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Marketing dollars are at a premium for most radio stations this year. OK, maybe they’re non-existent. That’s why a station’s most powerful weapon is its email database. Today’s blog post is a chemical breakdown of email marketing that even Bill Nye would be proud of. It combines smart science with experience to help any station become proficient. Take good notes.

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As we start a new week in what looks to be a fascinating summer, more and more radio listeners are attending their first concert, sporting event, or radio station promotion in more than one year. There will be much joy to go around, and fans will want to remember these moments with merch that shows they were THERE. And that spells opportunity for stations and shows with loyal followings. I’ve provided some great resources. Hopefully, you’ll lean into the moment.

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The media universe is expanding with new players continuing to enter the scene. To help us visualize this changing landscape, there’s a new map of the media universe that provides eye-opening perspective on how all the platforms fit together and compare in size. Ready to be blown away? I promise It will give you a lot to think about – and talk about – especially as it relates to the radio industry and where its fits into the scheme of things.

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2020 was a tough year on thousands of corporations and businesses. And now a new study from the Havas Group reveals three of every four brands could disappear tomorrow. So, how does your brand ensure it falls in the other 25% – the brands that matter? Fortunately, the research identifies a pathway to success – the topic of today’s blog.

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One of radio’s core strengths is that it’s local. But now big tech brands are vying for a piece of the hometown action. How will radio broadcasters respond to new content challengers that invade their local domains?

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Coming off a very different Memorial Day Weekend from last year, there’s little doubt we’re at a new inflection point – in our lives and in our careers. For radio broadcasters, it could be the moment in time when entire industries will be redefined in what we hope will be a sustainable post-COVID era. Whether you’re in commercial, public, or Christian radio, the remainder of 2021 will be telling. Today’s blog provides thoughts about the way back, as radio crawls from the wreckage of the pandemic to fight another day.

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The biggest generation of car buyers in America? Millennials. And the automakers are rapidly shifting their marketing strategies to digital in order to better connect with these young consumers. The carmakers’ long-time partners in the dashboard – broadcast radio – should be thinking along the same lines.

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Don’t look now, but there’s a new radio station coming to a satellite radio network near you. TikTok Radio is SiriusXM’s newest innovation, and the strategy behind it should be on every radio broadcaster’s radar screen. We take a look under the hood in today’s blog post.

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Matty Siegel’s blow-up (and make-up) last week are reminders of how fragile an on-air career can be. But what if there was a way for air personalities to get a notification – before they utter what could be career-ending words. In the social media, a new trend is heading off offensive moments using Artificial Intelligence to predict those offensive moments. But could it work in radio?

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Many pop culture icons are celebrating their 50th anniversaries in 2021. But none may be more memorable in the annals of pop culture than Marvin Gaye’s haunting anthem, “What’s Going On.” It was a statement about the life and times in America back in 1971. The fact music with a societal message is so absent during our contemporary troubled times says a great deal about the state of the music and radio broadcasting industries.

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Alexa may be the most popular smart speaker voice, but her identity is a mystery. Who is the person behind that voice? Now, an investigative reporter thinks he has found the answer. And given that so many of you who read this blog are audio professionals, I figured YOU would be best qualified to make the call. Give the audio sample a good listen, and then vote. Together, we’ll solve this hi-tech conundrum.

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AI – or Artificial Intelligence – is a rapidly expanding technology that connects us with goods and services we’re apparently compatible with (“If you like this…”). On online dating services, it’s about matching us up with other people. And now a dating app startup is basing its AI engine on music tastes. Is it the “secret sauce” of personal compatibility?

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As fast as radio had to retool and rethink every aspect of its operations last year, 2021 may go down as the beginning of a remarkable period in time.

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Most research shows that contests don’t test very well. Still, most stations still do them – because they work. Now, the state of Ohio has launched the most important contest of the year – one designed to save lives. Today’s blog post looks at why those of us in radio should be carefully watching Ohio’s “weeklies” – the percentage of those who have had the vaccines, as well as new COVID cases. Stay tuned.

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America is turning the corner on the pandemic. Now it’s time to get people back to work. And that could be an effort where broadcast radio plays a huge role. New research reveals radio could provide solutions to the nation’s job crisis. And now, format level data shows us just what those job seekers are listening to.

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If you have a good PD, chances are he or she’s a “control freak.” Programmers thrive on routine, habit, discipline, and seasonal patterns that dictate how people listen to radio throughout the day or the year. But thanks to the pandemic, life has been disrupted. And that requires new sensibilities and different ways of communicating and connecting with audiences. Fourteen months into COVID, and we’re still trying to figure it out.

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If you’ve been avoiding news during much 0f 2021, you’re not alone. It’s an issue being faced by news media outlets across the spectrum. But are consumers truly repelled by the news OR the way it is being presented and produced? A conversation by trusted personalities – your morning show – might be just what the audience wants.

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NPR turned 50 last week. And now that the fun and frivolity are in the past, the hard work of planning the next era of public radio is at hand. And that means attracting a younger, more diverse audience – a heavy lift. But there’s an ambitious plan in place, and it should be of interest to every broadcaster in America, whether they run Geico ads or underwriting announcements for foundations.

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When your morning show or radio stations gets up there in years, it becomes far more challenging to keep it fresh and relevant. That’s the challenge facing Lorne Michaels, executive producer of 46 year-old “Saturday Night Live.” Last weekend, he took a risk by booking industrialist and innovator, Elon Musk. It’s a similar challenge facing your station and your personality show – cutting through and generating buzz.

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Some of audio’s biggest personalities are weighing an important question: cash vs. cume. Podcaster Joe Rogan is the latest to test the tradeoff when he inked an exclusive deal with Spotify last year. But there’s precedence in the name of Howard Stern, and his exit from broadcast to satellite radio in 2006. Does moving to a smaller platform translate to a loss of relevance. Today’s blog post have the numbers.

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