The Tradition Lives and Works

This is a ScLoHo extra report that is not included in the Genuine ScLoHo Media and Marketing Podcast series.

Radio broadcasting is considered traditional media.  So is TV broadcasting along with print (newspapers & magazines), and if we expand to look at traditional advertising platforms, let’s toss in the phone book and outdoor billboard signs.

What’s not considered traditional in the media and advertising worlds?  Internet related stuff.

The digital marketing options that include platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Heck, digital includes apps, websites, search (both SEO and SEM) and the blending of these digital technologies.

So, the set up is traditional media and advertising, versus digital media and marketing.  Which is better for your business?

I happen to work with both and have tons of hands on experience in both worlds.

I have concerns about the future of several of the media and marketing platforms and their ability to be profitable and deliver a Return On Investment for their supporters, (that includes investors and businesses that advertise with them.)  I’m talking about both traditional and digital.

One that I am betting my future on is radio.  Not all radio, but specifically my radio station WOWO.

3 items came up this past week that I’ll share with you:

One of my advertising partners hosted a very nice luncheon for his media partners from all over Indiana and the head of an ad agency that does mostly television, asked the question: How’s the radio business doing?

My answer was that our audience is as strong and responsive as ever.   A lot of changes have continued to evolve in his world of television that has made buying TV advertising and getting the results that they used to get, a bit of a struggle.

Those changes have to do with how viewing habits have been changing tremendously, just in the past 5 years, let alone 20 years.  Cord Cutting (the loss of Cable TV subscribers) and the On-Demand viewing habits have really changed the landscape for television advertising.  Now with Smart TV’s that have the ability to deliver ads based on who is watching at the time, there are a lot of bugs to work out and with these changes comes challenges that are still being worked out.

Business people and media buyers simple want to know that there advertising messages are being seen and heard and bringing them customers.  You really don’t care about the technical details.

I also saw this national story from Radio Ink, a media publication.  The story states that radio advertising is still a favorite with new media buyers planning on trying radio for the first time.  In my experience, I’m seeing people who were told that they should be using digital media for advertising are now also exploring advertising on the media they consume, and  WOWO radio is one of the most listened to medias in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

One more insider article that I read the other day, shows that the News and Talk formated radio stations like WOWO continue to be HOT.

For the eighth year in a row, news/talk is radio’s top format. Buoyed by a nonstop cavalcade of news stories – from the midterm elections and Supreme Court nominations to natural disasters, social media scrutiny and widening cultural debates – the format’s 6+ Average Quarter Hour share crept up to a 10.0 (January-November) in 2018, from a 9.9 in the same period one year earlier. In fact, 2018 marks a fourth consecutive year of growth for news/talk.

And this growth in listenership is paying off for my advertising partners too.  In another client meeting I had this month, I learned that they experienced 150% growth this year, their 2nd year of advertising with WOWO.

I just published this story on the Talk Radio Advantage for WOWO Radio Advertisers that goes into more detail of some of the specifics that makes this kind of growth possible with WOWO radio.  And Before the month is up, I’ll share an article on how radio is still in demand for 2019 and beyond.

Lastly, I want to share with you how WOWO is actually using both traditional and digital platforms to serve our audience and our advertisers. Along with our 50,000 watt 1190 AM signal, and 107.5 FM signal (the traditional media), WOWO radio can be heard online with our streaming service for years.  WOWO has been using Facebook, Twitter, Text, Instagram, including all the updates and and Live features. We’re smart speaker enabled including Alexa.

And Podcasts. Boy, do we have Podcasts. You can listen to multiple web exclusive podcasts and we also have archives of many of our on-air broadcasts and interviews that air on WOWO radio.

Contact me for more info.