“I didn’t realize it at the time, but when I fell in love with it as a kid that radio was one of the original social networks. AM had Top 40 formats (mashups), DJ shout outs (tweets), contests to win logo T-shirts (badges) and exclusive clubs to which everyone belonged (Facebook groups). I got into late night talk shows (blogs), which had an intimacy and affinity with listeners that radio has lost and web social networks have yet to fully discover. Later, FM jocks changed my music buying habits and political views (influencers).

Now that I have one foot firmly planted in social media and the other precariously in radio, I note that radio has evolved away from its “social” roots, with radio brands failing to fully leverage the new social media platforms that could bolster their listenership and bottom lines. There are many pundits more informed than I am who can predict whether better integration with the other social media platforms can help “save” radio. My position is that the other social media platforms are tools that can help radio in the here and now.

It’s always good to start by establishing a few basics, such my definition of social media and my biases when it comes to broadcast radio.

I despise the terms “new media” and “old media”. Let’s use “linear media” to refer to those platforms — broadcast radio and TV, newspapers, magazines, etc. — that are fundamentally unidirectional. User participation requires a back channel — postal mail, telephones or private emails.

“Digital media” puts two-way communication on the same technology pipe. A website serves content based on my requests, drawing content from a variety of sources in a non-linear fashion. “Social media” is an advanced form of digital media with a content provider hosting a media stream on a platform that allows significant user generated content. Social media grants users the ability to interact with the collective, as well as other users individually — user connections are non-linear.”  - Neil Glassman

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