As you are moving forward, remember where you have been. RBR is celebrating 25 years, a quarter of a century and each day you have to reinvent your methods to match the forward movement and progress–past analog and into the digital era which is right now. Many in radio and TV call it ‘New Media’. Hey, wake up there is nothing new about it anymore– this so-called New Media has been here for the past 5 years.
On July 8th 2002 RBR stopped printing a weekly on paper and I signed off saying, “Damn, it is hard going back to school all over again. This is my last column for the weekly print version of Radio Business Report. But more importantly, it’s the first that I’ve written for the very first issue of the RBR Daily E-paper. If you are reading this on your computer now, you’ll be getting us every morning, plus our afternoon email update.”
RBR became the very first to go electronic and for those who may have forgotten what the first RBR epaper looked like, take a look – RBRepaper 07/08/02 #1. We have come a long way in Technology and Design.
Signing on to electronic delivery in 2002, I will remind all that was the Dial-Up Era. No DSL faster than light, No iPhones or any of the hand-held devices we use today. I stated in 2002 that learning is a continuous process. And I for one am glad and encouraged by E-Mail technology.
None of us have time to deal with news that’s old by the time snail mail gets it to you–it makes any content irrelevant, worthless and the paper is only good to wrap fish in.
Now I can say the same for delivering information in a pdf file. It just clogs up a mail server.
I thank the RBR/TVBR staff for their dedication and loyalty as dealing with technology means each of us has to learn everyday. If you have not spent any time with RBR.com / TVBR.com (which is a redirect) then please do so. It can be the hub of your digital media world. RBR is truly an interactive digital web-based company and we no longer consider ourselves the old fashioned trade rag.
As I thank the staff I would also like to thank these radio executives for being honest with me in 2002 as I sought their advice on the direction of RBR and each of them said then, “Jim, RBR news and information printed on paper is irrelevant. The only factor you have that makes me read are the RBR Observations.” So I thank Gary Fries, Stu Olds, Ralph Guild, Bill ‘Fig’ Figenshu, and Dan Mason as each were honest with me 6 years ago and they still are today.
My last line and my word to all in 2002 was I will not DELIVER non-helpful information or waste your time. If I do, call me and tell me so. My lines of communications are all open today.
For those who thought I lost my marbles dropping paper in 2002, today many say it is best thing I did and today our members and advertisers are glad RBR/TVBR still has that cutting edge and is –
the "Voice of the Broadcasting Industry™‘.
The point to all in our media space is you have to embrace technology, as it waits for no one. Engage in the internet and make your mistakes but get involved by blowing it up a few times. RBR/TVBR got out of the paper business and into the electronic business and now we are also celebrating another milestone. After 11 months of building www.RBR.com today this Internet portal asset celebrates its 6 month anniversary.
In existence only 6 months, RBR.com has years of information housed on this web portal. And this morning at 3am ET, 07/08/08, we registered a total of:
8,005 articles posted and more every day –
1,674,811 article views and more will be viewed today, tonight, tomorrow, all week and will no doubt hit well over 2 Million views very soon. Plus there are the 6 years of RBRepaper Archives and TVBRepaper Archives (2002 to current). Take a look and this will open a new data information world for you as RBR.com Never Sleeps.
I have been saying this for 25 years: ‘CONTENT IS KING’ – but there is a catch to that phrase – it is ONLY KING if you CONTROL the CONTENT.
With strong original and meaningful content–along with the presentation added with audio and video in our RBR.com Media Center—we hope to help put all of us back in the days when our business was highly respected. The moral of this perspective–and as Yogi Berra said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it,” but my add-on is – ‘Don’t take the Left fork, take the Right fork.” And that is the Internet digital fork we all must take to be competitive in the global media environment, as the Internet never sleeps.
The last piece of the puzzle was to make all of this information—these insights, observations, warnings, ideas and praises—free to all who wish to be a part. Why do I say “Be a part?” Because our medium needs to share each others’ voices, criticisms and ideas to keep on track and keep moving forward. Remember–we’re more than a trade publication, we’re The Voice of the Broadcasting Industry.” And I thank you for giving us that recognition over the past 25 years!
Have a website please feel free to link RBR.com. When our media link page is ready we shall do the same. I’ll have a webcast discussing what I’ve learned and where I view the medium is heading but now engage in the internet.
Editor note: RBR.com is the premiere source of all media information and analysis today. 25 years and Independently Owned. Bookmark RBR.com and follow all media news with a cutting edge. Have a website, link www.RBR.com for your guests to be and stay informed. They will love ya for it.
Best and success,
Jim Carnegie
Publisher & Editor
[email protected] for any questions, thoughts, comments
