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News From Audio Graphics:
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Why Radio Industry Contests Go Bust |
We're not going to labor over the water-drinking contest fiasco that's swallowing Entercom's KDND.
A woman died, the company is distraught (along with the woman's family), and lawyers have been called in.
Guess where this will end up and you'll win a....
Contests (or promotions) are supposed to drive excitement which moves to the sponsoring station's image by osmosis. This generates interest that pushes larger audiences. At least the concept of contesting in the radio industry is supposed to work this way.
But, radio has gotten the first part of the above wrong. Instead of driving "excitement," radio contests are designed to generate notoriety. Need a few examples?
1) Canton Ohio's Q92 produced a contest that had its audience
singing songs "as if they have mental retardation," and listeners
tried to guess the song to win a prize.
2) Opie & Anothony - St. Patrick's Cathedral
(Or, how about their "shower bus" promotion?)
3) Bubba (Do I have to mention this one?)
4) The “Jersey Guys,” insulting Edison, NJ Mayor Jun H. Choi,
Senate President Dick Codey, and Governor Jon Corzine.
5) WQHT Hot 97.1 - Tsunami song
...and this list could continue if not for the completely non-memorable names of either the contests, programs, stations, or personalities who have been allowed to pull these antics. "Allowed?" you may ask. Yes, by management.
Only twice in the past year have I been exposed to headlines blazing positive words about stations:
KKLZ's attempt at promoting a decision by Las Vegas politicians to stop feeding the homeless in its parks (and KKLZ's attempt at righting this bad choice), and Hot 96.3 sponsoring an Indianapolis anti-violence forum.
It's tragic how a media with so much power to persuade, so deep a reach to inform, and such a history of community action is now being played as a bumbling idiot that just can't seem to get it right.
Creating a contest that attracts attention is not easy, nothing worthwhile is. But building a contest that attracts the wrong kind of attention seems to be fairly easy, and common, within the radio industry.
In the case of KDND, 10 people were fired. I'm wondering if this action included ALL persons who gave the go-ahead on this drink-till-you-burst contest, all the way up to regional directors and, especially, the person who named the contest! ("Hold your wee for a Wii!" Was there nobody involved in creating this idea who questioned their own level of integrity in allowing it to proceed as named, if at all?)
Perhaps, because it has thrown away the desire to spend money on elements required to gather attention and started concentrating on ways to generate notoriety inexpensively (one Cleveland station has a daily contest titled "Name The Whore"), radio's image is destined to continue spiraling downward.
I see radio destroying itself - and not allowing anyone to corner it for intervention. For me, it's like watching a family member who is alcoholic and can't be reached.
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Comments may be published.
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From: Ed
Nice choice using the word "osmosis" in an article about a women
who died by overhydration!
From: Eric J
As much as I hate to say this these "contests" -for better or worse- also
generate headlines and water cooler talk also known as free advertising.
But any time anybody is hurt it goes way over the line and as far as I'm
concerend this station should face the same penalty as it's victim-permenant
dead air. Is Entercom so worried about corporate profit that saftey takes
a back seat?
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