Retail stores are closing all across the country. “It’s Amazon! They’re stealing our market!” That’s the refrain. And it’s true, right? But wait… Has America lost its taste to shop locally? And what does that imply for local broadcasters who also compete for the attention of their audiences with platforms not bound by geography? Here’s a reality check from Forrester Retail Analyst Brendan Witcher: Consumer confidence is the highest it’s been in over a decade, and leading reta

“Live and local” is one of the favorite phrases employed by broadcasters who want to emphasize that, unlike some other media platforms fighting for your attention and your ad dollars, we are here in your local community. But how do you prove that? And why does it matter? In too many cases, being “local” is an address more than an action. But if “local” isn’t an action, “local” has no value. It’s otherwise just a cushy, sweet idea. You can’t just “be local,” you must “do local

I have nothing against Mark Kassof, although I interviewed for a job with him at the very beginning of my career and he didn’t hire me. Of course, some would say he made the right decision there. Kassof just released a piece of research which aims to prove not only that radio is primarily “local” but woe unto any broadcaster who thinks otherwise. Here’s his first question: Now think about media – TV, radio, newspapers, the internet and so on. Some media are mainly local – foc

From Radio Ink: The FCC’s  detailed explanation why it’s not allowing more deregulation is very specific about what radio is expected to deliver. In rejecting the NAB’s increased competitive environment, the FCC points out that Satellite Radio and Internet Radio are “national platforms,” not likely to respond to competitive conditions in local markets. And, no evidence was provided that either plan to become local. The FCC said, “only local broadcasters provide programming ba

Not a week goes by that some broadcaster doesn’t bemoan radio’s unfortunate “nationalization” and the urgent need for radio brands to get back to what they are presumed to do best: Be local. This is a mistake. But where does this obsession with “local” come from? It’s not from the FCC license, which requires that broadcasters operate in “the public interest, convenience, and necessity.” Responsiveness to local communities and local content is one of the issues wrapped up in t

“Local” or “not local” is the wrong way to think about news and entertainment on the radio. When it comes to information, for example, there are two flavors – one kind is relevant to me, my family, or my neighborhood. The other kind is entertainment. Here is an overview of consumers’ “circles of interest”: At the center is ME. Then my FAMILY. Then my NEIGHBORHOOD. Why not a circle for city (i.e., “local”) news? Because the only city news that matters to me is the kind that af

It seems to me that radio is in a bit of paralysis by analysis when it comes to the “connected” auto dashboard. As we get lost in the details of what change is coming and how fast, we’re not focused nearly enough on what to do about it, given that such a large proportion of radio listening emanates from that very dashboard. We’re stuck in the theater of the moment. Consider the reality of the situation: The complexity of the new dashboard is overwhelming many consumers. What

This strikes me as perplexing for many reasons, not the least of which is that so much of radio is neither live nor local. Yet that doesn’t make it less popular or effective. Consider each part of the phrase in turn: Live Is Saturday Night Live less effective or popular because it’s viewable via DVR at a later time? Or because it’s viewable via highlight clips online, which is how most people see it and certainly the reason it has swelled in popularity? Do listeners even know

In this presentation, Patrick brings us up to date on trends in online radio and explains just how much online listening is happening to Pandora at the local market level (it’s pretty astounding). In the month before hivio, about two-thirds of the market’s online listening was to Pandora, while the rest was spread across an astounding 4,754 different sources, including many broadcasters from across the country. Patrick detailed many fresh statistics on the growth of online ra

What will Jeff Bezos do with The Washington Post? That’s the question on everyone’s lips, and scores of armchair analysts have an opinion. Why he did he do it? What will become of the newspaper’s proud tradition? These are all questions handily dealt with elsewhere. But what about the biggest question of all: So what does it mean to you? And by “you,” I don’t just mean every print jockey in America. I mean every local media company in America. That’s right — what we used to c

Today Seth Godin talks “Local.” Says Seth: Local media was an essential business for a century, largely for three reasons: 1. Broadcast signals and newspaper trucks could only travel so far, so ‘local’ was the natural category. 2. Commerce (and thus advertising) was local. 3. Interests tended to align locally as well. Today, of course, the signal travels around the world, so newspapers, radio stations and TV have no incentive to limit themselves. And finally, we’re discoverin

…not clicks or likes or views – it’s how many people want to hear from you tomorrow. From Seth: What all your local advertisers want is a connection to local people who want to hear from them. So your job is not to leverage FCC spectrum…your job is to find and nurture a connection with individuals in your community. If you know by zip code who wants to hear from you, and you earn the privilege of talking to the right people in the right way, there will be a line out the doo

Local radio is now, more than ever, in the local media business. And that means not just selling spots or selling digital ideas that live around those spots.  It also means helping your current and potential clients create better media themselves and compete more effectively in the digital space your radio brand doesn’t own. But how to do that effectively and efficiently? That’s where BuzzBoard comes in. BuzzBoard is a complete digital presence analysis platform that enables

…in a world where the networks you pay for content circumvent you by distributing much of that same content online? This is a complicated question, but it’s one that branding authority Tom Asacker tackles with me in this highlight from our conversation at the recent Public Radio Program Director’s conference in Las Vegas. Is it as simple as “more local news” because newspapers are folding (pun intended) all over America? Oh no it isn’t.  Not nearly. Watch (or click on the pos

I think most broadcasters are thinking about mobile all wrong.  The thinking goes like this: “We need a dedicated mobile app for our station!” Or… “We need to get our stations on mobile apps that already exist, like Tunein or IHeartRadio!” Both of these are wrong (or at least vastly insufficient) for the same reason:  They are about you, while mobile is about the consumer – her problems, needs, and interests – and the advertiser – who wants more than reach in a world where yo

Your radio station is, as is often argued, a local media company. And the big growth in local media is in the mobile space. That’s why you’ll find me at a conference devoted to this topic later in June. And it’s why you should be there, too. On June 27 in San Francisco BIA/Kelsey is hosting a one-day conference: MLM (Mobile Local Media) SF – Monetizing Mobile / Local / Social. And the speakers include the legendary technology pundit (and VC) Stewart Alsop along with execs fro

“Local, local, local.” It’s a constant refrain in the radio industry.  It’s usually expressed as one of our key advantages relative to media and advertising options which are not “local” and not active in the local community. What what does “local” mean – really? I have written about this before, and in this video I spell out why, in many ways, there is no such thing as “local” per se – “local” is really a state of mind. Radio’s success has less to do with being located aroun

From Inside Radio: Aiming to bring talk radio fans closer to the studio, CBS Radio is beta testing a new iPhone app that enables faster, more spontaneous ways for listeners to get involved with its shows. Sports “The Fan” WFAN, New York (660) afternoon host Mike Francesa is the guinea pig for AudioRoadShow, which went live yesterday afternoon. CBS Local Digital Media president Ezra Kucharz called the new app “game-changing for sports radio” for its ability to let hosts quic

Pandora’s chasing local ad dollars.  Everybody freak out! I know and like Pandora critic Mary Beth Garber, but it’s time for the critics to take a chill pill. Yes, Pandora is aiming for radio’s local ad dollars.  Yes, traditional broadcasters should meet this challenge.  Yes, radio has lots in its favor compared to Pandora (and vice versa).  But the critics are bent on convincing the market that Pandora is not radio and radio is not Pandora. Because if Pandora is not radio, t

How much potential radio revenue is left on the table in your market? What if radio were less scary or complicated to buy for small- and medium-sized businesses?  Especially for those small- and medium-sized businesses which are comfortable with the kind of self-serve advertising platforms popularized by folks like Google and Facebook? That’s where The Media Dash and their new product, The Media Dash Local, comes in: The Media Dash Local, which provides an easy way for small-