Tag Archives: Early Net Culture

But will they have a radio?

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iPods are helping to drive increased demand for premium audio options in new cars. According to Telematics Research, 80% of 2007 models for sale in the U.S. will offer branded premium audio options from the likes of Bose and Harman/Kardon as optional or standard equipment up from 67% during the ’06 model year.

The most sought after feature in cars is support for Apple’s iPod. Last year, only 12% of vehicles for sale supported true iPod integration, while nearly 50% of the ’07 models support iPods. Meanwhile, auxiliary input is supported by nearly 60% of ’07 models. [Podcasting News]

Clear Channel’s niche play online

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“The days of listening to two or three radio stations on a regular basis are long gone, a sign of the times Clear Channel is more than willing to acknowledge. In a direct nod to podcasts and satellite radio, the terrestrial leader is looking to expand its online reach by creating its own hyper-targeted programming for two of the most underserved niche audiences on the airwaves — Nascar fans and the gay community.” — AdAge.com

RadioSomebody(s) at Clear Channel has figured out “this Internet thing.” This article is worth a read.

There are probably some NASCAR formats on the air but I’ve never heard one. And I sure don’t expect to hear a station programmed for the gay community. I think this is a brilliant move and would like to hear some of the stuff they produce.

In a very short time, Rock, Country, Easy Listening, News/Talk and similar formats will seem quaint and anachronistic.

I know what you’re thinking. Why not program for gay NASCAR drivers? Why indeed?

Update: Google Audio Ads

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From Inside AdWords blog: “Over the last year, we’ve been working hard to integrate the dMarc advertising platform into Google AdWords. We’re happy to announce that the integration is now complete and we’ve recently begun a U.S. beta test of Google Audio Ads with a small group of AdWords advertisers.”

If you haven’t been keeping up, here’s how Google describes their Audio Ads:

“Google Audio Ads brings efficiency, accountability, and enhanced ROI to radio advertising by providing advertisers with an online interface for creating and launching radio campaigns. You’ll be able to target your customers by location, station type, day of the week, and time of day. After the radio ads are run, you will be able to view online reports that tell you exactly when your ad played.”

A couple of days ago, Mark Ramsey (Hear 2.0) pointed us to an application page on the Google website.

Ad Specialist Application — Thank you for your interest in joining the Google Ad Creation Marketplace. We’re looking for some of the top audio ad specialists to join our Ad Creation Marketplace – a searchable directory of talent to help AdWords advertisers to create radio advertisements. For advertisers new to the radio space, or who are starting a new campaign, the Marketplace provides an invaluable starting point for finding the talent they need.

So, I decide to buy some Google Audio Ads. I search the Google Ad Creation Marketplace database for someone to write and produce my spot. We agree on a price. I send some copy. They email back an MP3 file. I’m off to the races. Maybe. Mr. Ramsey is skeptical and I confess I am too. But if it works… it could have a profound change on how advertiser buy and place ads.

Update: According to News.com, the radio ads are running in more than 260 metropolitan markets, covering about 87 percent of the country

Website: Expense or investment?

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Mark Ramsey poses the following questions to broadcasters:

1. Is the purpose of your website just to put online what is already on the air, or is it something else?
2. Are we investing the necessary resources and talent in the development of our website, or are we having an intern update stuff in his spare time?
3. Are we giving people what they go to our station for in all its shapes and sizes on the web? Or are we offering one stream and a bunch of photos of our personalities?
4. If the content described in this article (Fast Company) can generate considerable traffic, can we convert that traffic to revenue? If so, why aren’t we investing for traffic instead of seeing our websites as expensive necessities?
5. If we keep crowing about how “local” our radio station is, exactly how does our website express that or service that?

Chicken LittleA couple of days ago, a broadcaster called me for advice on possible speakers/topics for an association meeting next spring. She wanted someone to come talk to them about “new media.” I asked her why?

“Uh, we need to figure out how to make some more money.” Or words to that effect.

I imagined thirsty villagers taking buckets and empty containers to a nearby well in hopes of finding water for their thirsty families.

I suggested that before you’d have anything to sell (to advertisers), you’d need to build an audience and that would take time and money. An investment.

“No, our owners won’t let us spend any money. We need to find some more money. That’s why we were thinking about the Internet.”

To completely exhaust the metaphor… if you don’t have the will or the resources to drill a new well… pray for rain.

RSS: ‘Ready for Some Stories’

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Kevin O’Keefe (LexBlog) points to a really good explanation of RSS:

“RSS is a way online for you to get a quick list of the latest story headlines from all your favorite websites and blogs all in one place. How cool is that?

Suppose you have 50 sites and blogs that you like to visit regularly. Going to visit each website and blog everyday could take you hours. With RSS, you can ‘subscribe’ to a website or blog, and get ‘fed’ all the new headlines from all of these 50 sites and blogs in one list, and see what’s going on in minutes instead of hours. What a time saver!

That one place where your RSS list is created is called an RSS Reader, and it gathers all the headlines from all the websites and blogs you have subscribed to.”

I’m told IE7 does a nice job with RSS but I suspect I’ll stick with Google Reader.