Industry Views

Pending Business: One Billion and Counting

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communucations Corp
President

imLet’s talk streaming because I don’t get what is happening. Maybe you do.

Talk shows place decent cameras in the radio studio, maybe one in the control room, possibly a third at a “producer’s” desk, a flat screen or two with cool visuals in the background to fulfill the coolness quotient, push the video stream to YouTube or another platform and wait for the throngs of followers to find the talk radio show, view, subscribe and stay with it until the numbers are staggering.

Sometimes the video stream is promoted on air or your station’s website and the expectation is the online audience will skyrocket. After several months, the viewer numbers don’t skyrocket, or maybe the numbers develop modestly, but sales becomes the art of packaging. Because the scale necessary to move the sales needle is still not happening.

This is not a hypothetical. This is happening today at some of the best radio stations delivering high-level radio programming in markets of all sizes around the country. Why do we struggle with how to turn the best radio programming in the world into competitive online video content?

The short answer is great talk radio programming is just that: great radio programming. But herein lies the dilemma. Great talk radio talent, in any format, are natural masters of the foundational elements that can make their YouTube, Rumble, and other social media video platforms gain audience and successfully generate revenue.

Let’s identify the most important reason why:

1. Authentic. Show me one successful talk radio host in any talk radio format who does not exude “authentic.” Agree or disagree with the host on politics, sports, finances or fishing, great talk show hosts are authentic, and their audience can sense the passion coming through in every show. Now, let’s identify the nasty four-letter word, stopping many great talk talents and their content from performing competitively on current social media video platforms. That four-letter word?

2. Show. Most great talk radio talents understand what it takes to put on a great “show.” Mechanics, formatics, and unique skills are developed over time designed to maximize Nielsen performance. But often, many of these – forgive me here – old media “show” skills are not relevant to the huge audience now consuming 1 billion hours of YouTube video every day. Yet we persist and video stream the radio “show” with the expectation an online audience will skyrocket, sales will explode, and the future is as easy as hitting the send button. It just does not work that way.

The radio industry has developed many of the greatest “authentic” talents in the world. How will we plan for a future that has billions of hours of consumption?

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com.

Industry News

KXEL-AM and Mudd Produce “Iowa Talking Points” Program

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NRG Media news/talk outlet KXEL, Waterloo, Iowa and Mudd Advertising are partnering to produce a series of cross-platform events in advance of Iowa’s caucuses. The series, titled, “Iowa Talking Points,” will be produced for live video stream, video and audio on-demand playback, and radio rebroadcast. The events will be hosted by KXEL program director and host Jeff Stein and will be conducted in front of a live studio audience at Mudd’s state-of-the-art “Studio5@Mudd” facility in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The first program will be tomorrow (5/26) with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Stein – who has covered every Iowa Caucus since 1980 – says, “This will be the only place for multiplatform conversations about issues important to Iowa caucus-goers. The unique synergy of these partners allows us to provide access across multiple outlets to persons across Iowa and across the U.S.” Pictured above is Stein in the KXEL studios with Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

Industry News

Kansas Law Allows Streaming of High School Post-Season Athletics

The Kansas legislature passes a bill allowing local broadcasters to video stream all post‐season high school events in the state, regardless of exclusive agreements entered into by the Kansas State High School Activities Association. The legislation came about as a result of frustrated broadcasters who were being banned from video streaming the most important games of the year. Unlike regular season, where high schools retain the rights to their activities, KSHSAA owns the rights to all post‐season games and state championships.im For the last several years, KSHSAA has opted into agreements with third parties that prevented local broadcasters from video-streaming games when the exclusive partner opted to do so. Kansas Association of Broadcasters president Allison Mazzei states, “I’m pleased that now, in post‐season, friends and families of student athletes will have access to free, quality coverage from the same broadcasters who cover their teams all season long. Local high school sports should be covered by local broadcasters. Our broadcasters depend on the revenue generated from high school sports coverage to stay on air and provide local news, weather, entertainment, and emergency alerts that communities depend on.” The KAB also notes students interested in pursuing careers in radio broadcast will also benefit from the legislation. Previously, if a local station was prohibited from video streaming a post‐season game, so were their student workers. Now, students will be able to cover all of their school’s activities regardless if it takes place in post season.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

Good Karma Brands’ Milwaukee radio stations are launching video stream capabilities. News/talk WTMJ, sports talk WKTI-FM “ESPN Milwaukee,” and talk WGKB-AM/W269DL “101.7 The Truth” will feature video streaming and repurposed video of each brands’ prime dayparts. They will be available on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans debut “Sanctum Unmasked,” an eight-part podcast series that explores the secretive sex empire known as SNCTM. The series takes a nuanced, fun and comedic look into money, power and sex, set in the backdrop of Hollywood. It’s hosted by American writer, television host and producer Karley Sciortino, who is the founder of Slutever, a website that focuses on sex and sexuality.