tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406438944314676533.post1919016056019673101..comments2013-04-14T22:09:29.404-04:00Comments on George Reed's Radio/TV Station Trading Views: Are Broadcasters About to Spend Another 24 Months in a Flaming PR Dungeon?George Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05642321040163272523noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406438944314676533.post-66356948636460694282010-03-11T08:43:17.001-05:002010-03-11T08:43:17.001-05:00Good post George. As a disclaimer I have to admit...Good post George. As a disclaimer I have to admit up front that I'm a radio guy who agrees with you on the "cool" factor of Pandora. I've been a Pandora user since their very early days. It's cool option for music. Like an iPod. (Which, of course, is also ranks pretty high on the "cool" factor.)<br /><br />Radio, to its own detriment, has taken plenty of slippage down the "cool" factor chart. Now it's just another option - period. What do we do?<br /><br />Local is a huge key as you note, but local in and of itself isn't enough. There are two critical other "C" words needed in the equation: compelling and connected.<br /><br />As the economy begins to rebound it's time for radio to make some proactive investments. First and foremost, an investment in talent. Talent able to do more than liner card reads and song intros. Secondly an investment of time and/or money to truly embrace connecting listeners to the stations, to each other, and - well - to advertisers and community leaders via social media. Being the portal to a vibrant and connected community turns local into cool. But it takes much more than having stations streamed on a website, and fan pages and twitter feeds that are not much more than promotional tools.<br /><br />These aren't easy overnight remedies. But then again, if some proactive station groups start diving in to begin the process, that can be, at the very least, a growing diversion away from the Pandora Radio Death Star story. And the long term implications for radio's return to "cool" could be huge!Steve Gaineshttp://twitter.com/SteveGaines62noreply@blogger.com