plete packages with many entrance points.” While a station may not make any money on the Web yet, it can be an effective way to attract people to listen to a specific station. Elon professor Ken Calhoun is a big proponent of Web 2.0 tools, saying they can offer a station’s listeners “choice and control, two-way communication, and extend (their reach).” Since graduating from Elon University in 2005, Travis Lusk has done just that. As the new media director at New York’s WCBS, Lusk’s job is to stay on top of the Internet and make sure he is using it effectively to boost his station’s presence. In the past year alone, WCBS has completely overhauled its Web site, adding a news archive. It has also implemented a blog and a Twitter account, which are used to connect and appeal to the station’s listeners through updates and contests. Natasha Vukelic has seen similar growth working as the news director for North Carolina’s WCHL.
National Public Radio has also experienced a large increase in listeners due to using the Internet effectively, offering its most popular programs as free podcasts on iTunes. Is radio dying? It all depends. A cynic who has not done a complete amount of research would say yes; across the country audiences are down, and many stations are struggling to make ends meet. Times are tough but there is hope on the horizon. If stations stay true to their roots and try once again to reflect the communities in which they are based, telling local stories and breaking local bands, people may be more inclined to listen again. But only if they know about the change, and radio stations also need to use the Internet effectively to make sure this happens. If traditional radio does these two things and does them well, it may once again rise to the effectiveness that it is capable of. “Mediums don’t die, they change,” says Fox. Radio has a lot of changing to do, but the foundation has been laid for the future.
Page 18