NABOB & The Power Of Urban Radio Forum Day One Recap

WASHINGTON D.C

THE NABOB FOUNDATION has kicked off the 39th Annual FALL BROADCAST MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE in cooperation with the 15th POWER OF URBAN RADIO FORUM at The WASHINGTON MARRIOTT GEORGETOWN HOTEL.

YESTERDAY (10/7), the Conference began with a panel on Programming “Audio and Video-How Does It All Interact Today.”  Moderated by TAXI PRODUCTIONS KJLH VP/GM KAREN SLADE, the panelists included GRAY COMMUNICATIONS' TONY GRAY, EMMIS COMMUNICATIONS/ WBLS OM SKIP DILLARD, WHUR APD TRACI LATRELLE, and FUTURI MEDIA Pres./Broadcast Services VICTOR CABALLERO.

DILLARD said to take things one step at a time if budgeting is an issue. For example, you can set up a green screen to run your social media needs. Check with the schools in your area. If you don’t have the resources, start small and build one step at a time. GRAY noted that even if you are in a small market, you can have the same vision and drive to build the technology to market and profit. Music is the core of your brand; that has to be right before you can utilize what we are talking about. A great brand has a story defines the characters of your brand. It is an extension re-definition of personality radio.

GRAY addressed VOLTAIR and how it works to see proper encoding -- green is perfect, yellow or red is not encoding well. It was pointed out that VOLTAIR is enhancing the encoding and that things so low and inaudible is now being picked up, it gives the meter bionic hearing.  NIELSEN has also developed a new system that it will be rolling out, which will make the encoded louder, allowing for better measurement.

LATRELLE explained how close the station works with students by utilizing the HD channels and it all leads back to the WHUR brand.

GRAY addressed that the primary signal of a station is where the majority of the revenue comes from. That’s regardless of multiple vehicles the stations use to mobilized consumers and listeners. Ethnic consumers, Latino and African-Americans are still buying CDs and using hardware as opposed to the general public. Jocks are capitalizing on monetizing platforms with their own small brands.

DILLARD said the day is gone when a PD can come with a great idea without a sales component. Selling sponsorships is a big deal. A couple of his jocks have non-profits that are tied in respectively with sponsorship.

GRAY added separate revenue streams generate money for stations.

CABALLERO had a video presentation that incorporated digital and social media with traditional radio. He pointed out how FUTURI leverages social and mobile platforms with technology tied to the station's music. He suggested to use your editorial instincts when it comes to content in terms of making informed decisions on air, on your website and your social media. It makes for better targeting. Sometimes it is good to go back through everything which has done well by your station and see how technology can support it and make it even better.

NABOB Exec. Dir. JIM WINSTON asked, “How do the little guys get things started that they can afford?”

CABALLERO said, “We don’t walk away from partnerships; we will find a way to work with that company and even help with strategies on how to get things monetized. We even help train for a better understanding of how to balance traditional with modern technology."

Can Traditions Broadcast Sellers Sell Successfully

PRINCIPAL PSP 1, LLC JEFFREY P. HUNTER moderated a panel on dealing with the corporate realities of doing media sales with RADIO ONE Digital Sales Manager/Interactive NAMON JONES, EMMIS COMMUNICATIONS/NY Digital Sales Planner ASHELY R. SMITH, RADIO ONE Sr. Integrated Media Specialist MICHAEL WHITE, and GROUCHER COLLEGE Professor of Media & Communications Dr. NSENGA BURTON.

Dr. BURTON provided an overview convergence theory and digital sales and how it has moved from information-based to consumer-based. She explained how everything is now customized; behavior patterns have changed and the disruptions due to technology advancement and how. If you do not keep up on how to impact the consumer, you’ll go out of business. You can fake it for a while, but chances are your business will not make it in the long haul. Digital sales are important, and radio is doing much better than it was a few years ago. Radio is organically able to drive consumers back to digital and social, important to digital dollars.

SMITH noted most of the time we expound on digital and how it instantly works with the brand. Many advertisers don’t know how it works.  We are teaching it’s about the engaging experience.   It’s not about going out and merely selling digital, it does not necessarily tell the whole story.

Dr. BURTON addressed perceptions and misperceptions. Digital is not a different bucket from radio;it helps increase the touch point with consumers, it’s about customer engagement.

SMITH noted that in order to sell digital, you have to sell the whole package. It is important to know that it is going to be a longer sales cycle and do a lot of research. Digital sales do not stop with the sell.

NATHAN disputed the notion that radio reps can’t sell digital. It’s another misconception; it is no longer about merely filling an avail. Digital really is about engagement. A Digital Sales planner takes behavior of a website and builds a campaign around it. They are into learning the user experience and what can be done to reach the consumer through integration of everything.  They create the pathway for the consumer.

WHITE agreed the digital sales experience is about engagement, gathering enough info for a client to continue to do business. Strategy is important, a plan to totally encompass all areas.  The future will erase the lines form the individual ways of selling; it will be more comprehensive with using what is considered traditional sales.

ASHELY said she sees a lot of growth. We have to learn the language and bring the benefit of radio to sellers.

NATHAN believed radio sellers are behind now, but they are catching up. He tries to manage expectations with digital, citing a need for educational training. We have to become students of how digital sales should be done.

Dr. BURTON asserted that everyone needs to know how to sell both traditional and digital; there is no more separation or dedicated sellers. Every person has to sell everything. If not, a lot of folks won't be in the business any more.

ASHSLY commented, In order to learn social media, you have to be on social media. Traditional sellers will learn with the patience from those doing the teaching.  Both the traditional seller and digital sales need help from each other to learn how to put it all together.

NATHAN agreed, saying it is going to take time for the training for both to sell the complete experience.

WHITE added that he now sells integrated marketing strategies. "I did not start that way, but I learned to. It is the future for radio sales. It will require ongoing training."

Financing Media Acquisitions

INNER CITY BROADCASTING CORP./NY  EVP LOIS WRIGHT moderated a panel on finding the funding, with BLACKSTAR LLC Pres./CEO.JOHN OXENDINE, BAYOU BROADCASTING OF EVANSVILLE CEO DUJEAN MCOY and Office of Congresswoman MAXINE WATERS Staffer ERICA JEFFERS.

JEFFERS said there is a lack of data to who is getting credit. "We are trying to get this access to capital that would help with transparency for access. The political climate has made it difficult. There are alternatives. We have had forums with minority business and various alternative institutions offering useful information."

WRIGHT asked why are institutions not lending. MCOY explained financing can be accomplished through learning the entire process and understating what the lending institutions are looking for. "Look at the thought process, adapt and apply. That is what I have done over the years, I am not a radio guy, TV is what I have been investing in, but it’s the same regional and national institutions making the decisions on partnering."

OXENDINE said the way funding used to be done is no longer in place. "We as minority broadcasters need to move forward. We need to take traditional radio and align with strategic partnering with those with the media delivery technologies of today. We are one-third of the population and growing. There is diversity money, how do we get the information, where do we find the information other than trades."

JEFFERS pointed out that diversity is taking on new meaning.  "We are encountering that doing business with minorities is no longer merely a good thing to do, the demographics make it a business thing to do, and the country is changing in terms of minorities with African-Americans and Latinos."

Washington Update Panel

NABOB Exec. Director JIM WINSTON moderated a panel looking at Regulatory Issues with most recently FCC Dir./Office of Communications Business Opportunities CAROLYN FLEMING WILLIAMS, FCC Chief Media Bureau BILL LAKE, RADIO ONE Chief Administrative Officer LINDA VILARDO, General Council NAB RICK KAPLAN, MMTC Pres./CEO KIM KEENAN,  U.S. House of Representatives/Energy and Commerce Committee Minority Staff TIM ROBINSON and ROBETS RADIO BROADCASTING Pres. STEVE ROBERTS.

KAPLAN reiterated the importance of the compromise concerning AM Radio translators and the positive impact it could provide.

LAKE pointed to technical fixes in addition to the possible FM translators situation could be a huge move. The current proposal movement window would only be allowed for class C and D stations; these are the ones who need it the most.

KEENAN said hopefully it will have the intended impact, if not, we will proceed from there.

WINSTON added, "This proposal would be a compromise for AM revitalization. There has also been the suggestion of the Class A AM Stations having the reduction of the protection for them (The 750-mile standard) this might provide the Day time class C stations with some night time power. The FCC is looking at it to see if it is something which might be feasible."

The entire panel agreed the climate has been to try and mediate and move forward on a host of business and community issues. Many of which will have an impact on next year’s presidential and congressional elections.

Today's Agenda:

• 9-10a:   Dialog with the FCC Commissioners
• 10-11a:  NIELSEN: Measuring the Power of the African American Consumer
• 11-noon: Pending Matters at the FCC
• Noon-2p   Luncheon Special Guest Speaker: The Honorable ERIC HOLDER, Former U.S. Attorney General. Keynote Speaker: EDNA KANE-WILLIAMS SVP/ Multicultural Marketing - AARP. Presentation of National Service Awards to:
  • COO/OMD-USA, KATHLEEN BROOKBANKS
  • CEO/OPTIMEDIA USA DAVE EHLERS
  • CEO MEDIA VEST USA BRIAN TERKELSEN
• 2-3:30p: Global Media CEO Panel Moderated by ERICA FARBER, CEO, RADIO ADVERTISING BUREAU
• 3:30-4:30p: Special One on One, NABOB and National Marketer Session”-KAREN SLADE, VP/GM of KJLH-LOS ANGELES and JAMES COLON, VP/AFRICAN AMERICAN STRATEGY of TOYOTA USA   
• 4:30-5:30p: National Marketers Panel - DETAVIO SAMUELS, Pres./ONE SOLUTIONS leads a session with the country's leading marketing executives from STATE FARM INSURANCE, SEAN COMBS WINE SPIRITS, NATIONWIDE INSURANCE, WELLS FARGO, and WALMART.   
• 5:30-8:30p: NABOB Annual Fall Conference Reception

« see more Net News