Inside Music MediaJerry Del Colliano

Independent stations will soon be faced with programmatic buying either from competitors or their rep firm, if that rep is iHeart-owned Katz, or both.

Programmatic buying is the dream of debt-ridden consolidators because they can eliminate sales commissions and lower costs.

But independent operators know that long-term ad contracts at accretive prices are based on long-term relationships.

It’s the smaller, independent, regional or local operator who is always looking for new ways to enhance relationship selling not eliminate it.

My Media Solutions Conference focusing on radio is for independent broadcasters who find themselves competing with even more consolidation.

Let’s face it we not only have iHeart and Cumulus but now a merged Entercom and CBS with someone likely to merge with Cumulus. 

The big are getting bigger but not better for the way independent stations operate.

While consolidators and reps like Katz are busy trying to change what works for their financial situation, I thought you would want to learn a program that works now only at independent stations that propel them to greater revenue growth.

Ways to make your advertisers buy more and deeper.

To set yourself up as the first stop in your market for all ad buys by testing their copy and helping produce their ads using knowledge we have gleaned about how audiences respond best to commercials.

Virtually eliminate advertiser churn.

A presentation so good, so thorough and with so many resources on which to follow up that you will have another weapon against the negative selling of consolidated competitors.

This conference is for the independent operator and your key people.

The following things are currently trending in radio and here’s how independent broadcasters can take advantage of them.

14 Key Strategies for Independent Radio Stations

1. Reducing High Advertiser Churn – The proven sales program MoreFM, Philadelphia uses to keep advertisers renewing at high rates and premium prices.
2. Combatting Competitors Who Cut Rates – Strategies to deal with too many bonus spots, perks to agencies, digital content add-ons and additional costly promotions.  Defense against remnant agencies stealing local and regional business for pennies on the dollar.
3. Attracting Millennial Listeners – Specifically what this 86 million strong 18-34 money demo wants from radio.  Bonus:  what Gen Xers and Baby Boomers want. 
4. Rebuilding Eroding Radio Audiences – Changes in hiring air talent, how to talk to listeners differently, music rotations, handling commercials, updating radio to be cool again in the minds of listeners.
5. The Morning Show of the Future – The prototype of the new “morning man”.  A more authentic way to do premium-priced commercials.  A must-have feature more addictive than traffic or weather.  The one thing every station leaves out of mornings that in-demo listeners really want. 
6. Eliminating the 3 Biggest Listener Objections to Radio – How to fix too many commercials, outdated morning shows and ending repetition that turns listeners off. 
7. Longer Listening – TSL down every year since 1990.  New solutions for spot placement.  Commercial-free music sweeps.  Music rotation.  Talk vs. music.  The one promotion that will stretch TSL.
8. Dealing with Too Many Commercials – New thinking on how to schedule all those shorter spots stations are running.  The best placement.  Alternative placements in highly competitive situations.  Best place in the hour to schedule them (PPM and non-PPM strategies).
9. How to Program to Shorter Attention Spans – The cure for the epidemic of listeners who won’t listen to a song all the way through --- even one that they love.  What’s the right mix of chatter?  Music sweeps.  Commercial placement. 
10. Music Discovery -- How to add the new music young audiences now expect.  How that affects hit rotation.  The science behind mixes.
11. Digital That Makes Money –- Short-form video revenue. Subscription income from P1s.  Product placement.  Prepare for the next big thing:  SnapChat. 
12. Creating Fresh, New Formats – A new music format and an innovative spoken word format.  How to get ahead of this trend:  weekend talk shows for music stations.
13. Great New Options for AM Radio – What’s next after conservative talk.  A Millennial AM station?  Seriously?
14. Podcasting – As a revenue producer.  Or a station placeholder.  The #1 podcast in the iTunes Store is an on-air radio show.  Does podcasting erode on-air audiences?  Selling them for profit.

Conference Details

• The conference starts at 8am with registration and complimentary breakfast.  
• The program begins at 9 am and breaks at 12 noon for complimentary lunch.
• All breaks are included in our day together.
• The program ends at 4 pm.
• The Radio Solutions Conference is not available by stream or video.
• Additional faculty contributing to this one-day seminar:  MoreFM Chairman Jerry Lee, Millennial expert & author Morley Winograd and broadcaster turned podcaster Steven Goldstein.

How to Register

There is currently a $200 discount

Register

Some companies attend with key associates and special rates are available.

Inquire about group rates