Media Mentions

"Interactive Execs Give The Big Picture On Radio & Digital"
Radio Ink, 3.11.08

SAN JOSE — At the "Radio Groups: Their Collective Online Strategy" session that closed out Radio Ink two-day Convergence conference at the Dolce Hayes Mansion in San Jose, moderator Entercom SVP/Digital Division Sandy Smallens led a detailed look into the digital strategies of the panelists' companies.

Clear Channel Online Music & Radio VP/Content Marketing Paul Miraldi talked about the division's approach to programming online, saying CC hires "online program directors" who are "on the same playing field as the other program directors in the building." These PDs, he said, take charge of site content, making the experience "seamless between on-air and online."

Smallens asked about the background of the most successful online PDs, and Miraldi responded, "Honestly, it's the ones who come from outside of radio." CBS Radio Digital Media Group VP/Operations Andrew Lindenauer agreed, saying it's more important that the site producer "love the content they're producing" than have a radio or technical background.

Smallens said flatly, "Technical skills are irrelevant for an online program director." If they can use a keyboard and open a browser, he said, "They're probably OK."

Emmis Interactive co-President Rey Mena called his division "a software company," saying the technology Emmis uses online is put together in house, both for the sake of maintaining control and to avoid, he said, "what we calll the 'bolt-on effect,' where we bolt on stuff from different vendors."

The corporate designers are able, he said, to make things simple for user on the station side, where "They don't have to worry about the technology side. We do that." At stations, he said, the responsibilities are for content -- and monetization. "We're not in the hobby business," Mena said.

At Entercom, Smallens said, the company chooses to use "best of breed" products from vendors, though it does do some programming in house, depending on the goals. Lindenauer said his group has outsourced some things, like its content management system, but built its own streaming media player. "We build what we can do well," he said,' and outsource what we can get that's good."

Looking at radio's new competition, Smallens asked the panel, "What will make the terrestrial brand stand out?" Lindenauer began by noting, "Online streaming is just growing exponentially," saying that CBS is looking toward the day when it has more listening online than over the air -- which may come, he said, "pretty quickly."

In light of that, he said CBS Radio's recent deal to take over AOL Radio's stations, adding its 150-plus streams to its own platform, was "a home run for us." He showed the redesigned CBS Radio media player, which allows users to navigate freely among CBS and AOL streams, and said the deal "will double our listening traffic, probably overnight" -- and doubles inventory, at a minimum.

Turning to sales, Smallens asked what percentage of CBS Radio's streaming inventory is sold every month. Lindenauer said, "If I knew the answer, I would tell you," but pointed out that he's not directly involved in sales. Smallens joked, "I can tell you, mine is less than 100." Miraldi said CC's inventory is not sold out either, but said, "There's a lot of upside." He said, "We look at streaming as another daypart" for advertisers.

Smallens said he believes there is a place for programming-related social networking in radio, saying he's seen Entercom talent with great, robust MySpace pages. Mena noted, "We're not going to replace Facebook," but said, "The issue is what we can do on our sites, and how do we tap in to the dynamics of social networking and tie that all together." Mena showed some Emmis efforts, including a "Pimp My Grill" contest, with a dentist supplying first prize, and the popular themed playlists offered by Classic Rock WLUP/Chicago.

Looking at the details of metrics and accountability Smallens asked Mena who stays on top of the analytics at Emmis' stations. Mena said it depends on the size of the staiton, but keeping track is often the marketing director's job. "There's an education process that has to take place on the marketing and programming side," he said, "because we're not used to real-time feedback."

Lindenauer said CBS stations are monitored each month to track progress toward their year-end goals, and Miraldi said Clear Channel Online Music & Radio works with stations to set goals as well. Clear Channel, he said, creates a "very competitive environment," with daily reports on unique site visitors.

Asked for brief advice for starting an online strategy, Miraldi said, "Online cannot be looked at as an initiative." Rather, he said, "It has to be part of the fabric of a radio station."

Lindenauer said, "Everything is about driving traffic. Without that, you can't do anything else." Mena reiterated, "If you want a business, you've got to treat it like a business. Otherwise, you'll end up with a hobby."