Apr 25, 2018
In this episode of Brandstorm, we welcome Kipper McGee, author of the book Brandwidth: How Big Broadcasting is Missing the Mediamorphosis. Kipper discusses how terrestrial radio is grappling with its relevancy, and what stations need to embrace for the future.
Kipper
McGee
A radio fan from the start, Kipper grew up
listening to stations like Chicago's 890 WLS AM, as well as
Milwaukee's 920 WOKY AM and 620 WTMJ AM. In the early 1980's,
Kipper and a talented staff that included Brandstorm co-host Dan
Trzinski helped put Milwaukee's 94.5 WKTI FM on the map. They took
an automated music station with low ratings and no personalities
and built it into the #1 station in the market during pop music's
renaissance. Back then, it was unheard of to have a
discussion-fueled morning show with little-to-no music, but this
revolutionary idea worked. The morning team of Reitman &
Mueller was a ratings sensation at WKTI for over 25 years, and the
morning talk show format is still being used on stations all over
the country.
Kipper started as on-air talent, but has worked in virtually every radio position available in different cities across the United States, including Des Moines, Orlando, St. Louis and New Orleans. Eventually, Kipper joined WLS and ran that station in the mid-to-late 2000's.
Currently, Kipper is a digital marketing consultant, whose clients include Internet start-ups, broadcast networks and Fortune 500 companies such as Delta Airlines and Nokia. He is a frequent speaker, panelist and presenter at national broadcasting conventions, and is chief strategist at Kipper McGee, LLC.
Brandwidth: How
Big Broadcasting is Missing the Mediamorphosis
Kipper's
book recently had a second press run, as his message remains as
applicable today as it was when the book was published in 2015. He
feels that broadcast media, specifically radio, is not evolving
enough to stay relevant in today's digital age. He goes as far to
say in his book that if the broadcast industry dies, it will be
ruled a suicide. Whether it's due to fear of change, too much
downsizing, inertia or comfort in the status quo, many in the radio
industry have avoided using social media, podcasting, video and
other potential extensions of their brand to promote and interact
with audiences.
With podcasting specifically, Kipper says the radio mentality thus far has been to treat this marketing tool as a glorified DVR, relying on rerunning previously-aired content. He believes that the smart way to go with a radio station's podcasting arm is to create unique and preferably shorter content. Kipper also recommends that stations create a second stream online, where listeners can get the same music that is aired on terrestrial radio, with less interruptions.
The Current State of Radio
While recent
studies show that 95% of people still listen to the radio at least
once a week, it's clear that those same listeners are not spending
the same amount of time with it as they once did. About 35% of
homes no longer have a radio, and Kipper believes more stations
should be taking advantage of the uptick in homes that have
invested in home-listening devices like the Amazon Echo, Google
Home or Apple's HomePod. It may disrupt an advertiser's standard
way of thinking, but it's important to realize the potential
difference between 30,000 people who simply hear your ad and the
6,000 legitimate prospects you can create with this new approach
that targets individual listening habits. Kipper explains that
radio is one of the few mediums left that still airs 60-second,
linear, one-dimensional audio ad messages. Television now offers
30-, 15-, 10-, and even 5-second ads. Why couldn't radio explore
ads that simply refer listeners to an icon on their touchscreen?
While the technology does not yet exist for such segmented
advertising on in-home devices, it will soon. In the meantime,
advertisers can still create a database or track listeners if they
use an app or have an account with a radio station that requires a
log-in or email address.
Why Radio Hasn't
Mastered Social Media
To Kipper, the fact that the
radio industry has yet to fully embrace social media is mainly due
to budgets and the bandwidth of each station's shrinking staff.
These days, each person on the team usually does multiple jobs,
including on-air talent. When an intern must juggle social media
posts for an entire radio group, or a D.J. is expected to record
his or her own show and write multiple blogs, in addition to
creating social media posts before clocking out for the day, it's
no wonder that true interactivity through social media isn't being
explored.
Why Facts Have
Become Less Important
The facts of who, what, when,
where, why and how have become less important to consumers than how
quickly we get that information. In the past, we would go to the
morning or evening paper for facts, but today, we are barraged with
facts 24/7 via our mobile phones and television's news cycle. The
question is no longer "what has happened," but more so, "what is
happening now, what's in it for me and what's next?" Using Kipper's
example, the results of an election do not matter to people as much
as how the winner's platform will affect their day-to-day lives.
Kipper says that broadcast news needs to be forward-thinking, and
not prone to regurgitating news that has already been broadcast
several times during the day or night.
How Radio
Advertising Needs to Change
As programming becomes more
segmented, in response to streaming services like Spotify or
satellite radio, there will soon be no need for people to hear the
same advertisements. More and more, ads will be targeted to
listeners based on individual interests and habits, much like how
Amazon and Google can recommend different products or websites to
different users, based on their individual search histories.
Survival Tips for
Radio Stations
Radio stations need to think bigger,
better and brighter, according to Kipper. They need to take time to
step back and be innovative. Terrestial radio needs to be
technologically in sync with the current culture. Apps like
iHeartRadio are great for people who like to listen to music, but
they are too generalized and could stand to be more local. Ad
agencies, like Platypus, need to take a leadership role in helping
radio stations embrace new media to not only bring added value to
radio clients, but also to create new revenue streams.
Contact
Kipper:
Website: www.KipperMcGee.com
Podcast: Brandwidth
Twitter: @KipperMcGee
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kippermcgee
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/