Television has always been better than radio at recycling, repurposing, and repackaging its best content. From reruns to syndication to the now unavoidable cable channel marathons, every show airs a multitude of times, creating lasting value for producers and networks.
Radio has always struggled with this challenge. We create great content on a daily basis, yet most of the time it goes from the studio to the transmitter and out into the ether, never to be heard again.
That’s why it caught our attention when Inside Radio recently wrote about CBS Radio’s Minimations program where animators create cartoon visuals to accompany some of the best interviews and other content being created by the company’s radio stations. Never heard of this technique? It’s a fascinating reinterpretation of radio content through the eyes of artists who can bring a whole new experience to audio bits.
And while radio is, in fact, “theater of the mind,” these animated bites are very visual, stimulating, clever, and allow the consumer to see audio content in a whole new way. For this week’s edition of Radio’s Most Innovative, we asked Adam Wiener, SVP of Content Community & Operations, CBS Local Digital, to tell us more about how the program works and how CBS uses and programs the finished products.
JM: Where did the idea to animate radio bits and interviews originate?
AW: We realized that we were sitting on a wealth of content from our various stations and brands. Hundreds of interviews with legendary artists like David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and many others that were sitting in our vaults just waiting to be used in a creative way. This allows us the opportunity to not only promote our stations but also introduce the content to a new generation of listeners and viewers.
JM: Why is a visual element so important for radio in 2015? What is it about seeing animation that adds an extra dimension to audio?
AW: Since radio is naturally an audio medium, the visual component gives us a chance to take it a step further, to bring the story to life and reinforce what the audience is already imagining. For example, we created a special segment of minimations for WFAN host Mike Francesa that we call ‘Mike-i-mations’. His rant from 2012 about the Tim Tebow trade was a great example of how we could take a compelling outburst and turn it into a funny visual. At one point, Mike says that “All they have done now is cut the legs off their quarterback…” – the animator on this particular job was given the freedom to do as he or she pleased and took this statement literally, providing the viewer with an entertaining graphic.
Email recipients: click here to watch the “Tim Tebow Trade” minimation
JM: This doesn’t sound like an easy thing to convince the bosses to invest in. What were the objections you faced early on and how did you overcome them?
AW: We did not really face objections to starting this project. Everyone saw the value in being able to leverage the archival content and breathe new life into it.
JM: Once a clip is done, how do the stations utilize the material?
AW: The videos are housed on multiple sites including Radio.com, YouTube, and our CBS Local sites. When a minimation is finished, our stations, depending on the nature of the content, promote the video via social media and post it on their local site.
JM: Are these clips bringing extra value to the stations and personalities you’re featuring?
AW: The videos bring value in several ways, most notably by exposing local brands and personalities to larger audiences via our digital distribution channels. The animations can also provide an opportunity for talent to revisit fun segments from the past, as in the case of KROQ’s Kevin and Bean. Super fans of the stations, talent, and interview subjects are the primary audiences responding.
Email recipients: click here to watch the Kevin & Bean minimation
JM: What are you learning from your metrics that helps inform future decisions?
AW: The videos that are promoted via social media by the artists featured are the ones that gain the most views. So if a minimation has a particular artist featured, we do our best to encourage them to share the content with their fans.
JM: So far, it appears to be mostly centered on WNEW-FM and KROQ. Do you see this program expanding?
AW: We’ve done a number of minimations for Mike Francesa, and have also created animations to help promote station events, such as our pre-Super Bowl country concert, “The Night Before” with Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, and Florida Georgia Line. We plan on posting these more regularly and frequently, with the goal being able to post a new cartoon each week.
JM: Is this something stations may one day be able to use to generate additional unique content beyond what goes over the air?
AW: Certainly. Station events and station production are ripe for unique content creation. Imagine a behind-the-scenes animation of a funny production story that brought a segment or event to life.
JM: Are you able to monetize these clips? What is the advertiser reaction to the concept?
AW: This is another way for us to add to our video inventory by using archival content. It becomes a part of the existing on-air and digital sales package that we currently have, and taps into the current clients.
JM: What advice would you have for other stations that might want to consider doing something similar?
AW: Because CBS Radio has such an expansive portfolio, I think we do have an advantage. That’s not to say that other companies can’t follow in our footsteps. Taking on something like this requires time and energy, and having to sift through content. It takes effort and skill to understand what interview or audio bit will best work for the medium.
JM: This column is about spotlighting innovation in and around the radio industry. Are there any other radio-related innovations you’ve encountered lately that stand out?
AW: Our other CBS Local Digital initiative, PINGO, is great. It is a new photo gaming app, where users can win prizes just by participating. It is another way for us to involve our stations digitally. They are able to create their own contests, and have their local listeners interact with them on another level.
JM: Is there one particular clip that stands out as having been really fun to animate or is there one clip you attempted to work with and just couldn’t make happen?
AW: The Mike Francesa snow blower clip was a great one to animate. The story itself, of how Mike was originally fearful of his snow blower and is now a “gifted guy” with it, really allowed the animator to have fun with it and be as creative as possible.
Email recipients: click here to watch the Mike Francesca snow blower minimation
JM: What advice do you have for someone with an innovative idea who isn’t sure how to go about starting to bring it to fruition?
AW: Start talking! Take your idea to key stakeholders and show them how passionate you are. But you need to be buttoned-up with a solid explanation of the upside. How will it grow both audience AND revenue? Will it scale? What are the resources required to pull it off? Know these answers and be ready to have people punch holes in it. Finally, one idea may beget another, so don’t get discouraged.
Thanks to Mike Stern for putting this week’s “RMI” together. And here’s one of his favorite Classic Rock minimations:
Email recipients: click here to watch this minimation
INNOVATION QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Walt Disney
More of Radio’s Most Innovative
- Radio's Most Innovative: GenX.fm (or "What We Did Over Memorial Day Weekend")
- Radio’s Most Innovative: Jerry Lee
- Radio’s Most Innovative: XAPPmedia
- Radio’s Most Innovative: Radio Broadcasting
- Radio’s Most Innovative: “Sexually Speaking” with Dr. Ruth Westheimer
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Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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