More Digital Updates from the 3rd Annual Future of Radio Conference in Hilton Head, SC

Jim Hooker issued a release from his Future of Radio Online Conference with links to several interesting videos. Here is his post:

Today we posted three video presentations from our 3rd annual Future of Radio Conference. For the last two years we have devoted part of our time to having operators talk about the digital efforts they are making in their local markets. This year Tom Davis from Davis Media in Williamsburg/Yorktown, VA, J Chapman from Maverick Media in Rockford, IL and Jim Brewer Sr. from Brewer Media in Chattanooga, TN, told us about their unique digital efforts.

Tom Davis talked about the way they have integrated their digital newspaper with their radio stations. He described the effort this way: “We believe the winners will transform from broadcasters to local media companies, driving visitors to digital platforms using the power of radio and generating more revenues on both as a result. The process is called Local Convergence. The model is called the Hometown Driver, and it works with any well-targeted digital platform. The result is more time spent connected rather than just TSL.”

J Chapman explained how they fulfill their mission of being “our customer’s best marketing partner.” He talked about the digital opportunity as Maverick Media sees it, and detailed the technology they are using to serve their customer. He said that while they are doing 8% of their revenue in pure digital, not exchanged for radio dollars, they expect it to grow significantly in the future. The key is to keep focused on the customer’s needs to take advantage of the digital opportunities in their market.

Jim Brewer Sr. discussed how they have created many “dot coms” to exploit opportunities in Chattanooga. He outlined the full array of digital offerings focused on needs in the community. ChattanoogaHasCars.com, and ChattanoogaHasFun.com are just two examples. Jim was quite candid about both the successes and the challenges they have faced with all of their varied digital assets.

You will find each presentation packed with street level evidence of success in broadening the radio business into the multi platform world of digital.

Go to Future of Radio Online then click on the name of the presenter to access their video. After you have viewed these presentations, please give us feedback on their usefulness.

George
Media Services Group

Stephan Sloan: "There are now more streams than listeners online."

For the last three years, Jim Hooker has invited a group of broadcasters, brokers, researchers and consultants to Hilton Head Island for a discussion on the future of radio. I am pleased to have worked with Jim in putting together the group. Each year has yielded a lot of forward thinking about the radio industry.

One of my partners at Media Services Group, Stephan Sloan, has been a participant in the meetings, and this year made a presentation about streaming. He told the group that in 2007, half of all Internet listening was being done to 81 of 10,000 streams. In 2011, the data shows that half of all listening will be done to 161 streams, but there are now more streams than there are people listening to the Internet.

Stephan also addressed the relationship of retail sales to radio revenue, which he’s been tracking since 1980. In 2000, at the peak of the business, radio was doing over .6% of retail sales in revenue. In 2010 it was only .34%, and the forecast is almost flat going out to 2013.

For additional information about the conference and Stephan's remarks, click PRESS RELEASE. For a look at Stephan's presentation on video, click VIDEO.

George
Media Services Group