Don't hate the Player Hate the Game

Blog by Dewayne Dancer

There is an old Japanese proverb which says “the reputation of a thousand years may be ruined by the conduct of an hour”. Radio as we know it, is facing the “hour of reckoning” and how we respond will determine its future reputation.

One thing is certain, the game has changed! It has been a vicious cycle, advertising agencies tell Arbitron your diary rating system doesn’t generate product revenue like it used too, so we are looking for alternate ways to generate revenue for our clients. Arbitron creates personal people meters (PPM) because the top radio stations in our surveys aren’t giving us the impact they once did. Radio cries foul, legendary top stations are now further back in the pack, monthly reports replace quarterlies. And the consistent quarter hour powerhouses of radio accuse this new system of not accurately measuring specific groups in our marketplace. Since we are pointing fingers, may I include one for the thumb?

Even the record music industry took a major hit sending longtime retail outlets out of business because well the game has changed. So they go after website hosts who offer illegal music downloads and radio asking congress for a new pay per play deal aka “Singola”. Where performers, as well as composers as well as record companies all get to add a new fee for songs played on the air. All this drama has occurred because the game has changed and we’ve run out of ideas and quite frankly business. To paraphrase Dr. Spencer Johnson “who moved my cheese”?

The answer is “the internet and his band of new technologies” and they are never going to give it back! This is the player!!! It elected a president, unveiled and still monitors to the world the human rights crisis due to voting irregularities in Iran. It can answer any question you can Google and deliver the mail in an instant. I hear you, you already know that but do you? When this business turns around and it will, it will not be the same. Knowing that reality how will you broadcaster market your product with the player. Common mistake, downsize your staff, “wait” find out its strengths and reallocate talent to meet the new challenges to finding different revenue streams. Here’s the bottom line” you cannot downsize your way to success”, in order to STAY IN BUSINESS YOU MUST BE INNOVATIVE!!!!!!

Certainly Sirus/XM has thought about this question, last week launching their new I Phone application. How much is that per download again? Clear Channel and Citadel media seems to have read the tea leaves too. Multi-tasking has evolved into a hand held multi-marketing, multi-broadcasting, Multi-languages, multi-marrying technologies enterprise, remember you’re a global business now. How are you going to use “the player” to your advantage? Do you have an online sales office? What kind of presence do you have on the web? When was the last time you revamped the website? What are you doing with the data gathered from your online presence?

The future of local advertising is definitely online. A study done by the Kelsey Group and BIA Advisory Services reveals that online local advertising is predicted to grow at rate of more than 18%. Right now online advertising is about 12% of the overall local spending and that could go as high as 22% by 2013.

Online media measurement group ComScore reported an amazing 808 million local business searches occurred during each month of 2008. What does that mean for you? It means that consumers are searching their local towns and cities high and low for the goods and services they seek. If you’re not there to give it to them, who do you think will be?

In closing, I speak Japanese, I am not fluent, more closer to a constant drip, just enough to be annoying. However in their language the character for crisis is the same character for opportunity, after reading this article, which one do you see?

Legendary Dallas/Ft. Worth broadcaster Dewayne Dancer is a freelance writer and CEO of Dewayne Dancer Enterprises Inc. a broadcast motivation think tank. He can be reached at 817-461-4150 or email at Dewayne@DewayneDancer.com.