FM411 - Influencing Boston Radio

May 19, 2005 - 3:30pm — duncan

FM 411 is a company based in Natick MA that has launched an interesting new service. I signed up and will let you know how it goes. I generally don't like the idea of services text messaging me but if they are going to tell me when a radio station is about to play The Curtain Society then I wont mind too much. What I can't figure out is how this is going to change radio programming. FM 411's intention is to "shake up the industry, shift power back to the local market, and put it in the hands of the audience." but unless they are sharing registered users playlists with radio programmers, how is this service going to change anything. In other words, I don't need to be notified when they play a shitty Collective Soul song on the radio, I want to be notified when they finally stop.

I will let them explain the details of what they offer.

Click "Get Registered" to sign up for free*.

Create a playlist of bands/artists you want to hear. Then tell us how you'd like to be contacted - by email, IM, or cell phone text message*.

When stations want you to know that one of your favorites is about to air, they can send you an alert through FM411.

And here's the beauty part:
The more Boston listeners that sign up, the more influence we have on local stations. So help us take back control of Boston radio. What are you waiting for?

link

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May 22, 2005 - 4:33pm — Jeff-FM411

Re: FM411 - Influencing Boston Radio

Cool...let me see if I can answer the questions.

We never share (and never will!) individual playlists or any individual information. What we do is enable stations to see collective playlists. So a station could find out how many listeners want to hear U2, or what's the top band that they listed as a favorite (let's say The Curtain Society). It's in their self-interest to then play it because they can directly alert those listeners 5 minutes before it plays on-air (so if you're listening to another station you're more likely to switch to their station).

We're out to change radio so that it's in the station's best interest to play The Curtain Society because there's 10,000 listeners who want to get alerted when it plays on-air. So now you begin to drive the playlist and have stations compete for you versus jumping from station-to-station looking for something mildly interesting to hear. Station's benefit because ratings are determined by time spent listening -- so if they know they can actually tell those listeners that The Curtain Society is playing they're more likely to play it!

Worst case, we don't have a station which wants to play that artist as part of FM411. We then go out and try to get them to play ball with us - and may even ask you to email the Program Director at that station to get them onboard.

Hope that helps!

FM411

May 22, 2005 - 7:24pm — duncan