RSS

Mobile Apps Make The World Go 'Round!

It is amazing how cell phones have seemed to take over our lives. Think about it.


What is the first thing you check for when you are leaving your house in the morning? Your cell phone. It seems like we can’t even function without them. But, with technology continuously growing, I guess we don’t have a choice. All of the mobile applications available for download on cell phones allow our phones to act like our calendar, our computer, our personal assistant, and our social connection all at the same time.

I remember when I was in high school and cell phones had those computerized ringtones. Mobile applications have advanced to the place where you can now hear your own voice in your ringtone.

There also seems like there is a mobile app for everything! Even unnecessary things. I was at work the other day and one of our interns had a mobile app that made farting noises! Absolutely ridiculous! But, most importantly, mobile applications help up to improve our efficiency during the day. Business create mobile applications to make purchasing products more convenient for their customers. I have the CraigsList application on my phone that I use just about every day. Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare are also applications that I have installed onto my phone that I use almost daily. While these three companies don’t necessarily sell a specific product, the advertisements that they display on their websites make them money. The mobile applications help them to increase their count of how many people are actively using the sites, therefore helping their case in demanding higher prices for advertisement space.

Mobile applications are not necessary and will not work for every business, but with the right product or service, providing customers with direct access to your business can help you out tremendously. Mobile applications typically work for larger corporations that have a lot of repeat customers. It could also work for a business providing some type of software or technological service and also for a smaller company that thrives within a niche category!

Have fun with your apps! They are great tools!

~*Love, Peace, & Radio*~

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Funding My Creation!

I came across a website that fits in perfectly with the financial aspect of my business venture, Moguls in the Making. The Coalition of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) is an organization that “serves economically distressed communities by providing them credit, capital and financial services that are often unavailable from mainstream financial institutions.” This is great for Moguls in the Making because our business structure is setup to serve underprivileged youth. These underprivileged youth live and grow up in economically distressed communities; the exact places where I will start, build, and grow the Moguls in the Making locations.

The financing opportunities discussed within this website include loans that have been built to tailor business plans directed towards the development of underdeveloped communities. The only thing I don’t like about this website is that it does not offer information regarding grant opportunities. I understand the CDFI’s are actual financial institutions that are built to distribute only loans, but they should consider offering grant opportunities as well. Since they are already established financial institutions, it should not be that hard to obtain government funding to provide grants.

In order to receive funding from a CDFI, you must of course first fill out an application. In order to be approved for the funding you must meet several of their criteria, which include:
• Have a business focused towards community development
• Have a need for funding
• Have a business that is serving a specific target

Through CDFI.org I also learned all about the history of CDFI and Bill Clinton’s influence and implementation of providing funds for the program. The website also talks about the importance of community focused programs/businesses and how they provide a positive impact on our society. The CDFI also provides information about how receiving funds from the CDFI is different from receiving funds from other financial institutions.

All of the information that you may need about receiving funding for your business can be easily found on the web.

Happy searching!

~*Peace, Love, & Radio*~

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

After The Plan Comes The Execution!

After spending time with the BP Expert Views blog a couple of weeks ago, it allowed me to think differently about how to put my business plan together. William Sahlam and Michael Porter were featured in this blog, and they both taught me that investors are looking for the basics when deciding whether or not to help fund your project. While putting together the different parts of my business plan this month, I tried to keep this in mind by making sure not to introduce any new high-level ideas throughout it. I made sure to re-iterate the purpose and goals of Moguls in the Making, and always tied them back to whatever topic I was explaining at the time. I think this will help to keep the investor focused on only a few main things and not get confused with too many small details. I was sure to address all of the necessary topics, but did it in such a way to not distract the reader.

The sections that I feel are most important to the investor are the Industry Analysis, Market Description, and Management and Organization. The Industry Analysis is important because it allows to investor to see whether or not the industry as a whole is capable of producing results for a new business entering into it. It allows the investor to see how well other businesses within that particular industry are doing. The Market Description allows the investor to see how well potential clients will accept the products and/or services of the new business. This allows the investor to make a direct correlation to how successful sales will be. Finally, the Management and Organization is important because it shows whether or not the management team is qualified and capable of directing and managing the business.

When fine-tuning your business plan, make sure to provide a clear and consistent theme throughout it. Also, make sure to figure out which sections you feel are most important and make them your best. Become comfortable with them so that you can express your passion about your business to potential investors through the sections that you know best.

Good Luck!

~*Love, Peace, & Radio*~

References

Burhoe, Steven (2011). Expert Views on Busines Plans. Retrieved on September 7, 2011 from Bpexpertviews.blogspot.com

Sahlman, William (1997). How to Write a Great Business Plan. Retrieved on September 7, 2010 from http://www.google.com/search ?hl=en&source =hp&biw= 1440&bih=715&q=how+to+write+a+great+business+plan+sahlman&oq=how+to+write+a+great+business+plan&aq=2&aqi=g6&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=692l4748l0l6850l34l19l0l6l6l2l933l5263l1.1.3.0.5.2.1l13l0

Institute for Strategy and Competitveness (2008). On Competition, Updated and Expanded Edition. Retrieved on September 7, 2011 from http://www.isc.hb s.edu /On_Competition.htm

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Make A Plan For Your Business Plan

How many times have you been awake late at night thinking about a business venture that you wish you had the courage to go through with? I know this has happened to me often. The best thing to do when you have these ideas is to write them down, then start a business plan for the one that you like the most. Composing a business plan may seem like a daunting task but, the internet is a vital source to gather all of the data needed to impress potential investors. One of the first things you should do is read up on information posted by leaders and professional who are experts in creating business plans. I’ve recently learned about two people who are great at teaching others how to write the best business plans. Some of the information that I learned can be found below.

According to bpexpertviews.blogspot.com, William Sahlam has an impressive background and resume (¶ 52). Besides the fact that he has degrees from Princeton and Harvard, two of the most highly respected schools in the nation, he has also sat on the board of several different for-profit and non-profit organizations. I greatly respect his commitment and involvement in non-profit organizations because of my desire to one day start one of my own. Sahlman also published a book titled “How to Write a Great Business Plan.”

Also on bpexpeertviews.blogspot.com, I was introduced to Michael Porter, who currently holds the highest faculty recognition at Harvard University as the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor. In his book titled “On Competition” he stresses the importance of being knowledgeable about your competition. He exlplains how healthy competition can lead a company to success through several different avenues.

Through reading about just these two men and their accomplishments, I have learned that investors are interested in the basics when decided whether or not they will give a chunk of their money to you. These things include:
• The People – Employees
• The Opportunity
• The Context
• Risk and Reward
• Competition

References

Burhoe, Steven (2011). Expert Views on Busines Plans. Retrieved on September 7, 2011 from Bpexpertviews.blogspot.com

Sahlman, William (1997). How to Write a Great Business Plan. Retrieved on September 7, 2010 from http://www.google.com/search ?hl=en&source =hp&biw= 1440&bih=715&q=how+to+write+a+great+business+plan+sahlman&oq=how+to+write+a+great+business+plan&aq=2&aqi=g6&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=692l4748l0l6850l34l19l0l6l6l2l933l5263l1.1.3.0.5.2.1l13l0

Institute for Strategy and Competitveness (2008). On Competition, Updated and Expanded Edition. Retrieved on September 7, 2011 from http://www.isc.hb s.edu /On_Competition.htm

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Online Marketing...Where Do You Start?!?

I realized the other day that I am very close to being done with my coursework at Full Sail University. I can't believe this year has gone by so fast. I have learned about so much throughout my studies, and how fitting is it that my last class is tailored towards learning about how to market your company through the internet. Going online and researching different companies and their product offerings is quickly becoming the norm. According to the Business Opportunities Weblog Network, about 58% of people do online research before purchasing a particular product, up from 49% in 2004. These numbers prove that people rely on the internet much more to gain information about consumer products and services. This piece of information is great for people starting up business that are only online based, or for people that are going to rely heavily on the internet to market the product or services they will be offering.

Some of the things that I have learned throughout this course that will help to ensure that your internet marketing will be successful is the following:
• Keep your website, blog, social networks, etc updated frequently
o Search Engine Optimization (SEO) workds off of how often websites are updated. The more you update your website, the better chance you have at being at the top of a search engine list
• Use specific keywords and key phrases throughout your website, blog, social networks, etc.
o Making sure that you are using keywords and key phrases that relate to your product or service offerings often enough (but not too often), will also help you get to the top of a search list

These of course are not the only things that you should be doing to optimize the effectiveness of your website, but they are great starting points. If you are interested in learning more just do a quick google search! While you are learning more about how to market your business on the web make sure to pay attention to the website you are learning from. How exactly are they teaching you? Do you see any trends? How easy to read is the website? What about the layout?
Take some of the positives and apply it to your own site!

~*Peace, Love, and Radio*~

References: http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2010/09/30/more-shoppers-doing-research-online-before-buying/

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Survey Says...

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing for Non-Profits

We all know that the use of the internet and other digital resources is extremely important within the entertainment industry, but the increase in technology for research has proven that digital marketing is also very important for non-profit organizations.

Google AdWords
The use of Google AdWords is very useful for non-profits. Google AdWords allows the name of your organization and a link to your website to be listed under the “sponsored links” section of the search page. This is important because it allows your business and information to pop up first. As a non-profit it is important to gain as many followers and advocates as possible in order to raise funds to keep your business thriving. In the case of Moguls in the Making, I would use key words like youth, entertainment, career, and mentor. These words are most important because they, in a nutshell, describe what I am aiming to accomplish throughout the duration of the existence of Moguls in the Making. Take a look at

http://www.slideshare.net/GeorgianneBrown/digital-marketing-amp-your-non-profit

it allows you to get a better understanding of why digital marketing makes so much sense for a non-profit organization. It is sometimes hard to understand why non-profits even need money, hence the name “non-profit” but through fundraising and donations they are able to thrive.

Google Grants
Another thing I learned about on this site was about Google Grants. This is a program that non-profit organizations apply to in order to receive a free subscription to Google AdWords. This allows for absolutely free marketing if your organization is chosen to participate: 100% return on investment. No matter what type of business you are deciding to open it is always important to market it. People need to know you exist, and for any business the more people that know about you the better!

Happy Marketing!

~*Love, Peace, and Radio*~

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

To Self-Publish, Or Not To Self-Publish...


As I mentioned in my previous blog, I am currently in a course title Media Publishing and Distribution. Throughout this course, our professors have been teaching us about the differences between getting your work publishing by a professional publisher or self-publishing, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the two. The change in the way consumers purchase books, movies, and music now has proven that self-publishing is the best way to go for several reasons.
1)                 No cost of manufacturing hundreds of books that may sit on the shelves or in the warehouses of a bookstore and never sell
2)                 Easier for the consumer to navigate through and customize
3)                 Most consumers purchase their other media entities and hobby related materials online
Though these are just some of the examples I have learned throughout the last three weeks, there are several others to consider as well. Many of these reasons can be found through a simple Google search, or by visiting some of the Print On Demand (POD) websites available right at your fingertips. Some of these sites include:
·         iUniverse
·         CreateSpace
·         Dog Ear Publishing
·         Lulu
Being young, new to the entertainment industry, and without direct access to tons of money to send my work to a large publishing house, I would definitely prefer to use the POD method. I prefer the POD website Lulu. It is very user-friendly and answers any questions you may have regarding POD. The only downfall is that they only provide POD for literary works, not for music or movies. Maybe in the future they will expand, but for now, if you are looking to get a book published, definitely visit Lulu, or any of the other websites mentioned above. When deciding which one I liked best I did a compare/contrast analysis on all of them.

Happy POD-ing!!

~*Love, Peace, & Radio*~

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Turn Your Ideas Into Reality


This month in my Full Sail University curriculum we are studying about media publishing and distribution. We have been encouraged to develop a creative idea that we can present to industry agents and publishers to hopefully get it legally and publically distributed. My idea this course has been a reality television show based on the lives of radio professionals. After working in a fast-paced, drama-filled hip hop radio station for the past six months, I have come to realize that our lives would pose for great television.

I have created a query letter to an agent, a reality television show treatment for producers, and I am in the process of completing a formal business strategy to self-promote and merchandise my reality television idea. The interesting thing about this whole process is that all of the resources needed to take your idea to completion are posted for free on the internet. Templates for your query letter, treatments, and business strategy have been created and posted on the internet by industry executives and professionals that have either gone through this process before, or receive creative ideas from different people each day.

While the majority of producers and agents only work with people who are already established in the industry, or who has a previous connection with them or someone they know, there are several websites that show agents and producers that will review content from newbies. All you have to do is use your favorite online search engine and search for whatever it is you are wanting to create. It will show you everything from diagrams on the entire creation to completion process, to how to properly find and approach your own agent or production company.
           
I wake up with different ideas everyday! When you have an idea, write it down! Invest some time into perfecting your idea and it may make some money for you one day!

HAPPY CREATING!

~*Love, Peace, & Radio*~

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Entertainment Law...The Stuff We Need to Know!


A really good friend of mine is currently in law school. She always talks about how stressful, difficult, and sometimes boring studying law can be. I am currently in the Advanced Entertainment Law course of my Full Sail University curriculum, and while the class work can definitely be challenging, it has been extremely interesting and very helpful!

I recently listened to the following law focused podcasts:
-       Tough Cookies and Heart Attacks
-       The true costs of patents
-       Privacy and the media

In the following paragraphs I am going to summarize these podcasts as well as explain how they can be applied directly to both the entertainment industry as a whole, and to my future business venture, Moguls in the Making.

Tough Cookies and Heart Attacks
This podcast hosted by Gordon Firemark and Tamara Bennett actually discussed several different legal cases within the entertainment industry that are currently being debated. One of my favorites within this podcast is the case between Victor Witmill and Warner Brothers. Witmill is currently suing Warner Brothers for the use of his tattoo design in the move The Hangover 2. Witmill designed the tattoo that is currently displayed on the face of Mike Tyson, and in The Hangover 2, the same type of design was placed on the face of one of the actors. This case stresses the importance of “dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s.” When I first heard of this case a few weeks ago my initial thought was “who is the one responsible for not putting this task on the checklist.” With major productions like film, it is very important to make sure that all legal issues are addressed and corrected before the film is released. My opinion here is that Witmill is just looking to earn a quick buck by making sure a hassle out of it, but at the same time, he may just be entitled to receive a monetary settlement for his work even though he did not copyright it within the appropriate time frame. In week one of our class we had to create an IP checklist for our business plans. After learning more about this case, I have been able to think of and add many more legal items to my IP checklist that I need to make sure are taken care of before my business goes live.

The True Cost of Patents
In this podcast, Anup Malani and Jonathan Masur discussed how the pricing of your innovations and its patents directly relate to one another. During my studies for my bachelor’s degree I took 2 or 3 economics class, therefore their reference to profits, demand curves, and surplus really resonated with me. One term that they used a lot was “patent pools”. Malani and Masur taught me that patent pools allow you to partake in two part pricing when registering patents which gives you the opportunity to buy a bundle of patents (or any other product or service for that matter) for flat rate, and then pay per patent for additional ones that supersede that amount in your bundle. When starting up my non-profit organization, I will be able to use this theory when it comes to applying patents to innovations that my employees, my students, or me come up with. It will allow us to remain creative without the worry of our competition stealing our ideas.

Privacy and The Media
This podcast was my favorite of them all! It gave me a new respect for TMZ. Yes, TMZ the celebrity gossip TV show and website! Did you know that Harvey Levin, the creator and executive producer of TMZ is a lawyer? He went to the University of Chicago Law School. I was extremely shocked to learn this information. Throughout the podcast he discussed the importance of maintaining a line of privacy with celebrities and their personal lives. Now this may seem like an oxymoron due to the fact that all TMZ does is dive right into the personal lives of celebrities, but he gave several examples of how he chose not to publicize certain information that TMZ received about celebrities. This goes to show that even people whose explicit jobs are to report celebrity gossip still know how to maintain a level of professional and ethical behavior. My goal for Moguls in the Making is to have celebrities come in to mentor and teach my students. We all know that some celebrity lifestyles are not all rated PG13, but it is my job to make sure that my students know how to properly handle situations if they see a celebrity partaking in an act that they know is not right. It is not the job of the student to spread rumor or gossip, but they should know that the faculty is the place to vent about issues or things that they see and that when they talk about it with the faculty it is left there and not discussed anywhere else. This will build up a strong positive conscience and set of morals within my students that allows them to behave professionally in any situation.

The links to the podcasts that I listened to can be found below.

Tough Cookies and Heart Attacks

The True Cost of Patents

Privacy and the Media

Happy Listening!!

~*Love, Peace, & Radio*~

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Intellectual Property and the Entertainment Industry

There are several different components that make up the Moguls in the Making program: music, art, journalism, dance, mentoring, etc. Because of this, there are several different ways that intellectual property can affect the way I, as well as my future students, currently and will in the future, conduct business.

Below I am going to discuss three separate occurrences that somehow involves intellectual property as well as relates to Moguls in the Making and the outcome of the services that the program provides.

1.             Beyonce steals Billboard Performance
Just recently Beyonce executed a perfect and extremely memorable performance at the Billboard awards. Some are speculating that she stole this performance from Lorella Cuccarini, an Italian pop singer who performed a similar dance sequence in 2010. The funny thing to me is that out of all of the people that are claiming Beyonce “stole” this performance, the actual singer that Beyonce got her inspiration from has no problem with it. I do think that stealing someone’s artistic expression in the form of dance can be seen as an issue of intellectual property, but if the artist has no problem with it I don’t see an issue.

Article

2.             Journalism professor plagiarizes from student paper
This to me is unacceptable. Teachers, mentors, and professors always teach their students that plagiarism is never tolerated. Therefore, for a teacher to go and steal the exact words of his own students irritates me. In the article the teacher tries to explain that his plagiarism was unintentional, but I find that very hard to believe. This just goes to show that no matter where you are in life and who you come in contact with you always have to stay sharp and on your toes. I plan to make sure that my students know how to stay always stay on guard, but know how to properly work with people at the same time.

Article

3.             PETA infringing film-maker’s intellectual property rights
This instance shows complete infringement of intellectual property. PETA should have asked permission before deeming authority over parts of this film-maker’s art. It was said in the article that the film maker probably would not have granted them access to the film, but nonetheless, PETA should have followed the appropriate legal procedures to make sure this situation was handled correctly.

Article

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Negotiating in the world of radio.


Interview with Barbeth Pinkney

Me: How involved are you with negotiations in your everyday job?

Barbeth: I negotiate just about every day. I am a Senior Account Executive for two radio stations in Phoenix, Arizona.

Me: How long have you been in radio sales?

Barbeth: About 25 years.

Me: Who do you negotiate with and what are you typically negotiating about?

Barbeth: I negotiate with owners of small to medium sized businesses. Most of the time we negotiate about how much their they will pay the radio station for the advertising they do with us. The business owners, of course, want the loswet rate possible, or free, but it is my job to get them to understand the value of their advertising and accept a higher rate. 

Me: What do you say to them to get to them to understand the value?

Barbeth: I tailor the benefits of our station to meet the needs of their specific business. Once they see that their advertisements with us can bring more customers into the business they feel more comfortable with spending money with me. 

Me: Do you ever have to use objective criteria as well as specifics about their business to convince them to buy?

Barbeth: Yes, all the time. I use past successes that I have had with other clients to prove to them that radio works. There is also software that I use such as Arbitron, Media Monitors, and Xray that allow me to pull reports that show how much money is currently being spent in radio by business owners. This allows my client to realize that it must work since other people are spending so much money in this area. 

Me: With negotiations, conversations can sometimes get a little intense, how do you deal with negativity from the client?

Barbeth: When you are asking someone to spend money things can definitely escalate pretty quickly. I try my hardest to remain calm because at the end of the day I want this person to spend money with me. I re-assure the client that I appreciate his passion and his time but that there are certain rates that I must stick to. I let them know how successful radio advertising is and try to add other things into the deal to convince him to buy. Adding in free stuff usually always works and calms them down.

Me: How do you use your leverage and power to benefit you in your negotiations?

Barbeth: The thing to always realize about sales is that as a seller you have what your client needs and wants. As long as you always realize this than you will always win. My leverage is my knowledge about radio and knowing that it can increase their business. My power in the negotiation starts with the very first conversation. If I say that I am going to do something I always do it, and if I tell him I won’t give my client a discount unless they purchase more than I stick to my word. In the radio industry it is all about showing the value of your station, and not diminishing that value but just giving everything away for free. If you make it a habit of making exceptions they will expect that every time and not spend as much money with you as they could. 

Me: Thank you Barbeth for taking time to chat with me!

Barbeth: You are very welcome!

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Beyonce heats up the shelves with Heat!


I don’t think I have shared this with you guys yet, but I absolutely adore Beyonce! I know you are thinking “of course you do, who doesn’t?” But, I have been a loyal fan since her “No, No, No” days with Destiny’s Child. This week in class we have been discussion Artist and Product Management and the link between the two. Last year Beyonce came out with her first fragrance called “Heat” (and by the way I am already on bottle number 3). According to the NY Daily News, this product had $3 million dollars in sales during its first month on the shelves. On the very first day of its launch Beyonce visited a Macy’s to promote Heat and promoted the sell of 72,000 bottles.

Beyonce is definitely a super-celebrity, so this already gives her the upper-hand in being able to produce a high volume of sales, but I also think the success of her marketing and advertising strategies helped in this as well. Heat is only sold at Macy’s. This provides exclusivity for Macy’s and gives them the opportunity to brand themselves with this opportunity, as well as provide additional marketing and advertising avenues for the new fragrance. This marketing strategy also shows loyalty through Beyonce’s brand name. It shows that she is not out just to make millions upon millions of dollars, but to also build partnerships and trust through both her buyers and her fans.

Many celebrities have launched perfumes in the past, but no one has seen fragrance numbers like Beyonce’s Heat has. According to figures from research firm NPD group, in 2008, the average celebrity fragrance generated only $2.5 million in the first year. As I stated earlier, Heat generated over $3 million in just the first month!

I will be adding to this number in the next week because as I look over at my vanity table my Heat bottle is almost empty. I will soon be out to purchase bottle number three! If you haven’t had the opportunity to smell it go out to Macy’s and take a whiff. It’s mixture of floral and vanilla is to die for.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

They Say the Radio Industry Sucks Now....I Don't Think So!!!


For the last couple of weeks in class we have been discussing product and artist management. Since I currently work in radio, I began to think of radio as a product in its own as well as how and why it has seen so many changes throughout the past twenty to thirty years. I came across a video on YouTube that hosts a handful of radio professionals giving their opinion on the current status of the radio industry, and responding to the title of the video, which is “Why The Radio and Music Industry Sucks Nowadays.” I have worked in radio for only 8 short months, but in this time I have become quite fond of my job and the work that I put in everyday. The stories that I have heard from veteran radio executives have had me wishing that I was around for what everyone seems to call the “good ‘ole days.” I have heard stories of account managers making well over six figures by hardly having to even work for the money. Granted, the fall of the radio industry is heavily dependent on the fall of the economy and the lack of funds that businesses now have to invest in advertising, but I’m sure I would have had a great time back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s when everyone had the big bucks to spend.

Ok, back to the video. I found it very interesting that some of the main points that were brought up in the video directly parallel some of the things that I have heard people recently say about why the radio industry is not what it used to be. Three main points that I took from the video are as follows:
·      The guys that are running the radio companies are young guys that are not willing to take risks
o   In the past, there were cigar smoking older guys that would invest in ventures not because they put some formula into an excel spreadsheet that told them how risky or not risky that specific venture would be, but because it seemed like a good idea that had good potential to succeed.
·      Radio personalities do not have the opportunity to choose the music they want, all music played on-air is pre-programmed.
·      The people that make the big decisions are only business-minded, they have no attachment or vested interest in music

As you can see, besides our economy being in a not so great state right now, the radio and music industry has several other factors working against it. I know that I started working in radio because I have a love and desire for music. Hopefully, more people will start to work in this industry for the same reasons as me, and not just for a paycheck; only time will tell. The question I will continue to ask myself and my co-workers is ….WHAT CAN WE DO TO CHANGE IT?!!??! I want to do two things while building my career path. 1) Make a LOT of money 2) Have Fun While Doing It!


  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

I Heart iHeartRadio!!


I am absolutely in love with iHeartRadio! If you haven’t heard of it then you should definitely head over to iHeartRadio.com to learn more, or just continue reading and I will tell you all about it!

iHeartRadio was created by ClearChannel Communications in 2010. It gives listeners the opportunity to tune in to over 750 radio stations across the country. It has two different avenues of listening; online and on your mobile device. If you are at your computer you can easily log on to iheartradio.com and find your favorite radio stations or you also have the convenience of downloading to iHeartRadio application to your mobile phone for a very convenient way to listen to those stations while you are on the go.

The think I really like about iHeartRadio is that it gives you the opportunity to listen to radio stations from your hometown, places you used to live or have visited, or just explore new types of music and stations from places you have never been. It allows for an immense amount of culture to be learned right at the tips of your fingers.

iHeartRadio also hosts tons of contests for their listeners to get involved in. They want to make sure, as any other company, that their listeners stay engaged and continue using their apps and online features from a day-to-day basis. Since there are active listeners/consumers tuned in every hour of the day, there are also opportunities for business to come in and advertise their products. With any radio station, this is how the majority of their revenue is raised, through advertising.

So, if you would like a new music experience, try out iHeartRadio. It is amazing. Go to iHeartRadio.com and check to see if there is an application to download to the cell phone you have!

~*Love, Peace, & Radio*~

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

The Spirit of Giving!


I absolutely love it when I hear of stories about companies showing their philanthropy efforts through giving back to the local communities. I think it shows a huge amount of gratitude and humility through not only the employees executing on the task, but also the leaders of the company. Good or bad attributes of a company always flow from the readers. I follow ClearChannel on Twitter, and they recently posted a story from the “Local Spirit” sector of the company website. The article was titled “Clear Channel Radio Rochester Breaks Records for Toys for Tots.” The article talks about how every year the local ClearChannel radio stations in Rochester, Minnesota participate in the Toys for Tots toy drive for the Christmas season, but according to ClearChannel.com this year they broke a regional record and  23,432 toys were raised and distributed to 12,002 kids in southeastern Minnesota.  300 toys were specifically donated to families suffering the loss of their homes in the fall floods of 2010 (2010).”

I know that companies do these types of things all the time, but a few things about this story stood out to me. One thing is that they donated their energy towards makings sure that kids all throughout the state of Minnesota had presents to open for Christmas. I adore kids, and volunteer my time twice a month in my church’s Children’s Ministry. When I initially went to college, my major was Biology-PreMed because I always wanted to grow up and become a pediatric cardiologist. Even though biology and chemistry both deterred me from that career, my love for kids and their future has not changed.

All in all, I think was ClearChannel is doing with their “Local Spirit” campaign is amazing! The business that I am going to start from the business plan I have been working on through my coursework at Full Sail is geared towards youth aged 12-18, but I am going to make sure that we integrate community service programs aimed towards the compassion for younger kids.

Check out the website for the whole story.

http://clearchannel.com/LocalSpirit/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=2881

~*Love, Peace, & Radio*~

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

What's Happening In Radio...


Being that I work for two radio stations, our broadcast group is naturally a member of the National Association of Broadcasters. While we use this as a way to educate our sales team on what is going on with our competitors, I recently started doing research on my own to stay up to date with what is going in the radio industry in general. As I was looking through nab.org, I ran across an "Innovation in Radio" section of their website. This area of focus gives broadcasters the ability stay connected with the advancements in the radio industry, as well as find "more innovative ways to deliver the high-quality content and services that local communities expect and deserve" (NAB.org, 2011). 

Within this "Innovation in Radio" section, they have an article on NAB's Technology Advocacy Program called FASTROAD that was launched in 2007. FASTROAD is there “to help accelerate deployment of new broadcast technologies” (NAB.org, 2011). I really like this initiative, because like many industries, the leaders and executives can sometimes be stuck in the technology of the 70’s and 80’s. FASTROAD will force people to become more educated about the new happenings of their career space because it deploys news and information more quickly and through many more mediums.

FASTROAD has helped to disperse information on the benefits of FM-capable cell phones, HD Radio, and iHeartRadio just to name a few. Though all broadcast groups don’t adopt new technologies as quickly as others I believe FASTROAD will be major reason in why competitive research within the radio industry should be an ongoing task. Leaders within this industry, and any industry at that, are always the ones that are the first to jump on the bandwagon of new and meaningful initiatives and technologies. Increasing your market share, I think, depends highly on this and will make or break how well you perform in comparison to your competition.

With where our country is in terms of our economic state is what determines how consumers will react to their spending. Adopting the newest technologies within the radio industry will allow advertisements to broadcast in the best possible way, which will in turn attract consumers to business that are advertising on any specific station, which will then increase the rate in which businesses stay on the air, and alternatively increasing revenues brought into radio stations. It is very interesting to see how things within the radio industry are so inter-related. But, at the end of the day, my view is that it is very important to make sure new technologies are embraced as quickly as possible.

References

National Association of Broadcasters. 2011. Innovation In Radio. Retrieved on January 15, 2011. http://www.nab.org/radio/innovation.asp.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Do What You LOVE!! **Gary Vaynerchuk**

Today I was browsing through TED.com and came across a YouTube video of Gary Vaynerchuk discussing a topic that I hold close to my heart: "Do What You Love!" Just four months ago I walked away from a company that had employed me for the past four years because I was no longer enjoying my work. I kept asking myself "what am I still doing here?"..."what do I enjoy doing?" After coming up with various answers for these questions over the span of about 3 months I decided that I really enjoyed being entertained and entertaining others. I then started researching career opportunities within the entertainment industry, and voila, here I am today working as an Account Executive for two radio stations in Phoenix, Arizona.

Gary Vaynerchuk is the owner of Wine Library TV. In his speech he talks about how he ended up where he is today and inspires the audience to do what they have a passion and love for. Don't waste your time on something that you are even 1% unhappy with. You can tell that his enthusiasm inspires the audience because of theire reaction to him, but even through watching his speech on my laptop computer, I feel like he is talking directly to me. There are several things that he mentioned during his speech that I jotted down for future reflection:

  • What do I want to do everyday for the rest of my life?? Monetize it...
  • HUSSLE!
  • Legacy > Currency
  • BUILD BRAND EQUITY!
Of course it is difficult not to think about how to make the above mentioned topics more effective within your own personal business plan while he is talking about them, so during his speech I started to think about my current job. "Am I happy?" "Is there 1% of me that doesn't like what I am doing?" "Am I building a legacy that my grandchildren would be proud of?" His excitement for his company also made me wonder if I would ever be able to be as satisfied with my career as he is with is. At the end of the day, I think my answer lies within the business plan that I am creating for my coursework. Though, at the time it may just seem like another assignment to complete for a grade, I really think that owning your own business is the master key to happiness. You are able to dictate what you want to do, when you want to do it.

Below you will find the video that I watched that gave me all of these revelations and questions to ponder.


Recently my boss emailed out a copy of a transcript that Steve Jobs wrote for a college graduation. In his commencement address he talked about the same thing..."you have got to do what you love" is one of the last things he said to that graduating class.

All in all, unless you have been blessed with a trust fund or have won the lottery, you will most likely to be forced to obtain some sort of career in order to make a living. Because most jobs consume about 75% of your day, it is important to enjoy what you are doing. I am still looking for that 100% enjoyment in my career but I am sure one day I will find it. The important thing is to not be afraid to switch gears when you realize that something else can bring you that extra 1% of happiness.

*~Love, Peace, & Radio~*

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS