Changes, They Are Afoot….

Posted: March 17, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: EXPERIENCE | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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BANNER OF INFORMATION

BANNER OF INFORMATION

March 13th marked the 4 year anniversary of Vegas Unwrapped’s debut on the internet airwaves. We started off doing a 1-hour show each week talking about the things in Las Vegas that make people say, “I didn’t know that”. The response was great as we expanded the show to 2 hours only 3 short months later. It gave us more time to delve into interviews, have more guests on the show, do more scheduled routines and better yet more time to be spontaneous throughout the 2 hours.

During that time is when the production side of Vegas Unwrapped was born thanks to the incomparable Tony Martini. We launched an interview format show with him detailing his 50+ years in production and entertainment. Vegas Unwrapped Productions was now in the business of helping people do what we do, have their own radio show and format with Ricky Cash & I helping as Executive Producers. As a side note if you ware interested in having your own radio show please send an email to vegasunwrappedrcash@gmail.com for more information on how to make that happen.

We also realized at that time that our business goals were not going to be met at the station we were on. So we researched for another internet station and found one. So in October of our first year, we moved to our second station. They introduced us to the world of internet television. Of course we were still a radio show but now people were able to see “behind the wizard’s curtain” by watching and listening to us at the same time. We thought this was going to propel us to new heights. it did to some degree but didn’t in others. After a short time at that station we realized we were an anomaly to the format that the station had established. Our brand of talk radio was not a part of their growth. So it was time again to look for another home.

Station #3 was supposed to be the station that would give us as much control of our business as if we owned our own station. They were brand new. We thought that the timing was perfect to enter into a working relationship with them. But quickly realized that we were not in as much control as we had hoped to have and it stymied our business so bad we could not secure any new shows or advertising. Once again we knew that was not our home of the future.

What goes around comes around. You never burn bridges or do things the improper way when it comes to relationships. We found us returning to the station that we started with 4 years ago. It has been almost a year since we returned to them. We do have full autonomy to run our business within theirs. But we have out grown them already. There are many factors why that is. At some point I may share them in away for others to look for when it comes to finding a station, but let’s just say when you physically move your station into a “smaller” space rather than a larger in order to facilitate your own growth in business it makes you wonder.

So……..my business partners and I have decided to make yet another move to a new internet station but this one has the backing of a terrestrial station of 66 years of being on the Las Vegas airwaves as well as the national backing of a local radio group that owns about 8 other stations including 2 very prominent national sports affiliates.

THE PARTNERS OF PHILLIPS, CASH & MILLER THE PARTNERS OF PHILLIPS, CASH & MILLER

The point to this post is simply this: EXPECT AND ANTICIPATE CHANGE. IT IS THE ONLY CONSTANT THING THAT CAN BE EXPERIENCED DAY IN AND DAY OUT. Accept it, prepare for it and work with it. If you fight change you will get left behind.

Until next time…..
AP

Been A While

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

calandarWow how quickly time flies. I didn’t realize that it has been months not just a few weeks since my last post.

It’s amazing that the more things change the more they actually seem to stay the same.  One of the biggest challenges I have is the educational curve of  business owners and understanding the POWER of Internet radio.

For every step forward we seem to take 2 steps backward.  Things that I have found in my meetings with potential advertisers:

(1) Immediate R.O.I. (Return On Investment):  It is generally a policy that all advertising packages have a minimum of 3 months run-time.  Why?  It takes time to “brand” your advertisement to the listening audience on a show.  It takes both parties to help promote the advertising both internally and externally.  We might consider a 2 month package depending upon the business and as for a 1 month package, 9 out of 10 times will not do marketing on such a small timetable because of the short window.  They will lead to an “over promise and under deliver” scenario which is not good for either parties.

(2) How much really is too much?:  We offer an option for businesses to promote their wares during a live interview segment called “SPOTLIGHT ON LOCAL LAS VEGAS BUSINESS” for under $200 (1x).  The interview is recorded on a thumb drive and given to the guest immediately following their interview.  We also video record the segment and distribute it across different Social Media platforms.  This allows the guest to then continue to use these tools to market their business professionally from the tolls we provide.  If a business can’t afford a 1x cost of under $200 for a tool that they continue to use to promote themselves, how are they staying in business?

(3) I am cutting back on advertising:  How is this possible?  I realize that 60% of business comes from referrals.  But 40% is wide open to capture.  Imagine how much more business you could have if you captured only half of that 40%.  Who couldn’t use an extra 20% increase in business?  I know Vegas Unwrapped Productions certainly could!   Why do business owners make cuts in the one area that directly grows their business?  Wouldn’t it make sense to keep marketing your business while EVERYONE else cuts their marketing budget so you can stay ahead your competition?

I know that I am not alone. I had a brief conversation with a terrestrial radio account executive this week who is experiencing the same thing as I am with her potential advertisers.

Be sure to befriend us on Facebook under “VEGAS UNWRAPPED INTERNET RADIO”.

Our website is www.vegasunwrapped.net and to listen to any of our shows on podcast, here is the direct link to past shows of Vegas Unwrapped, http://www.lvrocks.com/details.php?id=204.

If you have an Iphone, Ipad, Android, etc you can download “TUNEIN” on your phone and listen to the show LIVE.  Just search for LV ROCKS once you download the app.  Vegas Unwrapped airs every Wednesday night from 7-9 PM PST.

Until next time….

AP

VEGAS UNWRAPPED_LOGO PR

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…….

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……