Contemplations of Social Media Radio Convergence

I read with great interest an article on radiofacts.com that detailed radio station 93.5 KDAY's convergence efforts with regard to twitter and it's on-air presentation. KDAY had used twitter to generate listener song requests themed around the surprise knockout of Manny Pacquiao. It was a very interesting article and spotlighted a very innovative programming strategy that embraced the water cooler talk of the day. The article further stated that this innovation is one of the reasons why the station is ranked number 12 in the nation's 2nd largest radio market. I have a perspective that I wanted to share with Radio Facts and I wrote a comment/response on their website, but it did not appear. Now, I don't know if this was because my comment did not pass moderation, or if the editor just did not see it, or maybe some technological glitch occurred and my comment just did not appear. At any cause, I thought I would re-publish my response on my blogs. You can read the article here . And here is the text of my response:

Dear RadioFacts,
First let me say that I thoroughly enjoy radiofacts.com. There is not a day that goes by that I do not check for Radiofacts to learn of the latest urban radio news and views. That said, I read with great interest the article entitled "Why 93.5 KDAY is knocking out radio competition." The article does a great job of describing how the station converges it's social media platforms with it's on-air presentation. Agreed. It was a good promotion to engage the audience around the water cooler talk of the day - the surprise KO of Manny Pacquiao. However, I take issue with a couple of points the article either states or implies.

1. "KDAY remains ranked #12 in the market" - Not so fast, RadioFacts!! As I peruse the Nov. 2012 PPM book, I just cannot find where they are ranked that high in the market. A ranker pulled6+, Mon-Sun 6a-12m  and sorted by average share will show KDAY ranked at 28, KJLH is ranked 27... if you view the ranker by average rating you will find them at #22, tied with KJLH and 2 other stations - however, KJLH is listed ahead in this tie because the audience composition is more pure. .. By average persons KDAY is ranked 28th in the market, while KJLH is ranked 27th. With all due respect, can you please clarify where KDAY is ranked 12th in the nation's second largest radio market?
2. Sales: It would be interesting to see KDAY's strategies relative to sales. It's curious that the station has a decent cume, but still maintains a modest rating point. How does the station's innovations on the social media universe translate into digital sales?? Does the cume vs. rating point ratio translate into results for advertisers? I don't know the answers to these questions, I'm just sayn....
3. Digital Strategies - the article presents KDAY as a leading edge, innovator when it comes to the utilization of social media strategies and implies that others can learn from them. I submit to you, sir that the digital team at KJLH is and has been at the leading edge of social media convergence. I would put them up against any social media team in the city including those at the major corporations.

The article says KDAY is knocking out the competition. It describes that even with a weak signal and niche format, the station is finding listeners and ratings success - this due to it's innovations in the social media universe.  I surmise that KJLH is among that competition. But We are not woozy. We are not weak in the knees. We are not on the ropes... In fact, we are vibrant, relevant, bobbing and weaving, sticking and moving... I am not hating - don't have too. It's good that KDAY's innovations receive notoriety and kudos for their broadcast efforts. But, in this market, we are a part of the conversation because as an independently owned, small-signal, niche broadcaster, we are not knocked out. In fact it could be said that we are floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee!!!

#stillstanding

Music is Life is Music: Grammy Contemplations

THE 53RD ANNUAL GRAMMY® AWARDS PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS ARTISTS' MUSICAL JOURNEYS

Campaign Creative Features GRAMMY Nominees Arcade Fire, Justin Bieber, Eminem, Cee Lo Green, and Katy Perry

Interactive Web site — MusicIsLifeIsMusic.com — and MusicMapper App Lets Artists and Fans Map and Share Their Musical Journeys Through Social Networking and Geolocation, While Augmented Reality and QR Codes Unlock Exclusive GRAMMY Content

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (January 24, 2011) — The Recording Academy® and TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles unveiled MusicIsLifeIsMusic, a cutting-edge and inventive promotional campaign for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards®, airing live on CBS Sun., Feb. 13, 201l, 8 – 11:30 p.m. ET/PT. The campaign — which features print, outdoor, digital, TV, an interactive microsite (http://www.musicislifeismusic.com/), and the MusicMapper app — celebrates the songs that have had significance in one's life and the places connected to those songs. Utilizing social networking and geolocation, music fans can then map out their musical journeys and share them with others. This marks the fourth year in a row that TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles and The Recording Academy have partnered on the advertising for the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast.

The MusicIsLifeIsMusic Print and Out of Home creative broke last week (along with wild postings, digital and GRAMMY partner activation) and features GRAMMY nominees Arcade Fire, Justin Bieber, Eminem, Cee Lo Green, and Katy Perry. Earlier this month, 11-time GRAMMY winner and current 10-time nominee Eminem kicked off the first in a series of three GRAMMY promotional TV spots and the second one, with current four-time nominee Katy Perry, just debuted. The commercials are an illustrated interpretation of each artist's life and a journey through their musical and personal milestones. A third TV spot with another GRAMMY winner and current nominee will hit shortly.

"MusicIsLifeIsMusic tells the stories of both nominees and music fans, celebrating the songs that mean the most to us and the places where we connect with them," said Evan Greene, Chief Marketing Officer of The Recording Academy. "This year's campaign really emphasizes the social and mobile music experience, and allows music fans to connect with each other in a way like never before. We are grateful to our friends at TBWA\Chiat\Day for their ongoing partnership and collaboration, and to HTC and Rdio for their support on this year's campaign."

Patrick O’Neill, Executive Creative Director at TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles said, "The best parts of our lives are connected to music, and amazing tracks help define those unique moments. The MusicMapper app brings geolocation and music together in a fresh, engaging way. It's like your audio autobiography."

Through musicislifeismusic.com and the MusicMapper application, which was developed in partnership with HTC MobilityNOW (www.htcmobilitynow.com), fans worldwide are able to connect songs with places and their special memories in a way never before possible. The mobile application — available now for Apple's iPhone and Google's Android — lets the user drop a virtual pin to a specific location using Google Maps, select a song through social music service Rdio (http://www.rdio.com/), and tag a note describing how that song and location defined a special moment in his/her/their life. This can then be shared by posting to a Facebook profile or Twitter account. The application also provides a direct link to each song within Rdio where users can add it to their collection or playlists, or sync it to their mobile phones for offline playback. Additionally, Katy Perry appears in a demo video showing users how the MusicMapper application works, and her musical journey on musicislifeismusic.com reveals some of the songs and artists that have had a memorable impact on her life and career, such as: how Queen's "Killer Queen" changed her life; how "Karma Police" reminds her of sneaking into a Radiohead concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl; how she was inspired to write "California Gurls" after hearing "Empire State Of Mind" at a party; and how she has the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song title "(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For" engraved on the inside of her engagement ring.

Not only will users have the opportunity to map their own musical journey, they will be able to explore other MusicMapper tags through an augmented reality view that provides an innovative, real-life glimpse at how "music is life is music." By using a mobile device camera, users can see others' tags, Flickr photos, and Foursquare check-ins associated with a space when they enter said space. Additionally, fans have the ability to unlock exclusive GRAMMY content, based on their physical location as determined by SimpleGeo. Via a QR code reader on all print material and outdoor advertisements, users may access eight full-length GRAMMY performances from past shows including: Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama"; Coldplay's "Viva La Vida"; LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out"; MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This"; Ricky Martin's "La Copa De La Vida"; Radiohead's "15 Step"; Smashing Pumpkins "1979"; and Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It."

For more information on the 53rd GRAMMY Awards and the "MusicIsLifeIsMusic" campaign, please visit: http://www.grammy.com/ or http://www.musicislifeismusic.com/, and download the MusicMapper app through iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/musicmapper/id407243114?mt=8) or Android (www.appbrain.com/app/musicmapper/com.xtreme.grammy). For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy®'s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys, www.facebook.com/thegrammys.

About The Recording Academy

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture.