October « 2007 « Local Media in a Web 2.0 World

Entries from October 2007

Local Media ponders it’s Web plan.

October 24, 2007 · 1 Comment

Here’s a check list, that may help you realize your ‘readiness’, for Web success. Does any of this concern you ?

> Is corporate mandating that YOU ( at the local level ), come up with a profitable Web game-plan ?

> Do you have a web strategy, or does the webmaster or ND/PD “handle it” ?

> Are your websites: advertiser, search engine & user friendly? How can you tell ?

> Do you know your ’share’ of local Internet advertising revenue ? ( Corporate will demand this info )

> How much time & money are your clients/viewers spending on other web sites ? Do you know why ?

> Can your sales staff comfortably sell and discuss your web offerings ? Overcome common objections ?

> Just how web and computer -savvy are your News directors, PD’s, producers, marketing, sales and on-air staff ?

> Are you taking full advantage of online video, RSS, SEO, Blogs, social networking, crowd sourcing & aggregation ?

> Is it OK for your on-air staff to have their own websites/blogs, or have their own MySpace or YouTube channels ?

> When should you develop separately branded/niche sites in your own market ?

> What do advertisers and agencies really think about your Website, and how you are selling them ?

If any of these questions were tough to answer, you may not be fully prepared to effectively compete in the emerging online marketplace.

Categories: Local Media · Newspapers · Online Video · Radio · Revenue · Staffing · Television · Traditional media · Training

If Edison or Tesla were alive today.

October 23, 2007 · 1 Comment

Woke up at 2am last night to find the TV still on. And before you know it, I was watching “Edison, The Man”; Spencer Tracy staring as the storied inventor. The 1940 film traces Edison’s career, including his triumph with the incandescent bulb in 1879, when he lit up the New York City by electricity.

At that time in history, gas was the primary way of lighting a room or street lamp. So, it was in the best interest of the monopoly gas company, to do every thing in it’s power to stop, or retard the growth of lighting by electricity. In one scene, a gas company official dismisses all the benefits of using the cheaper, more efficient and safer; electric lighting.

Too dangerous! — no track record of success,—gas lines are already laid and are a trusted source, —things are fine the way they are…….etc.

While the many inventions of Edison are monumental, he also had a knack for skillfully working the system and strategically lobbying for change, no matter how engrained and powerful the incumbent players and mindsets were.

The similiarities of that situation, with the challenges of the evolving media landscape of today, were ‘over the top’ obvious.

Imagine if Edison were alive today and was working with Rosenblum and Sechrist (pictured above) on VJ training and news room culture/work-flow change. He likely would have heard this—–We can’t trust bloggers—–Newspaper MUST stay the same to preserve an informed society—-Nobody will want to watch TV on a small screen—-You need handsome anchors, 3 man camera crews, and expensive editing equipment to create quality TV”…… etc.

Read HERE, how Edison was able to ‘change the way it has always been done’.

Watch a clip from ”Edison, The Man” below…….Spencer lights up NYC, much to the chagrin of the local Gas company.

WATCH clip below of EDISON getting upset over TESLA’s better idea of creating and distributing electricity. (thanks MurcuryVapor)

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Categories: Local Media · Newspapers · Television · Traditional media · Training

How can Radio win online ?

October 17, 2007 · 4 Comments

Radio is being pressured by Wall Street to build online revenue. You read it in the Wall Street Journal and the industry trades. Indeed, Bear Stearns analyst Vic Miller is not optimistic about Radio. While Miller sees election spending as an upside in 2008, he also notes the negatives: such as share loss to the Internet.

With that in mind….Newspaper websites have been seriously cranking along for almost 10 years now, TV for about 5. What can Radio do to catch up, get into the local online battle, and grow their revenue share?

I recently spoke with a well respected, veteran Radio manager. They asked me if I knew of anybody that might be a good web seller for their cluster. I wondered if they thought all they had to do was hire a “web seller”, and their Internet business would grow nicely from there. I felt like I disappointed them when I replied: “any experienced web sellers will be expensive or tough to hire. The good ones are already making excellent $$, working for a dot com or other leading web property. Plus, they might be wary of taking a sales job in an industry that is scrambling to catch up. Maybe you should train your current staff first…..while you continue to look for a stand-out web seller?” Here were my additional thoughts about this very common question.

Taking it slow is not an option. That Newspaper and TV station across the street, is taking online share from you right now. They are using their websites to accomplish that via podcasts, niche content, streaming radio channels, video, etc.. In addition, Google and their ilk are using their powerful technology to steal advertising customers from you. It might seem counter-intuitive to focus on a part of your business that has smaller returns right now, but the longer Radio waits, the tougher it will be to carve out a space online amongst these fierce competitors.

Understand that your Web assets are first and foremost, business assets. While it may not have the same revenue generation as your terrestrial signal, it IS the fastest growing segment of the marketing/entertainment/news world, and you need to start getting your unfair share of users and revenue. Having your webmaster or marketing person ‘handle’ the web, is not enough. Hire web pros, develop a plan, and train your current staff……now.

Learn from the success/failures of TV, Newspapers, and other pure-play Web companies. These competitors currently have more Web experience under their belt. Apply lessons learned from them, and save ALOT of time and money.

Clean up and invest in your websites. Most Radio sites are cluttered, difficult to navigate, shallow, and often act as a ‘dumping ground’ for programming/marketing/sales initiatives. Check your stats and remove anything that gets insignificant/useless traffic. Then, develop a plan that caters to your web savvy listeners, or fills an un-tapped niche in your market. Use your station to drive awareness and traffic to that site/idea.

Leverage your close relationships with media buyers/planners; Broadcast reps will always have a shot to pitch interactive or cross platform programs, they already have a built-in trust and familiarity with the buyer. Then leverage your broadcast transmitter and signal. Realize the value to promote a client’s online destination, or a promotion housed within your station site. Radio has it’s very own megaphone on steroids; the transmitter. The dot com pure-plays don’t have this luxury.

Catch up on Internet marketing and Web 2.0 trends. Hire a trainer/specialist, or poach a Web professional from Print, TV or a dot.com. You’ll have a much better chance of getting on the Web buy, or snagging some nice, incremental revenue. Ex: If you are primarily a spot seller, you can no longer just rely on bringing the “WEB GUY” to the meeting. If your in programming/marketing, you’ll build deeper relationships with your listeners, and will drive much more ‘engaged’ traffic to your site.

RELATED NEWS:

If you can make it tonite………

Drexel University presents ”The Future of Radio.”

This panel features Tim Sabean, Director of Programming, Howard Stern Channel, Sirius Satellite Radio; E. Steven Collins of Radio One; NPR’s VP of Programming, Margaret Low-Smith and WMMR on-air personality; Pierre Robert.

They will discuss the challenges and the opportunities created for Radio by such rapidly changing technologies as satellite and Internet Radio. They’ll look at what lies ahead for Radio, a broadcast medium that was pronouced dead and buried with the birth of each new technology such as Television, Cable and the Internet.

Tonite: (Wednesday, October 17th) 7 p.m. in Ruth Auditorium, 3215 Market St. Phila. Event is free and open to the public. View Map

Categories: Online Video · Radio · Traditional media · Training

Digital at Core of Traditional Media in Future

October 9, 2007 · 1 Comment

Traditional agencies need to embrace digital, as audience and ad dollars move from traditional to online outlets, according to speakers at the recent New York Times CEO Summit at Advertising Week. In addition, “digital must be at the core”, so says CEO David Verklin from agency; Carat Americas. Click below to watch a clip of David, from the IAB MIXX conference.

Watch more video from the event on the ADVERTISING AGE site.

Here are some RELATED ARTICLES that discuss the seismic shift going on in local media; with content, audience and revenue:

From MEDIA POST: Local Media Slowly Learn To Harvest Digital Gold

Some newspapers are aggressively adapting by adding video to their text-centric Web sites as they fight to preserve and capitalize on the same local leverage. Newspapers generally have outperformed local television stations at generating online ad revenues, which are the fifth and fastest-growing of all ad platforms. Nearly $30 billion in overall online ad spending this year will surpass billboards, cable, radio and Yellow Pages.

Too often, local television and newspapers have been their own worst enemy–impeded by an attitude that digital technologies are a disruption rather than a new business opportunity. That doesn’t happen simply by extending television content and advertising to the Web. Innovative new forms of both are required to sustain their existing businesses and create new net growth. READ MORE HERE

From The L.A. TIMES: Newspapers and Bloggers now on same page

This year, the Washington Post added a sponsored blog roll to its website, a directory of links to blogs that specialize in travel, technology, health and more. If the Post sells an ad on the blog roll’s main page, the bloggers split the money with the newspaper. So far, about 100 bloggers have signed up.

Categories: Online Video · Revenue

Local Media…The Digital Land Grab.

October 5, 2007 · 3 Comments

WE ARE SPARTANS ! So goes the battle cry from one of the biggest movies of the year….. ‘300′. They are a proud people protecting their land and way of life from the incoming Persians. Do I smell a historical analogy coming on ?

The Spartans: Local TV, Radio and Newspaper properties. They’ve had a very nice run for the past 50 to 100 years or so. Profit margins hovering around 50%, huge barriers to entry, powerful lobbying arms, virtual ownership of all local advertising revenues, etc. They would like to protect this way of life. It is has been good. Real good.

The Persians: Recently created outsiders like Google, online ad networks like Centro and Advertising.com, behavorial-targetting firms like Tacoda and Blue Lithium, as well as pure-play niche sites like Monster.com, MySpace and I-Tunes. They have their eye on the next massive pot of Internet gold; the local marketplace. They want to infiltrate, take share, and potentially take-over a substantial portion of local ad expenditures. They are willing to initially cooperate, share the growing riches, and work with the local properties………until they have their hooks in real deep. Then watch out.

King Leonidas, the bearded Spartan general, desperately tries to warn his Greek countrymen that the crafty and be-jeweled Persian King Xerxes, doesn’t just want to ‘partner’ with them, but ultimately wants to make them their slaves.

In the short term the offer seems genuine and generous. Yet, Leonidas knows that it would likely be the beginning of the end for their local state, culture and freedom.

And so the 300 fight……to no avail. They are crushed by the insurmountable forces from afar. Alas, the mighty Spartans did not get full support and buy-in from their own country’s leaders. They were held back by the politician’s legacy thinking, fear, and lack of vision.

If you’ve seen the movie, or know about this piece of ancient history, it may provide some insight as to what local media is starting to face right now. What needs to be done? Broadcast and Newspaper need to develop and execute an aggressive war-plan NOW, in order to defeat (or at least keep in check) the forces looking to invade their local media turf.

Today’s lesson? Those who ignore history, are doomed to repeat it.

RELATED ARTICLES:

>> Broadcast and Cable Magazine highlights TV pioneers that are championing local Blog aggregation; a growing trend being adopted by smart local operators. Article features leading local Media consultant Mike Sechrist and his work with WKRN Nashville, and Cory Bergman from Citizen Rain in Seattle. Click here to read.

>> Forbes Magazine describes how YAHOO is becoming THE place for online news; national, international and local. Take note of this revelation: they are no longer ‘licensing’ the content. Instead, they are ’scraping’ the content. Click here to read.

>> CBS Market Watch. Newspaper publishers in a jam. Super-serving ‘local’ is the only solution. Click here to read.

Categories: Newspapers · Online Video · Radio · Television · Traditional media · Training
Tagged: Local Media, philly.com, Radio, tv web sites

NAB Radio vs TV….Same Challenges

October 3, 2007 · 1 Comment

While I was fighting the good fight with Radio at the NAB Radio show in Charlotte last week, Terry Heaton (above) from the AR&D Consultancy, was in Austin at the NAB TV show. We might have been a few states apart, but we were both experiencing similiar situations. With my background in helping Local TV, Radio and Newspaper with Web revenue strategy, I was not surprised to hear of Mr. Heaton’s sobering time with well intentioned, yet still skeptical TV folk.

Reflections on his time at the TV conference HERE…..my take on the Radio conference HERE.

Terry put together this spot-on list that is quickly becoming the stuff Media text books are made of:

The TV audience for local media isn’t coming back.
News — and especially local news — is being increasingly commodified.
The local weather franchise is moving to The Weather Channel, Weather Underground, and a host of outside providers who’ve made their applications easy to find and easy to use.
Advertisers themselves will put a halt to the blue smoke and mirrors of mass marketing.
We will never, NEVER overcome revenue losses to our legacy platforms through portal websites alone.
The people formerly known as the audience are entertaining themselves and each other. The best we can do in this scenario is to support it — let people show off. Teach them to know what we know.
The network-affiliate system isn’t just changing; it’s history.
A successful internet sale is AGAINST television and all mass media. This is why the lack of dedicated web sales people is beyond problematic.
The local advertising community needs to be taught about internet advertising, and we have to do it.
Local media MUST move forward along two separate paths of profitability, one maturing as rapidly as the other is growing.

Categories: Online Video · Radio · Television · Traditional media · Training