September 28, 2015
Across the radio industry, a growing number of stations—located in small towns, large markets or anywhere in between—have spaces dedicated to live performances. Some are state-of-the art, with high-end HD cameras, while others are repurposed conference rooms better suited for acoustic sets. But the intent is the same— to extend a station’s connection with listeners, develop fresh revenue opportunities and create original content to feed on-air and digital platforms. "There is nothing more local than a place the audience can come together with the station," says Fred Jacobs, CEO of radio consultancy Jacobs Media. "It is an opportunity to connect eye to eye around issues or music tastes." It’s a strategy CBS Radio has run with. The company recently built a concert space tucked inside its New York offices in Soho. A former cafeteria, the slick, high-tech facility can hold up to 75 guests for live shows, and it is CBS Radio’s 11th in-house concert venue. In a competitive media landscape, CBS Radio COO Scott Herman says these spaces help differentiate the company’s stations. "This gives us a chance to interact with listeners, clients and artists, and gives them a more up-close experience," Herman says. At a time when radio stations are battling Internet streaming services, satellite radio and other media choices for consumers’ attention, performance spaces are a way to stand out. "It is great for the loyalty to an artist and loyalty to our brand," says Jules Riley, operations manager for the E.W. Scripps Company’s Tulsa, OK cluster.
Live Shows Now A Big Hook For Radio Revenue. Along with being a great place to put on a show, a concert space is also an ideal multiplatform investment with tremendous marketing value beyond the venue, especially for local stations that work with those spaces. Radio stations are increasingly producing original content for their digital channels, and live concerts are camera-ready events. In addition to live streaming shows on their websites, stations can use the performances for on-demand video and content for social media. Similarly, they can stockpile audio recordings for future broadcast and also share the audio with sister stations that have similar formats. E.W. Scripps, for instance, encourages stations to relay live shows to like-minded formats in other markets. Live shows are also currency for stations’ ever-growing social media portfolios. On social media, they can promote shows, give away tickets, drive tune-in for live streams and replay snippets of the acts. If concertgoers share their video and pictures from the event (a near certainty these days), that’s an added benefit. Live events are a growing category for stations mining non-traditional revenue sources. Musicians are already visiting stations to give interviews, play in-studio and promote their concerts or music, so booking live acts isn’t difficult. Many stations give local bands a chance to perform as well. Scripps-owned country KVOO-FM, Tulsa (98.5) often invites 30-40 fans to its space to meet an artist and take in a short set. No format has a greater relationship with the performing community than country, whose artists routinely visit stations, says Jules Riley, operations manager for Scripps’ Tulsa, OK cluster. Automaker Ford sponsors the space, which has a soundboard and speakers. "It is a pretty intimate experience,"
For Sponsored Spaces, Stations Say, You Name It. As radio stations look for non-traditional revenue opportunities, they are finding a great added value in selling naming rights, sponsorships and even product placement at performance spaces where they hold live events. These deals appeal to clients looking to "go beyond traditional ad packages and get their brands in front of audiences," says Jacobs Media’s Fred Jacobs. CBS has naming rights deals with major brands such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Acura, Bud Light and Red Bull and, in Minneapolis-St. Paul, the countertop store Cambria, which shares its building. And public stations can earmark donations and recruit sponsors for their spaces. Some find creative ways to generate revenue, such as non-commercial adult alternative KEXP-FM, Seattle (90.3) subleasing space in its future facility to a cafe and record store. Most stations give tickets away for free to listeners and clients, but not all. In Jersey City, NJ, WFMU operates more like a club, selling tickets and offering beer and wine at select shows. Building and operating a concert venue is a costly proposition. A well-equipped performance space can cost upwards of $200,000. Stations typically don’t pay the artists to appear, but they aren’t selling tickets either. Selling naming rights, or recruiting sponsors and donations, helps defray costs. Even so, many stations have invested in high-quality HD cameras and lighting to produce broadcast-worthy video. On the audio side, most have top-line speakers and mixing boards. To accommodate artists, most stations have green rooms. In Seattle, KEXP is adding creature comforts to its new space, building showers, lockers and a laundry room for road-weary musicians.
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