ASIA

The World Broadcasting Unions (WBU), a coordinating body for broadcasting unions who represent broadcaster networks across the globe, has issued the following statement on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.“As the situation between Russia and Ukraine escalates, access to trusted, factual, and impartial information is more critical than ever.All media broadcasters and the World Broadcasting Unions’ members are focused on doing our job for the public in difficult circumstances and we will not hesitate to condemn any infringements or violations of press freedom. It is vital for journalists to be allowed to continue to operate both freely and safely, and report without hindrance. Supporting media freedom must be prioritized, not despite these challenging circumstances, but because of them.”  The statement comes as Kremlin clamps down on social media and threatening to muzzle outspoken independent news outlets. Independent radio station Ekho Moskvy was closed last week and TV Rain, an independent radio station suspended operations after receiving threats of closure from the authorities as Russian officials demand that the country’s media cover the Ukraine invasion in strict accordance with the official line.In further crackdown on dissenters and western social media, police in Moscow are stopping people in the streets to go through their phones and screening their text messages and phones.Media covering the invasion in Ukraine is not safe either, as a team of Sky News reporters narrowly escaped a violent ambush by Russian saboteurs near Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.Various media broadcasting organisations have responded by discontinuing their operations in Russia.Major broadcast software company Adthos has cut ties with Russia, where it has conducted much of its R&D over the years. Spotify has closed its Russia office indefinitely and also removed all content from state media RT and Sputnik from its platform in the European Union, the United States and other markets around the world, except for Russia. Similar steps have been taken by Facebook and Twitter. […]

Benztown and P1 Media Group will host a free webinar on Thursday for radio professionals around the globe, entitled “Coaching Talent From Good to Great.”The webinar is 20th in the companies’ “Global Radio Ideas” webinar series from top radio experts from around the world.The 40-minute webinar will be hosted by Andreas Sannemann, CEO, Benztown, and Ken Benson, Partner, P1 Media Group, and will feature radio talent coach Randy Lane, President, The Randy Lane Company.Randy has worked with many of the top radio talent and shows in multiple countries, including: Jimmy Kimmel, Ryan Seacrest, Kidd Kraddick, The Bert Show, Toucher and Rich, and Dave Ryan.Lane programmed the legendary WMC in Memphis, TN, and programmed the first major Modern AC station, Star 98.7 in Los Angeles, CA.He has been recognized with numerous industry awards including Billboard’s “Consultant of the Year” for Adult Contemporary and Top 40. He was also named “Consultant of the Year” at the Worldwide Radio Summit.He launched his consulting company in 1996 with a mission of “creating brand depth for radio stations by developing morning shows that generate ratings and revenue.”The webinar is Thursday, March 10, 2022, at 10:00am PST/1:00pm EST/7:00pm CET.Register at: https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/WebinarRandyLane […]

Amsterdam based Wedel Software which launched the Adthos brand last year, has suspended all operations in Russia where it had conducted much of its R&D for many years.Company founder, Raoul Wedel posted the following statement on social media a few days ago…Questioned about the impact this decision will have on the company and staff, Wedel replied, “We have had a part of our R&D in Russia for 8 years and actually before that in the Ukraine for 5 years. I have been in the region many times and have many friends an connections there.“The decision was on one hand heartbreaking, on the other hand I feel we have no choice, and people must unite against these war crimes. We have employees in Donetsk, Rostov on Don, Moscow and St. Petersburg. None of them supports this war, and they are just trying to provide for their families. “The decision will not affect our company in the short term, but we will need to regroup our R&D in the near future. Even if the war would end soon, the country will remain unstable and sanctioned as long as Putin is in power.“I hope this story will make more companies consider cutting all their ties with Russia,” said Wedel. […]

According to a report in Pajhwok Afghan News (paid subscription), four radio stations, including a state-run one in central Logar province, may shut down due to lack of income and government’s support.Shafiullah Afghanzai, head of Independent Journalists Union and manager of Zinat radio, told Pajhwok that the economic situation of journalists was worrisome.He said after the political changes in August, media lost their income sources and dozens of journalists became jobless.Head of Freelance Journalists Association, Matiullah Sarwar, said that the Taliban led government had no special policy so far to support media and journalists, leaving them with no idea about how to run their affairs.He said at least 50 journalists were working in these stations in Logar and 10 female journalists lost their jobs after the regime change.Munir Ahmad Azizi, a journalist, said he was forced to go to Iran via smuggling routes after the change in political system as he was not able to find a job after becoming unemployed.Rafiullah Samim, Director of Information and Cculture, told Pajhwok there was no doubt that problems existed.“Allah (swt) is kind, there would be a way to steer the media and journalists out of crisis,” he added. […]

Content from BPROne of broadcast radio’s main assets is reliability. From one day to the next, the listener has a rather good idea of what to expect from their preferred station. In most cases, the presenters are found in regularly scheduled time slots, the music is consistent and the news and information bulletins are positioned at predictable points in the day. The programs are designed to meet the listener’s needs at different times of the day. Virtually all successful stations share these characteristics and the listener derives a degree of comfort in knowing that their favorite station is reliable and consistent. This is a good thing.So how does a good thing like consistency turn into a not-so-good thing? As with many aspects of life, consistency can lead to boredom and burn out. I can recall more than one instance where, shortly after its debut, a program or format became wildly popular only to see its popularity plummet in just a few years. Like a good loaf of bread, it eventually became stale, maybe not as quickly as a loaf of bread but nevertheless stale and dry.So, what went wrong? The loss of appeal can often be attributed to two things. First, the program had no real depth to begin with. The concept of the program was shallow and left little room for growth. The program remained static for too long and relied on a small number of key attractions whose novelty soon faded.The second factor is an excess of predictability. If the listener is confronted with the same thing day after day and can anticipate exactly what the moderator is going to say from one moment to the next, it becomes far too easy for the listener to become bored. Sooner or later, the listener may start to look for something else. Although that “something else” may not be as good as the program they left, the new program will at least be fresh and new.So, what do you change and what do you leave in place? Popular personality hosts can retain their appeal for many years. Stations that too often change moderators in key time slots have difficulty maintaining audience loyalty. However, even the best moderators need to freshen their act. If the moderator becomes stuck on a few favorite topics and hammers those topics day after day, listener fatigue sets in.Music formats too can burn out. Playlists that are too small will eventually lead to format burn as song tests show a growing amount listener fatigue. Contemporary hit stations do not usually have this problem because they are able to constantly freshen their playlist with new, popular releases. Music stations that rely on older music (songs that are 20 years or older) do not have this advantage.Stations that succeed in keeping their station fresh rely on creativity and imagination. By definition, this means having people in the programming department (both on and off the air) who are pro-active and seek new directions in which to take the program.The bottom line is that stations and programs that remain successful year after year have found the right balance between innovation and consistency. As with a trapeze artist, it is all about balance. Truly successful programmers have a keen sense of the tipping point between freshness and consistency. They keep their station relevant and interesting while also maintaining a critical level of consistency and dependability.By Andy Beaubien, BPR […]

Selling Radio Direct with Pat Bryson
Do you know how to mix an effective campaign?

All of us selling radio have encountered the objection that “I tried radio once and it didn’t work.” Most of the time, the businessperson doesn’t remember 1. what station/stations they used 2. what type of schedule they ran and 3. what their ad said. Chances are the reason they THINK their radio didn’t work was because they didn’t use it properly. For any advertising to be effective we must follow the recipe for success. It’s similar to baking a cake. If we fail to execute any of the elements of the recipe properly, we end up with a flat cake.
The Radio Recipe For Success:
1.     The correct frequency (repetition) per week. Science tells us this is usually 21-25 messages in a seven-day cycle. If you are selling a format with a short time-spent- listening, it may take 40.
2.    Enough consistency. This means at least 52 weeks. Many of my stations now sell 3-year agreements. If you want to know the scientific reason for this, email me….or you can hire me to come do a session for your group.
3.    A relevant message. The message must resonate with the listener. It must cut through the clutter and answer the question, “Why should I shop at that store?”
Note: nothing was said about budget in the above recipe. The investment for the ingredients will vary market to market, station to station. The recipe does not. Recipes for baking a cake do not concern themselves with the cost of the ingredients. They simply tell you how to end up with a tasty, beautiful cake. We should be selling SCHEDULES, not BUDGETS!
Following the recipe=Happy clients
Happy Selling! […]