Socialmedialand

Posts Tagged ‘radio’

Video may have killed the radio star, but will Twitter kill the radio host?

Confession time. I listen to 104.7 Kiss FM when I drive to work in the mornings. I say it’s because the <15 minute drive (be jealous) is too short to worry about messing with an IPod or picking out a CD. But really it’s because the Johnjay and Rich morning show is like Jerry Springer on the radio. Confession Wednesday, War of the Roses, Second Date Update – it’s a big helping of “I feel better about my life because I’m not sleeping with my fiance’s father AND mother” (true story.)

So this morning when they brought up their Twitter account I got pretty excited (nerdy I know.) Because I thought I could follow the drama online, see what other people are saying about what’s happening and join in with my own witty commentary on the disastrous lives of my fellow Phoenicians.

Alas, by Twitter account they meant they have a billboard where they post inane messages about who they are talking to now. Then, who they are talking to now. Then, who they just stopped talking to that you can hear on the podcast that they posted on the website. I can hear the static in my mind as I tune out.

Have I mentioned they only have 92 followers when they have a vibrant and large audience of listeners?

Radio is heard here, radio is heard everywhere

I took that line from Clear Channel’s ad campaign. But they are not being heard “here” in social media land. This is a definite let down. The opportunity here is so large! And they’re totally missing it. Twitter is not a billboard; it’s a whole group of active, talking people. I don’t even know where to begin breaking down the improvements they could make.

#Hashtags: they could create tags for their popular programs, bring up the search window during the broadcast and mention the funnier/better comments they see. Plus, hearing a bunch of 140 character responses from all different people would be a lot more fun than hearing that one annoying caller who tells their entire life story and repeats “I love you guys” a billion times before finally getting back to the point of the drama.

@Replies: why don’t they use conversation on Twitter to add to their contests and game shows? Why don’t they take questions from Twitter when they’re talking to celebrities? Again, it’s way quicker and more to the point than taking all those callers – also easier to filter.

DM: this could easily incorporate into contests. While they do the trivia live on the air, if someone DMs the answer before the person on air does (and is the first to do so) they get a prize as well (significantly smaller maybe but it could get participation by way more people.)

Promotion: where’s the follow us button on the homepage? I searched for that thing, if I wasn’t planning on writing this I would have given up. Put it somewhere I can find it. If people start twittering to you, and about you, the people who follow them will see that. They’ll wonder what they’re missing out on and tune in online or in their car as well.

I could go on. I won’t because if Kiss FM sees this I would love for them to contact me - either to offer me free tickets to a concert of my choice, or to ask for my help consulting on new and exciting ways to join the community we’ve got going here in Phoenix as well as Tucson and those in Colorado, Oregon and wherever else they broadcast.

But until that happens I’ll just sit here in the midst of my disappointment while yet another brand misses the wealth of social media by trying to use it like just another traditional ad space.