Radio’s radical transformation

From Radio Ink – Entercom’s David Field:

“Radio and its integrated capabilities offer far more horsepower today as a marketing vehicle than ever, particularly at a time when so many other marketing competitors face great challenges,” he said. “Radio has always had ubiquitous reach; now we also have a powerful arsenal of diverse marketing tools and increasingly creative marketing ideas for our customers.”

David is right.

At issue is how radio companies transform their models from spot-sellers into marketing workhorses with communication assets built around individuals with faces and names rather than anonymous tallies of ears.

At issue is radio’s transformation from tower-centric to consumer-advertiser-centric.

What is your business like when your broadcast tower is the way you acquire ears, but not the primary way you monetize them?

You need to understand that, at its center, the definition of your day-to-day must be radically changed.

How far are we from this understanding?

Just witness how many stations still don’t stream. Note how many lack a listener database, let alone a “community.” See how many don’t email their listener base because they don’t have enough listeners to bother or enough staff to execute.

Until these issues are dealt with, it’s hard to face our future.