Chuck said:The example I gave is real, but to clarify, I said an average of 200 listeners, which means sometimes it would naturally be less, but sometimes it would be more. I am an OTA broadcaster in an Arbitron rated market, but not one of the bigger ones. Think somewhere between market 100 and 200. We did become that popular on the Internet. But let's say you only averaged 100 listeners, that is still $23,000. Can you really sell enough ads to pay for that with only an average of 100 listeners? More power to you if you can.AMradiofan said:
I'm going to risk answering some of these points and not being liked. I've lived with my station 24/7 for nearly a decade after years working for someone else. It's working, and I'll spell it out. It IS hard work, and it IS NOT easy, but we're proud of the sound, signal, sales, and service we provide. ]In a tiny, unrated market, we sold $10k's worth of streaming sponsorships in a specially designed "package" of on-air announcements for the year. That much was sold the very first day we debuted streaming. The clients are excited about the streaming product and having their businesses associated with it. 6 month commitment minimum to be "on. Plus, we don't sell anything ONLY on the stream: that would create another (digital) revenue stream on which stations are charged royalties. ALL revenue is on the actual terrestrial signal and the stream is 100 percent duplicate of our air signal."
Perhaps you have an unrealistic idea of how challenging it is to sell advertising. It's hard enough to sell over the air radio, much less the Internet.
Really? Sounds like you're shooting yourself down before you start! I'm not saying it's easy.....but you proceed from a false assumption! We bought a station that was off the air, dead for nearly a year and with two weeks to license revocation, an AM standalone, with only 330 watts night power,no stream and no translator when bought.... brought it back and have survived 9 years, paid all the bills, and enlarged the AM daytime signal among other triumphs. Unrealistic idea of sales? We simply adjust to our market, know our town, and price things correctly!
According to Radio Locator, there are 36 stations vying for attention in my zip code. That means the advertising pie is sliced pretty thin. In many places, it is much worse than that.
Find your niche. Do what you do best. Stop worrying about other signals and make YOUR STATION the best it can be and MARKET IT. Your statement itself is setting yourself up for failure.
I'm lucky. I have great sponsors, many of whom have been with us for years, but they aren't particularly impressed with how many Internet listeners we have.
It's all in how you present it and how you VIEW it. Our sponsors wanted the streaming SERVICE to be provided and to help put OUR TOWN on the map! They like that idea! NOBODY asks us how many total listeners are on the stream, or about (terrestrial) ratings. We're an unrated market, and our clients are excited to be HEARD on our stream within driving distance for the potential of seeing new faces. Many towns are now logging in within an hour or so of our station (outside our primary coverage area) and are listening regularly...proving they have interest, and may even make a "day trip" to our area for things that interest them they hear on the air. Remember, you're also selling your TOWN and your advertisers TO those on the stream,
As for the cost of streaming being insignificant to an OTA broadcaster, evidently you don't have to meet payroll, pay employment taxes, pay commercial property tax, pay tower rent, pay a large electric bill, deal with various governmental agencies, replace expensive equipment when lightning strikes your tower, etc. It is relatively expensive to operate a commercial broadcast station. Sure, you can make money, but the profit margins aren't as big as most people think they are.
Um, yes we do We're OTA, AM stand alone, in a small market. It CAN work. We don't get rich, but we've paid all our bills for nearly 9 years, starting from nothing, no accounts, no ads, no clients, no programming, no web presence, no logo, nothing. Streaming is a nice NEW service, and people are EXCITED about having our own app, too, not just on their laptop and PC screens. We INVESTED in having the service for our listeners and advertisers.
If you've been successful selling your Internet stream, I'd love to hear how you do it. Really
Re-read the above, then start by not giving yourself so many reasons to NOT do things and sounding so down on your own station!
Look at what's possible and do WHAT YOU CAN, stop putting up hurdles. You sound defeated in your posting. Please try to look at your station's potential...not the things you believe you CAN'T do. I have my days where I curse, too...but I'm still in radio, still in the drivers' seat of three very nice small market stations, and still having fun overall...and so is my sales staff! I promised them no complaints on teh street about our station, and they've had none. They ENJOY the creative selling ideas we concoct together..whether its streaming, special programming, feature shows, or standard commercial flights. I hope the same happens for you.
