Radio show recruits social media expert

Lots of radio stations have been slow to embrace the social media craze. Many, in an effort to say they're doing it, assign social networking to an intern or muddle through it themselves--frequently using it as the microphone that they're used to talking into. The effort usually has disappointing results and the excitement wears off quickly.

Enter the nationally-syndicated "Tony and Kris Show" and social media master Jessica Northey.

Beginning today, the morning drive team of Tony Randall and Kris Rochester are upping their commitment to social media and setting themselves apart from the competition. With the addition of Jessica to their country music show, not only will they be getting a beautiful, on-air sidekick, they're bringing in one of social media's heavy hitters to enhance the show's web presence.

As owner of social media consulting firm Finger Candy Media, Jessica works with companies, celebrities, and musicians to help them harness the opportunities of new media. With a Twitter following of nearly 150,000 on Twitter and another 3,000 fans on Facebook, Jessica is a widely-known commodity in social media circles. She writes the daily column "Socialmediology 101" for AllAccess.com (the web's largest music and radio industry community) and contributes weekly to FullThrottleCountry.com. She is also a regular contributor to Nashville Music Guide magazine. Jessica speaks at technology, broadcasting, and music conferences and is the founder of Country Music Chat (#CMchat) on Twitter. She has more than 15 years of media experience, including on-air and sales positions, and is currently ranked number one on the Most Powerful Women on Twitter list, as determined by TwitterGrader.com.

As traditional media tries to remain competitive, bringing in a hot shot like Jessica Northey is a step in the right direction. "They say radio is the original social media," Jessica says. "However, ratings indicate that people want less talk and more music these days, so we're going to take the conversation to the web." In addition to bringing social media-themed features to the on-air show, Jessica is going to be writing tips and tutorials for the Tony and Kris website, engaging people through the show's Twitter page, and chatting with them on Facebook. “Most of the markets don’t go all day long. They don’t have a brand ambassador that’s constantly engaging with their audience,” Jessica says. "We're going to give listeners a place to hang out after the show ends each morning."

Radio, much like print, is struggling to stay relevant in a world now dominated by high tech platforms. The addition of Jessica Northey to the Tony and Kris team might just be the cherry on top that radio has been missing for quite some time. 

17 comments:

  1. Yay Jessica....and to you Amber for promoting her efforts. Women power so rules! (sorry guys)

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  2. Hey Cheri. Yeah, I think this could mean something really revolutionary for radio. Hope Jessica knocks it out of the park ;-)

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  3. No apologies necessary, women are cool...........:) especially Jessica.

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  4. It will be interesting to see how it evolves and what measurement of success they have. It sound like a great idea and it appears they have the right person behind it.

    I've heard of Jessica and she certainly appears to be the real deal; I only wish her much success.

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  5. Yes, indeed! I think this will be a very interesting experiment to follow. Very likely, it may start a new movement with radio. Bring someone in who actually knows their stuff and harness the power of social media!

    Thanks for stopping by, Bill ;-)

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  6. The stations I listen to, over the internet, of which two of them are talk radio, have been using Twitter to interact with their audiences for 2+ years.  The shows have set questions where the audience either phone in, send a text, email using an online form or leave responses on Twitter or other social media (although use of Facebook seems a bit sporadic).  Seems to be working out quite well, I for one am not comfortable phoning in to a station but would share some views via social media if there is a subject I am passionate about.

    British radio has a large North American following during the [UK] night, especially expat's like myself mainly because its comforting to hear voices from home & North American stations have too many adverts for me.  However UK stations target audience don't include those living overseas even though anyone can pick up the station over the internet these days...so I think that is an issue they are dealing with relating to social media too, they will give their listeners based in the UK preference, which is understandable.  Radio is just not local anymore, and maybe there is a wider market they can tap into, eventually.  Most UK stations can be listened to via this new portal http://www.radioplayer.co.uk

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  7. Interesting observations, Steven. So true, too. Radio isn't local anymore. With live streaming to the web, the audience has grown to those in other cities and countries. Even if a show isn't syndicated, there's no reason it can't have a large following outside of their base city.

    Thanks for sharing your global perspective. Always nice when you add a little international flair to the conversations here ;-)

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  8. Amber, aloha. What Jessica is doing is so exciting.  With her talents, knowledge and exuberance, the country music and social media worlds will expand to include so many more people.  Jessica is such a connector.

    Plus, Amber, I always love it when people's dreams come true and that is certainly the case for Jessica with this venture.  It will be so much fun to watch the progression as we cheer her success.

    Amber, best wishes for a terrific weekend.  Aloha.  Janet

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  9. Yes, I think this is something that might really reshape the way radio engages with its audience. Should be very interesting to follow the progress of this new venture.

    And, when you're doing something you love like Jessica is, it's almost guaranteed to be a win-win for her and the Tony and Kris show!

    Thanks so much for adding to the dialogue, Janet!

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  10. YAY! Yes...sorry guys but GIRLS RULE! :)

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  11. thank you Amber I am super excited!

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  12. I love you Janet! you are so supportive and kind! I am twice blessed by yours and Ambers friendships! :)

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  13. I think they all have integrated to some extent...Country Music Radio and the Country Music genre is a little bit behind but I look forward to merging traditional media with digital strategy :)

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  14. agreed amber...you have a way with words.

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  15. Yeah! I hope so...plan to try really hard! Lots to do and lots to tweet about. Thanks for your support and kind words! Means more than you know! :) xo

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