ASIA

William ‘Dub’ Irwin was showing off the latest version of the WideOrbit playout system at the 2022 NAB Show.Dub told radioinfo’s Wayne Stamm that the software “…is now completely platform agnostic …with deployments on Linux, Mas OS or Windows.”While the system ingests from almost all playout systems quite easily, WideOrbit has a really tight integration with MusicMaster via the Nexus system that can allow real time changes to a playlist, allowing real time reconciliation of the playlist and real time editing in both directions, automatic song card creation, and bi directional metadata sync so if the user makes a change in one system it is reflected instantly in the other. […]

GatesAir showed off their new range of codecs at this year’s NAB Show, and Keyur Parikh showed radioinfo’s Wayne Stamm some of their new products.These included the IP Link 100E, the newest edition to the IP link series GatesAir first introduced in 2012. This card plugs into their FM exciters providing the capability of audio over IP.This card has three network interfaces that can be used for streaming, and AES 3 digital audio in and out, RS2 32 and a GPIO.The IP Link 100 C with essentially the same hardware and software, but with the addition of the XLR input and outputs with a choice of analogue or digital.Once again this unit has multiple network ports.Keyur also showed of GatesAir’s latest exciter for HD radio, and their FAX compact range and a new portable FM transmitter.[embedded content] […]

Dielectric have made some significant inroads into the Asian market with the placement of over 100 units recently.Wayne Stamm from radioinfo caught up with Cory Edwards to talk about the new deployments and some of the new products Dielectric have coming on line that will be aimed at the Asian market.The company will be in Asia in May talking to prospective new clients. […]

Enco has released WebDAD 3.0 at this year’s NAB Show and radioinfo’s Wayne Stamm talked to Bill Bennett about the new products.WedDAD3.0 is a remote web-based system that tailors into Enco’s playout system DAD, allowing up to 10 users to remotely interface with system at any one time.From library and playlist maintenance to on-air control and voice tracking, it’s all there in this HTML5-based interface that allows native access and control from any web-enabled device, and introduces new operational efficiencies for full-time station personnel and allowing stations to decentralise their workforce with part-time, contract, and remote staff. […]

Selling Radio Direct with Pat BrysonOne of the hardest parts of our sales process is getting in the door the first time. Today, businesspeople are inundated by people wanting to sell them something. In-boxes are full, phones ring constantly, people walk in their door. That businessperson didn’t get up in the morning saying, “Gee, I hope a radio or TV salesperson comes by today.” Instead, they are trying to figure out how to run a profitable business in a business environment that is constantly changing. New problems arise daily. When we approach them, they are asking themselves, “Why should I give this person my time?”“Hello, I’m salesperson X with XXXX station. I’d like to talk with you about your radio/TV advertising.” Or, “I’d like to come by and learn a little bit about your business to see if I can sell you something.” Or, “We’ve got this great new package I’d like to talk with you about.”Sound familiar? How are those opening lines working for you?There are two worlds in every sales situation: Our world and the world of the client. Guess which world is most important? A prospect will welcome us into their world IF they perceive that doing so will make their world better, will solve problems for them. It’s not about US: It’s about THEM. We must answer, “Why”?“Hello, my name is Salesperson and I’m with XXXX. I’m not sure if we have anything to talk about or not, but we’ve been working with businesspeople, such as yourself, to help them deal with some of the problems they are facing today. Some of our clients just can’t find enough good people to work for them. We are helping them to locate staff. Some are experiencing supply chain problems. We are creating messages for them that help them create revenue streams for other parts of their business. Some recognize that since the cost of doing business is rising almost daily, the only way to protect their profit margin is to get more people in their stores. We have devised campaigns to increase their traffic. Which of these frustrations might you be experiencing? Well, would it make sense for you to invite me over for half an hour so we could discuss whether or not we might be able to help you? I’m available Tuesday at 2:00. “Note that this .30 second commercial leads with how we have helped other business people to solve problems (3rd party reference.)The problems we mention (in bold) are the problems we are hearing from our current clients. These are almost universal today and will change as the business environment changes. You can insert new problems as they arise. Chances are your prospect has one or more of these challenges.We craft our 30 second commercial to present what we do from the world of our clients: We help our clients to solve business problems. The vehicles we use to deliver messages from our clients to potential customers may be our radio stations, TV stations, digital programs, outdoor, direct mail. All of these are VEHICLES TO DELIVER MESSAGES. It’s not about US: It’s about THEM: Our clients. They don’t want to buy advertising, but they DO want to solve business problems. If they believe we can help them do that, they will invite us in. They will give us their time. They will give us their money.Happy Selling! […]

Content from BPRWhen it comes to music streaming it’s a case of “In With the Old, and Out With the New”. A new study of streaming music habits by MRC Data* contains bad news for CHR stations.70% of listening across streaming services are now older songs, while in 2021 the top 200 new songs make up just 5% of all music streaming.This is down from 11% just three years ago, highlighting that we are seeing a rise of the re-current, in the current listening environment.Source: MRC DataThese results highlight that streaming continues to be a weak platform for new music discovery. Where users have control of their own listening it seems they are defaulting to listening to established, older hits they already have a relationship with, rather than trialing music and artists that are unknown or that they’ve only heard a few times.These results also highlight that radio remains the best medium for breaking new songs and artists, with listeners much more willing to sample new music on radio than they are anywhere else. The ‘curated playlist’ nature of radio still has substantial strength, radio is still the medium where new talent can and does emerge.So, what does this mean for radio formats?For CHR stations these results are a concern, highlighting that the new music environment is deteriorating further and there will be a more limited supply of new music that listeners are familiar with.This comes at a concerning time for CHR formats, as fewer younger listeners are invested in radio (as highlighted in BPR’s recent All Audio Study). Stations have to weigh up relying on re-current songs, that have that instant recognition with listeners but potentially undo some of the “New Music” credentials of a station, or attempt to launch new songs and artists, that risk alienating an audience who are already more marginal radio listeners.These results should be a boom for classic hits and classic rock formats, where we could see more listeners switching to stations that offer their old favourites. However, there are also dangers, with more stations reliant on re-currents, along with listeners streaming these songs, it’s likely we’ll see song burn out rising faster than it once did.The traditional life cycle for an older hit is likely to be upended over the coming years.With the top hits being overplayed, expanding the base is a good strategy for these stations to essentially re-break older hits and keep listeners engaged and not reliant on the same old songs that listeners listen to on their streaming services.It also highlights the importance of ongoing music research, not just for CHR stations, but classic hits and classic rock formats as well. Listening more to older hits can result in the listeners opinions on the songs changing more rapidly than before.At BPR we can deliver music research for all formats using a range of platforms – you can contact us at [email protected]Data sourced from MRC Data. Copy of their report available here.By Sam Williams, BPR […]