The Radio Communicators Group (RCG) was
co-founded by Beasley Broadcast Group’s APR/Director of Corporate Communications Denyse Mesnik and Greater Media VP of Corporate Communications Heidi Raphael with the goal of uniting public relations experts in the radio industry and working together to promote new initiatives and technology that are being developed to further the business. Mesnik and Raphael recently spoke to FMQB about working with partners like the NAB, RAB, Radio Heard Here and the HD Radio Alliance to help radio stay vital with the public.
Denyse Mesnik and Heidi Raphael
In October 2008, the Radio Communicators Group (RCG) was co-founded by Beasley Broadcast Group’s APR/Director of Corporate Communications Denyse Mesnik and Greater Media VP of Corporate Communications Heidi Raphael. Their goal was to bring together public relations and communications experts in the radio industry to brainstorm ideas on how to promote new and exciting initiatives and help ensure the medium’s bright future. In announcing the launch in the fall, Mesnik stated, “Our goal is to facilitate consistent communication between broadcasters, trade media and various organizations within our industry, as well as to present a united front in promoting radio to the general marketplace.” Now that the RCG has about eight months under its belt,FMQB caught up with Mesnik and Raphael to hear about the progress of the organization and the initiatives they have planned for the rest of 2009.
How did you get the idea to start the RCG?
Denyse Mesnik: The idea for the group came up while we were having lunch together at the 2007 Fall NAB Radio Show. Communicators love to connect with other professionals, collaborate on projects and they’re typically huge vocal proponents of, and cheerleaders for, their companies, employees and radio. Since we share job titles we also share the joys and challenges that come with our jobs as communications executives in corporate offices. Creating the Radio Communicators Group was just a logical step. Through our group industry partners can send one e-mail and reach over a dozen broadcasters and their staffs. By placing one phone call, a radio trade editor will receive responses from a variety of companies, and for radio communicators we are able to make new contacts and receive materials that educate and often simplify our jobs.
In the beginning, we reached out to radio companies that we knew had corporate communicators on staff, asked if they were attending the 2008 Fall NAB, and if so, would they want to join our group. I guess you could say, we built it and they came! Our first meeting had representatives from a variety of broadcast companies, as well as communicators from the NAB, RAB, Radio Heard Here, HD Radio Alliance and iBiquity.
Heidi Raphael: We are grateful to Caroline Beasley at Beasley Broadcasting Group and Peter Smyth, Chairman and CEO at Greater Media, who have both been very supportive and recognize the overall benefit the radio industry receives by the RCG’s collaboration and our involvement in the organization.
What are your main objectives?
Denyse: Our Mission Statement sums that up nicely. “Our goal is to facilitate consistent communication among broadcasters, trade media and various organizations within our industry, as well as to present a united front in promoting radio to the general marketplace.” Our group consists of communications and public relations executives representing radio broadcasting companies and trade organizations throughout the United States, so we aim to assist in promoting the many new and exciting initiatives taking place within our industry. Perhaps our most important contribution is that we are working collectively and diligently for the benefit of this tremendous business we call radio.
What kind of initiatives have you done as a group so far?
Heidi: We’re proud to say that in the eight short months we’ve been in existence, we have hosted several well-attended and successful meetings at the NAB and RAB conferences. We distribute a monthly newsletter and hold conference calls for our members. We also recently met with the NASBA president and president-elect, which resulted in tremendous collaboration between RCG and the State Broadcast Associations and increased our membership base substantially. From a start of just seven radio communicators, we now have membership of nearly 70 and that’s growing each month.
Our close collaboration with the Radio Heard Here initiative resulted in the Radio Communicators Group hosting a panel entitled “Creativity Heard Here” at RAB in Orlando this past March. Additionally, just a few weeks ago, we initiated discussions with the Radio Heard Here team on social media, which resulted in a Social Networking conference call that was very successful and well attended.
We are currently working on details to host an upcoming panel at the NAB Fall Radio Show in Philadelphia. We also continue to focus on improving communication regarding the latest industry initiatives. We were very pleased when the Radio Heard Here campaign highlighted the RCG in its 2008 report.
What do you have planned with Radio Heard Here as far as social networking goes?
Heidi: The first RCG call on this subject took place in mid-May and included a wide variety of radio professionals: radio company communications executives, industry partners, state broadcast associations and broadcast publicists. The goal was to discuss online social media tactics as they relate to radio companies and stations; review social media strategies currently in use by various RCG members; determine areas our members would like to learn more about, and discuss general concerns about developing, maintaining and nurturing an online presence.
Denyse: Future plans include the Radio Heard Here team creating an instructional one-page worksheet for our members that will share tips on how to get started on Facebook and Twitter, as well as provide overviews of broadcast-based case studies that have worked well for others in radio. Of course, we also plan to continue the dialog through these educational calls.
Do you feel that radio is doing enough to promote HD technology and HD2 channels?
Heidi: Like any new initiative, the awareness continues to grow. Diane Warren, President of the HD Radio Alliance, and Vicki Stearn with iBiquity, are very involved in the RCG. They have been fantastic in updating our industry with the latest initiatives taking place to promote HD technology.
What is one of the biggest benefits of radio that you think needs to be promoted more effectively to the public?
Heidi: It’s free, local and provides a real and relevant personal connection with its audience. Localism and community involvement is one of radio’s many strengths. We need to promote the “experience” that listening to the radio provides for our listeners.
In a time when many broadcasters are cutting costs, are radio stations still doing enough to stay involved with their local communities and connect with listeners?
Heidi: Absolutely. No medium can compete with radio when it comes to this, regardless of budget size. Radio is there when the going gets tough. Just look at how radio stations have helped their communities in the wake of natural disasters, such as tornadoes and hurricanes. Battery operated radios keep people connected when power lines are down, electricity is out and cell phones can’t find a signal. We all should be very proud of what we collectively, as an industry, do to help people in their greatest time of need.
**Content by Mandy Feingold**
