Jerry Del Colliano offers 8 ideas for life after radio. Number 5 is particularly relevant for our company, which has half a dozen news websites:

It’s not news websites — that’s no business model. It will be blogs — special information on something that attracts a valued audience. But instead of monetizing it by selling ads (something I think has peaked even when the recession ends), sell a subscription. That’s right, I am nuts. I believe people will pay a reasonable fee for that which they crave — remember I said crave not like. In the past, if you are an expert on gardening, you would have done a radio show, TV or newspaper column. Now, you’ll do a blog. And if it has passionate followers and you price it right, you’ll make money and build revenue with your audience. Keep in mind I’m projecting this trend — it’s coming because it has to come. The Internet is a delivery system not the content.”

I should point out that we do not make any money from our websites. We are still very much in the radio network business (on the news side of our company). We sell 30 second commercials on affiliated radio stations. We have a few blogs and some Twitter accounts but –with a couple of exceptions– it’s more dabble than business. Exciting days ahead.

PS: My friend Jeff points us to a job opening at Chicago Public Radio. Under Experience/Skill Required:

Our ideal candidate will have five plus of relevant experience in radio or TV programming, broadcast media marketing or online community management.  Strong knowledge of online communities, blogs, user generated content is required.  Demonstrated team building and leadership skills.  Clear written, verbal communication skills, with solid group presentation skills.  The ability to merge organizational mission vision with strong creativity and tactical execution.  Strong project management skills with an acute attention to detail.  Should have a working knowledge of content management systems (CMS).”

In 2009, 96.6 million people are blog readers, representing 48.5 percent of the Internet population. By 2013, 128.2 million people — or 58 percent of all U.S. Internet users — will read a blog at least once per month. – eMarketer via ADWEEK And we're not wearing pants.

“In America today, there are almost as many people making their living as bloggers as there are lawyers. Already more Americans are making their primary income from posting their opinions than Americans working as computer programmers, firefighters or even bartenders.”

“Pros who work for companies are typically paid $45,000 to $90,000 a year for their blogging. One percent make over $200,000. And they report long hours — 50 to 60 hours a week.”

— WSJ article on professional bloggers

A couple of years ago my friend Everett asked my advice on a website. He’s a veterinarian and had your basic Web 1.0 site. I suggested he think about a blog because I knew he was a good story teller and would be a natural. And he is.

He often writes about cases he sees in his practice and gets lots of feedback from readers, many of whom have questions.

“Even though I certainly cannot prescribe for a pet that I have not examined, sometimes I can clarify a situation, or make suggestions.  Sometimes they just have questions that weren’t addressed in the original post, but are related to the topic. I receive questions from around the country, and even Europe and (today) Tanzania.”

I share this as just one more example of the powerful difference between a blog and the old “brochure” sites that are still all too common.  Some day –soon, perhaps– this will not be worth mentioning. Everyone will get it and all or most websites will be blogs or have a strong blog component. I believe this is called the “Duh Moment.”

Everett’s blog is YourPetsBestFriend.com. If you have a pet, it’s a must read.