| Bruce Maduri: |
Tampa-based Genesis Communications has debuted www.Newstalkflorida.com, combining WIXC News Talk 1060 in Melbourne; WMGG News Talk 1470 in Tampa; and WWBA 820 News in Tampa into one main online destination. All three stations have separate tabs on the main site.
If you go to www.wwba820.com, you’ll land on Newstalkflorida.com, but the WWBA sub-site of Newstalkflorida.com. So each station still has its own identity and the ability to publish news and content related to that market, but now there is also a global umbrella that’s a catch-all for everything going on state-wide as well.
Genesis had previously used Triton Digital as its vendor for website hosting and design. Triton’s business model basically gives the website away for free. In return, Genesis agreed to use a few Triton products on the site – for example, Ando Media for measurement and ad insertion; and StreamtheWorld for streaming. Genesis paid for those products.
Designer Steve Kyler met with Genesis Communications CEO Bruce Maduri and observed the stations weren’t making money on the web—they were not selling ads against the web, and it was not yet a revenue center.
Kyler tells RBR-TVBR he was impressed with Triton’s program scheduler that rotates images and lets listeners know what’s on the air, but it was cumbersome to upload content on the site. Part of the reason for the switch was Genesis stations are news-driven, and the Triton content management system was not very geared to news production or original material. It was hard to do long-form material.
So Kyler and Maduri agreed on creating some economy of scale with Genesis’ statewide news and news-talk stations—and to build something bigger out of the individual items.
The site’s mission: Bring updated news to the entire state of Florida and become the place for Florida residents to go to for their news. From politics to weather to entertainment, newstalkflorida.com gives Florida what itwants–the most up to date news across the state. Streaming has been made available for both News Talk 1060 and News 820, with News Talk 1470 coming online later this week.
WWBA has a content-sharing relationship as well with Gannett’s WTSP-TV (CBS) in Tampa as well. That includes cross-promotion, sharing reporters, weather reporting, breaking stories and more. That’s reflected on the Newstalkflorida site. The goal, again, is for listeners to be able to view the site as a legitimate destination for current local and state news. The new site has shifted the individual sites from being 90% promotional for on-air content and 10% news to 90% news and 10% promotional of what’s on the air.
The move is also geared to super-serving local advertisers. There was previously little flexibility in doing advanced creative, rich media, etc. Now clients are offered impression-capping and real ad targeting. For example, if a local Largo, FL sports bar owners only wants to target areas within 10 miles of his location and not waste button and banner ad impressions to web visitors outside that area, he or she can now do so. That opens up more inventory on the site for other advertisers in other regions of the market and allows the AE’s another tool to sell hyper-locally with.
Maduri tells RBR-TVBR: “In having one system; one interface and a smarter tool allows us to not only deliver news and information in a faster more efficient way. It allows us to devote more time and man power to creating news than managing websites. We are now able to service the entire region, and delivery more content to more people. That in turn enhances the value for our sponsors who now can reach a larger audience, an audience on the web that now reflects the size and scale of our audience on the air.”
He adds, “Our end goal is to make our news portal a truly one-stop shop for all things Florida, while maintaining our individual brands a sub-sites within the master portal.”
Listen to Maduri’s strategy for the site by clicking on the audio, above.
PS: Stay tuned for a new ESPN Florida brand to launch with Genesis stations that follows the same concept as Newstalkflorida.com. It will include WHBO ESPN AM 1040 Tampa, WHOO ESPN AM 1080 Orlando, and WAMT ESPN Deportes AM 1190 in Orlando. They are currently with Triton.
RBR-TVBR note: Look for a deeper report on Genesis and Maduri’s strategy in RBR-TVBR’s Q4 Manager’s Business Report—coming in late November/early December. RBR-TVBR will take you on an inside look from the ground up to where and how Radio and TV local stations can develop a strong local and regional presence in today’s digital business world. This approach and business plan of On-air into the internet is they way Radio must go to survive and become competitive in the internet business world. – NOT signed up for MBR, then do it now: MBR sign up
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