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“You are asking me to pay for free
radio? I have choices. I can access much of your content in many
ways and discuss the music with my friends at the same time.”
This was the response I received as I engaged Tim, a 20-something
donor to a large listener-supported, Christian-formatted radio
station. I had asked him to rejoin the support team for this vital
community station. How would you answer his query?
Before I let you know what I said…consider the summary by
Abraham & Harrison, a leading social media marketing company,
highlighting Generation Y’s view on how media or digital content
should be funded:
“Generation Y’s…intellectual-property ethos — ‘All Content
Wants to be Free’ — is
stupid and criminal on the face of it. They truly believe that
malarkey, and aren’t
apt to change their minds.”
So if Generation Y wants all content to be free (to them) and
therefore individuals should not be prompted to consider financial
giving, I wondered how Tim related that to other non-profit
organizations he supports? It seems that supporting organizations
that feed the hungry or minister to special needs children did not
seem to offer an ethical dilemma like supporting a non-profit radio
station. We then discussed biblical generosity and he pondered
whether or not the station fit into his top giving priorities. I
encouraged him to continue this type of conversation with his peer
groups and suggested web forums to explore.
My conversation with Tim was on my
mind when I picked up the new book
The Chaos Scenario: Amid the Ruins of Mass Media, The Choice for
Business is Stark: Listen or Perish. Author
Bob Garfield (feature writer for Advertising Age) does a
masterful job of identifying the cataclysmic changes in the media
landscape and reminding us of the vital importance of knowing our
audience. He elevates this priority by coining a new science he
calls “Listenomics” – the art and science of cultivating
relationships with individuals in a connected, increasingly
open-source environment.
Relationships unleashed
I believe your radio station is a powerful, relationship-building
link to connect the body of Christ in your region. Why not
accelerate connectivity opportunities for your listeners to interact
with each other? “Live” call-ins? Ramp them up. Use Facebook? Sure.
Twitter? Yes, what an instant medium to encourage viral
conversations.LinkedIn? Absolutely, especially as a tool to
facilitate the awareness of job openings and candidates.
Listenomics Helps You Monitor
the Conversation…and Host the Conversation
Intentionally monitoring and participating in online forums, blogs
and social networks is valuable for your station. You can harness
critical intelligence and separate the meaningless noise from what
many call the world’s largest focus group---the buzz on the
internet. Applying Listenomics through your on-air and
off-air communication forums may enable you and your staff to
discover important information about your listeners you could not
obtain through face-to-face dialogue. As Bob Garfield
reminds us, “The internet is a word of mouth engine and the fuel of
the digital age is the instinct to share information with hundreds
of others”.
What ways have you found profitable to interact with listeners
online?
E-mail Mark
Kordic at
[email protected]
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With 24 years of
experience in corporate and non-profit leadership positions and
almost a generation of experience in listener supported Christian
radio, Mark Kordic helps radio stations across the country grow
income from major donors and pledges.
Before joining Advocace, Mark was the Director of
Media Advancement for CDR Radio Network-The PATH®, the media
division of Cedarville University in Cedarville, OH. At The
PATH® he successfully served in a number of marketing and executive
positions, helping fund network expansion. Kordic also previously
served as assistant pastor at Shawnee Hills Baptist Church in
Jamestown, OH.
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