Forecasts, Warnings, and Comments

Wednesday, December 31, 2014
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Forecasts, Warnings, and Comments - 11

Over 18 years of writing these articles my goals were to report digital's impact on broadcast, to aid internet radio, and to help indie artists.

Comments were not based on guesswork. My words come from the trenches, after real-world experience or from research provided by credible companies.

A most important observation: The farther into digital the world gets the less radio executives listen. What follows are a few of the words placed before them to date.

Ken Dardis
President,
Audio Graphics

440-564-7437

Comments from Ken:

April 20, 2009	It's ironic that one of my first observations when checking into a Las Vegas hotel for this NAB was the clock radio on the desk, which featured an MP3 docking station. Few radio industry executives would have found this amusing; a more troubling thought is that many radio execs probably didn't even notice this little sign of progress.
June 4, 2009	The radio industry is at a very important crossroads where its only salvation is to make major adjustments - meaning to walk away from what was, and begin learning what is and will be.
July. 14, 2009	We've recently read that Interpublic's Magna Group has adjusted its forecast for local radio revenues to a loss of 21.8% in 2009. Whatever it is that radio needs to do, the industry will not turn on a dime. Yet we've seen no indication that any radio industry CEO is making adjustments to real-world competition. This YouTube video is outside of what old-school radio broadcasters consider a proper alignment of programs, i.e., a jock playing songs for six-hour shifts, voice-tracking, or stale topics regurgitated on talk radio stations by host and audience. This is from Dave Carroll, a United Airlines customer who was not impressed with its customer service... 2.7 million views of this have already happened. (By today, Dec. 31, 2014 it's had 14,455,675 views.)
Sept. 29, 2009	Youth need to be brought into the executive suites at radio stations again, and listened to for guidance. God knows, the way the old farts have been doing things isn't working. Give the younger set a chance to connect with their peers.
Feb. 19, 2010	Are you prepared to spend time learning how the internet works, and how your radio station web site can better quantify an advertiser's campaign? Do you have an inclination to uncover ways radio can use the internet in harmony with listeners and advertisers? Does your future include a web site offering A/B testing or featuring non-music topics relative to your audience? Does the web site break free of the typical radio station design? Do listeners leave feeling they've gained from visiting it? These are all items that now need to be learned. You're not just broadcasting to Kansas anymore.