radio

As I prepare for my role as emcee in June for Convergence 2010, I began to look back at how I got involved in radio. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started buying live endorsement radio ads back in 2005. I spent a lot of money on Mark Germain (Mr. K), Leo Laporte and Jeff Levy, to name a few. Today, we don’t buy radio, we make it and we don’t just make it, we make it work. While my play on words may lead many of those that know me to chuckle, I’m very serious when I say we “make radio work.” What I mean by this is we do radio better by building it around the web, social media and traditional marketing strategies alongside, behind and wrapped around our radio shows. We track and record every call, email, post and tweet and we constantly bring our sponsors into the mix to share in the exposure. We’ve recently launched a video series called T3:Today’s Tech Trends to further support our shows by adding a video component that can be shared directly from YouTube, our blog or embedded in the radio show website, blog or any other website/blog willing to carry the free content. We’re even allowing our listeners to watch our radio shows by providing a webcam view of our talent in the studio. Our shows have Make It Work in their title, our call-in number is 877.MAKEITWORK, our Twitter handle is @makeitwork, our website is makeitwork.com and our facebook page is of course facebook.com/makeitwork.

Tech News, powered by Make It Work on CBS’s KNX1070 was our first show. We launched it with KNX on March 21st, 2009. One year later, it was renewed and all three major sponsors continued with us. While we leveraged the 50k watt stick that KNX provides, we did a few things different. For one, we built a following by using Facebook and Twitter and other social networking sites. We post content from our show on blogs including show notes and tips and tricks. We post podcasts immediately on the blog, websites and iTunes. We built unique websites for each show. This show can be found at http://www.cbstechnews.com. We even plastered it on our fleet of Mini Coopers.

After Tech News, we run Jeremy’s Desktop. This one hour online webinar uses Citrix’s GoToWebinar to provide a view of our host Jeremy Anticouni’s actual computer desktop. Jeremy demos various new programs and websites and shows all kinds of tips and tricks, DIY and other cool stuff. Our audience can interact with Jeremy, ask questions and the entire show is posted as a video on the site and blog shortly after the show airs. In addition, we use this platform during our other shows to provide our audience a way to view what Jeremy is displaying on his monitor while during a typical radio broadcast. Why not?

Next, came our show on Citadel’s KSFO in San Francisco. This one is simply called “Make It Work with Jeremy Anticouni.” Again, we built a following with Facebook and Twitter, our blog, a unique website (http://www.abctechnews.com). We will soon launch service in the area and our fleet will be logo’d accordingly. But there’s more…on this show, we control the content and we have built the social media right into the program.

Here’s a sample of what you might hear on the show:

	TECH NEWS – Top technology headlines
	HUMS, BEEPS OR CLICKS – Our favorite gadgets & gizmos
	OSN 101 – Online Social Networking news and tips
	APP WATCH – Spotlight on the hottest mobile applications
	MAKE IT SAFE – How to practice safe browsing
	TECH TALES – Real life stories from the Make It Work Neighborhood Technology Consultants
	POOGLING INTERNET SAFETY – Keeping your kids safe online
	ECO-TECH – Earth-friendly technology

On April 16th, the day my son Jackson was born (facebook.com/jacksongreenspan) we signed our first formal syndication agreement with Envision Radio Networks. Our show on KSFO will now become a two-hour broadcast and run in cities and states nationwide. We are currently in production for this show and we hope to have it on the air soon. To learn more, view the website here.

Anyhow, I somehow got all caught up in radio and like anything else I do, I like to do it my way. Not so much that I need to control the way its done, I just often see change as a means to differentiate and take advantage of a growth cycle. So, I jumped in and created a social media radio monster that is starting to show some results. I am excited about the future and quite honestly, marketing has never been so much fun. Tell no one!

On June 3rd, I will emcee Radio Ink’s Convergence 2010 with keynote by Guy Kawasaki. When I was asked to emcee, I simply said, “sure, it seems like a perfect fit for me.” Eric Rhoads, the conference producer and publisher/CEO of Radio Ink magazine said this: “Eric Greenspan is a perfect example of how a platform can be built around a personality and use social networking to build a world brand. He exemplifies what we’re trying to bring to the radio industry.” I’m flattered by his comment and I plan to live up to his expectations.

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