2010 January | RadioActive Media

Breaking News – Rate Hike 50% Sirius XM Effective 1/29

Breaking News from the desk of Steve Pollak:

“Inventory is getting tight on Sirius XM and more particularly on The Howard Stern Channel, as a result, Sirius XM is quietly letting it’s advertisers know they intend to raise their spot rates almost 50% if the schedules are not booked by tomorrow 1/29/10. Supposedly these increased rates may be in effect through the end of March ‘10.”

If you are looking to use talk radio any time soon (and sooner is better than later!), call Jeff Pollak at 800-559-RADIO (7234).

The 5 Benefits of Long-Form Original Radio Sponsored Programming

By The RadioActive Media Team

Imagine listening to an expert whose topic intrigues you and during an hour on the radio. They earn your respect for their knowledge and opinions. They answer questions from callers in thoughtful, educational ways. You follow this expert week after week, learning new tips and enjoying the experience. Mightn’t the glow of your feelings pass on to sponsors of this program?

Bob Brinker is a perfect example. It is easy to fall into a pattern to listen at the same time each week to his advice and his interaction as he talks with his listeners. He gains loyalty as the audience learns more. He offers a value that creates a desire to return time and again.

What power this relationship can have! What can this loyalty mean to the sponsors?

The 5 Benefits of Long-Form Original Radio Sponsored Programming:

1)       Long creative format (30 minutes or 1 hour)
2)       Long-term relationship with an audience (13 weeks)
3)       Controlled testing and rollout
4)       Convergence with other media
5)       Measurable response

Marketing executives looking for a unique new idea to reach the mobile consumer should consider original sponsored radio programs. These programs may be 30 minutes or an hour and, over a 13-week commitment, roll out a topic at length before their audience. The sponsors provide announcers so as to not detract from the expert’s position.

Like all direct response advertising, the process starts with a test. Two such advertisers willing to use radio programming started with 1 or 2 stations. A mortgage show broadened their campaign of radio shows out to 80 stations over 4 years as they enjoyed increased success. Expedia took a travel show out to 90 stations in just 2 years.

This is not a format for those set in their ways. It offers a terrific opportunity to explore a topic creatively with great depth. It also offers the critical analytical element of response measurement. Unlike other methods of sponsorship, this one can be tied to milestones that can include audience, reactions to a call to action, and incorporation of other converging media, such as text messaging.

What more could a sponsor ask for?

RadioActive Media’s strong suit is in developing meaningful, accountable radio programming that engages, not bores the audience, for advertisers. Content drives loyalty. Loyalty builds brands. Brands measure results.

No Matter How it is Delivered, Radio is All About Content

By The RadioActive Media Team

The term “Internet Radio” has most likely been shortened from “streaming radio content over the Internet”. Certainly, there are some Internet-only radio “stations”, in fact at one site they list 242. That may sound like a lot, however there are almost 14,000 true radio stations in the U.S. (more…)

Radio Text Messaging: Taking Direct Response Radio to a Higher Level of Performance

By The RadioActive Media Team

Radio campaigns have reached a new height of performance with the explosive combination of radio and SMS text messaging. We call this kind of campaign Radio Text Messaging (RTM), a new super combination showing tremendous success with some ROI’s topping 300%. (more…)

Digital Radio – What it means to Listeners and to Advertisers

By Steve Pollak

There has been much written about digital radio from technological and political points of view. I am concerned with two groups; the listeners of radio and radio advertisers.

Digital radio is offered in four distinct ways:

DAB Digital Radio (also known as Digital Audio Broadcasting) – Primarily in use in the UK and Europe to Canada

High Definition (HD) – Selected by the FCC for use in the USA.

Digital Radio Mondiale (DRB) – New standard to replace AM broadcasting.

Satellite Radio Broadcasting – No geographical boundaries

All four technologies provide better quality sound and are comparable to CD quality for the listener. All four provide the enhanced technologies of scrolling program information, song titles, artist names, and the like. All four technologies can carry data alongside the audio. Imagine text and video to be transmitted with the audio providing new ways to connect with the listener.

What are the differences?

Satellite radio has the programming and the radio personalities and no terrestrial boundaries. In other words, it is literally everywhere a satellite signal can be picked up. The way that digital radio works is the same as AM and FM stations work now. In fact with your digital desktop or car radio you do not have an AM tuner, FM tuner or added digital tuner. Your radio automatically switches from analog to digital and digital to analog depending on the signals and boundaries.

Better Quality Signal is Better for All

Similar to the enhanced quality of video and audio with digital TV, digital radio’s sound is greatly improved. This is good for all radio.

Ahead of the Curve

At RadioActive Media we are already incorporating the future of data alongside the audio through our Radio Text Messaging (RTM) campaigns. Radio is the mobile advertising medium. Mobile advertising is positioned to be one of the fastest growing media vehicles. Combining these two powerful resources is game changing. We like game changing.

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RadioActive Media is a marketing and promotions agency specializing in using radio advertising as a business promotions medium. Radioactive Media has developed a reputation for creativity and excellent return on investment for its clients.

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