How can you make your station more "LOCAL" when you run just about 100% satellite programming? We have a "Mix Update" a few brief community PSA's and event listings, but that's about it.
. Any Suggestions?
Billy Oh
Billy: Always a tough question and it can be affected by your population served and your format. That being said, you might consider a weekly 3 to 5 minute report from your local school district PIO or Supt. The same could be done with a short city update from the Mayor or City Manager. Following high school or college sports is another way. All of these can be sponsored but it doesn't diminish your effort to be more local.
Local news coverage is a great way to stand apart from the competition.
We used to have one of our stations on satellite but after looking at the lost inventory opportunities we determined we could increase net income by $120,000 by getting off the bird. Also, the satellite provider was constantly trying to drive traffic to their web site while we were in a major effort to increase the presence and revenue of our own site.
On-location broadcasts. Get your station out at community events and businesses that pay...it's quite easy to fill a satellite break with a local "remote." Best quality is achieved with a Tieline or simliar device, but regular phone lines attached to a mixer/mic work well. Cell phones are easy to use, but quality suffers, although by hooking a cellphone to a Daptor 1 or 2 device which attaches to a mixer/mic can make a cell phone remote sound pretty good. Years ago, we brought some of the satellite jocks to our community to do a weekend's worth of remotes. We made money, and the response was terrific. But that said, almost anyone can be trained to do a remote, but always try to put your best foot forward appearance-wise.
Up to date weather....a "who's hiring" spot....school lunch menu
