WATCH a 1-minute video we produced to highlight a recent Radio Media Tour for the Western Conservation Foundation & Colorado College. The subject matter of the campaign was a regional poll that found bi-partisan support for protecting the environment.
LISTEN to our podcast interview with Jay LeSeure, talk show host at WCMY radio
WATCH a 60-second video about radio’s future
The influence of radio is immense because it is a personal, widely available and primarily free medium. Radio allows you to hear, not just imagine, a laugh; to engulf yourself in a program while driving; to cook dinner to the backdrop of interesting stories; to stay abreast of what is happening in the world; and to be part of the greater conversation.
But it’s logical that when many people, including communication practitioners, think of radio and its impact, they likely think of radio in its traditional form: a box or display with a dial that you turn. This is generally known as terrestrial (land-based) radio, through which a FCC-licensed frequency, tower and transmitter are needed.
However, due to the many advanced ways people access radio programming – through the Internet or via devices that play Mp3 files and plug into the dashboard in newer cars – radio’s reach is now increasingly endless. Now, even the definition of radio is evolving.
Despite radio’s competitors continuing to try to cobble together a crisis of its failure and antiquity, the certainty is that this medium is morphing and its future is healthy. Indeed, analyses show that radio stations are becoming effective multimedia adopters.
“I think that’s where a lot of what we do may be going,” says Jay LeSeure, program director at WCMY-AM, Ottawa, Ill., in discussing radio outlets’ abilities to provide unique content that fits consumers’ individual needs. “I think the on-demand podcast and that instant availability when the listener wants it, is going to be, really, the trend for the future.”
WCMY, for example, has 24/7 streaming audio on its website, provides stories in both audio and script form, promotes what content it wants to showcase, highlights “lively open phone conversations,” and provides at-will programming.
What WCMY is doing – shifting its practices on how radio programming is applied and delivered, based on emerging ways in which consumers can access information – is indicative of how my business philosophy is growing as well. Changes in maximizing content distribution choices and new trends motivate me to explore varying multimedia options, and to continue to expand the services, and the skills, I offer.
As a PR pro, I study, and learn the technology back-end, of the very diverse ways people receive, and seek, information, from print, cable news, smart phones and radio, to Twitter and Tumblr feeds, blogs and customized messaging. This ensures me a good grasp of current and relevant strategies. And things are progressing dramatically, I’m learning.
From recalling the once-ubiquitous faxed press release to today’s more sophisticated audio and video streaming, it is clear the meaning of integrated communications has changed. Another case in point: I regularly work with the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and arrange Radio Media Tours (RMTs) focused on building public awareness about colon cancer and screening. But this past year, I also helped produce video podcasts which provided up-close, virtual tours of healthy, to diseased, colons. Made possible by the lens of a camera used by a gastroenterologist performing colonoscopies, these podcasts were fascinating and unique. ACG notified its target audience about them through its e-mail newsletter.
I remain keenly aware of the many content choices the public has, and the massive flow of information that exists. I know this is challenging to the PR industry and requires new thinking about what “media” is and how to maintain relationships. But the über-debates over both PR and radio’s futures reveal two things: one, PR is being re-shaped; and two, radio will remain viable in a world of 24/7 news buzz, social media, and personalized communications.
Maury Tobin is CEO of Tobin Communications, Inc., a company that specializes in radio but has expanded to include other multimedia platforms. Maury has an undergraduate degree in public affairs and master’s degree in public communication from American University. He also has extensive experience in managing political campaigns and grassroots outreach.
LISTEN to our podcast interview with Jay LeSeure, talk show host at WCMY radio
WATCH a 60-second video about radio’s future
TCI’s History & Philosophy
Fifteen years ago, Maury Tobin took the skills he learned while working on political campaigns and in broadcast media relations and started a Radio Media Tour (RMT) company.
Maury quickly established a rapport with corporations, public relations firms, nonprofits and trade associations. They counted on Tobin Communications, Inc. (TCI) to transition concepts and messages into credible, focused campaigns, establish connections with target audiences, and deliver measurable results. Today, TCI continues to help organizations cut through the clutter so they can provide actionable information on a range of issues - from healthcare, timely news topics and technology, to policy and public education - and to excel with their broader PR efforts as well.
But this is only half of the story. “Success requires fluidity,” says Maury. “While my counterparts were focused mostly on building revenue, I was studying and tweaking what services I could provide. I was tapping digital and online capabilities and exploring the power of podcasting and diverse multimedia platforms. And I discovered that options for one-to-one and mass communication are far greater than they were in the past.”
Because of its ability to embrace trends and evolve as the media and PR landscapes continue to shift, TCI is thriving in a sometimes-tumultuous industry. “I’ve concluded that print will continue to take a hit if it doesn’t adapt, but it’s clear radio will remain a major player because it is a very personal medium,” says Maury. “This is because of the various ways technology ensures that audiences can be reached and relationships built. What will change is how radio programming will be applied and delivered, but the impact of radio will stay formidable. Radio guarantees my clients a part in the conversation.”
Through the years, Maury has worked with a range of high-profile organizations and companies, including AOL, Nissan, pharmaceutical Novartis, the American College of Gastroenterology, The Humane Society of the United States, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the National Wildlife Federation, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and PR firms Ketchum and Edelman.
Maury has also worked with celebrities and other public figures, such as comedian and Civil Rights activist Dick Gregory, singers Lee Ann Womack and Wynonna Judd, “What Not to Wear” TV fashion guru Stacy London, baseball great Jim Palmer, naturalist David Mizejewski, former NFL players Darrell Green, Spencer Tillman and Tiki Barber, chef Michael Lomonaco, NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, Olympic Gold Medalist and gymnast Shannon Miller, actresses Cheryl Ladd, Debi Mazar and Lynda Carter, “The Galloping Gourmet” Graham Kerr, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, gastroenterologist Dr. Mark Bennett Pochapin (who treated Katie Couric’s husband), AIDS physician Dr. Michael Gottleib (who treated Rock Hudson), astronaut Charles Bolden (now head of NASA), the late political giant Michael Deaver, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, and former U.S. Congresswoman Susan Molinari.
Maury has an undergraduate degree in public affairs and a master’s degree in public communication from American University.
— By Debra Zimmerman Murphey
TCI’s services:
Radio Media Tours & RMT-Online
Audio/Video Podcasts
Multimedia News Releases
Telephone Media Training
Public Service Announcements/ANRs/Sponsored Radio Features
E-mail & Web Marketing
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