Embracing the challenge – Going Online

There is a whole world, parallel to ours going on. In this world there is multiplatform authoring, social networking, indexing and ranking. In this world we monetize, repurpose, repackage and rebrand. It is the world of online media.

IREX Serbia has brought together representatives of the radio stations from across Serbia -- RTV Jedinstvo, Radio Sto Plus, Radio 021, City Radio, RTV 017, Radio Luna and OK Radio. One of the main aims, set before Going Online training started, was to open up discussion about various media platforms potentials and opportunities for radio convergence internet provides.

Our creative web, TV and mobile expert, with vast experience of convergence, digital content production and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) knowledge, Mr. Stephen Desmond, was a perfect match to introduce topics such as monetizing the web presence, with revenue models presented and discussed in terms of the local market, home page makeover and content shelf-life extension through repurposing, repackaging and rebranding and social networking.

Aiming for some extra ad revenue through their websites, our radio stations faced with not so big enthusiasm from their clients. It seemed that both sides failed to grow from the opportunity internet brought. A web page was nothing but a free supplement to a standard deal the radio stations were placing, getting them very little out of it (if anything). Given the circumstance, Stephen has reached for the examples of good international and local practices through a series of case studies, including the present radio stations’ websites.

A session on social networking and its use in promoting radio stations and bringing more viewers/listeners/readers (and consequently - revenues) was a genuine success: what seemed to be some sort of information overload and ICT fear turned into a genuine interest in such tools.

Throughout the sessions Stephen has managed to challenge the approach of going online for the online presence sake. To build lasting partnerships with both the audience and clients is possible only through a genuine engagement with the users.

As Mark Zuckerberg, inventor of Facebook, once said: There’s lot of stuff none of us have ever seen before. That’s good in some ways, but limiting in other ways. Seven local radio stations representatives most probably felt that way at the beginning of Local Radio Stations Going ONLINE training, delivered on June 5-7. Both IREX Serbia and participants embraced the challenge.