Eric Kaelin is GM of small town AM/FM combo in Grand Haven, MI who has spent time in Columbus, Austin and Memphis. Here is an e-mail Eric sent me (with his permission here it is).
Check out “CHANNEL CAM” on our FM website, www.wghn.com . Click the picture of the lighthouse in the middle of the page, click the “GO” button and the live cam of the channel comes up. Snowing like crazy right now. It is REAL time, not the choppy photos most have and it also has night vision. I traded the live cam with a local computer store, paid my engineer to come up and install the cam, put all of the components on the website and went out and sold it along with title sponsorship of our “High School Game Night”. Our sponsor was so happy that they said “I over delivered” and wanted to lock down high school football season now so they didn’t lose out. Because of what we did with the high school stuff in both football and basketball, they wanted in on 2nd-3rd quarter events that will be going on in town.
I just read today how radio is down “Radio One CEO Alfred Liggins says first quarter radio revenues are pacing down 30%. The company's radio revenues fell 9% last quarter, mostly from a drop in local advertising”. Really? I’m up 10% in both Jan –Feb, the two worst months of the year here in Coast Guard City U.S.A. with 120 inches of snow so far this winter. I’m coming up with an original idea that no one else can offer and freaking sell it. Wow, it’s not that hard and I live in Michigan! Everyday another 200 people lose their jobs around here. Car dealers aren’t spending much, but, others are. They have to or they’ll go out of business. Anyway, if I can do this in Grand Haven, (one of the worst states hit), anybody can do this. Tell your guys to keep the faith, don’t listen to the gloom and doom and have some fun.
There are two points to walk away with - 1) make something happen (the web cam) and 2) don't fall deeper into the spiral, use what we have always used in the format to sell - ideas! Now some will say yeah, it's different in a small market. I agree, in a small market they have to rely on ideas and relationships and not numbers to sell!!! Thanks for sharing Eric and the web cam quality is pretty impressive!