Radio Must Respond with Mobile-Ready Content

How many times a day do you check your smartphone? The answer is probably much more than you think. In fact, the average American checks their phone every 12 minutes, or 80 times per day, and nearly one in ten Americans peek at their phones every four minutes, according to a recent study by Asurion.

Among smartphone users, streaming audio and podcasts rank as top activities. Radio broadcasters are eager to connect with these mobile consumers – and with good reason. Each day, 40% of Americans stream audio on their smartphones, according to the latest findings from Edison Research Infinite Dial. In fact, 75% of podcast listeners engage with programming content on a mobile device more than any other source.

Through mobile apps and websites, radio stations can offer live streams, on-demand music, podcasts and more to their consumers. Mobile serves as a tool to extend the life of on-air content as stations time-shift their most popular shows, or offer replays of live shows and music events.

Now more than ever, radio broadcasters need to be mobile-ready. According to Pew Research Center, smartphone penetration is at an all-time high, with ownership reaching 77% among adults, up from just 35% in 2011. The smartphone penetration reaches its highest loyalty with consumers between 18-29 with 94%; and 89% own a smartphone with adults 30 to 49. The boomer generation of adults ages 65 plus, have yet to make the consumer conversion to smartphones with the lowest ownership rate of 46%. 1:10 Americans are smartphone-only Internet consumers, following an overall market trend to more mobile connectivity and fewer broadband households, according to Pew Research Center.

Media consumption is driving Americans’ mobile usage, with 50% of Americans relying on their smartphones to receive breaking news alerts, while the device also serves as a buying tool with 51% making online purchases via their device, and 28% searched for work.

At Futuri Media, a global leader in SaaS software designed to drive audience and revenue growth for broadcasters, we believe smartphones are key to grow listening and the bottom line.

Futuri Media’s suite of tools can help you create, distribute and monetize your digital content across platforms. Allow us to share a few ideas:

Futuri Mobile:  Our mobile app platform offers more than 50 customizable features, including contests, push notifications, audio and video streaming, and more. Our team can design your mobile app with the features that are most important to your station and audience.

POST: With our exclusive content delivery and management system, on-air talent and producers can easily convert content for on-demand consumption. Producers can grab and upload benchmarks and exclusive interviews, and create bonus content, such as an after-show podcast or in-studio visit from a musician and local personality.

TopicPulse: Our real-time monitoring system tracks the stories your specific target audience is responding to now so you can talk about it on the air, on a blog and on social channels.

Futuri Streaming: Deliver top-quality streaming audio to your mobile app and web player through our reliable system, which includes 24/7 support.

#engage: Stay on top of what’s trending with our interactive programming tools. Designed to increase your mobile and social interactions, we offer customized actions, including song alerts, text, email and push notifications, and song voting.  Stations can even sync their social posts with their song lists so listeners can build their own playlists.

Want to learn more? Contact your Futuri Media partner or reach us here.