The race is on.  Radio still has the lead when it comes to local, but it's clear the national media (sometimes through their local O&O's) are coming after us.

In some ways, it's a head scratcher.  Why would the national platforms need or want these local footprints?  Easy...follow the money.  The local media money they can target because they are just as local as you.  Uh Oh!

Iphone Guide For Lovers

Gizmodo had this humorous piece: 

What's New?

As we march towards the close of 2009 I thought it would be timely to ask the question: What's new? 

What happened in the "radio space" this year that's new?

Did anything "new" succeed?

What failed?

Did we really try something/anything new?

Who were the new breakout talents this year?

What new format was developed this year?

Who made the greatest strides in the digital media department?

What's new with you?

I pose these questions to stimulate talk, thought, and if you would like feel free to post a response here on the blog.  I pose these questions as a wake up call to all those passionate about radio--we must find more creative and innovative ways to delight listeners.  I love that word, delight.  It's old fashioned.  In many ways it almost sounds out of step with today's fast moving society.  Honestly, the thought of using the overused word "engage" doesn't really get the job done in this case.  So I go back to the word delight. 

de·light

n.

1. Great pleasure; joy.

2. Something that gives great pleasure or enjoyment

How much better would our medium be if we ran everything we did through the "delight filter" before doing it?  Hmmmm. 

Mel, Howard, Liberty, World Space, and SiriusXM

Two stories surfaced on Reuters regarding the future of SiriusXM.  One about distribution and the other a story we've seen before--Mel and Howard getting ready to do the contract dance.  Hadn't seen these stories in the trade press yet--thought you might find them interesting. 

Sirius, Liberty could do WorldSpace deal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sirius XM Radio Inc (SIRI.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) could team up with Liberty Media Corp (LINTA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) to take its satellite radio offerings global through a partnership with WorldSpace Inc (WRSPQ.PK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Chief Executive Mel Karmazin said on Monday.
"We understand that Liberty has expressed an interest in WorldSpace," Karmazin said at the Reuters Global Media Summit in New York.
But if a partnership with Liberty does come about, Sirius would not invest any money, he added.
"We would put our expertise and experience in the pot and Liberty would put their money in the pot," Karmazin said.
Liberty Media, controlled by cable pioneer John Malone, rescued Sirius from a possible bankruptcy filing earlier this year with a loan of $520 million. In return, Liberty secured a 40 percent equity stake in the company.
Through a subsidiary, Liberty Media has also bought up the debt of WorldSpace recently, leading to speculation that Malone would seek to combine Sirius and WorldSpace. Most of WorldSpace satellite radio's subscribers are in Asia and Africa.
"So one would think that if Liberty were to do something there that they would want as strategic partner somebody who has successfully done satellite radio in 5 percent of the world," Karmazin said.
Such a partnership could involve Sirius bringing its relationships with car makers and expertise in building satellite radio gear to WorldSpace's operations, he added.

(Reporting by Anupreeta Das and Yinka Adegoke; Editing by Tiffany Wu and Richard Chang)

Sirius CEO Karmazin limbers up for the Howard Stern dance

Posted by: Alexei Oreskovic

Tags: Media and Communications, Mediafile, Howard Stern, Media Summit, Mel Karmazin, Oprah Winfrey, satellite radio, Sirius XM

It’s been five years since Sirius lured shock jock Howard Stern to satellite radio with a $500 million contract. Whether Stern can re-up with a similar deal when his contract expires at the end of next year is anyone’s guess, but it ought to be entertaining. Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin is preparing himself for negotiations with the self-proclaimed King of All Media.
In a meeting with reporters at the Reuters Media Summit on Monday, Karmazin gave us a thumbnail sketch of his version of “The Art of the Deal.”
“I could tell you, it will start with Howard feeling that he is working too hard and doing too many shows and not making enough money. Our side would say, ‘We want you to do more, and get less money,’” Karmazin said.
“That would be how we would go into the room once the time came to go into the room. And the hope would be that we would come out with Howard staying with our service,” he said.
Karmazin praised Stern as “a talent like no other in radio,” but would not say whether such a talent was still worth a half billion dollars.
“You have to now assume that the negotiations are at a stage where everything is in print, so if I were to say, yes, we got every penny’s worth, Howard would come in with that piece of paper and say ‘See? I sold myself too cheap,’” he said.
Stern is one of the biggest draws of Sirius XM’s satellite radio service, which counts 18.5 million subscribers. His decision to exit FM radio for Sirius in 2004 is credited with establishing satellite radio as an established form of media, though some analysts have also noted that high-priced contracts like Stern’s contributed to financial woes that pushed Sirius to the brink of bankruptcy earlier this year.
Stern is not the only big personality whom Karmazin may face at the bargaining table; Oprah Winfrey’s contract for her Sirius talk show ends in 2011. While Karmazin said he has not yet had talks with Oprah, he said that satellite radio could become a more valuable promotional tool for Oprah once she quits her broadcast TV show.
Asked whether Oprah or Stern was the tougher negotiator, Karmazin said both previously got the best of him.
“I’ll tell you who was the worst negotiator: It was always Mel because they got all that money from me.”

 

Thanksgiving

Do You Know The Way To Creativity?

There are many detours in our work lives that distract us or prevent us from being our creative best.  When we are focused on creativity it sometimes can become a chore given the pressures surrounding us. 

Here's a short deck of helpful thoughts on creativity. 

Help, I'm lost in creativity!

View more documents from Lars Crama.

Is Facebook An Effective Advertising Tool?

Does your station have a fan page on Facebook?  Looking to attract fans to your page?  Want to do it for a reasonable price?  Facebook offers targeted advertised, by region and demo, to reach out to your listeners.  You know, those ads on the right-hand column of every page.  You can buy ads by impressions or clicks--your choice.  I have a client who was looking to build up its Facebook presence and we decided to give it a try. 

The station that is testing this out is a Top 40--targeting young adult women. 

Here's how it's going:

We've been up and running for about three weeks, in that time we have increased our fan's by a whopping 260%!  We spent around $1,500.00.  About 2/3 of those who clicked the ad have became fans.  And we have had over 5 million impressions.  

Everyone involved is very happy with the results.  Not hard to imagine given how well it's worked for us. 

Next steps:  engage our new fans in meaningful ways. 

That will be the subject of a future blog. 

Mood Music

Came across a music site that programs the tunes according to your mood.  Seems to be more word based than mood based, but an interesting idea none-the-less. Click here or the picture to check it out. 

www.stereomood.com