I would like to know why doesn't every radio station have a website of it's own. I see this especially in small markets. Sure every station doesn't stream because it's costly but you would think a website isn't that much per year. Stations in ND and MT and the like seem to be dead or something lol.
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Radio Station Websites
- Thread starter icycool7227
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rickradio
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You kinda answered your own question, icycool. You said it yourself: small markets. As someone who's worked in both small, single-owner, and larger, corporate stations, I've seen the disparity in available money to go around. The small stations I've worked at didn't have hardly anything to work with on-air. No jingles, no nothing. Just me and my AP/UPI dot matrix printers, the records, the spots, and network news at the top. That's it. On the other hand, I've both worked at and visited facilities that make the Taj Mahal look like a Port 'o' Potty. But guess where they were: you guessed it, big cities. Corporations don't really like to drop dough on small signals that are, as they say, "out in the middle of nowhere." Not enough ears (read: wallets) to make it worth their trouble financially. Small stations don't have the bucks coming from a corporate till like the bigger stations that attract the corporate buyers do.
Having said that, however, it's not just money and size of ownership. There are times when ownership/management just doesn't want to spend money on what they see as fluff. And one PD took years just to pick out a jingle package he liked. Another owner I worked for didn't bother to re-invest any capital back into a station that could have made him very wealthy. Nope. We ran mostly agency spots, he took all that money, paid us and the utilities, and put the rest in his pocket. No upgrades in equipment, nothing that would have given us a cleaner, more professional sound (both technical and programming) and given our competition a run for their money. We at least had an Optimod, but that was it. Everything else was decades old...the board, the turntables, the transmitter, even the building...40 years old at the time.
Another place I worked at treated the salespeople like royalty. Company-leased cars, cell phones the company also paid for, and commissions like there was no tomorrow. The studios? Different story. At least our music was on cart, but the cart machines themselves were held together with bailing wire and bubble gum. Some of them dragged, others were so out of adjustment they sounded like garbage (muddy or tinny). The FM board was cheap crap; bleedover from various sources was a big problem. Pages to the contract engineer (not in-house) often were ignored, and if he deigned to return the call, the attitude was often "why are you bothering me with this crap?" And management didn't seem to care as long as we were on the air and the spots were airing. It often felt like we were doing radio in a friggin' internment camp. But then, in a wonderful twist, management surprised us all when a guy who actually gave a sh-- and who knew his way around a schematic diagram came along; they hired him to take over the CE position, and things finally started getting taken care of, both at transmitter sites and studios.
It can depend on how much money there is to go around, but it can also depend on where management thinks money should go, too.
Having said that, however, it's not just money and size of ownership. There are times when ownership/management just doesn't want to spend money on what they see as fluff. And one PD took years just to pick out a jingle package he liked. Another owner I worked for didn't bother to re-invest any capital back into a station that could have made him very wealthy. Nope. We ran mostly agency spots, he took all that money, paid us and the utilities, and put the rest in his pocket. No upgrades in equipment, nothing that would have given us a cleaner, more professional sound (both technical and programming) and given our competition a run for their money. We at least had an Optimod, but that was it. Everything else was decades old...the board, the turntables, the transmitter, even the building...40 years old at the time.
Another place I worked at treated the salespeople like royalty. Company-leased cars, cell phones the company also paid for, and commissions like there was no tomorrow. The studios? Different story. At least our music was on cart, but the cart machines themselves were held together with bailing wire and bubble gum. Some of them dragged, others were so out of adjustment they sounded like garbage (muddy or tinny). The FM board was cheap crap; bleedover from various sources was a big problem. Pages to the contract engineer (not in-house) often were ignored, and if he deigned to return the call, the attitude was often "why are you bothering me with this crap?" And management didn't seem to care as long as we were on the air and the spots were airing. It often felt like we were doing radio in a friggin' internment camp. But then, in a wonderful twist, management surprised us all when a guy who actually gave a sh-- and who knew his way around a schematic diagram came along; they hired him to take over the CE position, and things finally started getting taken care of, both at transmitter sites and studios.
It can depend on how much money there is to go around, but it can also depend on where management thinks money should go, too.
Another issue is that maybe some of these stations actually don't have enough competition to even warrant having a website! And still another is that some of these stations play to such older demographics that many of their listeners may not even be computer literate (much less even have computers!) anyway!
Rickradio must have worked at some of the same stations I did! Only difference was, in my former station's case, the equipment wasn't 40 years old, but that was only because the station had not, at that time, even been on the air for 40 years yet. It was the early '90s, and we still did not even have a CD player yet! Not even one! Still playing nothing but records and cassettes!
Rickradio must have worked at some of the same stations I did! Only difference was, in my former station's case, the equipment wasn't 40 years old, but that was only because the station had not, at that time, even been on the air for 40 years yet. It was the early '90s, and we still did not even have a CD player yet! Not even one! Still playing nothing but records and cassettes!
I continually check out station websites. There are some good ones, and there are a lot of ho-hum sites, and some just plain suck.
Some of the best are tied to small stations. The answer to your observation may be this: If the owner is technically comfortable with the web (or has at least one trusted employee who is) then even a very small station can have a very impressive website. If the owner or other manager in charge is a techno-phobe there is likely to be no website or a very drab website.
I can't think of one of the sites I found "thrilling" but I will cruise around and try to come back here and post some links to examples.
If you can "roll your own" then any little tiny station can have at least something on the web for $60 per year.
Some of the best are tied to small stations. The answer to your observation may be this: If the owner is technically comfortable with the web (or has at least one trusted employee who is) then even a very small station can have a very impressive website. If the owner or other manager in charge is a techno-phobe there is likely to be no website or a very drab website.
I can't think of one of the sites I found "thrilling" but I will cruise around and try to come back here and post some links to examples.
If you can "roll your own" then any little tiny station can have at least something on the web for $60 per year.
I too am a web radio web site junkie. I mostly enjoy the small town station sites because they offer more in the way of what's happening in their community. Even the smallest station should have a web site just for some of the income it might generate for them. Yes, streaming is costly but if you sell some advertising on the site or trade out with their local ISP it could cover the cost. Web site fees aren't that expensive and most have basic web site tools that anyone can use.
www.wtsbradio.com has a good start for a local radio station website (AM daytimer in Smithfield/Selma, NC).
They even have news on there!
They even have news on there!
quadraphonic said:www.wtsbradio.com has a good start for a local radio station website (AM daytimer in Smithfield/Selma, NC).
They even have news on there!
Thank you, quadraphonic. What a breath of fresh air that site is!
This thread began with this question, this observation:
and I respond to your question with this question:
What is the purpose of a radio station website? List the goals of a website that a station manager might keep tacked on the wall with a push-pin.
I will "salt the mine" with a few possible purposes and goals:
1. To build listener loyalty because they feel the station has a personality.
2. So out of town business owners and those who are planning a business here soon, will have a positive view of my station.
3. To help support the "word of mouth" conversations where current listeners inform non-listeners that the station exists.
4. Hopefully we will find ways the website will (eventually) generate a revenue stream.
Jump in, group. Add to the list.
5. "[email protected]" looks more professional than a "[email protected]" email address.
The reason I do it is so listeners can hear our best bits at THEIR convenience, not ours. They can also take them with them, share them with their friends, and comment on them.
In this way, radio becomes more personal than a voice in a box, and communicates with the listeners, rather than at the listener.
In this way, radio becomes more personal than a voice in a box, and communicates with the listeners, rather than at the listener.
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