This morning, I’m honored to take the stage at the NAB/RAB Radio Show with fellow consultant Alan Burns and KSWD programming guru (and former Jacobs 
Media consultant) Dave Beasing in what should be a great session: “Dashboard Disruption.” Its sub-title suggests that a key part of this presentation will be focused on the question, “How can local radio stay strong in the car?”
And that IS the dilemma. As we’ve learned from our first two DASH Conferences, the car dealership may be more important than those corner office suites in Dearborn, Auburn Hills, and downtown Detroit .
To a great degree, dealerships in every city or town of size in North America are where media buying decisions are being made, and where consumers are hopefully learning how to tune in their favorite AM/FM radio stations on their often complicated new vehicle dashboards.
My segment in this presentation, in fact, focused on the dealership dilemma. It includes several video interviews conducted among dealership presidents and owners, car salespeople, and trainers, as well as the head of a state dealership group.
And as was the case back at the 2013 Radio Show when I was honored to co-keynote a super-session, “Radio & The Connected C
ar,” with Strategy Analytics’ Roger Lanctot, that presentation turned out to be the appetizer for the very first DASH Conference.
I suspect the same will be true this year, so if you’re in Atlanta, attend our session at 11:15 in Marquis A. It will give you a good taste of where the DASH Conference is headed this year and why it’s essential to the radio broadcasting industry.. At DASH, we’re covering the dealership experience from A to Z.
One of our key panelists is Chris Carlton (right), President of Liquidus. Chris’ company identifies the digital co-op dealers allocated to car dealers. They then work with radio clients to create digital solutions to capture that ad spend. This is a key for radio to generate revenue that is gravitating away from spots and toward digital.
In another session at DASH, a former CBS Radio salesperson-turned head of the Chicagoland Chevrolet dealers, 
Mike Hillstrom (left), will share what he’s learned from being on both sides of the street. His company understands radio, and their innovative “Influencers” program creates deep partnerships between local radio personalities and auto dealer groups. And it sells cars.
This is a critical moment for radio’s continued presence in the car and for your station’s relationships with local auto dealers. As we’ve learned in our Techsurveys, three-fourths of consumers rarely, if ever, change the presets or settings on their car radios or systems.
Radio needs presence at that point of delivery. Dealer salespeople and trainers consistently tell us that the first thing consumers ask about is how to pair their phones, followed by other “bright shiny objects” like satellite radio and Pandora. The radio? Not so much. As a result, the industry’s presence in new car showrooms and service departments can be virtually non-existent at a critical moment in this important process.
We get it.
And so does Pandora. They’re also presenting at DASH, and that’s where attendees will gain insight into their aggressive dealership program. More on that in the coming days.
It was at that Radio Show in Orlando 24 months ago where I first addressed the importance of car dealers to the radio broadcasting industry. The connection between local radio and hometown car dealers is too important to miss. Yet, many radio companies are well behind the curve.
We hope you can join us for DASH, a great chance to learn, strategize, and act. Aside from brands like GM, Ford, Toyota and others mega-names in the auto space, more radio’s CEOs will be in attendance at DASH than any year since this conference began. That should tell you just how important the car, the dashboard, and dealerships are becoming to the radio business.
I hope to see you today in Atlanta. And in November in Detroit at DASH.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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I would love to be there… But I can’t. Maybe there are some podcasts? 🙂