Local Media in a Web 2.0 World

Looking forward to speaking at, and moderating the FMQB: THINK TANK Symposium, this Thursday at the Loew’s Hotel in CC Philadelphia. A gathering of high level record label and radio execs will come together in order to celebrate the the Friday Morning Quarterback’s 40th anniversary. They will also look to accelerate their thinking in regards to Internet and digital opportunities. FMQB is the premiere industry trade journal and marketing company.

As part of my duties, I was asked to answer a few questions about the state of Radio, the Web, and how my career has evolved through out the years. Here’s a look at that interview: 

FMQB: Most of your career has been spent in radio as an air personality so how did you end up segueing into the Web 2.0 world to help local media?

Mel: After thirteen years of on-air work, and a great run of doing mid-days at WYSP (following Howard Stern ), I started to really sense that consolidation and the growth of the Internet was going to impede my progress in radio. The year was 1998, and I was no longer a spring chicken. I knew I had to think more about my future. So I moved into the direction of what I thought would absolutely grow in demand…companies needing help with understanding and making money with the Internet.

It’s no secret that the surge of technology and internet use within the media industry caught most off guard. At what point did you feel that multi-media was the wave of the future and a profitable business model?
I remember the first time I heard streaming radio over my computer. I was amazed. It sounded like crap, but it was still radio over a slow dial up phone line. So I thought, as the price of web access comes down and hi speed Internet takes off, we may have something here. (Same thing with video) At first it was a jerky postage size video window. Now we have super hi quality video streams with little or no buffer time. With the recent launch of ad supported Hulu and iTunes now renting movies, this stuff is no longer a pipe dream. It’s real and it’s bringing in some nice coin. And since advertisers follow consumers wherever they gather, it was inevitable that these initiatives would attract marketing dollars.

There are many similarities and challenges that all media face today when it comes to internet strategy. What areas do you find are in need of most attention?
Your main competition is now online. They are not just across the street. They have no legacy business to protect. They are singularly focused on growing their online share. Modify job descriptions and compensation plans to include web. This is the only way the employees of that company will be taken seriously. Hire as many web savvy people as you can get your hands on. You may have to remove anyone who drags their feet or thwarts the efforts of moving forward digitally. It’s something I call “The Enemy Within.” 

Read the entire interview here.