Your website: “an entirely separate radio station”

“The best examples of websites for radio stations are generally not on radio stations. The trap in our industry is the budget. Too many stations have volunteer webmasters if they have any at all. Your web effort will soon be as important as on-air programming effort. In fact, I would suggest you picture your website as an entirely separate radio station and budget accordingly. I can easily – easily – foresee your website attracting a larger audience than your radio station.”

— Mark Ramsey on radio station websites

“Citizens” against satellite radio; Who’s got HD?

Mark Ramsey (Hear 2.0): “C3SR – the consumer group that was created to oppose the merger between XM and Sirius – is in fact supported by the NAB.”

Also at Hear 2.0: “…the average consumer is more likely to die by accidental drug overdose or by hanging, strangulating, or suffocating themselves than they are to own an HD radio.”

I’d love to hear from any smays.com readers who have HD radios. How’s it sound? What are you listening to? Use Comment link below.

Google Audio Ads by the numbers

Mark Ramsey (Hear 2.0) offers still more insight on Google Audio Ads, including some screenshots of pages where you specify the demographic and geographic details of your buy. For businesses that don’t need an “advertising consultant” to show up with a media kit and a coverage map, this might be an effective way to buy radio ads.

iPods no threat to radio?

Mark Ramsey at Hear 2.0:

“Every so often someone in the radio industry trots out a study which says iPods really aren’t that threatening to the radio industry’s long-term health and welfare. ‘Folks get tired of maintaining them,’ they will say. ‘They’re just a new form of Walkman,’ say others.”

And the radio industry has (apparently) spent a bazillion dollars promoting HD radio. Check out the Google Trends graph posted as one of the comments.

Everything might turn out roses and sunshine for Radio but it won’t be because of HD.