Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Commoditization Schmoditization

It's time to celebrate if you're rooting for further commoditization of traditional Radio and the Internet. TargetSpot (arguably one of the most impressive automated Radio/Web sales tools on the market) just got bigger.

TargetSpot buys rival Ronning Lipset Radio and results in forming the largest online radio ad network. TargetSpot brings together CBS Radio, Entercom, AOL Radio, Yahoo, and more than 1,000 other online stations comprised of more than 50 radio groups and web properties. The TargetSpot CEO (Doug Perlson) says combing the sales and technology structures positions them for the "strongest monetization possible."

He says "monetization" -- I say "commoditization."
Toe-MAY-tow.
Toe-MAH-tow.

What would you call an online system that requires no actual understanding or comprehension of marketing or radio advertising or web strategy in order for you to be able to produce and place advertising spots and web banners? Just because you can get a great price on a set of scalpels at The Dollar Store doesn't make you a brain surgeon.

TargetSpot (and other systems like it) allow the amatuers to pose as professionals. It puts Buyers in charge of strategy and execution. I don't care how good a negotiator might be, I don't want them writing my radio spots or designing my display ads.

Point. Click. Crap.
You think terrestrial Radio sounds like shit NOW?
It's not going to get any better when ALL the spots sounds the way a posting on eBay reads. This is the level of "expertise" that will be needed to plan and execute media advertising.

No one WANTS to talk to a Radio salesperson, but the truth is that the GOOD ones know what they're doing. They've been educated in advertising strategy and marketing techniques that are proven to work in their chosen media. I don't like doctors, but you can be damn sure that if I need an operation I rather have to deal with some complete DICK who happens to be the best at what he does than perform the surgery myself.

Eric Ronning and Andy Lipset of RLR will become co-presidents of TargetSpot, which also absorbs the entire RLR sales team. Lipset says their firm and TargetSpot have been "complimentary leaders and innovators" in the online ad space, and believes they're now poised for "explosive growth."

"Explosive growth?"
Explosive diarrhea.
...Coincidence?

The government stepped in to institute PAYOLA laws. Is it too much to hope that they'll do something about the coming CRAPOLA scandal?

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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Radio: Your Last(.fm) Choice for Music

Some terrestrial Radio stations still think they're going to survive based on their playlist and music research.

The Buzz Bishop video below provides a very real example of why music is the LAST reason listeners will choose to listen to Radio.

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Saturday, May 03, 2008

All The Cool Kids Are Doing It...

Urban Outfitters has starting carrying a starter podcasting kit, and it's being overtly pitched as a sexy teen tech toy.

With Radio stations completely out of touch with the needs and wants of the modern listening audience (young and old alike), how long before AARP offers these setups in their monthly magazine?

From the promotional text...

Pump up your very own volume!
If you've ever wanted to have your own radio show or make custom, personalized broadcasts, podcasting is a great way to start and ION Audio has the perfect solution to help make you the star! U CAST is the best way to make your own podcasts for internet posting.


Anything is possible with U CAST; you can host your own talk show, mix sounds and music like a radio DJ, or be a movie critic heard by millions around the world.

U CAST gives you everything you need: a professional-grade USB microphone, headphones, sound editing software and an easy way to deliver your Podcast to the masses. Your podcast can be downloaded and played on computers and portable music devices everywhere. It's time to be heard!

Add in a free domain name and a year of hosting with auto-upload features and Radio has a whole new crew of competitors who can create and broadcast content they (and their peers) really want to hear and share. Those 500+ friends on their MySpace and Facebook pages just became a micro-audience more devoted and accurately tracked than any terrestrial station could hope for.

The new Arbitron books are out -- do you know where your audience is? Probably at UrbanOutfitters.com buying a podcast kit for $120.

PSSST... You can buy it cheaper at Amazon.com (only $97.00 !)


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Monday, December 31, 2007

Every Now And Then, I Turn It On Again...

...but it's plain to see that the radio still sucks.


Here are the lyrics (in case you've like to sing along.)

"The Radio Still Sucks"
by The Ataris

I'm really fucking sick
Of Beck and 311,
And Marylin Manson,
I wish someone would break his fucking neck.

And what about Bush
And lame-ass Oasis?
Hey, talk about pretentious,
why don't they just blow England off the map?

Every now and then
I turn it on again
But it's plain to see that
The radio still sucks.

Every now and then
I turn it on again
But it's plain to see that
The radio still sucks.

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Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Major Media vs. Micro Media

Pretty good summary of why Major Media should be concerned about incorporating/monitoring/developing Micro Media.

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Think Different. (But Not TOO Different)

In a brilliant act of confronting Apple with its own words (and then making them eat those words) a YouTube user with the screen name "KeeptheiPhoneFree" created a video mashup of all the third-party iPhone software that was effectively rendered useless when Apple released the firmware update 1.1.1.

The real act of brilliance was in using the audio from Apple's groundbreaking "Think Different" campaign. Listen to the narrator (who I think is Richard Dreyfuss) call out Apple's salute to "the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently." According to Apple's script they have no respect for the status quo -- yet that's just what Apple is trying to maintain by fighting the iPhone hack that allows for greater user ability by these self same "Crazy Ones."

So, according to Apple it is okay to Think Different -- just don't think TOO different from them.

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NEWS WATCH from PodcastingNews.com
Podcast News Music/Audio News

Brraaaaainnssss...

Focusing primarily on terrestrial radio broadcasting, ZombieRadio.com is dedicated to pointing out the mindless and brain-dead actions of the mainstream media industry in general. 

Don't get too comfortable satellite, television, cable, and internet -- we all know from seeing zombie movies that the contagion spreads quickly.

"They're coming to get you..."

rethink, respond, remerge.





HD Portable : Do as I say, not as I do.

As if Arbitron Wasn't Already A Car Wreck

Comparing Apples to Apples

Lipstick + Pig = Zune HD

The Public Doesn't Know What They Want, Until They...

29% sounds high to me

Does Radio belong on the iPod or in the iPotty?

Newspaper Comic Relief

Killing the Music Industry

It's Official: Internet Passes Radio


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