It Doesn't Matter What Radio Does Now

Pick any radio trade publication. Chances are great that you'll find a) mention of iHeartRadio; 2) articles on Pandora or any of the largest music services; 3) stations being sold & bought; 4) hirings & firings. What won't be found are articles on the improvements of content, ad creation, response metrics, or how to collate data from online visits.

"Then, there's the dashboard 'center-stack' - today's buzzword. Deepending on the publication you'll read it's no problem, a big problem, or something that doesn't concern radio executives."

This is a mouthful, but it needs to be said: Besides accolades for the "NextRadio chip," suggestions on using Facebook (despite its abysmal organic reach to "friends"), and claims of radio's deep dive into digital, radio trade publications have an absence of reports on the public's acceptance of the NextRadio chip, data on Facebook's effort-to-response ratio, and explanations of testing ad copy for improving response.

Then, there's the dashboard "center-stack" - today's buzzword. Depending on the publication, you'll read it's either no problem, a big problem, or something that doesn't concern radio executives.

Anyone who has been following this topic closely knows digital media is far in front of its broadcast cousins. Media buyers prefer calculating ROI to guessing if their money is wisely spent, resulting in dollars shifting to digital. The youth-audience shift to "give me what I want when I want" is farther along than you'll read in a radio trade, too.

Digital's snowball is growing, and radio has fallen from being bigger than life to just another choice.

We're into the 4th quarter of 2014. Revenue projections are due for Q3 and all indications are to brace for weak performance - again.

You'll read reasons, many reasons why: But the truth is that options for audio have grown so fast, and been accepted by so many, that with a changed vehicle center-stack (and continued dwindling of resources to create quality audio content) nothing can/will be done in broadcast radio to make it popular with youth. "Cool" will not be reclaimed.

Audience fragmentation will win every time, and building advertiser curiosity about accurate response metrics will move even more money to digital.

Broadcasters will continue to read their trade publications, because they are all that give hope in a changed world.

It doesn't matter what radio does now.

Broadcast radio is just one of a dozen audio choices. It no longer stands out as bigger than life, or in the middle of a dashboard.








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