Addressing Radio's "PR Problem"

    • 993 posts
    August 14, 2014 9:06 PM PDT

    Several months ago, our friend Blaine Parker wrote about Radio's need to differentiate and distinguish itself in today's media landscape, promoting its continued relevance through a global branding campaign, which prompted a Friday Poll question:  "What Should Radio's Brand Be?"

    Just a few hours ago, Radio INK publisher Eric Rhoads, writing about Disney's decision to dump its AM and FM properties in view of declining listenership to them, added his voice to Blaine's, contending that Radio needs some serious PR help, and needs it now.  He wrote:

        This event is just another continuing part of radio's ongoing PR problem. Yet nothing, it seems, is being done. No giant PR firm is making radio appear hip and relevant in this digital era, no campaigns are reinforcing radio's story. Instead, many advertisers and business owners are are being told and believing that radio is dying.

        Radio needs a giant PR and ad budget now. It needs to be handled by a major New York advertising conglomerate and it cannot be about using radio to promote radio. We always default to that alternative, yet we need to own the press, not just the airwaves. It needs to hail radio's relevance and find powerful stories that are believable and third-party research not related to any radio company or radio research company that builds credibility for its case. And it needs a giant team that is out meeting and promoting radio in a relevant fashion. Rather than trimming the RAB budget, the industry needs to increase it. Radio has a very capable leader in Erica Farber who needs to be empowered to take on this PR nightmare by directing the world's leading ad and PR professionals in a massive radio relevance campaign. I once heard that Pandora was spending $18 million on PR and yet the entire RAB operating budget is a fraction of this, and there is probably zero devoted to PR.

    So, what do you think?  Are these guys over-reacting, or does Radio need an industry-wide-PR-shot-in-the-arm?  And if so, who ought to be leading the charge?

     

     

     

     


    This post was edited by Rod Schwartz at March 5, 2024 11:43 AM PST
    • 30 posts
    August 15, 2014 9:01 AM PDT

    Rod and colleagues...

     

    First, a PR jump start is probably not a bad idea and I agree with Eric that Erica Farber should be on point.  Is the Disney sale indicative of the future?   I propose that is a question of logistics.  Disney World Wide has made reductions across all levels of their companies for the last couple of years.  The rest can be backfilled by this Disney board of directors.

    In the meantime, I have a new client proposal to pitch.

    Have great weekend everyone!

    George Feola

    • 39 posts
    August 15, 2014 9:56 AM PDT

    While this is a significant event, I'm not ready to say the sky is falling. Given Disney's younger audience, I'm not sure radio was the best fit to begin with. If the now "for sale" stations sit vacant for an extended length of time, perhaps we have more to worry about than I think. But if they're purchased, aimed at a big chunk of the 92% of America that listens to radio every week (like folks old enough to drive), and begin generate revenue, I think that will be a good sign.

  • August 15, 2014 10:50 AM PDT

    Back in the mid to late 80's I was a Regional Director of the RAB. For the purpose of marketing Radio to non and light users of the median I lobbied to position Radio thusly: SHARE OF MIND = SHARE OF BUSINESS! At that time it was Radio's statistical advantage. My concept was rejected. Today, for a multitude of reasons, Radio can not make that claim. The problem with Eric's idea has more to do with the the RAB, Radio's owners, and the nature of the Radio industry itself. FACT: Erica Farber may be the best thing that has happened to RAB since the Presidency of Kevin Sweeney in the early 60's, but getting the Board and its membership to change course in mid stream is not going to happen. FACT: Since Reagan, Clinton, the NAB and FCC drove Radio to deregulation to consolidation to Wall Street, Radio's corporate owners are more invested in the ROI of its large to major markets interests than serving the interests of the Radio industry. FACT: Radio is a cash flow driven business whose owners--many to most of which have greater commitment to increasing their share price than to their commitment to the Radio industry. If they're unwilling to invest in the proper training (a marketing

    education) of their own salespeople, what chance do you think they will be willing to invest in the proper selling of Radio as an advertising medium? The best thing Radio can do for is survival would be to initiate a massive effort to get the national chain stores into Radio (they own America)--an effort that would help Radio in every size market. That would take

    insight full leadership. FACT:  The Radio industry today is Leader-less.

    • 58 posts
    August 15, 2014 11:24 AM PDT

    Great news!! Disney out of the radio business!! One big box down many more to go. I hope  enterprising entrepreneurs can get their hands on the stations on the cheap. Radio doesn't need a PR campaign, radio needs new people to own stations. Hopefully the cost of a station will be low enough that a young entrepreneur can delivery a knock punch to the big box radio companies. The station doesn't have to be the P-1 just a good local alternative at a much lower spot rate. Radio needs new blood!! Not a PR campaign!! People that think outside of the corporate box. Let's hope young new independent entrepreneurs get a chance. Radio needs to be locally owned. Economy of scale doesn't provide good radio.A locally owned station takes up the same space on the dial as a big box station. Good, smart radio people are every where they need a chance to compete. No money needs to be spent on a PR campaign. The explanation above: big box ad company for big box radio-wrong. Smart local companies providing a PICON station at a spot cost that local merchants can get a good ROI. Will it happen probably not. 

    • 83 posts
    August 15, 2014 11:42 AM PDT

    Well, AM radio is going away-sorry, but it's just not a viable medium anymore.  There are a few exceptions, of course, but even big-market AM's are now duplicating their programming on FM.   BUT... FM radio is still heard by a lot of peoplec but radio owners in all size markets need to learn how to adapt to a digital world.  No amount of "PR" can stop the technology-change train.  So no, I dont' think Eric Rhodes is over-reacting.  But I never could figure out why Disney had some many AM stations in the first place.

    With cash flow the way it is in many places, radio station marketing budgets have all but disappeared-sad!  Stations need to PROMOTE themselves with billboards, TV, visable sales promotions, on-location broadcasts, and live and local personalities.  Make radio fun again, and the vitality of our business will flourish.

    • 455 posts
    August 18, 2014 8:56 AM PDT

    A national campaign is a good idea but it is really up to each station owner to make a decision to market their stations or tell their story. Very few do.

    I've always felt it would be ad great idea for the best sales person on the team to do an in depth CNA with station owners/manager and develop a plan for success just like you would with a client.

    • 993 posts
    August 18, 2014 12:52 PM PDT

    Jack,

    A brilliant insight and suggestion (your second paragraph).  We're so good at helping others see the bigger picture and develop a plan, but when it comes to doing the same thing for ourselves, not so much.   Some stations hire advertising agencies to help in this area, but why couldn't it be done in-house with a focused approach, maybe a collaboration between the salesperson and a copywriter.

    Meanwhile, the RAB's "Radio Gets Results" campaign from the late 1990's was as close to an industry-wide initiative as I've ever seen, but it ended up on the shelf after a few years, rather than being sustained and refreshed.  We could take a page from the playbook used by our Australian radio brethren, who have over the years put together a formidable series of pro-radio spots

    .

    • 11 posts
    August 20, 2014 12:03 PM PDT

    Rod, I don't have many recommendations from an on-air branding point of view, except to stress that we're "local." The good news is that any audio we could produce for campaigns would be top-quality because that's what we do best. But, I sure do get fired up on the sales side of radio's PR and brand positioning. I can not think of any B2B sales and marketing industry that does a worse job than radio when it comes to the sales materials we put in front of agencies and advertisers.

    Other media do have a distinct advantage because they all have (professional) graphic designers on staff to produce sales materials. And that doesn't mean just a $30k sales assistant/graphic designer, but real designers who can not only produce agency-quality materials, but also work in an environment with other designers that are always upping their game.

    Any advances we could make in our on-air PR brand is squashed once agencies and buyers look at our media kits and sales presentations. When I was a DOS, we took sales from $3.8 to $6-million in 24-months. And the #1 reason why that happened is because our sales branding was agency-quality. The more professional your sales/marketing brand, the more respect you get and the bigger your deals become.

    Gregg's Bio | Inbound. Digital. Design. Marketing Junkie. '80s Moonwalker. I create advertisers for radio stations. | Creator of The Award-Winning Radio Sales Website.