RadioSutton Blog: 7th Anniversary

This is the 7th anniversary of the RadioSutton blog. Thanks for reading and writing back over that time. Your support and participation has been invaluable.

We blogged a bit less in the past year than usual due to so many client commitments. It's a good problem to have but I hope to post more in 2012.

The first posting, other than our welcome message, can be found here. In that posting, I wrote that the blog would " consider how we might better tap public radio’s vast knowledge of its listeners, fundraising, and finances. We’ll look at opportunities for individual stations and the industry as a whole. We’ll tackle tough issues including the competing priorities of public radio stations and national entities such as CPB and NPR."

More so than any other time we see 2012 as a year when competing priorities among CPB, the networks and stations will define the future of public radio. A couple of examples:

CPB will again be fighting for its life. As has been the case over the past years, it's funding decisions will be heavily influenced by what plays well on Capitol Hill, not necessarily what best serves stations or their listeners.

NPR will continue to pursue digital strategies that discourage listeners from getting NPR content on-demand via member stations.

Stations will continue to be encouraged to make unsustainable investments in local content creation based on flawed assumptions about the audience.

The entire industry will continue to leave its revenue potential unfulfilled by hanging on to old fundraising models.

We will take on these issues and many others in the coming months. They won't be easy issues to discuss, but they will be important discussions to have. We invite your participation in the discussion.

Another Misguided Effort to Attract a Younger Audience to Public Radio?

Is Triple A Music Becoming the Soundtrack of Our Lives?

Triple A isn’t just for Starbucks anymore.

• Coldplay can be found in your grocer’s freezer section
• Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers pump it out at the cardiologist's office
• The locksmith grooves to The Black Keys while waiting on customers
• White Stripes are what’s hot in the home decorating department
• My Morning Jacket now available for all sizes at the Gap
• Train tracks play in Grand Central Station

You hear it in your local grocery store, almost any neighborhood bar without a jukebox and at your chain restaurants. From TGI Friday’s to Chili’s to Outback Steakhouse the speakers bleed Triple A .

It makes us wonder. Public radio news stations thrive by offering a valuable public service that isn’t available anywhere else.With Triple A turning up everywhere, is it making it more difficult to raise money around this music?

Where were you surprised to hear Triple A? Let us know.

Radio Camp for Kids

Great idea from WFDD in Greensboro/Winston-Salem, NC. Radio camp for middle school kids. Something many stations could put together for next summer.

Good Fundraising

The Fall fundraising season is off to a very strong start with most stations we've worked with meeting or exceeding goals. Some stations have exceeded last Fall's results by a lot.

It is especially important right now to remember that programming is the cause of giving, not the premiums or sweepstakes prizes. The news over the past 10 months has been extraordinary and public radio's coverage of it has been exceptional. Any fundraising message helping listeners recognize the value they've received from listening is fundraising time well spent.

The fundraising tactics -- premiums and giveaways and challenge grants -- help motivate listeners to give at specific times and in certain ways. That's important, but don't lose sight of the value of programming.

It is also important to again note the excellent work on sustaining giving by MPR. Today, sustaining giver plans are one of the most powerful approaches to attracting new members and reducing dependency on pledge drives.

Fundraising messages that link public radio's extraordinary news coverage to monthly giving are particularly effective right now. Arbitron data show that Core listeners engage with their stations 40 to 60 times per month. In that context, $5 or $10 is an exceptional investment.

Good fundraising to you.

Apparently, Calm is Not Normal

A client of ours keeps this handy Tension Tester (TM) nearby during pledge drives.

RadioSutton Goes Tweet

We've added Twitter to RadioSutton offerings.

@RadioSutton is where you will find fundraising tips and other thoughts for people in public radio.

The first tweet goes out on Thursday 9/1. We intend to post at least one fundraising tip per week, sometimes more. The tips will usually be specific to the fundraising season, offering reminders and specific ideas to help public radio stations get more givers in the next few days, weeks or months.

We're also updating our website RadioSutton.com over the next few months. Look for announcements about new features and free stuff to help with pledge drives and more.

John Sutton and Sonja Lee