-
Engagement Matters
November 30, -0001
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
If you’re a regular reader of All Access’ Net News coverage, you may have noticed a couple of articles on Monday morning that told complementary stories about the uniquely engaging qualities of audio-based content.
First up was an article calling attention to a blog post by WESTWOOD ONE and CUMULUS MEDIA’s PIERRE BOUVARD about a new study from audio industry powerhouse iHEARTMEDIA and the marketing research firm WARC.
As Bouvard explained in his post, the point of the study, entitled “The Investment Gap: Understanding the Value of Audio”, was to ask a question of obvious importance to iHEART, CUMULUS, and any other audio content creator – are media buyers undervaluing audio as an advertising channel? – and the answer, premised upon listeners’ “close relationships with preferred stations, hosts, and platforms”, was a resounding yes.
Next up was an article reporting on another study, this time from the audio ad sales and content mavens at ADLARGE MEDIA, who emphasized the high levels of engagement podcast consumers have with the podcasts they choose to listen to as a key reason behind a 71% increase in year-over-year podcast ad spending.
With both studies, the main takeaway is that audio advertising is growing in importance and effectiveness for the brands that embrace it, but a clear underlying message is that advertisers are achieving success with their audio campaigns because audio content consumers actively listen to the content they consume at levels of attention that are often not as high when interacting with other kinds of media.
When speaking, for instance, of podcasting in particular, the authors of the AdLarge study kick things off with the observation that advertisers “have a brief moment (if that) to capture the attention of your audience”, and they then make the point that, in many cases, “that moment could be wasted on an audience that’s distracted, scrolling too fast, or just plain fake.” By contrast, the study continues to say, getting a moment with a podcast consumer would be much more likely to be one “when your audience is engaged, opted in, and ready to learn.”
With that as prelude, we are happy to present another weekly roundup of AllAccess.com content that once again includes a variety of different columns and interviews that underscore the all-important engagement capabilities of audio.
In his latest Consultant Tips column, for instance, talent coach STEVE REYNOLDS starts off with a reminder to anyone who’s ever cracked the mic in Radio that “one of radio’s many superpowers is its intimacy. We all learned as baby DJs that usage of the singular ‘you’ was powerful to communicate that rapport. Despite thousands tuning in at any one moment, it was just you and one other person.”
Building on that theme of human connection, Steve gives an excellent rundown of his “Four C’s” of audience engagement, placing a special emphasis on Companionship, and you can read his thoughts about that and about how on-air talent can remind listeners that “wherever they are in life, they aren’t alone if they hang out with us” by clicking here.Picking up on that same theme is KUFX Morning Co-Host ELLEN PEREZ, who tells CHARESE FRUGÉ in this week’s Women To Watch column that her interest in becoming a radio personality grew out of her experience of escaping from her own feelings of loneliness by tuning into the radio personalities she listened to when she was growing up. “It always felt like they were my friends just hanging out. Even when I moved to the Bay Area, not knowing anyone. The first thing I did was turn on the radio, and I immediately felt connected,” says Perez, and you can read her thoughts about how she “knew that I wanted to be that to others” by clicking here.
And if you point your mouse in the direction of this week’s Alternative and Rock 10 Questions, you can find two additional perspectives on the importance of making a human connection with listeners from WMRQ APD/Morning Show Host AMY GREY and WRKZ’s VP/Programming & Operations HAL FISH, who have strikingly similar things to say about how their stations engage their listeners.
When discussing her and her co-host HOLDEN’s eponymous show, which you can read about here, Grey describes it as one where “it’s real friends talking” who “just happen to have the mics on”, while Fish describes his approach to hiring as looking for people who are cut in the mold of legendary WRIF DJ’s KEN CALVERT and ARTHUR PENHALLOW. “They just sounded like ‘real people’ to me”, says Fish, who goes on to say that “listeners always want to walk away from an encounter with an announcer telling others, ‘She sounded just like she does on the radio!’”
Whatever friendships, connections, or 'real people' interactions you're engaged in with your audiences, we hope that the selections below may help spur some thoughts on how to deepen and sustain them, and for anyone interested in attending a master class on how to program a music radio station in ways that maximize listener engagement across all demographics, you may find this week's Triple A 10 Questions with KINK's GENE SANDBLOOM to be a particularly interesting weekend read.
WOMEN TO WATCH byCharese Fruge (@MCMediaonline) Talks To Ellen Perez“Radio helped me find my voice and be able to finally speak up. Not only for myself but for those who feel like they can't the way I did growing up.” ...
I was able to see the direct impact when I would call them about the prizes they had won and by the end of the conversation I felt like I had just got off the phone with one of my friends! It gave me the time and space to really hear them out and see what they loved about the show and what we could do to make it better,” says Perez.
“Like that rush that you get at the station concerts, it’s such an indescribable feeling, being a part of the process then seeing it come to life. Even as an intern I would find a moment to sneak off and find the highest point I could go to and just take a deep breath, look around and soak it all in. Seeing everyone so happy, so connected, singing along at the top of their lungs in unison with their favorite artists! I would leave those nights feeling so energized and proud to have helped create such an experience for so many folks,” she says ...
I bring the energy and the content to everyone tuning in every morning. Your mornings really set your tone for the day, and I think about how I can do my part to make it a great day for the listeners! ... moreAMY GREY Alternative 10 Questions with ... Amy Grey APD/Morning Show Host
Station WMRQ & Full Power Radio Market Hartford Company Full Power Radio Born Hartford, CT Raised Bristol, CT John is a gem! He is a local guy, who owns and operates all of our stations! That is unheard of these days. John is great to learn from. He is super positive and is always willing to try something new, he allows us to be our unique selves and run with ideas. I couldn't imagine working for a corporate radio station after working with John. You just can't go back!
Me and Holden are really good friends. Our show is us talking, debating, fighting, laughing! Whatever comes up -- we entertain. We also never know what each other is going to talk about -- we just go with it! It's real. It's real friends talking. We just happen to have mics on ...
There are no rules! We create something new every day. Whether it's a new feature, promotion, radio bit, contest, we make things happen! The days are limitless, creative and exciting! We also have recess ... moreHAL FISH Rock 10 Questions with ... Hal Fish VP/Programming & Operations
Station WRKZ "The Blitz" Market Columbus, Ohio Company North American Broadcasting Co. Born Hillsdale, Michigan Raised Jonesville, Michigan I was complaining about low wages from the "wedding band" that I'd hooked up with for the summer when he suggested I give his Program Director friend a call. He was pretty sure they'd "train me" and I could pick up a little extra cash. I wouldn't have hired me. I remember sitting in the Program Director's office during the interview telling him, "My first priority is my music so, we'll to have schedule around that." Apparently, the station was desperate for help because they hired me and since my musical career wasn't exactly taking off, I wasn't too hard to "schedule around." My "Ah hah" moment came when they offered me mid-days. I'd already started to fall in love with radio, but the mid-day gig made me realize I might actually have a knack for this thing. My priorities soon shifted from "my band" to "my radio station."
Legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes said, “You win with people.” And that’s the “secret.” They come for the music, but they stay for our people. When I coach young announcers I tell them, “I’m just trying to get you to sound like yourself.” I’m sure there are successful announcers who have an “act”, but I think ultimately, listeners want to walk away from an encounter with an announcer telling others, “She sounded just like she does on the radio!” We have people like that at The Blitz and they tend to stick around for a while, which also helps maintain relationships with both listeners and clients ... moreGENE SANDBLOOM Triple A 10 Questions with ... Gene Sandbloom OM / Content Director
Station KINK & 987 The Bull Market Portland, OR Company Alpha Media Born & Raised Los Angeles We had pulled all ‘70s music off the air when I arrived because our mission was to redefine KINK as a more broad-based music station. Once we went #2 in teens, we felt safe to put one ‘70s song back on the clock every hour. I listened to 600 classic rock songs and found 130 that fit the new KINK sonic thread. For the 55-year-old, these songs were comfort food. For the 25-year-old, these songs were a Quintin Tarantino moment. Within two months, KINK was #1 in teens with a 14 share. KINK had become Coachella on the radio. You came for Billie Eilish, but hung out for Paul McCartney, Of Monsters and Men and New Order” ...
Yet another advantage over DSPs is our air personalities’ commitment to show prep. A talk break is never “one oh one nine, KINK- Independent. Portland.” There are eight imaging pieces an hour on the station that say that. So, every break is about telling our listeners something about Portland or the artists we play that they didn’t know before.
KINK has been very much about trust building with our audience. An old saying at KROQ was that people would be willing to sit through a song they were just OK with because they knew they would love the next one. And they wouldn’t hear it anywhere else. So, our secondary positioner at KINK is, “There’s so much great music out there, let us help you find it.”
Listening to music as listening to the radio should be a left-brain experience. But all too often we approach radio with a right-brain mentality with charts and sound codes and looking back at what we did last year so we can do it again this year. Radio has a great future. We just need to stop programming it on paper and listen ... moreTERRY FOXX Hot/Modern/AC 10 Questions with ... Terry Foxx Brand Manager/Program Director
Station WLNK & WFNZ Market Charlotte, NC Company Radio One If I can be honest, I hear a lot of chatter, good and bad, about how Top 40 has infiltrated Hot AC. If you look at the charts, it can be justified. My philosophy is entirely different—I don’t worry about those things. I program my station to play the hits. It’s that simple. Hot AC is somewhat of a lifestyle that, to me, can’t be just defined by the music. Radio One has given me strategic research to identify and execute our market position here in Charlotte. Lastly, for me, if you know who your target audience is, you go for it. You stay in that lane.
I feel that because of changing landscape with the industry and downsizing, we’ve lost a lot of great people. Whether it be in promotions, marketing, on-air, the days of recruitment, and developing the next level of on-air hosts, it’s a real question mark for me. I’d genuinely like to see more diversity in all areas, especially in senior-level positions. In my opinion, part of my job is to identify people who exhibit great ideas and have a compelling contrast of views. I believe you should hire people with varied opinions and ideas. That’s what makes the industry great ...
One would say we use our music to communicate with our listeners, but COVID has allowed us to dig deeper into real-life situations that everyone is facing. We’ve targeted our community with awareness in the neighborhoods that don’t have internet or the resources to get COVID testing. During the pandemic, local has a true meaning beyond what radio has experienced in recent years ... moreSUNG CHO Power Player Sung Cho Founder & CEO
Station Chartmetric.com
“Sometimes you need to look at the data platform by platform, but many times it’s confusing, it’s overwhelming, so we have developed our own index to solve that.”
“... we found out many interesting ways to measure that through proxy metrics, so with the limitation of the data we have available, we are trying our best to turn those numbers into engagement numbers” ... moreARMAND 'DJ Q' FLOWERS Urban/UAC 10 Questions with ... Armand 'DJ Q' Flowers Content Director (PD)
Station WGZB B96.5/WMJM Magic 101.3 Market Louisville, KY Company Alpha Media/Louisville Social Instagram Being a PD isn't about just programming but leading your team to new heights and levels in their careers. It's more about team, connection, and being a teacher. Not being threatened by talent, but welcoming talent as part of your legacy ...
"Don't let radio use you, use radio!" I understood that to mean, use your platform to reach as many people and leave as big of an impression as possible because radio is the best way to brand yourself daily, and reach the most people at any given time!
[The thing I'm most proud of is] giving my co-workers and community the vision that they can have a career in radio and being successful in helping grow the culture and community ... moreMIKE DONEHEY Contemp Christian 10 Questions with ... Mike Donehey Artist
Website www.mikedonehey.com Label FairTrade Social @mikedonehey My buddy is an addictions counselor and he says, remember, it's really easy to judge people's actions. It's really difficult to judge their motives. And just remember before you judge someone that you probably don't know what's actually going on as to why they made that choice. The other piece of advice is to embrace your current circumstance as if you had chosen it. You can't be at peace if you're fighting against your current circumstance. You have to embrace your current circumstance. You have to choose where you are to actively engage where you are.
I'm just so excited to finally release new music as Mike Donehey. I’ve never released music on my own. I always had four other people in my band who had strong opinions, and they were often great opinions. But now I'm just excited to start a new chapter and see how it lands ... moreBREANNA RUIZ Top 40/Rhythmic 10 Questions with ... Bre Mornings
Station KHTP (Hot 103.7) Market Seattle, WA Company Audacy Born & Raised Sacramento, CA For one thing, the “Seattle Freeze” is real. People aren’t as friendly when you first approach them and I am Miss Talks-A-Lot, so that was hard for me to adjust to. Also, one thing I love about Seattle, no matter what restaurant you are at, 5-star or hole-in-the-wall, they are consistently playing Hip Hop. Like true, good underground Hip Hop! ... more