Inside Music MediaJerry Del Colliano

The company that now does PPM ratings which records listening that occurs by accident when meters randomly pick up an encoded radio signal is now weighing in on Millennials.

Millennials, an audience that clearly has no use for what consolidators put on the radio these days.

But the big consolidators are paying Nielsen hundreds of millions of dollars to report audience estimates that the company itself admits in a legal statement are not reliable.

Here’s what else is not reliable.

That Gen Y has not abandoned radio.

Maybe they’re paying some meter wearers to walk around and pick up encoded radio signals but no self-respecting Millennial is listening to broadcast radio.

Ask them.

So when Nielsen says Gen Y spends 11.5 hours listening to over the air radio you’re going to have to take it on their good looks.

Go ahead believe it if that works for you, but it isn’t anywhere near true.

Go find Millennials who actually know the name of a radio station they like.

Or anything that might be on that station.

Millennials have iPods, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube (the hit music station for today’s teens) and hard drives programmed with their own music.

And have you listened to a talk station lately?

These kids are not interested in Michael Savage’s personal dislike of his competitors or even politics that emphasize confrontation instead of conciliation.

All news radio?

Why?

Millennials have all the news they need in the palm of their hands – they don’t have to give radio news 20 minutes to get the world.

This stuff and things Mark Kassof is saying is self-serving and wrong.

I like Mark.  He’s done some good stuff but lately Kassof has his head up his butt with this one:

 “We’ve heard all the doomsayers. 'Listeners don’t care about radio,' 'Millennials hate radio,' 'Pandora will kill radio as we know it,' etc. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong!"

And you wonder why radio can’t even break even and will never be a growth business again.

But wait.

The locally focused companies, many of which don’t even subscribe to ratings, are posting profits.

Saga for one.

And Hubbard, Bonneville, Cox, smaller regional companies, and independently owned stations.

No ratings.

No bullshit.

Because these local broadcasters know that ratings are an expensive way to have to talk some media buyer into not driving down their spot rate.  When it’s only numbers and not influence, radio stations get beaten up on rate.

More important than ratings or the tripe that is being circulated about how kids like radio is that your new mission is to create influence not emphasize ratings. 

That’s what Jerry Lee does at More FM in Philly.  True, his station is number one but it also outbills everyone else because he spends tons of money to test advertisers commercials and make them work better on the air.  He has a system that no other radio operator uses.

So there’s local radio and everybody else.

The everybody else’s in the industry have their game of monopoly to play where they run up the debt, fire their talented people and rely on Nielsen and others to prop up a dying business.

When I meet with you at my Philly seminar March 26^th, it’s built for local operators who want to do the best radio they can within today’s financial constraints and start a second and separate stream of digital revenue.

Not add-ons or glorified streaming of their signal that costs money and never makes any real money.

New ripe ventures that are worth investigating.

Here are the 7 critical areas we must master this year to remain viable in a changing industry along with the bonus action plans you will receive:

1. Specific ways to disrupt radio and put an end to digital competitors interrupting your station’s revenue stream.
2. Methods to master digital as a second stream of revenue alongside broadcasting.  Things like replacing your website with something better, eliminating podcasts for a product that will actually attract big money advertisers and a cost-effective, easy way to put your brand on every smartphone in your market without having to stream your station.  Just to mention three.
3. The nuts and bolts of starting your own station’s social media network independent from Facebook, Twitter or some other flash in the pan alternative.  From there, how to grow your fan base.
4. A well-defined strategy to change the sound and on-air approach of your radio station at one coordinated time.  You won’t want this to get in the hands of a competitor, for sure.
5. What you need to know about starting your own radio station video business – one that will be unlike anything you’ve ever seen, will not need salespeople to unlock the revenue potential and that will more than make up for any on-air advertising shortfalls you may run into this year.  I’ll show video examples and reveal the winning game plans.
6. From my work as a USC professor in the area of generational media:  the critical Millennial checklist.  This is what I use as my new business bible. You’ll get it.  Four things that the next generation of listeners must have in order to listen to radio in the digital age.  What they want from you.  On-air content you are not giving them that they would love.  A never before aired “contest” that would enthrall them. 
7. Exactly how you can time shift radio and how not to.  Time shifting is the new broadcasting in an increasingly on-demand world.  Failure to embrace time shifting could prematurely make your stations extinct.  But you will have innovative key strategies to get started with.

Jerry Lee will be there to give you the edge in helping advertisers do better so they spend more with you like they do with him in Philly.  He’s even bringing valuable handouts that only you will receive. 

Sean Hannity will join us live not to talk politics but the opportunities ahead for radio with Millennial listeners.  He is doing some impressive work in this area you probably don’t know about. 

Michael Harrison is the most quoted radio person by the consumer press because he sees future trends before most.  Let’s ask him about the future of radio, digital, talk, news and music. 

This event will not be available by stream or video – only live and in person. 

I can’t wait to share my enthusiasm and knowledge with you in Philly March 26^th.

Reserve a seat

Inquire about group rates

Inquire about sponsorships

If you’d like to stay on-site at The Rittenhouse Hotel at special conference rates, there are now two rooms left (two were reserved yesterday afternoon) and 10 others at full rates.  Mention you’ve registered for the “Media Solutions Conference” to get the best room rate available.

Breakfast, lunch and all breaks included.  Starting time: 8am.  Ends 4pm.