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MARK RAMSEY MEDIA

Radio’s Streaming Effort May Be Screwed – Part 1

Sep 18, 2017

Radio’s Streaming Effort May Be Screwed – Part 1

It’s one of the most disturbing results from the recent Triton streaming audio trends report, and most broadcasters are looking the other way. This is the picture I’m talking about: The charts show year-over-year streaming listening growth for pureplays (e.g., Spotify, Pandora, etc.) and for broadcasters. And it clearly shows two things: Pureplay listening is rising rapidly – it’s up more than 16% overall year-over year; meanwhile streaming listening to broadcast brands – the

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Are Your Audio Ads Too Dumb? Make Them Smarter

Mar 6, 2015

Are Your Audio Ads Too Dumb? Make Them Smarter

Data is powering marketing in general and advertising in particular in ways that could not have been imagined even five years ago. It’s important for folks in the audio space to bend their heads around this because data is, fundamentally, a form of marketing intelligence. And the more marketing intelligence that’s packed into ad inventory, the smarter and more valuable it becomes to the buyers and sellers of those ads. One of the great differences between traditional radio sp

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You are Invited to hivio 2015 – the Audio Future Festival

Feb 10, 2015

You are Invited to hivio 2015 – the Audio Future Festival

There are events for radio and online radio and digital and local revenue and commercial and public and Christian broadcasters, but there’s no event for people across the audio space to gather together in one place at one time. Audio is one medium, and hivio, the audio future festival, is that one event. I’m proud to announce that tickets are available for the third annual hivio audio future festival – this year in Los Angeles at the legendary Hollywood Improv. Who’s on the s

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How to Monetize your Online Radio Streams

Feb 5, 2015

How to Monetize your Online Radio Streams

Last week I published a piece using actual data from actual broadcasters that argued that their brands could make more money if streaming spots were monetized separately from over-the-air spots. That is, separate inventories have greater revenue potential than one simulcast pool. So how does a radio broadcaster maximize revenue from that online-only pool of inventory? I’m going to provide some thoughts on that. Now I’ll warn you: Not all of these ideas are easy and some of th

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Is Streaming Momentum Stuck? Really?

Jan 27, 2015

Is Streaming Momentum Stuck? Really?

There’s been lots of attention in the radio industry trades lately about the lack of audience momentum for many broadcasters in the streaming space, even as so-called pure-plays like Pandora and Spotify grow by leaps and bounds. Tom Taylor writes: iHeart’s not the only terrestrial operator with flat or negative growth over the period from February 2013 to October 2014. #3-ranked CBS is down from about 69,000 average domestic streams (6am-8pm weekdays) to a little less than 60

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Radio Ratings are in a Heap of Trouble

Jun 16, 2014

Radio Ratings are in a Heap of Trouble

If you can’t trust the Nielsen ratings in America’s largest radio market, then where can you trust them? A few days ago, Nielsen delayed the release of May ratings for Los Angeles when “inconsistencies” resulted in the need for more “quality control reviews.” Since then, the problem has only deepened. From the LA Times: Nielsen has been attempting to verify that individuals who participated in its sample audience panel were truly independent and did not have ties to any radio

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What is Sean Hannity Smoking?

May 14, 2014

What is Sean Hannity Smoking?

“It’s the single biggest threat to the radio business today, the measurement system is flawed in a dramatic way.” So says Sean Hannity in Radio Ink: For example, in New York, if you’re listening to The Sean Hannity Radio Show on the WOR website, even if you have a Portable People Meter, I can’t get credit for that. We know that WABC, at times, had well over 1.4 million people listening online. If we can’t get credit for that, then all the data that’s being put out there is ju

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It’s Time to Rethink Rewards Programs

Feb 4, 2014

It’s Time to Rethink Rewards Programs

The logic of the famous 20:80 rule dictates that the more effort any radio brand invests in its biggest fans, the more that has potential to pay off with a stream of loyalty, usage, preference, ratings, and even brand evangelism. And that brings us to the idea of rewarding our fans so as to encourage their behavior and incite more just like it. But does that mean it’s all about contesting? Or is that only the “opening act” of a strong and vibrant rewards program? This is a gu

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What Broadcasters MUST Do in the Online Radio Space

Aug 28, 2013

What Broadcasters MUST Do in the Online Radio Space

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

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Representing Radio at SXSW

Aug 23, 2013

Representing Radio at SXSW

Here’s a chance for you to change that. Patrick Reynolds, Chief Strategy Officer of Triton Digital, is trying to get a session related to radio and audio on the agenda for the upcoming SXSW conference (you and I are the folks that vote for the “winning” sessions for SXSW). You want radio to be represented, right? You want to be able to say to your boss, “Here’s yet another reason you should pay for me to go to SXSW!” Come on now, make radio proud. Go here and cast your vote f

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hivio Radio Ideas Festival – The Afternoon Sessions, including Pandora

Jun 24, 2013

hivio Radio Ideas Festival – The Afternoon Sessions, including Pandora

Yesterday, I posted the morning sessions from hivio, the first-ever radio ideas festival, a free event in San Diego. Today, you can watch the afternoon ones. The event streamed live. Click the video/image below to watch the afternoon sessions. Because this is a real-time stream, feel free to scrub to whatever point in the afternoon that interests you. Over the coming weeks we will be publishing every individual Q&A and presentation. The afternoon kicked off with a timely

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hivio – the Radio Ideas Festival – is THURSDAY!

Jun 19, 2013

hivio – the Radio Ideas Festival – is THURSDAY!

And if you’re not here in San Diego in person, you can watch it live! It’s the first-ever radio ideas festival and it’s happening on Thursday this week. It’s FREE – and it’s invitation-only. We have a room full of people attending at a quirky downtown San Diego location. The day will include in-depth Q&A with brands, agencies, and media as well as trend-defining presentations. It will stream live in two parts – morning and afternoon. I’ll update this blog post to share the UR

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Radio’s First Ideas Festival is Right Around the Corner

Jun 3, 2013

Radio’s First Ideas Festival is Right Around the Corner

It’s called hivio, and it’s just over two weeks away! It’s radio’s first-ever ideas festival – a free, invitation-only event. We’ve got a full house at our secret location in San Diego on June 20 – dozens of folks have been formally invited and RSVP’d. If you’re not on the guest list. don’t sweat it. You can watch the whole thing online live! It’s a day full of presentations, demos, and discussion with tons of authorities from outside radio about the radio and audio space and

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What Radio can learn from ABC TV

May 15, 2013

What Radio can learn from ABC TV

A few days ago ABC announced that they would begin live streaming content in two major markets with more to follow on a new app called WatchABC. NPR reports: ABC and other networks have long allowed you to watch their prime-time shows online after they air on TV, but ABC is the first broadcast over-the-air network to let you watch their live feed — including local news, daytime talk shows and prime-time dramas. Over the next few months, it will expand to cities like Los A

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Is there a Business Model for Streaming?

Feb 12, 2013

Is there a Business Model for Streaming?

Mike Agovino is COO of Triton Digital, the company at the leading edge of audio’s digital transformation and monetization. The digital audio space is changing fast, as is its relationship to advertisers. And nobody is closer to the action than Triton. So what’s new? And what does that mean for broadcasters in particular? This is the last of a two-part conversation. In Part 1 yesterday, we focused on what’s new in the digital audio monetization space and what that means for b

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The Game-Changing Revenue Opportunities for Online Radio

Feb 11, 2013

The Game-Changing Revenue Opportunities for Online Radio

Mike Agovino is COO of Triton Digital, the company at the leading edge of audio’s digital transformation and monetization. The digital audio space is changing fast, as is its relationship to advertisers. And nobody is closer to the action than Triton. So what’s new? And what does that mean for broadcasters in particular? This is the first of a two-part conversation. Today, we focus on what’s new in the digital audio monetization space and what that means for broadcasters in

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I’m Going to Stage a Secret Radio Meeting

Sep 19, 2012

I’m Going to Stage a Secret Radio Meeting

…much like the one being staged in “secret” at the NAB Radio Show right now. And like that meeting, the purpose of mine is to plot radio’s digital future. Because, as we all know, the future of any industry is best mapped out by its leading executives, locked together in a private room with nary a consumer in sight. Consumers will do what they’re told, after all. The control is all ours! This is how General Motors did it for years! I will make sure only to invite folks who

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Aug 30, 2012

Increase Radio’s Profile at SXSW!

In this transmedia world of ours any gathering that attracts only folks from one medium is missing the point. SXSW is no such gathering, and radio should be represented alongside music, film, and interactive. Want to know where radio’s future is? It’s in attendance at SXSW and other such conferences. Now you have a chance to elevate radio’s role at SXSW and it’s only a click away. If you think, as most everyone in radio does, that the current system of music royalties is an

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Gamification can Transform Radio’s Digital Platforms

Aug 22, 2012

Gamification can Transform Radio’s Digital Platforms

Chris Bell is president of Triton Digital’s Applications and Services division. Triton is an innovator in bringing game mechanics to radio platforms. Indeed, gamification is a major emphasis for the company and I have been impressed by their investments in this area. So what is gamification, and why does it matter to radio? How does gamification dramatically improve the engagement between consumers and our radio brands, and how can this engagement be effectively monetized? C

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Pandora: Internet Radio Growth coming from AM/FM

May 8, 2012

Pandora: Internet Radio Growth coming from AM/FM

So says Pandora CEO Joe Kennedy in this opening session highlight from the recent Worldwide Radio Summit, moderated by Triton’s Mike Agovino. Joe also shares some stats on reduced TSL for radio and matches that against the growth for Internet Radio. These are stats that are not often publicized in the radio industry. Let’s be frank: Of course some Internet radio growth will come from radio. Maybe most of it will come from radio. And it will not stop people from listening t

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