WOULD YOU PAY A FEE TO ACCESS FREE RADIO? • TWO MARKETS WHERE NPR NEWS/TALK IS DOING VERY, VERY WELL

Bill Freund

Boulder based Clip Analytics [link] is about to debut a monthly subscription service for already free radio. 

Clip is offering access to the audio streams of every radio station in the country. Plus, the lucky customer gets to send and receive digital voicemails, take polls, play games and enter contests. 

Clip monitors and tabulates the customers every move.  Clip calls this "engagement technique" a way to provide deeper data about consumers.

At this year’s NAB Show next month in Las Vegas, Clip’s co-founder Bill Freund will lead a show-and-tell session about the new system for broadcasters and potential investors. 

Freund knows his way around digital analytics. In 2013 Freund he was part of team that launched pioneering streaming audio tech firm Triton Media.  

According to sales literature, the new Clip system combines streaming audio from stations and podcasts and adds interactive paths that provide real-time analytics from “radio's P1 listeners.” The promo material claims:

“Clip provides a rich suite of advertising solutions, offering brands and agencies the ability to analyze and optimize the effectiveness of their radio campaigns and on-air buys. These user sessions make your digital audience all the more valuable and provide a truly unique revenue stream for your sales team.”

However, to us, Freund’s Big Plan forgets the most important ingredient: the needs and interests of users. Clip has many advantages for ad agencies but there is no apparent advantage for listeners.Rather it treats users like "lab rats."  Plus users pay it.

Clip is totally a pass-through. They are betting that attractiveness of the content (provided and paid for by others) will be enough of a hot magnet to convince listeners to pay a monthly fee for what they otherwise could get for free.

Freund thinks his a idea is revolutionary:

“Radio 15 years ago should have gotten into the subscription space. It still can. That’s where Clip comes in.”

MORE FEBRUARY PPM RATINGS FOR MARKETS WHERE NPR NEWS IS A HUGE FACTOR

It doesn’t get much better than KUOW’s performance in the February sweeps. 

KUOW is the number one radio source in one of the nation’s fastest growing markets.

Not only does KUOW lead all other rated noncommercial stations, it beats stations owned by iHeart, Sinclair and Bonneville in both AQH share and estimated weekly listeners. 

KUOW’s 8.0 AQH share is an all-time record high for the station.

The same pattern is playing out in Denver-Boulder. 

Colorado Public Radio’s KCFR also hit an all-time record high with a 7.6 AQH share. 

KOA had a big surge last year when the Colorado Rockies made the MLB playoffs.