pretty good at this by finding out what music, what content most listeners want. This is accomplished through research, through asking them what they want. If we reflect their needs they stay with us and that is all about community... staying tuned into the things they care about in their community and reflecting content taste, whether music, talk, etc.
Corey: How will broadcasters and eventually listeners benefit from the Convergence 08 conference in March?
Eric Rhoads: My conference is designed to help the radio industry, podcasters, and people interested in radio understand the natural ties to digital media. Its designed to help everyone come up to speed on all the opportunities in technology, what consumers want, and where things are going. We've brought in the top minds in radio and the top minds in Silicon Valley to give the audience a giant dose of information. It's a huge brain trust.
Corey: React to this statement: radio stations need to become "Masters of their own Content" instead of just audio products.
Eric Rhoads: It goes back to what I said before... the most successful radio stations in the world are those which reflect their listeners. I coined a phrase called "program reflectors" rather than program directors, which are the people who build the content, direction and strategy for stations. Its about finding out what they want and doing it.
Corey: Why did you pick Leo Laporte as the key note speaker for Convergence 08?
Eric Rhoads: Leo has the unique position of being one of the few people who can pick up the phone and call Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, etc. He knows everything going on in tech and he reports on it in his shows. But Leo was first a radio guy and he knows the ins and outs of radio. By bringing him you get the best of both worlds and I believe he can articulate a vision of how radio and tech come together to make the ultimate medium.
Corey: Is there anything I've neglected to ask you?
Eric Rhoads: No, you're on top of things. Radio remains a very strong medium, but of course we can all do a better job. I think some radio stations have lost sight of localism, entertainment and reflection of the community. It's my goal with my publication Radio Ink to continue to guide radio with innovation, new directions and help them focus on the basics, which make radio great. In spite of all the devices, ipods, iphones, etc., which I think are wonderful, radio remains strong.
Satellite radio is very cool, I like it a lot, but most people don't want to pay for radio... and radio which comes into all the car radios, home radios in the world remains free. Yes there are commercials, which of course keep radio free. Radio is starting to understand that too many commercials is a bit much and most radio companies have made significant commitments to reduce the number of commercials they run, so things are getting better.
There will be a day, I believe, when commercials as we know them today will be a thing of the past. But that will be a while as we experiment with new business models.
(You can find out more about "Convergence 08" at: www.radioink.com)
