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Hubbing A New Direction ...
January 14, 2020
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iHeartMedia has created hubs to consolidate programming, marketing, digital, podcasts, sales and sales support resources. This move reminds me of the 1996 movie, "Star Trek: First Contact." It's about a race of people called the Borg. They would visit other planets and annihilate and assimilate people to a collective centralized way of operating.
The Borg: "We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."
It's Not New ...
Voice Tracking from other cities is hubbing and so is daily syndicated programming - both have been going on for some time. Hubbing other services from regional locations to other markets is merely one of the ways radio will operate in the future.
Other Companies Will Do It Too ...
It's not just an iHeart thing, other companies have quietly been experimenting with hubbing for a while. You won't get any doomsday predictions from me, it's simply a new day in radio. I know change is hard for some people, but keep in mind the saying, "Everything that doesn't evolve, becomes extinct."
Making Choices & Adapting ...
When I was growing up, my mother had a way of getting me to try new things to eat. She would always point out there were several ways to prepare food. For example, I didn't like coleslaw, but as part of our agreement, I tried three different versions and did find one to my liking. My point is to be open to new things, adapt, and grow. I'm a big believer in staying on top or ahead of the curve. Keep updating your Brand.
Building Business ...
I once had the opportunity to observe former Arnold Worldwide Global Creative Officer Jim Elliott give a presentation on brand building; he stressed staying fresh.
He said: "Great work builds a business. It is born from a brilliant human insight. An undeniable and extremely relevant human truth. The result of which becomes something totally new and unique. An idea and work that is increasingly brave. Work that takes the industry to the next level. Work that disrupts breaks established patterns to help us see things in a different way. It stops people in their tracks. It moves people. It motivates people. It changes their behavior. It gets people talking. It inspires, captivates, fascinates and activates. It finds its way into the cultural conversation. It informs and defines culture. It is destined to become famous. Oh, and it works. It builds business and transforms human behavior, big time."
Change Is Inevitable ...
At the end of the day, every public or privately owned radio company has the same goal, deliver ratings and increase profit. Tradition is forever changing, equip yourself with multifaceted skills to fit with radio's latest reconfiguration of performing daily tasks from multiple markets. One last thing, there are other audio media companies and opportunities outside of terrestrial radio.
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