Is Digital A House Of Cards?
Charlotte Radio
Meet Our Charlotte Blogger Tara Servatius
Known as the "content queen" of WBT's weekends, then nights, then afternoon drive over the last six years, Tara hosted the most listened to locally produced News/Talk show in Charlotte. Tara’s entertaining, glib, utterly original way of laughing at life earned her show the highest cume of the five local shows at WBT. It beat the next closest local NewsTalk show in the market by 40,000 listeners. Tara is presently looking for her next gig. For more info, see taraservatius.com. We are excited to have Tara blogging for RadioInk.com about radio and the Charlotte radio market. Reach out to her at her website www.taraservatius.com. Twitter Tara @TaraServatius or on Facebook
Howls Of Protest From Bob & Sheri Fans
That’s what the Charlotte Observer reports that 107.9 The Link’s Bob & Sheri got when they dramatically changed their format to boost ratings after Arbitron switched to the PPM in Charlotte. The Observer writes how the two popular radio hosts were summoned to a meeting with Link program director Bill White and Greater Media executives Rick Feinblatt and Buzz Knight and told PPM would bring changes to their show. The duo, who are well-loved enough to be syndicated in over 40 markets, weren’t used to being told what to do, the paper reported. The changes amounted to tightening up the show. That meant much less Bob & Sheri and much more music, tighter segments and no rambling phone calls.
How To Manipulate Your Audience.
The radio listener contest. It’s a classic study in audience manipulation. And it works when done well. Here are a couple of my favorites from around Charlotte right now. Charlotte’s Alternative Rock station 106.5 is running the classic send in a picture of the hottest person you know and we’ll all vote and see who wins contest. What is smart about the way they are doing it though is that they are asking people to get their social media friends on facebook and twitter to vote for the photos of their choice.
The Perfect Radio Station Website.
Don’t bother spending hours in meetings tryings to figure out how to use social media to connect with your listeners. Instead, copy this website: http://www.1079thelink.com/. Rip it off. Flat out steal it. Turn the web address over to your web guy and tell him you want one just like it by tomorrow. And you are done. The website for 107.9 the Link goes about as far as present technology allows in erasing the walls between the listener, the host, the internet and the content. And it does it compactly so the listener doesn’t have to wander all over the place seeking what they are looking for. It’s all laid out brilliantly in user friendly form right in front of their face. The site is the work of Jonathan Mauney (pictured), Interactive director at Greater Media in Charlotte.
Where Radio Souls Go When They Get Exiled. To The Future.
Brian Baltosiewich got tired of watching his radio friends lose their jobs. So two years ago, he launched the website www.radioexiles.com as a place where their audiences could download their podcasts online. Based out of Charlotte, the site will expand to 16 shows a week in June. It averages about 46,000 downloads a month – about the same as the local news talker in town.
