It's A Full Day Of Events At WWRS 2017

Happening In Hollywood

The WORLDWIDE RADIO SUMMIT continues TODAY (5/4) at THE W HOTEL/HOLLYWOOD. 

Opening Session: How Radio Is Evolving For New Platforms

After ALL ACCESS' JOEL DENVER and A&R WORLDWIDE's SAT BISLA welcomed the assemblage and introduced, with DMR/INTERACTIVE's ANDREW CURRAN, the winners of this year's RIA'S RISING STARS FOUNDATION Scholarship Awards -- ALICIA VAN WINKLE of APPALACHIAN STATE U., NOAH MACIEJEWSKI of SUNY-FREDONIA, and SHAVONA BOUEY of BETHUNE COOKMAN U. -- the opening keynote panel brought some of the industry's leading figures together to look at the evolution of the radio and audio industries into the digital phase.

Asked by TRITON DIGITAL Pres./CEO NEAL SCHORE how her company's content has changed to serve audiences on different platforms, BEASLEY CEO CAROLINE BEASLEY said, "It's important for us to keep it simple ... focusing on delivering good content... (and) being relevant to today and looking forward to tomorrow."

FLUXFM/BERLIN Managing Partner MARKUS KUEHN explained his station's FLUXMUSIC digital platform and how it was developed to compete with SPOTIFY but added that he thinks traditional radio has a future as well as a "filter" for music and a place for talent. Top 40 BBC RADIO 1/Urban 1XTRA Head of Music CHRIS PRICE said his stations' strategy has been boiled down to "listen, watch, share," and that its content is evolving to follow listeners from broadcast and DAB to their phones, adding the "watch" via video, while WESTWOOD ONE Pres. and CUMULUS EVP/Corporate Marketing SUZANNE GRIMES explained CUMULUS' change 18 months ago to decentralize programming decisions and leave them to the local managers, leading to ratings growth.

iHEARTRADIO Chief Product Officer CHRIS WILLIAMS said radio is a "relationship" between station and listener as well as station and advertising, and while in the past the listener was being driven to find the content on a radio, listeners are more often using their phones for audio now, and his company is pushing streaming as a result, which he said has not proven to be "cannabilistic."

SCHORE asked about the impact of globalism and PRICE said that the BBC has addressed the fact that the stations now have global reach and are competing with, and partnered with, global digital bands like APPLE, SPOTIFY and FACEBOOK. KUEHN noted that while his station does not market internationally, audience growth overseas has been substantial anyway. 

On the visual element, GRIMES pointed to ZACH SANG's syndicated show and how he produces content for six platforms, audio and visual; PRICE said that the BBC has a "Head of Visual Radio" (which the EVENING STANDARD joked is "like Head of Stairs in a bungalow") and claimed that RADIO 1 is the most watched radio station on the Internet, but added that the strategy continues to evolve and the visual elements are being used to drive listeners back to audio.

The discussion also stressed radio's continued primary role in music discovery and how it ties into the listeners' needs in the digital realm, the role of seasonal changes in programming philosophy, sports, and more.  On podcasting, BEASLEY said that her company entered the field last year and is still refining its strategy as it learns to what listeners are responding; WILLIAMS professed to be an enthusiastic podcast listener but added that growth percentages should be interpreted as being based on very small audiences.  And an audience question about monetizing FACEBOOK Live videos rendered the panel silent, but WILLIAMS noted the restrictions placed on placing ads on the videos and said that his company looks at them as marketing more than a monetizable commodity.

The Meters, Analyzed

The pros and cons of NIELSEN AUDIO's PPM methodology were debated on a panel moderated by RADIO ADVERTISING BUREAU President/CEO ERICA FARBER. BEASLEY EVP/Programming JUSTIN CHASE said that the PPM data has "forced us (programmers) to improve," but warned that "an overreaction" to the PPM has led to less variety in programming as everyone goes after the same listeners, and has also contributed (with consolidation) to less emphasis on personality. On the latter, RESEARCH DIRECTOR Partner CHARLIE SISLEN noted that hosts need to be "crisp, concise, and compelling"; on the sales staff, the PPM, he said, has compressed the rankings with more stations bunched together with similar ratings. EMMIS President, Programming RICK CUMMINGS said that he has to dig into PPM data practically every day ("I'm still learning stuff"), and said that the numbers have sometimes shown that what his management thought was strong programming was not generating ratings. "We've learned what not to do," CUMMINGS added.

RCS/MEDIABASE Pres. PHILIPPE GENERALI described how his company observed behavioral patterns in the earliest PPM trials in PHILADELPHIA, and CUMMINGS added the observation that the meters generate a "sawtooth pattern" with music up and commercial sets down and the pattern less pronounced on "at-work" stations. SISLEN observed that at times, every radio station in a market appears to be in a stop set, which led him to advise a client to do whatever it could to be in music when others are following the same quarter-hour stop set strategy.

On targeting meter holders, CHASE said that while his stations obviously don't target specific people, they can pinpoint demographics and zip codes and will use direct mail and other tactics to reach everyone in the category.

NIELSEN AUDIO Managing Dir. BRAD KELLY gave his company's perspective on radio, saying that "there may be no better time to be in radio," which he said is "holding its own quite well" and in better shape than its peers like TV, which is fragmenting more quickly. He raised the "93% reach" argument for radio that the industry has been touting in recent years, and asserted that the radio industry is adapting to the digital future and "the challenge for us, NIELSEN, is to be there with you" in measuring listening to the new options. SISLEN added that a three-year trend analysis will show cume and quarter hours basically steady, counter to the image that "nobody listens to radio anymore."

KELLY addressed the issue of sample size, saying that while NIELSEN is rolling in a 10% sample size increase, there will always be anomalous effects from individual meter changes unless sample size gets to the millions, and said that NIELSEN is looking to "big data" to assemble such numbers, combining data from things like NEXTRADIO to augment the PPM data.

As he did at the NAB SHOW, KELLY said that NIELSEN is pursuing the SDK solution to measure digital audio, admitting that "this is something we can't force on you"; on total line reporting with broadcast and digital, he reiterated how NIELSEN will offer it for total simulcasts but will alternatively offer a three-line solution for stations using ad insertion that shows listening to broadcast, digital, and combined impressions on three separate lines.

Asked whether outlier panelists are getting worse, KELLY responded that NIELSEN can't just yank "weird" panelists from the sample but that it uses 14 standards to evaluate the behavior of individual panelists, from someone listening for unusual lengths of time to one station to meters being in motion 24 hours a day.

Iron Imager: The Challenge

BENZTOWN's DAVE "CHACHI" DENES and syndicated host R-DUB introduced this year's "Iron Imager" contestants, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT Top 40 3MEL (NOVA 100)/MELBOURNE's BRAD LEASK challenging defending champion SIDESHOW MIKE ANDERSEN of SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO Active Rock 2MMM (104.9 TRIPLE M)/SYDNEY.  ANDERSEN and LEASK will be given one hour to create a piece of imaging; the winner will be announced at FRIDAY's WWRS luncheon.

TechSurvey 13 Is Here

FRED JACOBS unveiled JACOBS MEDIA's TECHSURVEY 13 at WWRS; see the separate story TODAY in NET NEWS for full details.

Post-Lunch Podcast Presentation And Panel

After lunch with an appearance by syndicated morning team BROOKE AND JUBAL, AMPLIFI MEDIA's STEVE GOLDSTEIN gave his presentation on podcasting, noting that a core change in the media world in the last decade is time shifting, already widespread for TV and slowly becoming part of the audio world as well.  He noted that podcasting is moving into the mainstream to the extent that airlines are offering podcasts as options for in-flight entertainment.  In addition, one out of five audio listening minutes, GOLDSTEIN pointed out, is via smartphones, and the spread of "connected car" systems will increase that amount; he also pointed out that "smart speakers" like AMAZON's Echo (the focus of GOLDSTEIN and FRED JACOBS' partnership, SonicAI, which develops skills for the new devices for radio stations) are also increasingly becoming how people listen to audio.  Using his son BEN as an example, he noted how Millennials are listening less to radio on a time spent listening basis.

Following the presentation, GOLDSTEIN moderated a panel on radio and podcasting, with iHEARTMEDIA SVP/Podcasting CHRIS PETERSON noting that iHEARTMEDIA, along with other mainstream, traditional media companies, is aggressively going into the podcast field, meaning that after a period during which podcasting was seen as a hobbyist's field, "it's real right now, and it's going to be much larger than it is."  Asked what podcasts do best on the iHEART platform, PETERSON noted success with full-show replays, and cited strong download numbers for the COLIN COWHERD and BOBBY BONES shows, even though about 65% of downloads for those shows are through iTUNES.  Original content like BONES' additional podcast "THE BOBBYCAST" are not doing as large numbers as the repurposed shows but are doing well, PETERSON said.

HUBBARD SVP/Programming GREG STRASSELL said his company is looking at podcasting "much more locally," adding that "a couple of markets" in his company's portfolio are doing about a half-million downloads a month with locally-targeted podcasts. Far from cannibalizing a station's audience, "if it's done right," STRASSELL said, "podcasting can really promote a show."  Regarding content, STRASSELL said that HUBBARD draws "big numbers, quickly" from the "low-hanging fruit" of repurposed broadcast shows, while "the harder part" is to create original shows that draw an audience, giving the example of MINNESOTA VIKINGS-centric podcasts succeeding for Sports KSTP-A (1500 ESPN)/ST. PAUL-MINNEAPOLIS and News WTOP/WASHINGTON's "CAPITAL CULTURE," "THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES" and "THE NATIONAL SECURITY PODCAST." And he also suggested that morning show cast members can also generate original shows that would work as podcasts.

NIELSEN Digital Audio VP/Product Leadership ROB KASS discussed measurement issues and the development of consumption metrics "beyond downloads," saying that, as his colleague BRAD KELLY referred to for radio measurement earlier, the company is looking to amass "big data" from various sources and bringing it together to provide better measurement and demographic information. KASS also explained NIELSEN's expansion of GRACENOTE ID into the podcast space, exploring how to link the standard identifier to shows across platforms.

AUDIOBOOM VP/Content and Partnerships BRENDAN REGAN said that for AUDIOBOOM, comedy is the category doing best, with true crime shows (following the success of "SERIAL") performing well, as are paranormal shows and sports, which he noted does not have the same legs as a serialized show. He noted that radio stations are beginning to generate original content but "it's still a little slow." Asked what kind of reaction he gets from radio management when he pitches the idea of podcasts, REGAN noted that he has gotten the "you're taking away our audience" reaction, but while some are defensive, other broadcasters understand the opportunities.

The panel basically agreed that there is no ideal length for a podcast, even for repurposed radio, but REGAN said that he has seen listener dropoff at about the 45 minute mark. GOLDSTEIN said "it should go as long as it should go, then stop ... and then edit." PETERSON added, "there's no clock, and that's the best thing."

How BBC Radio 1 And 1Xtra Are Making It Work In A New Media World

The podcast presentations were followed by a keynote from BBC RADIO 1 and 1XTRA Controller BEN COOPER and Head of Music CHRIS PRICE. COOPER reiterated PRICE's comment from earlier in the day that the stations' mantra for the last five years has been "listen, watch, share" and offered examples of how that works, including a visit from PRINCE WILLIAM and KATE MIDDLETON that asked the royal couple silly questions (like "do you have a WHATSAPP group?") and had them do the Top 10 chart countdown, which was sent out both as audio and video.  He also explained RADIO 1's relationship with YOUTUBE and the development of new programming concepts and a new studio built solely for video, and the stations' new approach, with the idea of reaching those who stumble over their content and turn them into those who seek out the stations' content in the future.

PRICE followed COOPER with a talk about the stations' relationship with the music industry, expressing frustration with articles touting streaming as "saving the music industry" ("as a radio programmer, I feel a little like Tonto with the Lone Ranger... the only reason the Lone Ranger was able to fight crime is because Tonto nursed him back to health").  He pointed out how radio play made the difference between a hit for MIKE POSNER (with heavy airplay sending "I Took A Pill In IBIZA" to the top of the charts) and a lesser performance for a single by MIKE PERRY ("The Ocean"), and how the number of streams for DRAKE's "One Dance" were dwarfed in the UK by the 1 billion of radio impressions the track got on the way to becoming a huge hit.  Expanding on COOPER's discussion of "Stumblers and Seekers," PRICE said that stumblers are more likely to be daytime listeners and not as passionate about music discovery, while seekers are more likely to be specialist listeners and are very passionate about discovering music.

Where'd Everybody Go?  And Why?

CAROLYN GILBERT and LEIGH JACOBS presented NUVOODOO's research from its semi-annual PPM study and its new podcasting study looking at why listeners are moving to other media like streaming music and podcasts.  The study noted that the younger end is trying SPOTIFY, while young men are going for podcasts in "a bump like we've never seen."  GILBERT likened radio to the Shakers, who died off because part of the religion was celibacy; without generating new listeners among the young, she intimated, the medium will not survive.  JACOBS added that significantly more 14-24s predict that they won't need broadcast radio in the car, although, once again, likely PPM respondents are more favorable to radio.  Meanwhile, the AMAZON Echo is making inroads, especially among 25-34s, and likely PPM respondents are even more likely to own an Echo or GOOGLE Home.

Podcasting -- "the new talk radio" -- scored much stronger among men 24-34 and 35-44 than among other demographics, and podcasting, GILBERT said, is where they are going; the audience is being siphoned mostly from FM, with personal music and AM radio next.  Least affected is NPR, which JACOBS noted "is part of (podcasting's) ecosystem."  As in TECHSURVEY 13, music podcasts drew the most interest, with comedy second.  And most of the podcast listeners responding to the survey said that they listen to the spots, especially to host-delivered native advertising, and nearly half said that they listen to the entire episode that they start.

NUVOODOO also asked radio professionals for the ideas they are pursuing to deal with the new competition, including focusing on talent to generate a one-to-one connection, reconsidering what a DJ should do and sound like ("we have hired a generation of card readers," GILBERT lamented), creating new listening occasions (including exploiting listening on AMAZON Echo and GOOGLE Home), experimentation to reach younger audiences ("we gave this up long ago," JACOBS said), better branding, and "stealing" great ideas from around the globe.  JACOBS also pointed out that the focus group NUVOODOO did in front of the COUNTRY RADIO SEMINAR said they wanted to see more remote broadcasts, and he reminded the industry that radio is itself a brand and stations should cooperate and work together to bolster that brand instead of attacking each other.

Making Better Radio

The final session addressed the concept of creating compelling radio despite short playlists, long stop sets, and generic talent, with iHEARTMEDIA's TONY COLES moderating and noting that some stations are "data driven, and they're incredibly boring," while others can be very creative but somehow don't get ratings.  Consultant VALERIE GELLER suggested that stations learn one way to do things and are too afraid to try anything new, becoming held back by fear, while JACARANDA FM/SOUTH AFRICA Managing Director KEVIN FINE, whose station is bilingual, discussed using research that gave direction to the station's music format but led to the station taking risks anyway.  And CUMULUS MEDIA SVP/Content and Programming MIKE MCVAY said that while research can sometimes cloud judgment, sometimes stations need to trust instinct even if it doesn't always work in the long term.

FINE noted that while podcasting had been discussed extensively all day, video was only brought up by the BBC representatives, and he suggested that radio needs to move into that arena; ALPHA MEDIA VP/Programming PHIL BECKER pointed out that stations generally don't do video airchecks and thus don't do video very well ("there are 14 year old girls in their bedrooms who do better videos than most radio stations," a comment that drew much laughter from the audience).

COLES noted that TOWNSQUARE MEDIA SVP/Programming KURT JOHNSON's company was among the first in the U.S. to adopt the European model of integrating digital and online platforms into station assets, and JOHNSON said "it's who we are... you have to be a digital citizen... you have to be active and on it.  If you don't embrace it, you're not interested in connecting with listeners."

On finding and developing talent, BECKER called the fact that few Market Managers are former programmers "one of the greatest sins of this industry."  But he explained his method of asking unusual questions in job interviews that elicit storytelling ("let me find the things I CAN'T teach you").  MCVAY said that for finding talent, he looks for someone who says what others are saying but in a totally different way, or those who tell great stories.

But GELLER warned that talent cannot do the extra work of videos and podcasts unless they want to do it.  "Talent has to buy in," she insisted, adding that they have to think it was their idea in the first place and that while you can make someone do the job, if they didn't want to do it, "you will pay."

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