LISTENERS LIKE ENTERTAINING THEMSELVES TOO!

What a concept! Listeners choosing what they want, when they want! Latest JACOBS MEDIA Rock Radio research* brings home the point with resounding clarity once again, and points the way with a glaring light illuminating that tunnel of opportunity for radio.

At a time when PANDORA is representing as the platform and delivery system for music listeners, simply because it empowers them to play what they want, and build music preference around that choice, the platforms are there for radio to effectively engage too. While the JACOBS research reinforces the opportunity, an RBR.COM* story footnote urges stations to “…email in song requests within your format, but not necessarily within your playlist. Let your station have the "feel" and immediacy of Pandora with listeners.”
Sounds a lot like a combination of LDR features already available to radio inside our “one stop” widget environment. We specifically designed the “RATE & REQUEST” and “NEW MUSIC” layers of Listener Driven Radio to drive this need, and the listener access to injecting “what they want” into their radio today. The LDR “REQUEST” feature enables choice from song lists that can be either radio station generated, or listener created; and provides “ALERT” capability via e-mail or instant message when the song is about to play on-air. The “NEW MUSIC” feature enables radio to live squarely inside, and parallel the “PANDORA”-type world with songs and music “discovered” or “created” by listeners in a market, and offer these songs up to the radio station for inclusion in new music shows, feature “breaking song” spots, or whatever content the station can devise in concert with this listener input, inside their bouquet of station offerings.

The commitment of radio, to step into this “two-way” listener world is essential to its ability to grow exponentially in a new media environment. Most importantly the real research data is out there everyday reinforcing this reality; and showing that this need for a “brand conversation” and reciprocal listener relationship is not confined to “Tween” and youth audiences. Every time real world research data highlights the new wants of radio’s Mainstream and Classic format listeners and fans, the potentials proliferate.

The JACOBS MEDIA research hones in on Rock Radio, and the absolute need if you’re a Mainstream/Active Rock, Classic Rock, Triple A or Alternative brand, to capitalize on the benefit and instant access of “Smartphone” applications, online music engagement, and social networking to replicate the “as you go” music experience online-casters are creating. Already this year, the LDR experience from our first phase client station roll-outs, is extending this reality and knowledge into the highly emotive world of Country music fans, and the traditional adult target “Lite” music formats.
Mobility (right now think cell-phone), social network interaction, and a growing preference to listening locally on-line, are key factors for radio, and at the heart of listener crowd-sourcing.

For more on “LDR ACTIVE RADIO” contact:
LEE CORNELL VP/Affiliate Relations cornell@ldrradio.com

* Source: RBR.COM “Rock Listeners New Media Interests Profiled” 04/23/10

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