Marvelous Products, Miraculous Services
• United Stations Radio Networks has introduced a new prep service called SPARK. At the core of SPARK is a daily feed of call-in comments from listeners intended to “spark” (get it?) further audience engagement. SPARK also includes daily news, entertainment and music stories, lifestyle content, topical audio and video and other useful stuff, but the unique benefit of Spark is its daily library of listener audio providing audience feedback and commentary on trending entertainment and lifestyle topics.
Margaret Verghese, USRN’s VP/Comedy and Prep Services explained, “It’s ironic, but the last thing we use our smartphones for is an actual phone call. Our broadcast clients are experiencing that trend and they told us that if we could provide the kind of audio needed to get the phones to ring in the studio, that there would be tremendous value in that, so that’s what we’ve built this new service around.” There are also other reasons to use the audio provided in this feed, ranging from the legal implication of airing live calls to being able to control the content and also provide points of view not necessarily represented by the talent. For more info regarding SPARK, contact our boy Danny Ocean at 610-585-8467 or docean@unitedstations.com.
• Skid Trax is now offering “Tune-Ups” for small and medium market radio stations. Skid Trax Tune-Ups will write imaging and slogans, design or calibrate music clocks for better flow, aircheck talent and help stations utilize the tools they have to produce a winning sound at an affordable rate. Skid Trax co-founder Tonya Campos said, “I believe that every radio station, big or small, should be of the mindset to provide a quality product to their audience and not every station or company has the funds to access a consultant. With Tune-Ups, a station can get affordable, uninterrupted and professional attention, regardless of market size.”
Skid Trax OM/co-founder Michael Raffety added, “Tonya has vast experience programming at the top level in the radio industry, and has worked alongside some of the industry’s best programmers honing her skills. She’s already helped some of Skid Trax’s stations freshen up their sound, so it only makes sense to share her knowledge with others who can benefit.” For more info, call 877-549-8658 or email info@skidtrax.net.
