ASIA

India’s Big FM network is celebrating independent music in the country by partnering with Hungama Artist Aloud for their latest offering ‘The Blue Mic’.Starting October 11, the show will air Monday-Friday from 4 pm to 5 pm.Each week, it will feature one exceptionally talented artist or band and delve into their journey, music, inspirations, passions, future plans, interactions, on-air jam sessions and requests from listeners.

Every Saturday, the ‘Artist of the Week’ will also perform exclusively on BIG FM’s Facebook handle through their property BIG Café Online to entertain and engage with fans.The show will kickstart with Euphoria as the first band and will see many artists with their distinctive musical styles be part of the show.Sunil Kumaran, Country Head, Product, Marketing & THWINK BIG, BIG FM, said: “Over the last couple of years, Indian audiences have turned to independent music like never before and its loyal following is snowballing by the day. We are glad to provide a platform for the renowned as well as budding talents through which they can showcase their passion and give our audience fresh content that they can enjoy.”Soumini Sridhara Paul, Senior Vice President, Hungama Artist Aloud, said: “Today, almost everyone we know takes solace in music to relieve their stress and anxiety. At a time like this where we are fighting a global pandemic, we feel it is the need of the hour to provide our young listeners with content that they like and enjoy. Independent music has been on the rise and we are thrilled to present these talented artists with a platform that takes them to further heights.”Singer and Euphoria’s lead vocalist Palash Sen shared: “Having been so closely associated with independent music space over the years, I am glad to be a part of the show which celebrates independent music and artists. With new artists being discovered, it’s great to see these talented voices get the opportunities that they deserve. I am sure listeners will instantly connect to the show as they explore fresh music.” […]

Content from BPRThis quote comes from Michael Porter, an American academic known for his theories on economics and business strategy. He is credited for creating Porter’s Five Forces analysis, which is instrumental in business strategy development today.

But the quote shouldn’t be taken out of context……it applies to one of his five “tests” of good strategy.Strategic planning in most businesses often focuses on what to do….what the goals are and how to achieve them. Makes perfect sense.In radio, we determine the strategic goals and articulate what the station will be…the means by which we will achieve those strategic goals….the format, the talent, the brand image, the “sound” etc.But Michael Porter makes a great point…….we should also articulate what the station is NOT.By establishing what you are NOT, you further define and refine the format by not only making it a much clearer value proposition for the listeners but also by crystallizing the programming vision for internal stakeholders.What a station is NOT depends on the format and the target audience. Here’s an example for a station taking a “family friendly” position targeting females with young children.We are NOT:
Boring
Loud
Fake
Smutty
Rude
Out of Touch
Try hard
Negative
Condescending/Patronising
Obnoxious
Soul less
Controversial
You now have additional filters through which every element on your station should pass before going to air, which will ensure that all content adheres to the brand promise.By David Kidd, BPR […]

Content from BPRFor years it was accepted that people listened to music stations primarily for music. Everything else was secondary. Now that may be changing. A recent study conducted by Jacobs Media suggests that music may not necessarily be the reason why listeners tune to their favourite station. The study shows that listeners are now more likely to choose a station because they like the presenters.The above graph tracks the appeal of music versus personalities over a 7 year period. At the start of the study, radio listeners chose music over presenters by a 13% margin. However, in the 2021 survey, listeners chose presenters over music by a 6% margin. This is a remarkable shift. (***)Let us examine the specific question/answer used in this survey. One answer option is “I like particular DJ’s/shows/hosts” and another is “I want to hear my favorite songs/artists”. The first answer option is clearly focused on presenters and their programs. The second is focused on a person’s favourite music.

What could have caused this shift in listener priorities? Look to the Internet.In the past few years, people’s music listening options have expanded dramatically. Spotify, one of the earliest music streaming pioneers, initially gave listeners the option to hear playlists based on a particular music style or artist. However, music streaming services now give the user the option of hearing specific songs on demand.  Listeners can hear their favourite songs as often as they like. Not only are they available on demand but they can be downloaded as well. This makes listening to one’s favourite songs and artists easier than ever before.Now we turn to presenters and their programs. If a listener wants to hear a specific presenter’s program, there is usually only one practical option: tune to the radio station where that program airs. Because the presenter’s program is proprietary to that station, it cannot be accessed any other way. Presenters and their programs give a station a unique selling proposition (USP) whereas music playlists do not offer this advantage.A word of caution. The presenters who are most attractive to listeners are the presenters with a personality and who have something to say. In other words, they are real communicators and not just slogan readers. Talented presenters require enough format flexibility to allow them to express themselves in a way that is interesting and convincing.It is ironic that in an era when station operators are increasingly reluctant to use live presenters, they are perhaps becoming an increasingly valuable and necessary asset to a station’s brand. Radio operators need to invest in the development of air personalities as if the station’s existence depended upon it.First published by Jacobs Media. Read original here By Andy Beaubien, BPR […]

Content from BPRPeople and companies who commit themselves to the search for knowledge with the most determination tend to be the least complacent and most successful.From radio’s perspective, the search is a continuous one to fully understand listeners’ evolving tastes, to ensure that your station is doing the best job of catering to those tastes and to be cognisant of threats, not only in the form of competitor stations but also the rapidly changing audio segment.

“Questions” are one of the most valuable weapons in your programming armoury. Without asking the correct questions, you won’t get any answers…you won’t get crucial insights….in other words you’re programming a station blindfolded.UK advertising executive Robin Wight is famous for defining the principle of “product interrogation”……. “interrogate the product until it confesses to its strengths”.In the world of programming, you could amend the quote to include “and weaknesses”.Now interrogating a competitor’s radio station is easy. You get the results of a strategic market study, look at what the listeners want and see how competitors are perceived in delivering on the programming priorities. But when it comes to interrogating your own station, sometimes it’s a lot more difficult. Human beings can be defensive, they can be subjective rather than objective when they are personally involved in the creation of the product. They can be biased, they can create their own “subjective reality”.Let’s revisit my take on Robin Wight’s quote: “interrogate the product until it confesses to its strengths and weaknesses”.You won’t get the confession you’re after unless you are completely objective – ask the right questions during the interrogation process (I’ve seen some absolute shockers that have rendered the responses useless-but more on that in another article) and be prepared for whatever the listeners throw back at you.Their perception is your reality!By David Kidd, BPRRead more at: https://radioinfo.com.au/news/interrogate-product/ © RadioInfo Australia […]

Content from BPRWell, now I’ve got you reading this article I should clarify the title……It’s All About Gender.In 2020, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) forecast that $800 million would be spent in the current year on podcast ads in the U.S. and by 2024 the total will reach $1.7 billion. In the 4th annual IAB U.S. Podcast Advertising Study, prepared by PwC, the biggest categories among podcast advertisers are DTC or direct-to-consumer brands (22%) and financial services (16%), with health and wellness and home and appliance the largest DTC subcategories, per the report. News is the leading podcast content genre for U.S. podcast advertisers, capturing 22% of revenue, followed by comedy (17%) and society and culture (13%).

But these figures don’t paint the entire picture.Recent Nielsen research in the US reveals podcast audiences can be heavily skewed female or male depending on the category.In Nielsen’s Podcasting Today report, Kids & Family was the most female skewed genre with 77% of the audience being female. Conversely, Sports and Technology were the most male skewed genres. Fiction is the most evenly balanced genre by gender.When looking at top podcast genre usage among women ages 25-54 based on percent of all podcast usage, Nielsen says Comedy and True Crime were tops (9%), followed by News and Society & Culture (8%). For men in the same age 25-54 demographic, News was the most preferred genre (13%), followed closely by Comedy (12%).As the authors of the Nielsen report say “After a decade of audience growth, podcasts have become an extremely appealing advertising platform. And with broadening appeal and strong listener engagement, brands should be looking to them as a more personalized way to connect with audiences who are maxed out on visual inputs. Importantly, podcast advertising—particularly when delivered by the podcast host—drives stronger brand recall punch than more traditional forms of advertisements”.What this research shows is that radio stations creating bespoke podcasts, not just repurposing on-air content, can target genres to cater to females, males and both. This in turn provides advertisers with a menu of finely targeted opportunities to reach their existing and prospective customers.By David Kidd, BPRRead more at: https://radioinfo.com.au/news/podcast-advertising-its-all-about-sex/ © RadioInfo Australia […]

Content from BPRWhat ingredients make a good presenter? Some people might answer that a presenter should have a pleasant sounding voice. Although a good voice is desirable, many successful presenters do not have great voices.However, most have something to say! Good presenters are knowledgeable and are not confined to a narrow range of subjects. It is not sufficient to be familiar with the latest pop stars nor is it sufficient to be able to only talk about sport. Presenters with a narrow range of interests are handicapped and their growth potential is limited.Talented presenters are most often people who read a lot. They are voracious consumers of information. Their interests are broad and although they may specialize in one or more areas, they are not afraid to reach beyond their areas of specialty.

So how does one expand one’s knowledge? Should a university education be a job requirement for radio presenters? Not necessarily. Today’s world abounds in information. Knowledge is no longer confined to books and periodicals. The Internet is an inexhaustible source of information from the most profound to the most trivial. Of course, this deep well of information needs to be used with a considerable discretion. However, when it comes to the acquisition of information, a good filter has always been a vital tool.Great presenters are curious. They do not want to be confined to what they already know. As children we are naturally curious but as we grow older, our curiosity may be dampened by the stresses of life. Many of the most talented presenters have that child-like curiosity. They are information sponges.The ability to be spontaneous is a basic requirement for anyone who wants to do live radio or, for that matter, any other type of live performance. Presenters who can “think on their feet” are far less likely to be caught off guard when faced with the unexpected. Presenters who are good at interviewing celebrities, political leaders or their own listeners have the ability to respond clearly and quickly. In some ways, live radio is like surfing. Staying on top of the surfboard requires the ability to constantly adjust to the flow of the waves below. Good presenters have the ability to guide a conversation. More often than not they have a good response and are rarely at a loss for words.Over the years, I interviewed hundreds of on-air candidates seeking to further their radio careers. The ones who turned out to be the most successful were the ones who were curious and knowledgeable about the world around them and eager to talk about it.By Andy Beaubien, BPR […]