Google-izing radio advertising: Day Two

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More on Google’s foray into the world of radio advertising from RAIN’s Kurt Hanson, including quotes and links to The New York Times and the WSJ Online.

“The key to it is that Google is potentiallty bringing 400,000 new advertisers (their AdWords clients) to the radio medium. These new advertisers will (A) fill up unsold inventory and (B) eventually add increased demand for avails. Increased demand, of course, will inevitably drive up prices. That’s how supply-and-demand works.”

I’m still waiting for someone to explain what –if anything– that’s going to mean for barter arrangments with radio stations. Are we looking at a future where every avail can be sold?

Apparantly the dMarc software can automatically send advertisements right into radio station’s traffic ystems, bypassing the largely manual process currently used in the radio industry. Anybody have any first-hand experience with dMarc? Know a station that uses it? I’d love to know more about it.

Google buys dMarc Broadcasting

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As a barter radio network, part of our pitch to prospective affiliates has been: Instead of letting your unsold commercial inventory “go to waste,” give them to us in exchange for some top-notch news and sports to enhance your station’s programming. Win-win.

So Google buys dMarc Brodcasting, a radio advertising firm whose technology allows national advertisers to buy unsold station inventory, and automatically inserts those commercials into the stations’ unsold slots.

In the online world, Google AdWords enables advertisers to find the lowest-possible rates publishers will take, and helps publishers find the highest-paying spots. This technology could greatly enhance the process of national ad buys — making it more efficient on both ends. [Analysis by RAIN]

Big Question: Will barter networks like ours someday (soon) have to compete for this inventory? Will station managers put his unsold avails in a big Google basket rather than barter them for programming? That might not be the question at all. I don’t pretend to understand what’s happening here. And there has always been rep outfits that promised to sell a station’s unsold avails, but most stations wisely steered clear of hese guys. Be interesting to see where Google heads with this technology.

Talkin’ bout my g-g-generation

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Bonneville International says it is launching a major initiative to recruit new talent to create radio news content that appeals to young listeners. Bonneville says it is out to recruit on-air talent, reporters, producers, production personnel, and website developers for its new initiative.

“The company’s new venture will seek to deliver a product that entertains, provides needed depth that currently might be found only on some public-radio stations, and provides news through the perspective of Generations X and Y,” Bonneville said in a statement.

My old friend Morris (one of the Lost News Boys) sent this along and it appears to have come from the Radio Business Report.

Does “needed depth currently found on some public-radio stations” appeal to those in Gen X and Y? I mean, do you cover different stories? Do you cover the same stories but with some hipper, younger presentation? Is it even possible to lure young web-heads back to the radio for their news?

And what if your best news trick is covering the state legislature and government news? Do we/can we fit into such a format?

The quick and the dead

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“In the very near future, there are only going to be two types of media people: those who can reliably work and publish (or broadcast) incredibly fast, and those … who can’t.” — Simon Dumenco on AdAge.com. (Spotted on too many blogs to credit.)

The point of Mr. Dumenco’s article seems to be that blogging ain’t no thang. Won’t argue that. But his final point (above) got me thinking about the talented men and women who work in our newsrooms. They can whack out a story pretty quickly. But many of them are still stuck in the old radio news cycle. Some stories for morning drive. Some more for midday. And still some more for afternoon drive. Do the Amish have newsrooms?

Why, I once asked, don’t we just post stories (for the public and our affiliates) as soon as we have them ready? While no one actually says the words, the mindset is clearly that it isn’t news until a reporter reports it. So it’s okay to ration out the news. If we give it all to them now, they’ll just gobble it whole and then we’ll have to go get some more for the next newscast.

Once upon a time –in a small market galaxy far, far away– I hoarded stories for days when I covered for our vacationing new guy. NRE’s (News Ready to Eat). Honestly, I understand. And it begs The Big Question of news organizations like ours: Are we in the “network” business…or the “news” business. I honestly don’t know the answer.

Living Healthy (12) – Prostate Cancer

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Dr. Domke had his doubts about PSA screening long before the test became the subject of the research and reports we’ve seen in recent years. Recorded on January 16, 2006.

We’re using some new recording equipment. I bought ($50) a little Behringer UB802 Eurorack UB802 Mixer and a Heil PR-20 mic. I gave Henry the new mic and you can really tell the difference. So I ordered another one. Only cost $100 bucks and they sound great. Still battling iTunes tag issues but Andy has promised to solve those for us. So, we’re almost where we need to be technically.