There’s a computer software term known as “dogfooding” that is something that every radio station in America that streams ought to engage in – now.
The phrase, “eat your own dogfood,” refers to an activity that radio’s programmers, managers, and digital staffers rarely engage in.
Here’s a real-life example of “dogfooding” that I found fascinating: Recently Facebook shut off its website to its own employees.
Why? Because it forced them to use the Facebook mobile app when engaging on their own platform. And that process is how you truly participate in the user experience, standing in the consumer’s shoes – or at least holding her smartphone.
At SXSW, Facebook Product Manager Josh Williams talked about why he blocked some employees’ access to Facebook.com:
“To be honest, a couple of weeks ago, myself and a number of other product managers had access to our website internally shut off. Basically it forced us to use only mobile devices for a week … It forced us to say, “Hey, we have these features that exist in one place but not in another, and we have to remedy.”
According to the blog, AllFacebook, the company has done this before. Back in November, they encouraged employees to replace their iPhones with Android handsets in order to determine new ways to improve the UX on these devices.
So what’s the digital application for radio?
Every station in America ought to dogfood its own stream for a week. (Actually, a day or two is probably all that’s necessary.) That is, don’t allow key content managers (the PD, etc.) to listen to their stations on regular radios. Instead, all monitoring should take place on streaming devices in order to experience the stream the way their audience does.
If that exercise wouldn’t improve the SX – or streaming experience – I don’t know what would.
And when that’s over, do the same with your app, or spend solitary time with your station on aggregated apps like iHeartRadio and TuneIn.
We can learn from the tech industry and their software development process in order to create a great user experience.
It’s time for radio to start eating its own dogfood.
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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One of the best experiences I had in radio happened years ago when the consultants came to town. Several of us from the station, brought the day’s newspapers, copies of the logs, playlist and a cheap little transistor radio and listened intently monitoring the station from the morning show onward. What an eye opener! How local was the show? How relevant were the jocks? How good was the music? Pacing and flow? The list goes on …. Later in life when I taught broadcasting, I had students do this with me from 5:00 AM onwards. We did it together and then they split into groups to “measure” the various stations in town. The exercise was so good that broadcasters in town were itching to get the material. We never gave it out. Years later … I hear from students, now PDs, who, long after they graduated, still remember the exercise and use variations on their own stations.
Thanks for the reminder about how basic monitoring is so essential. As a PD, I did some of my best work while driving, experiencing the station while cruising around the streets of Detroit. There is no substitute. Too often, programmers get so caught up in meetings and other obligations they don’t have an opportunity to really hear their stations.
I also remember the first time I was in a professional recording studio. While the studio monitors on the wall were the best speakers you could by, the producers always played the final mix over tinny, 3″ speakers to simulate the way that many consumers would hear the music – at that time, on AM radio.
Thanks again for sharing your experiences, and for reading our blog.
No, no, no! Please don’t let PDs listen to their streams. They’ll want to take off the endless “McGruff the Crime Dog” PSAs. They’ll want to cover PSA pods with content like morning show bits, additional music or local information. Please! I’ve really grown fond of McGruff.
Ed, ya think? Thanks for helping me hammer this home. 🙂
This is great. I’m going to recommend this to sports programming @ siriusxm. Imaging personnel, as well, could get a lot out of this. Thanks Fred!
Hmmm…helping satellite radio was never the idea here…
Seriously, Matt, thanks for checking in. Much appreciated.