Industry News

Heussler to Lead Cox Media Group Jacksonville

Cox Media Group appoints Jud Heussler director of operations Jacksonville group of radio stations that includes news/talk WOKV-FM and sports talk WOKV-AM. CMG Jacksonville VP and market imgmanager Brian McGhee states, “Jud brings the right mix of programming judgment, operational discipline, and people-first leadership to this role. He knows how to strengthen local brands, support great talent, and build the kind of team that will help our stations connect with audiences, positively impact our communities, and deliver for advertisers.” Heussler takes over for Jules Riley who recently moved to the company’s Atlanta station group as director of operations and programming.

Industry News

Timberwolves Return to WCCO in Multiplatform Partnership

The NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and Audacy’s WCCO, Minneapolis announce an exclusive radio and streaming partnership. Under the agreement, 830 WCCO will become the organization’s new flagship radio broadcast home. WCCO will broadcast all the team’s regular season games and Alan Horton – who has called more than 1,500 games for the organization – returns to the airwaves full-time in his milestone 20th season with the franchise.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: When Anyone Can Make Content, Why Should Anyone Listen to Yours?

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgThe Wall Street Journal recently described what it calls, “The Trillion Dollar Race to Automate Our Entire Lives.” Artificial Intelligence is rapidly evolving from something that answers questions into something that does things – researching, writing, analyzing, organizing and creating. WSJ describes a coming world of personal AI concierges capable of everything from executive presentations to filling out March Madness brackets. For podcasters, there’s opportunity here. And a warning.

Podcasting already had a low barrier to entry 

AI is lowering it to almost zero. Research a topic? AI. Outline the episode? AI. Suggest questions? AI. Write show notes? AI. Create social posts? AI. Identify clips? AI.

Result: Even. More. Podcasts. So merely having one becomes less impressive. More consequential is how AI changes the value of information. The Journal quotes one Silicon Valley investor saying how travel, vacation research, newspapers, email, grocery shopping, music recommendations – essentially everything he wants to know – now goes through AI. That should make anyone producing an information-only podcast squirm. Why listen for 37 minutes to “Five Ways to Save Money on Your Next Vacation” when I can ask an AI and get the answer in 10 seconds?

As information becomes abundant, perspective becomes valuable

“Here’s what you need to know” becomes less compelling than “Here’s what happened to me.” Or “Here’s what I think everyone else is missing.” Or “You won’t believe what my guest just told me.”

And interviews may actually appreciate in value. AI can synthesize what thousands of people have already said. But if you get someone to say something new, you have created primary-source content. Which makes the skilled interviewer more valuable. Not “Tell us about your new book.” Rather, “Something you wrote on page 173 surprised me…”

There’s another implication for authority podcasts – those hosted by lawyers, financial advisers, realtors and other professionals hoping listeners eventually become clients. AI can dispense enormous amounts of expertise. So simply demonstrating “I know stuff” won’t differentiate you. Instead, the podcast lets prospects audition YOU. Do I trust this person? Does she explain things clearly? Does she understand people like me? Would I want to work with her? That makes personality, empathy, storytelling and point-of-view more valuable, not less.

AI should make podcasts shorter 

If it saves hours of research, preparation, editing and repurposing, spend those savings creating 10 compelling minutes instead of 45 windy ones. Because the scarce commodity is no longer content. It’s the listener’s time.

So, use AI aggressively behind the microphone. Let it research, transcribe, organize, summarize and repurpose.

But protect what happens to the microphone. Let AI do everything that listeners don’t care who-did. Protect everything they listen to because YOU did it. 

“And thanks…”

…for all the feedback for this month’s series on optimizing commercial copy, the finishing touch on the work that pays for us all. If you missed any-or-all, I have assembled these columns as a free E-book, “The Outcome Method: A Storytelling Framework for More Effective Local Advertising,” which you may download and share: https://getonthenet.com/TheOutcomeMethod.pdf 

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

Cavaliers Renew iHeartMedia Deal. The NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and iHeartMedia agree to an extension of their radio broadcast deal in which Newsradio WTAM 1100 AM/106.9 FM, Cleveland’s Newsradio and 100.7 FM WMMS, Cleveland’s Rock Station, continue as the exclusive radio flagship stations of the Cavaliers. New this time is every Cavaliers radio broadcast will be heard exclusively on 19 iHeartMedia stations, with all 82 regular-season games, preseason games and every playoff game airing live across Ohio and surrounding markets on Rock Entertainment Sports Network.

GBS Becomes Aktira. GeoBroadcast Solutions changes its corporate names and is now known as Aktira. Aktira will house the company’s intellectual property, engineering and commercial operations, including MaxxCasting, ZoneCasting, and Lazer.