In the next three years the competition will get even stiffer for your listener’s attention. The reality now is that the majority of your users come from car listening. I know of very few 18 – 40 year old friends who listen to radio anywhere except in the car. I don’t care what research you may have that says otherwise. What people say they do and what they really do are not the same. People say they’re worried about global warming and yet they drive around in a big gas guzzling SUV. They say that money isn’t their God, yet they work all the hours. They say they want to be fit but they don’t do any exercise. They say they listen all the time and yet they only turn you on during commutes.
WIMAX and similar delivery device are changing the existing paradigm yet again. Now instead of me, listening XFM London and The Woody Show from San Francisco at home on my computer, I’ll be listening to these favorite offerings anywhere! It doesn’t matter if it’s on my mobile phone’s in a dashboard cradle, blue tooth device in my pocket or the myriad of WIMAX radios that will be in many cars by 2010.
Here’s several points:
Now you’re competing against the world in cars as well. Your content better be pretty compelling or people will start to notice yours and many stations have similar rhythm, timing and patterns from city to city. In effect nothing special.
Listeners may choose something other than the professional broadcast offerings. Now that kid in Fargo, with a low budget investment can broadcast just like the big boys. He may not be as experienced… but he might be more interesting.
Localism will never be more important for your local listeners as well as those from outside your market looking for a little taste of your town. True localism may help you attract local revenue streams that could make up for national dollars that are migrating elsewhere.
The days of broadcasting may be over. Because the choices will be so vast over a wide spectrum you may have to narrowcast your content a bit more. If you offer the best of the 80s, 90, and now you may have to whittle your offerings down. If listeners are in the mood for the 80s they’ll go to that specific offering. There’s hundreds of offering available now in this niche and many, many others.
Précis
Even though your main concern is still local ratings and a revenue base to support it; the way you’ll be used will change even more dramatically in everyone’s near future. Being one of those CHRs, AC, Alternative, Active Rock, Hip Hop, Country, whatever stations will not cut it soon enough. You’re going to have to deviate from the normal boiler plate and create new rhythms, timings, textures and content that feels like your own. Add that to being known for sounding like what your town looks like. It’s a tall order. Resources, money and manpower are tight and only getting tighter. I still think you can do it… get busy.
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