Gotta Love Podcasts…Advertisers Do!

Posted: September 9, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: BENEFITS | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What do you do if you miss your favorite radio show LIVE? As I mentioned previously, podcasts or archives are very beneficial for both the show and its advertisers.

Most advertisers hope and pray that their audience listens to their message during the live shows. But with podcasting it is like “dvr” for your Internet.

Check this posting out:

Did you miss a podcast of your favorite Vegas Unwrapped Productions Internet Radio Show? Did you miss the live remote show with Between the Sheets on September 1st from the Erotic Heritage Museum? How about the WarZone discussing immigratio
n on September 4th? How about legendary comedian Marty Allen on A House Party Tonight with Don Hill on July 25th? How about the first podcast of Sin City Picks? Or when Mary Jo Buttafuoco was interviewed on August 1st by Phillips & Cash? Here is the link to the podcast page: http://philkohen.vpweb.com/Podcasts.html.

No matter how far back the show is, the advertisers are all still there.

Go ahead, check it out…..I dare you to….

Until next time……..

Public Exposure

Posted: August 21, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: EXPERIENCE | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One thing I love doing as much as being on the radio itself, is being out in public representing myself and/or my show.

Vegas Unwrapped has given me an opportunity to meet people and do things that I probably would have never had a chance to come across in my normal life.

The most recent experience was participating in a bowling fundraiser with an organization that was raising money to help a local elementary school with 600 students that is not in the best economic neighborhood in Las Vegas.

Bowling?  I had not picked up a bowling ball in 3 years when my wife & I were invited to celebrate the bar mitzvah of a son of family friends.  I also hadn’t bowled competitively in 20 years.  AND IT SHOWED!!  😦

I wasn’t out there competitively. I was there for the fun of it.  I had an opportunity to meet some new people and expose Aaron Phillips & Vegas Unwrapped to the public. It’s all part of marketing.  I also got to share this experience with my wife.  Usually when I make public appearances, she is in the background.

Back in April of this year, my on-air partner Ricky Cash & I, hosted the Relay for Life event supporting cancer.  What a  thrill that was.  Especially since cancer is near and dear to both of us and to so many, it was an honor to be a part of that event.  The biggest honor that night was calling off the nearly 200 names during the candle light ceremony.  It was a tear-jerker for sure.

There have been other opportunities such as setting uo “meet & greet” networking socials, coordinating business networking expos, working as public address announcers for the Sin City Roller Girls and meeting some of the Vegas Sin Football players from the Lingerie Foootball League.

The great thing about public appearances is the people you meet.  If you are important they want to hear you.  I want to do professional voice-over work and I am hoping all of this exposure will aid me in obtaining that goal.

Until next time…..

Hook, Line and Sinker

Posted: August 5, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: EXPERIENCE | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One of the ongoing tasks of doing a show is…actually putting the show together!  I suppose that is quite obvious.

The first step is figuring out what is going to work well within the basis of the show format and what is interesting to your audience.  Once that is laid out on the production sheet, which is the roadmap for each show that goes on the air, the trick is keeping the audience with you when you transition from one segment to the next.

This is called, “the hook”.   

You see the radio host(s) are like the fishermen who go out and catch fish.  They check their equipment and bait and make sure they have the best of everything.  A radio host is not that different.  They check their equipment which can include everything from the engineer, topics, data, voice, mood, studio etc….they all need to be in working order.  A fisherman can have a good day or a bad day depending upon how the fish are biting.

A radio audience is not that different.  How is the audience “biting” that day.  You have to consider what the news of the day is. What time your show goes on as to the relevancy of your topic and your audience.  They too can run hot or cold.

The “bait” is the actual topics being discussed on the show, THEN a big key is not to lose your audience during a commercial break.  That is the “hook”.  What the host says going into a commercial break is literally called the hook so they stay tuned after the break.  This takes real talent when you have to say something about the next segment but not really say much…..The hook is the key to consistent live listener numbers and podcasts.

The “catch” is your audience.  If they take the bait of a quality show then the hooks used throughout the show will become easier and easier to master.  The audience will hang on every word waiting for each segment to come whether it is a guest interview, news or a comedy routine, they will be listening.

How can you tell if things are going well?  Monitor your show numbers.  How many live listeners do you have?  How many downloads or podcasts each week or each month is your show getting?  If the numbers are not where you want them to be, don’t be afraid to change the “bait”.

Until next time….

 

Vacation? What Vacation?

Posted: July 19, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: EXPERIENCE | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hell-o dear readers.  I am typing this from the table of a condo sitting on the 6th green at The Nautical Estates Golf Course in Lake Havasu City, Arizona on vacation.  This is the first vacation in over 2 years , on purpose, out of Las Vegas.

Lake Havasu City, Arizona. London Bridge Beach

Last year was the summer of sending my daughters off to college for their freshman year, so any personal vacation time was not going to happen.

Now-a-days, what is a vacation?  I remember the “good old days” BEFORE laptops, Ipads, cell phones and any other electronic device that is really a umbillical chord, we went away and NOBODY would dare to try to contact you (unless an emergency).  You always left that information with just one person who you trusted would not share that with anybody.

Whether it was to Florida or the Catskills or to the Jersey Shore (for real swimming fun not the tv show garbage), you were in true isolation.

There was no Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, or whatever site is the hottest craze, to keep everybody informed about what you are doing on vacation.  It was also easier to put work aside when on vacation.  Work was less demanding whether you owned your own business or worked for someone else.  Stress & pressure were not part of the vocabulary like it is today.

But off to vacation we went this week with our cell phones and laptops.  Mine is on the kitchen table to use and my wife’s is on the coffee table.  It’s like an addiction.  We can’t be without some connection to the outside electronic world.

Sure, I use mine for Facebook and emails, but I also listened in to Vegas Unwrapped Internet Radio and A House Party Tonight with Don Hill on my laptop.  I have been on the radio for 6 years.  I started off on a local AM terrestrial station before moving to the local AM Fox Sports affiliate in Las Vegas.  Shortly after that, Vegas Unwrapped was born on Internet Radio.

I had NEVER missed doing a LIVE show in 6 years, until last night, July 18th, 2012.  In the past when I would go on vacation, Ricky Cash my on-air partner, would take vacation at the same time and have a past show “REPLAYED”.

Last night was very strange knowing there was a LIVE show about to happen BUT I wasn’t going to be there.  I did log in to listen to the show, participated in the chatroom and even Skyped in for a short time, but it’s not the same.  I felt like a fish out of water.

Then it came to me like a wave breaking over me in the water!

It’s the passion and drive that I have for Vegas Unwrapped that is part of who I am.  It is hard to turn the other cheek from something you love.  My time on the radio is like my “guys” night out at the bowling alley or playing softball or just going to get a beer.  I also love the business end of what we do under the production umbrella and help others be on the radio that is just as satisfying.  I even made contact with some potential advertisers and show hosts while on vacation.

It’s the fear of loss or the risk of missing something good that keeps us all connected electronically.  We don’t want anything to pass us by.

By the way, after 3 years of working with Ricky and “teaching” him as much as I could, he did a great job hosting both of our Wednesday night shows.  Here are the links. Listen for yourself: http://www.lvrocks.com/details.php?id=204 & http://www.lvrocks.com/details.php?id=206

I will always take a vacation when I can but the term vacation has been re-defined in many ways due to the electronic age.

Truth be told, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Until next time…….

Host Your Own Show

Posted: July 12, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: EXPERIENCE | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Did you know that you can be on the radio and do what I do?

My partner Ricky Cash and I have a system that helps you get on the air and host your own show as part of our family of shows.  But there are a few things to be considered:

  • What are you passionate about?
  • Are you committed?
  • Are you a detail oriented?
  • Do you possess skills?
  • Are you afraid of asking for the sale?

I want to focus on that last bullet point.  “ARE YOU AFRAID TO ASK FOR THE MONEY?”

On order to get on to the radio, one needs funding.  “Brokered Airtime” is a phrase that is becoming more and more common where radio stations will bring on board personalities to their station BUT they have to bring their own sponsors/advertisers who are willing to pay for the airtime.

This is a cheaper way for stations to bring talent on the air, rather than hiring them on the payroll to host a show which means more cost.

The nice thing as a brokered show, is that the host owns it.  Meaning there is a lot more flexibility as to content that will be aired.  Should the host decide to leave the station, they can take the show with them since they would own the rights to it and not the station.

But the problem here is two-fold:  (1) many hosts to be are uncomfortable going out and talking to potential sponsors to help them get on the air and (2) advertisers find it hard to support an unknown commodity.

When Cash & I meet with a potential hosts, the first thing we suggest to do is to grab a piece of paper and label the top with two headings: WARM & COLD.   The WARM list really is the key to getting started on the air.  These businesses that are familiar with you already.  Maybe it is your favorite restaurant that you go to a few times a week?  Maybe it is the nail salon? Dry cleaners? Auto body shop? etc….

You have an established relationship that should make it easier to get over the hump of being afraid to ask for their support.

The COLD list is the market to be explored AFTER a host has been on the air for a while and can being them results.

If a host doesn’t believe they can bring in the advertising dollars they need, how can they expect an advertiser to support them.  It may take more NO’s to get to the YES you need to get on the radio.  It becomes smooth sailing once you break through the first time.

Until next time…..

Why is it so hard?

Posted: July 8, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: EXPERIENCE | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I’ve been taking a break from things lately because of a major change to my schedule.

With July 4th this past week, we re-ran a “best of” Vegas Unwrapped and A House Party Tonight with Don Hill. It’s funny, it seems like an eternity since I was behind the microphone.  The good thing I am getting excited to get back on the air LIVE this week from 7-9 PM PST on www.vegasunwrapped.net. (SHAMELESS PUG.)

It also gives me time to really listen to past shows as a “listener” rather than a “producer”.  When I am LIVE on the air, I really can’t listen to the show.  It’s almost like an out-of-body experience.  I have gone back to every show each week for the last 6 years and listened to the podcast as if I were a listener.  It gives me the chance to listen to what is being said, the delivery of a segment, how as the energy of the show, etc.  This has been the best tool for me to hone my craft.  I am not saying that I am Bob Costas of radio, but I think I have a fairly good grasp of how this all works.  But sometimes it is harder than I expect.

I am always thinking a segment ahead to the next piece of the show.  I am producing during breaks with the engineer and on-air partner.  I am gathering material all week-long to have for the show not knowing where we may go with things.

I was listening to Colin Cowheard from ESPN the other day talk about how good tv broadcasters are because as they are talking they have their directors talking to them in their earpiece about where to go next during the telecast.  It is like carrying on in two conversations at the same time only you can’t reply to one of them, you can only listen as you speak only in the first conversation.

As crazy at that sounds, I would love the opportunity to try television broadcasting.  I am very proud of the myself for the self-created opportunity of getting started in radio some 6 years ago after doing color commentating for Junior Golden Gloves Boxing from Mesquite, Nevada.  That was post production television, where I did have a director talking to me but if we made a mistake, we could stop and do a re-take.

It’s interesting when I have downtime, I try to re-establish my foothold on where I am going.  as long as it is straight ahead, I can not complain.

Until next time….

 

Value of Internet Radio Part 3: Financial

Posted: July 2, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: BENEFITS | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I remember when I was a co-host on the local Fox Sports radio affiliate here in Las Vegas, I thought it was going to great. Don’t get me wrong, it was, but boy was it expensive.  The show I co-hosted aired from 6-7AM PST on Saturday mornings.  The time change for our East Coast listeners went over well but those are early hours even for a “24-hour” town like Las Vegas. Especially when trying to obtain advertisers for our show.

I remember thinking, what bar or restaurant was going to buy advertising for that time slot.  I unfortunately nailed that one.  For many businesses, the cost of the airtime didn’t warrant the expense for these establishments.   The airtime cost could have bought a decent used car for a college student!

The overhead for a traditional terrestrial radio station is quite high.  But not for an internet station.  Theoretically, anyone can do an “internet” radio show with just a computer and some sort of internet connection.  For what I paid for that Saturday airtime, I could offer a business almost 6 MONTHS of marketing and advertising  for their business.  The overhead is substantially less on the internet.

How much one chooses to spend on the internet depends upon the quality they want to project to their listeners.  I prefer to be in a studio with an engineer so I can concentrate on the material for my show.  I also want the sound of the show to be authentic, you know, like we are in a REAL studio.

There are very inexpensive methods of Internet radio broadcasting that are available, but to me they sound like glorified tele-conferences AND you have to engineer your own show.

With the lower cost of being on the internet, I can pass those savings on to potential advertisers and be extremely competitive in pricing.  I can also deliver a much wider audience due to the internet for local pricing.  To me, that’s the best of both worlds.

Until next time…..

Value of Internet Radio Part 2: Archives/Podcasts

Posted: June 30, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: BENEFITS | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In my previous entry, I alluded to the process of “Archiving” or “Podcasts” as a great benefit to Internet radio.

Think of this “TiVoing” on the Internet.  Most people record their favorite television shows because we want the convenience of watching them when we want to.  We are not always available to watch them at their regularly scheduled time.  We may work late, have a family obligation, fall asleep early, homework to do with the kids, etc. But we can’t miss the latest episode of “SURVIVOR”!  So we record it and watch it at a later time when WE are ready.

Archives and podcasts allow for the same feature when it comes to Internet radio.  My show, Vegas Unwrapped airs every Wednesday night from 7-9PM PST on www.vegasunwrapped.net (CHEAP PLUG!).  According to our demographics, 70% of our listenership comes via our archives.  With our busy lives, we look for convenience in everything we do.  It’s also nice to have a show based out of Las Vegas. Las Vegas is one of those places that people visit every year more than any other place in the world.  This is huge because whether it is a traveler, families looking to move here or locals who want to know what’s happening in Las Vegas, people search online for news like this. The advertisers on Vegas Unwrapped love this!

The advertising spots we play during our show stay embedded in the archives/podcasts.  It’s getting more bang for the buck.  Our advertising packages are based on LIVE airings during our shows each week. But because of the archives, they are getting more exposure to the audience.  It’s like getting a bunch of free runs of their ads!  And who doesn’t like things for free!  Live terrestrial radio shows and television spots can’t guarantee that!  Once the commercials go out live while the show is being viewed, they are gone forever.  Personally, when I watch a television show that I recorded, I fast forward through the 5 minutes of commercials.  On our show, we take only a 2 minute break every 15-20 minutes. There isn’t enough time to miss anything.

So if you are looking for convenience, flexibility and better value for your advertising dollars, think Internet radio and where you will attract the largest audience to hear your message.

Until next time…..

Value of Internet Radio Part 1

Posted: June 28, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: BENEFITS | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

 

One of the things I have noticed as I talk to people about Vegas Unwrapped is that the concept of “internet radio” is relatively new to many people.

I find this a little surprising given the advance of technology.  However, it is the concept of “listening” to radio on the computer that seems to confuse people.  We spend so much on a computer like device, that the transition to be entertained on the Internet should be easy.

My next couple of posts will consist of specific benefits that using Internet radio for your marketing and advertising can bring to your business.

Let’s start off by mentioning good ‘ol “terrestrial radio” or as we commonly know it as your “AM or FM” signals.  Traditionally most of the terrestrial stations serviced the listening area of however far their signal could be heard.  Depending upon the “wattage” of the station and in some rural areas, the clearness of the atmosphere, usually determined how far-reaching a station could be heard.  I did a sports show on a local AM station here in Las Vegas that was designed to be heard in the local Las Vegas market.  However, there were many shows when we would receive calls from listeners as far away as California.  Our show aired at 10PM PST so airwaves had less of an issue traveling at night and getting past the mountains.

Internet radio doesn’t have this issue.  With a simple Internet connection and a website to “stream” from, anybody from anywhere can listen to a broadcast.  Look at the convenience of access to the Internet.  Cars are now being manufactured with Internet chips right in the dashboard.  Our cell phones make it easier to access on demand entertainment form the Internet.

I will give it up to the terrestrial stations for realizing that Internet radio is a huge competitor.  Many of them now offer “live streaming” of some of their shows so they can heard over the Internet.  However, they are still subject to the regular FCC regulations about what is being aired.  As of right now, there are no such regulations for shows actually hosted on the Internet.  Although the stations have started to stream their content, many of them do not offer an important feature called “podcast or archive”.  I will spend more time on this in a future post.

It is my opinion that with the continued technological advances and more conveniences that are available on the Internet, terrestrial radio will be very different in the years to come.  Where will you be when that happens?

Until next time……

 

 

Show Preparation

Posted: June 27, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: EXPERIENCE | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Today is a Wednesday and I am about 3 hours away from going live on the air.  My final ritual prior to the show includes last-minute social media advertising and hopefully a 1-hour nap!

I do 3 hours of radio tonight. The first 2 is on the flagship show, Vegas Unwrapped. Immediately after, we go live with A House Party Tonight with Don Hill from The Treniers.  It sounds easy to do but you still need stamina.  I hope to be on the air 5 days a week someday and I am sure that routine will help build the stamina.

What about the rest of the time to prepare?  Quite frankly I prepare for the next week’s shows as soon as I get off the air from the current week’s shows.  I start thinking about what guests would be interesting to have on the show that the audience would like?  I observe what is going on around me in terms of local and national news and events.  Vegas Unwrapped is a show designed to “unwrap” Las Vegas and share what else goes on here besides casinos and The Strip.  It is what has been termed an “info-tainment” show.  My on-air partner and I have fun and deliver the information in an entertaining way.  A House Party Tonight is closer tot he more traditional “interview” format where questions are asked and answered by Don Hill and his guests. As a matter of fact, Don’s guest tonight is longtime comedian Nelson Scardelli, a favorite of my radio partner and myself.

There are some segments on our show that are ad-libbed and off the cuff.  At times this is the best radio we do.  It’s a never-ending cycle when getting ready to go on the air.

I have been on the radio, both terrestrial and Internet, for almost 6 years.  I have listened to the podcast of every show that I have done in order to hear the show from the “listener’s” perspective.  When doing the show, it is like an out-of-body experience so it is hard to judge how the show was delivered until I hear it myself.

This is a very effective tool not only for myself but also for my partner, engineer and anyone else involved in the show.

Continuity is key too. I have never missed a show unless I was out-of-town on business or vacation. Although with today’s technology, it’s hard to fully miss a show with the aid of Skype or Google+ and a cell phone!  🙂

This reminds me of the old joke about how do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice!  I want to sit in the press box of Yankee Stadium someday and broadcast at least a half of inning of the game.  But I have to put in the work to get there!

Until next time…..

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