Radio's Edge In A New Universe

There is a new sheriff in digital town. Its name is "Community." The dictionary definition reads; "A body of people living in the same place, under the same laws." However, the digital definition today resides in a new container of self-expression called a social networking site, housing communities of people who are the driving force of content rather than the old media-served way.

The current social networking phenomenon is one great opportunity for radio to increase, quantify and monetize an audience. This listener wants to express themselves with multi-dimensional, multimedia depth via text, photos and audio/video to a degree that is not possible in the current structure of e-mail and IM. In the near future, people will ask for, and share, their social network addresses as readily as e-mail and phone numbers because it is where they will recreate online. This digital form of self-expression cuts across gender and demos, while these members quickly realize that the service belongs to them as they, rather than you, create and distribute various forms of content.

While it's true that MySpace and Facebook have pioneered this space, there is plenty of room for a local digital competitor with reach and frequency and the ability to contest. After all, MySpace cannot tell you every hour that you can win $5,000 by joining its social network. The local radio station, more than any form of media, has been a social network of sorts to generations of people. Newspapers and television never touch the sensory human nerve that radio is famous for. This is the perfect opportunity for radio to house this community under its dial position and website, providing an opportunity for social and small business networking for an existing and new radio audience. It is also an opportunity for radio to reclaim the hipness factor. What if someone found your radio station through a social network that had a bunch of cool tools?

New Sheriff of Revenue ... and Rules

MySpace always ranked higher than Google for page views, but severely lagged in dollars because advertisers put more credence in a quantifiable web search than someone displaying personal photos. However, blogs changed the entire equation when they became a powerful new medium that successfully challenged traditional media for the time and attention of people. YouTube and user-generated video dramatically changed the equation about WHO is director of programming in the world. So the deck is being reshuffled. A perfect time for radio's massive cume to experiment with video and social networking provides the right opportunity as long as there is a clear set of rules and values.

The safety of any community is always assured by a watchful police force. In the case of a social network, the radio station must adhere to this role for legal and branding reasons. As with any community, there must be a clear set of rules governing this new initiative. Message boards and blogs alone can degrade the culture and ultimately the reputation of your station. It must be understood on your site that freedom of speech has implied responsibility for using it. Still, station oversight will be needed in this new era of communication.

This is an opportunity for every format to grab mindshare in its given niche. Local ratings and revenue are there for the taking by leveraging a parallel universe of digital bodies under an umbrella known as a social network.