RADIOHEARDHERE IS RADIO'S BOOSTER SHOT

Jeffrey Yorke – Radio and Records

It's time to give radio a jolt, so several radio groups have banded together to create RadioHeardHere.com, designed to "underscore the broadening versatility of [radio's] content, the pioneering innovation of its technology and the continuing relevance of the medium in Americans' lives," according to the partnership formed by NAB, RAB and the HD Radio Digital Alliance.

The founders describe their collective effort as "a comprehensive, multidimensional, multiyear initiative."

"The sleeping giant has awakened," said NAB president/CEO David Rehr. "For close to a century, radio has had a ubiquitous and integral presence in our nation's life, and today more than 235 million Americans turn to radio each week to be informed and entertained.

Despite its universal presence, or perhaps because of it, radio's abiding impact has been overlooked and underappreciated. The medium, however, has a bright future, and Radio Heard Here will help showcase radio's robust advances, particularly in harnessing new technology and expanding and enhancing the diversity of its content."

RAB president/CEO Jeff Haley said, "We are seeing a renaissance in radio with respect to programming -- programming that has become more versatile, more experimental and of a higher quality than ever before. This is an industry that is being bold, taking risks and engaging audiences in a variety of creative ways. And listeners are taking note.

More than 90% of Americans say that radio continues to play an important role in their lives."

Peter Ferrara, CEO of the HD Digital Radio Alliance, noted that the radio industry has invested millions of dollars in recent years on new technologies designed to expand and improve the delivery of radio programming. "Our investment in HD technology, the embrace of online streaming content, the convergence of radio with such modern devices as mobile phones and MP3 players -- these and other efforts demonstrate our broad commitment to keeping radio a current and relevant part of the nation's cultural landscape."

A pair of Internet sites, RadioCreative.com and RadioHeardHere.com, have been created to help radiophiles promote the industry. Rehr called the sites "our radio ambassadors."

The Radio Heard Here campaign features four main elements:

1. Advertising: A far-ranging advertising campaign aimed at consumers. The overarching theme of the campaign will be "Radio Heard Here."

 

2. Industry and Trade Outreach: A multifaceted initiative that connects industry players online to the most up-to-date information, that creates a series of blogs to more effectively engage and inform radio insiders and consumers alike, and that helps teach the creative community within advertising agencies and universities how to successfully write and place radio advertising.

 

3. Public Relations: A proactive effort designed to reach key influencers and other targeted audiences with information about the resurgence and impact of radio.

 

4. Viral Communications: A fun and often irreverent element that produces video shorts for posting on YouTube, Google Video, MySpace, Metacafe and other online outlets and that shares perspectives about radio in entertaining and informative ways.

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