Paul Adams (via Seth) wonders “why radio stations can’t ping you by sms or even phone when they play a song you request. When was the last time a radio station cared about you? Or contacted you in a way you wanted to be contacted?”
This is happening, all y’all. Check out Whole Wheat Radio, one of the strongest communities online of any type IMHO, and almost certainly the strongest radio community online.
They’ve taken the idea above, built their entire station around it, and taken it a step further. It’s not just a relationship between the listener and the station, it’s a community that includes the listener, the station, and all the other listeners as well. Most importantly, a passive “listener” can become a producer by a simple phone call…call up, leave a “WheatGram,” and you’re on the air, too.
Much more on why this matters here.
Update: Below, Jim Kloss (from Whole Wheat Radio) leaves the best comment ever, and gets to the heart of what online community means to him, and what it means to radio. Be sure to read the whole thing.
Thank you for understanding the crux of what I’m trying to do at Whole Wheat Radio … and for letting others who might be interested know via your blog. It provides much needed motivation.
There is/was so much hope to completely re-invent ‘radio’ via the online arena since we have computers and powerful software tools at our disposal and a relatively inexpensive distribution method. We should be able to experiment with creative concepts that traditional radio can’t afford to test. Web-based ‘radio’ has/had a golden opportunity to provide a completely different audience experience.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, most webcasts, podcasts and other audio outlets have succumbed to the same schlocky marketing tactics, hype-driven playlists, drive-time DJ voices, 60 second spots, and hugely inflated and unsubstantiated listener statistics that has polluted radio and turned it into a generally unsatisfying listening experience.
What’s really sad is that the majority of web-savvy listeners, who I’d hoped would ignore ‘radio as we know it’ online and demand something better, have instead embraced an audio medium online that is no better (and often worse) than traditional radio. Sites that make a sincere attempt at ‘being different than radio’ languish in relative obscurity at the bottom of the heap. Kulak’s Woodshed, a commercial-free labor-of-love audio/video music producer that is years ahead of most audio/video production standards found anywhere on the web, is just one example. But very few people have ever visited Kulaks Woodshed (http://www.kulakswoodshed.com ). And many who do will give it the “Oh, it’s a homegrown Comic Sans website” thumbs-down review without ever discovering the treasure-trove of audio-video content Paul Kulak has amassed.
Yet, I’ll bet I see the phrase “win prizes in our on-air contest!”, or “the best music on the web” or “50,000 listeners and growing!” or “60 second commercial spot” or “vote for us!” and 10,000 flashing little GIF advertisements at least a hundred times today while perusing online playlists and blog feeds today. And the self-perpetuating major media outlets and high-profile bloggers will concentrate their focus on these lying whores; the mainstream will eat it up like fluffy white Wonder Bread and wonder why they feel malnourished and unsatisfied. Online pundits, who you’d hope would have loftier dreams, just sit back and encourage online producers to stroke their egos and re-invent ‘bad radio’. Sometimes it’s terribly depressing.
So, once again, it means a great deal to those of us who have spent thousands of hours trying to break the mold and demonstrate what *could be* instead of *what is* when folks like you take note.
Thank you.
Jim, you’re so welcome. And thank *you* for soldiering on — WWR is a shining light out there…
I respect what you’re saying, but I don’t think all efforts at reinventing the relationship between radio and the internet need to spring forth from granola-crunching hippies who defame “the man” by dissing commercial radio in all its forms.
Creative, quality produced, audience-oriented programming (give ’em content they want and the ability to control its delivery) can be accomplished by anyone from the guy in his basement to the devil-worshippers at Clear Channel.
Good content alone does not define commercial success. You could have the best programming in the world, but if you don’t have the ability to encourage word to spread of its existence in order to gain a larger audience willing to support you financially, it doesn’t matter much in the long run.
Just today I heard the announcement that CBS is canceling a tv show called LOVE MONKEY that appeared to be a critical success. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT is further testimony of my argument. Lots of people thought these shows were great — but not enough people watched to make it financially viable to the large media companies that produced and aired the content.
Rumors abound that perhaps Arrested Development will take to the internet in the form of downloadable episodes. The cancelation of Joss Whedon’s space soap FIREFLY prompted his fans to rise-up in numbers large enough to prompt a move to the big screen. If enough of them left their computers to venture to the theaters to SEE IT, or at least buy the DVD — who knows if this is an action that helped or hindered media moguls to respond to “what the audience wants.”
There is a fine line to be walked in making something commercially viable while not diving to the depths of commercial whoredom.
One example that I’ve found is a station webcasting from Columbus, Ohio ( http://www.mix971.net ) — while the ‘official’ audio broadcast from their terrestrial broadcast towers is very much what you would expect from an Adult Contemporary station in that market — a visit to their site yields a web-only live stream called “The High Street Mix”. A little more eclectic, a few deeper cuts from discs you haven’t heard for awhile — and commercial free.
They openly promote the webcast from their terrestrial broadcast, alerting thousands of llisteners to its existence. This can only help their online listening stats, and word of mouth is sure to help it grow into an audience that may never have even heard their “real” broadcast.
I think the indie angle needs to keep their integrity of programming, but embrace the network of marketing and promotion options available to them in order to make their efforts profitable — which allows them to continue their creative efforts.
Ross, I hear what you’re saying as well. Two things that stood out in your post:
1) The idea of the audience as “them”…the audience is *us*, isn’t it? (Could even take that a step further and break down the wall between “audience” and “performer,” too, I s’pose.)
2) Isn’t “commercial success” a relatively-defined thing? What it means for a ClearChannel is certainly v. different than how it would be defined by others…
ABSOLUTELY.
I agree wholeheartedly, especially with the “success is relative” statement. My brother is a painter who lives to paint. He works delivering pizzas simply to afford art supplies. If he sells his painting – great. If not, he is still a successful artist to his own way of thinking.
The audience-as-ourselves is a little more touchy — certainly I would have more passion for a product that I myself enjoyed. Making a decision that I personally felt strongly about would directly translate into my audience feeling (probably) the same way. But if I have creating content upon which I do not feel the same passion, or possess the expertise of topic for which my AUDIENCE feels, I would be better off learning what makes their passions fire and doing my best to set them alight.
How can you speak highly about the Woodshed???
— Y rip off the people further?? Kulaks on 12 months probation for
zoning code violations and under investigation for other crimes as per
other blogs I have seen? It says Atkins (His Landlord 310-545-4141) is
throwing you out, his neighbor is suing him and he has have been scamming
everyone? How can Kulak collect funds for a defense when he is being
evicted?
I see on http://www.charlespeyton.com where Kualk was convicted of
running a dance hall without a permit and the police are on him again?
If Kulak cares about us musicians then why put us in danger?
Kulak did not tell Wendy Greuel he had plead Guilty to operating without
a permit and was sentanced to 12 months probation for it?
Come on, Kualk says he threw your neighbor out but then he claims he is scared of him???, How did Kulak throw him out? a trail of bread crumbs?
Quit lying to people and face it, Gigs up at the Woodshed, Kulak has to buy rental decks with someone elses tax free donations…