New Media takes center stage at fall NAB Radio Show

In Philadelphia, the NAB Radio Show kicked off Wednesday with a line-up of panels that were heavy on new media content, including “How to use Twitter to increase your station’s ratings & Revenue.” The panel speaker, radio talent coach Dan O’Day, told attendees to “Stop thinking ‘How do I manipulate listeners,’ but rather ‘How do I engage listeners.‘” He added that Twitter should be one part of a station’s overall “multi-channel strategy,” which should also include blogging, Facebook and MySpace pages. And O'Day said that broadcasters should “figure out what you want your Twitter page to accomplish…and then never, ever Tweet anything that doesn’t further that goal.” Read more on O’Day’s thoughts about Twitter from the panel.

Jacksonville's "New Rock Alternative" X102.9 replaces 80s-based Point

Cox Radio GM David Isreal says “the station will play modern rock and primarily target 18-29 males.” It launches with extensive online presences at MySpace, Facebook and Twitter and first hit the air at 5;55am this morning. X102.9 succeeds 80s-focused “Point” WMXQ, whose recent four-book trend in Arbitron is 2.8-2.7-2.2-1.6. WMXQ, a full Class C licensed to Jacksonville, Florida, is the onetime WIVY, and it’s carried the WMXQ calls since 1997, when it was an AC station. The North Florida board at Radio-Info is talking over the attack on Clear Channel’s modern rock/Lex & Terry “Planet Radio” WPLA at 107.3 – that’s here.

Saturday Music News: Trent Tomlinson, Jimmy Wayne

• Lyric Street artist Trent Tomlinson will release a three-song digital exclusive EP, “A Guy Like Me,” on Monday (Nov. 23). The project features the previously unreleased tracks “That’s How It Still Ought To Be” and “Henry Cartwright’s Produce Stand,” plus Tomlinson’s new single, “Angels Like Her.” The EP will be available for download at all online music stores beginning Monday.

Repetition, Redundancy, and Social Media

One of the real powerful aspects of social media is that it creates so many more touchpoints between a radio station and its listeners. In the old days, there were just a few—the live interaction at events, the telephone, postal mail, and the actual broadcast itself. Today, you can add Twitter feeds, blogs, email, RSS feeds, Facebook updates, text messaging, and even things like embedded video or other content around the web. While this ability to connect with the listener on so many new levels is powerful, it also requires a greater attention to things that we never would have considered a problem: Overdelivering a message or delivering via the wrong method.

Facebook Strategy, Facebook Tragedy

This column is about Facebook, but it isn’t necessarily about social media. The concept of tying into your station’s social graph and leveraging sites and tools like Facebook and Twitter is important, but that is different than what I want to address here, which is the propensity of radio to use Facebook as a replacement for their own website. We’ve all seen it: Radio stations utilizing Youtube as the video engine on their website or utilizing Facebook to deliver photos, videos, and commentary to their listeners. Let me be blunt: This is all wrong, and the reason is simple: Content and the associated social discussion that originates from the station belongs on your own site. It belongs there because it is your brand, not Facebook’s, and your site is where you can best control how it looks, is delivered, and is monetized. It is your content, and the audience expectation should be that your site is where to find it.

Social Media Marketing In Action

Few things have gotten more press over the past twelve months than Facebook, Twitter, and all of social media. Media companies have been aggressive about staking out a position at all of these locations. This is smart because you can’t participate in social media if you’re brand isn’t willing to go out and be social. A problem I often see, however, is that while the strategy is sound and radio has the best intentions, execution leaves a lot to be desired. With social media that lack of execution generally manifests itself in a focus on the “media” and not the “social.”