A new digital preparedness study shows that most terrestrial radio stations are aware that "involvement in social network marketing or increasing online listening over time and with repeated and proper messaging, terrestrial radio's tune-in occasions are positively impacted." The problem with many stations is that they just can't pull the trigger on digital involvement for one reason or another. The study was done by Bridge Ratings and conducted in May and June 2010. Bridge spoke with 242 general managers and/or market managers in the top 150 radio markets to better understand what's preventing them from being more proactive when it comes to digitally transitioning their businesses. General managers were asked "What is preventing you from having all the digital resources you need? The answers were surprising...
92% give "Budget" as the number one reason they are prevented from going digital. Second at 91% is "Know-how" followed by "Personnel" at 80%. The rest of the reasons preventing their stations from going digital were "Equipment" (69%) and "Software" (67%). Bridge concludes that "The fact that costs and personnel assets to direct and operate digital strategies are the number one and two issues makes sense because they are inextricably tied together. While staffing a digital department ranks as the third obstacle to effectively moving forward more quickly, it is clear by these interviews that traditional radio's executives find themselves between a rock and a hard place. The desire to move faster is there yet the resources are not." I would have added a follow-up question asking the general managers whether or not they've priced-out the costs involved in going digital in order to eliminate the GM's that just believe it can't be done without investigating it...
Bridge did a simultaneous study conducted among 2611 persons ages 12 and older that underscored the urgency related to terrestrial radio's rapid adoption of all things digital. Two findings were quite clear: For the immediate future terrestrial radio should maintain it's weekly listenership penetration and internet radio and social networking show the greatest growth. There's much more in this study that's worth reviewing by going to Bridge Ratings website. One final point: I hope the stations that aren't even considering going digital or who haven't even priced the expense involved will be able to survive. I'm not so sure they will...
Timeline Memories:
1.1960] Vote for me: John F. Kennedy wins the Democratic presidential nomination at the party’s convention in Los Angeles…
2.1967] Race riot: Race-related rioting breaks out in Newark (NJ) with 27 killed in four days of violence…
3.1972] Trading Teams: The owners of the Baltimore Colts (Robert Irsay) and Los Angeles Rams (Carroll Rosenbloom) swap teams. It’s the first and last trade of its kind…
4.1977] Lights Out: A 25-hour blackout hits the New York City area…
5.1978] Canned Iacocca: Lee Iacocca is fired as president of Ford Motor Company by chairman Henry Ford II…
6.1985] Temporary prez: The Constitution’s presidential disability clause is invoked for the first time as President Ronald Reagan transfers power temporarily to VP George H.W. Bush before undergoing surgery for colon cancer…
7.1994] Guilty as charged: Tonya Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, is sentenced to two years in prison for his role in the attack on Harding’s skating rival, Nancy Kerrigan…
8.1998] Tawana bet?: A jury in Poughkeepsie (NY) rules that the Rev. Al Sharpton and two others had defamed a former prosecutor by accusing him of raping Tawana Brawley…
9.2005] Gotcha: Former WorldCom Inc. boss Bernard Ebbers, is sentenced to 25 years in prison for leading the largest corporate fraud in U.S. history…
10.2007] Convicted: Former media mogul Conrad Black is convicted of swindling the Hollinger International newspaper empire he once ran out of millions of dollars. Black is serving a 6-year sentence at a federal prison…
Music Memories:
•1964] #1 on this date: "Rag Doll" - Four Seasons...1975] "Listen To What The Man Said" - McCartney & Wings...1985] "A View To A Kill" - Duran Duran...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Spud Webb (47), Michael Spinks (54), Didi Conn (59), Tony Kornheiser (62), Cheech Marin (64), Roger McGuinn (68), Harrison Ford (68) and Patrick Stewart (70)...
Timeline Countdown: The MLB All-Star Game will be played in Anaheim tonight. The MLB Hall of Fame Induction (Andre Dawson, Whitey Herzog & Doug Harvey) is 12 days away, NFL camps will begin opening in 11 days & the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction is 25 days away...
