Check those fancy listener emails

Here is something a lot of stations are getting wrong: email and website viewing on mobile devices and offline.

1. If a listener grabs email, but then looks at it later, when offline, the pictures won’t appear.

Your response: Check every email with picture downloading off. Is it still legible? Could it benefit from some work to clean it up?

2. If a listener punches up email on a Blackberry, the pictures aren’t there.

Your response: Same as above. But there is a second issue. The screen is really tiny. Expect even more problems to solve.

Solutions

The best solution is probably to send your emails out as plain text as well as HTML. At the top of the email, include “For a text-only version that is easy to read on a Smartphone, click here”.

You can also create a special version of your website. Often, this will be given a name with a “m.” (for mobile) at the beginning. This is a lot of work, but quite possibly worth it, as more an more people are using tiny screens. With proper programming, your website can be designed to sense when a mobile device is connecting, and automatically switch to the mobile version. This is definitely worth a chat with your IP people and/or webmaster.

Willing to do what it takes?

Not too long ago, I was looking around on behalf of a client who needed a morning jock.

The opening was in the US. I sent out some feelers.

Here is what I learned:

Jocks don’t want to move to a new city to take a job.

Think about that. This is a business scattered among about 10,000 radio stations between Florida and Alaska.

Don’t want to move?

I just can’t shed a tear. These people are not willing to do what it takes. America is a wonderful land of opportunity. Not guarantees.

The secrets of success in this business have not changed.

• Learn to do as many things as possible.
• Work on your craft every day.
• Volunteer.
• Listen to other stations.
• Including other formats.
• Steal all the good ideas.
• Remain flexible.

Yes, there are more. But that list will take you a long way.