Bis Project Template-final[1]
This document was uploaded by user and they confirmed that they have the permission to share it. If you are author or own the copyright of this book, please report to us by using this DMCA report form. Report DMCA
Overview
Download & View Bis Project Template-final[1] as PDF for free.
More details
- Words: 5,012
- Pages: 19
INSC 20263 Information Systems in eEnterprise
Fdub 99.9 Project Proposal submitted to Dr. Beata Jones By Brandon Corcoran, Kate Polley, B.J. Wessels & Edgar Crespo
1. Industry overview, based on research (include sources): According to current market research, the music radio industry has grown steady since 2002. This has in large part been boosted by the addition of many radio stations turning to the internet as a means of live streaming to the station. This turning point in the broadcasting industry has actually increased popularity of stations due to the increase of availability to their consumers (listeners). Following the uncertainty over royalty rights payments in 2002, radio station tuning hours “are forecast to reach 360 million hours in 2006, and there are currently over 700,000 average quarterly hour listeners to online stations, combining Arbitron and Webcast Metrics user data.” The analysis also reports that at the start of 2006, radio station subscribers to Internet music saw an increase of 2.3-2.4 million subscribers, globally. The report also combines data from many radio stations current competitors in the online marketplace: internet radio hosted by native pure-play companies such as AOL, Yahoo, Chaincast Networks, etc. Top line report findings and analysis: An important statistic for all radio stations is known as ATH, or Aggregate Tuning Hours. According to the data presented within the report: “Aggregate tuning hours (ATH) for the top ten sites and networks rose by 43.8% in 2005 per month, to 257.3 million hours.” ATH further grew by roughly 53% in 2003 compared to the prior year, which experienced regulatory problems with regard to royalty fees and copyrights. The most current data available reports that streaming media revenue, “rose from $49 million in 2003 to $237 million in 2005 and projected to surpass $340 million in 2006.” Growth rates for revenue were 163% in 2004, 84% in 2005 and an estimated 45% in 2006 Internet Music Radio 2001 - 2006: The Brands and the Beat Go On AccuStream iMedia Research, May 2006 http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/338211
Another report focuses on the growing shift of local radio broadcasting stations towards the web. After the emergence of many pure-play radio stations in 2004, it became readily apparent that there was few barriers to entry for emerging radio stations based solely online. Borrell Associates Inc. reports, “For as little as $2,000 per year in music licensing and Web hosting fees, anyone can establish an online radio station. No FCC license, no broadcast tower, no expensive tape decks or remote broadcasting trucks.”
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 2
What many of these pure-play competitors are missing are the local ties that personalize broadcasting stations to consumers. Many stations such as Kiss FM have well over 200 different stations, with different channels spanning out nation-wide. The emergence of online streaming into local stations is a relatively new phenomenon brought about by increased technology on the web. Some pure-play competitors are already mimicking this ability, however:
“MSN has taken a square aim at local listener affinities by allowing them to select an MSN radio channel “similar to” the call letters of local radio stations. Local traffic and weather reports – which are remarkably easy to come by – are likely to come next.” 2005 Outlook: Online Radio Advertising Borrell Associates Inc., Dec 2004, Pages: 25 http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?cat_id=0&report_id=301094&q=radio %20advertisement&p=1
Conclusion:
Based from these reports, we conclude that many of the most popular radio stations nation-wide have jumped the transition to online streaming of their content on the web. This, in turn, has led to the creation of websites displaying such content. In the last few years, these websites have sought to become more interactive with their users in order to compete with pure-play competitors who stream music with less advertisement. By providing listeners with local venues information and events, as well as playlists of music and live broadcasts, radio stations have solidified a foothold in the use of the web to attract listeners and gain traffic to their websites.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 3
2. Perform a detailed Porter's Five Forces analysis for your industry. Be sure to discuss entry barriers and switching costs. Power
HIGH
LOW
Buyer Power
Buyer power is high because the decision to listen to the radio station is entirely up to the listener. Most listeners have different tastes in music and so they can choose to listen to different genres. There are often many different stations for each genre.
X
Supplier Power X
Threat of Substitute Products or Services
Threat of New Entrants X
X
DJs of radio stations have a lot of influence on what they choose to play for their station. Depending on whom the radio station purchases the music from, there can be a high or a low variation of supplier power. Radio stations whom are more established and into the mainstream would experience lower supplier power because the industries (often the artists) selling the music would want their music to reach a mass audience. There is a high threat of substitute products due to the emergence of Apple’s iPod and also Pandora. Both don’t have commercials and are more convenient to carry around or listen to. Online-only radio stations have also created a firm foothold amongst consumers as they offer much of the same content without advertisements during play.
X
Rivalry Among Existing Competitors
Justify
Most established radio stations are well known and have developed consumer loyalty amongst their listeners. Small, new stations often struggle to generate a large pool of audience.
Because listeners have different tastes in music, they can afford to choose which radio stations they like to listen to. If a radio station is playing too many commercials or not playing to the listener’s tastes, the chances are high the listener will switch to a different station since there is little cost involved.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 4
3. Description of the competitive environment that is relevant to the use of the Web by the industry. Competitive Force
Customers
Suppliers
… and their Web Usage within the Industry Customers use the web to listen to music playlists and obtain information regarding the radio broadcasting station (events, guest appearances, etc). They also can submit content for contests hosted by the radio station. Suppliers are able to communicate their music to the radio station and use the web as a medium for advertising their products. Also, they could use the web to upload the music to the radio station as a digital copy.
New Entrants
New entrants to the radio station industry utilize the web to improve awareness about their station and advertise events. They also sometimes use the web to link to partnering or ‘sister’ stations that they are affiliated with.
Competitors
Competitors use the web to gain recognition and awareness for their respective stations. This can be done through advertising events, contests, guest appearances, and marketing. Pure-play competitors like online-only radio stations use the web as their sole basis of business.
Substitute Products
Substitute products use the web to sell their products. The radio stations’ largest substitute product is the iPod, which is a pure play business conducted solely online. With the introduction of iTunes, competition has skyrocketed in this category.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 5
4. Using what you have learned about good/bad web design in class and using class notes, please identify: four web sites in your industry that you believe are ‘good’ and four that you consider ‘poorly designed.’ (Each individual researches two companies.) Company Name
106.1 KISS FM
100.1 The Edge
Web Site’s URL
www.1061kissfm.com
www.edge100.com
Site’s Target Audience
Male/female. Approximately ages 16-40 (mainly)
All genders. 18+
Site’s Purpose
Provide information & entertainment through the use of webpages, newsfeeds, and music playlists.
Allows interaction between station and listeners.
Good? (Yes/No)
Yes
No
Navigation – main links centered horizontally at top makes for easy navigation.
Design elements from the lecture notes/lecture that contributed to a Positive/Negative impression - provide at least 3 for each site & explain
Negative Space – used poorly, creates large ‘gaps’ between content.
Boxes/Frames – overdone. Simply put, there’s too many of them. 1 Flash item – provides info in an interactive way; by only having one the site keeps things simple but effective.
Playlist positioning – site follows the clockwise eye-coordination.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 6
Company Name
99.5 The Wolf
96.3 KSCS
www.995thewolf.com
www.kscs.com
Local, younger country music fans.
Local, country music fans.
To promote their radio station and upcoming events.
Site’s Purpose
To promote their radio station and upcoming events while guiding viewers to local Texas way of life.
Good? (Yes/No)
Yes
Web Site’s URL Site’s Target Audience
Design elements from the lecture notes/lecture that contributed to a Positive/Negative impression - provide at least 3 for each site & explain
No
-The Wolf website has a primary toolbar that creates easy nevigation.
-Lots of “white” space.
-Great contrasting colors to make it easy to read.
-Boring colors, dated pictures of celebrities.
-An abundant amount of things to click on and keep you entertained
-Hard to find contact information. Not easy to navigate.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 7
Company Name
WRR
KBEC
Web Site’s URL
www.wrr101.com
http://www.kbec.com/
Site’s Target Audience
Local classical music fans. Mostly middle aged.
Ellis county country fans.
Site’s Purpose
Keep the listeners informed about upcoming events and what they’re playing and when.
Inform the listeners of upcoming events and what they’re playing and when.
Good? (Yes/No)
Yes
No
• •
Design elements from the lecture notes/lecture that contributed to a Positive/Negative impression - provide at least 3 for each site & explain; Attach website screenshots with discussed features highlighted with diigo.com or awesomehighlighter.co m
•
Website loads quickly and efficiently due to organized content. Effectively utilizes an effective color scheme that attracts the readers’ attention and complements the articles and information.
• • •
The website contains valuable information for the listener pertaining to the stations’ content.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 8
Negative space is prevalent throughout the website, detracting from the overall value. Color scheme detracts from content. Website does not have enough pertinent information relating to upcoming events and shows.
Company Name
Los 40 Principales
Wao 97.5 FM
Web Site’s URL
http://los40.com.pa/
http://www.wao975.fm/
Site’s Target Audience
People who want to know about music and events
People who want to know about music and events
Informs and entertains the listener.
Music Radio Station and Music Events
Yes
No
Site’s Purpose Good? (Yes/No)
The website contains no negative space and has nicely positioned content.
The website contains too much negative space and has poorly formatted content.
Some of the links on the site are confused; navigation is poor and creates difficulties for Navigation is neatly handled by utilizing the user in trying to get from page to page. Design elements from tabs at the top of the page to direct users the lecture notes/lecture to various pages of content. that contributed to a There are too many things occurring on the Positive/Negative site’s page to really direct the viewer’s impression attention to any one thing.
- provide at least 3 for each site & explain;
Music plays upon reaching the website; this can be detracting and unwanted by the user. Attach website screenshots with discussed features highlighted with The conglomeration of pictures and text The entire website is done in flash format. diigo.com or creates a nice effect that pleases the eye. awesomehighlighter.com
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 9
5. Industry ‘key competitors’ (Select four of the well designed websites from the previous section and have each individual research their company in more depth. Include your perceptions/opinions in this section.) Competitor’s name and URL of the web site
Kiss FM
The Wolf
WRR
Mix 102.9
How (what features?) are they using on the web?
What are their most effective or unique ways of using the web?
What are their most ineffective ways of using the web?
Kiss FM is using the web to upload information about events (such as contests), guest speakers coming to the show, concerts, contest, etc.
Kiss FM has a separate page dedicated to each individual DJ, and each DJ has their own contests and events going on. This personalizes it for users.
Kiss FM has a scattered layout as you scroll down the page; their main page is too long; sometimes advertisements pop-up.
They have a list of the Dj’s, different concerts, podcast, videos, events, Texas Motor Speedway, Texas Living magazine, community, wolf experts etc.
The homepage gives you access to the most interesting parts of the site.
Contains several links that are random and have nothing to do with the website like for instance they have a link after searching that helps you to get your kids eat healthy.
Contains their playlist, a list of all the DJs, upcoming events, and an email newsletter that listeners can sign up for.
Lacks really anything unique, but possesses the pertinent information readily available.
Doesn’t possess a whole lot of content to keep you on their site for any length of time.
They have different access buttons to see: Events, concerts, up to date information, Mix Music List, Movies and Music Industry news.
They have videos, photos, They have blank spaces information, and advertisements.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 10
6. Industry Key Competitors - Web Site Ratings (scaled 1-10) (Be sure to come up with three more criteria on your own.) Company Name
Websit e Conten t
Ease of Navigatio n
Site Appearanc e
Availabilit y of Playlists
How Current
Efficient Communicatio n
Overall
Kiss FM
9
8
7
10
7
10
8.5
The Wolf
9
8
9
4
9
10
8
WRR
6
8
7
7
9
8
7.5
Mix 102.9
8
9
7
7
7
8
7
Company#1 Kiss FM Rating
Explanation of Rating
Website Content
Kiss FM earned a rating of 9 under website content for their innovation of using the web to communicate different activities. They have a variety of innovative content, including the most thorough playlists, a calendar of events, and unique webpages to each of their DJs.
Ease of Navigation
Kiss FM earned an 8 in the category of ease of navigation through the use of their horizontal link navigation up at the top. They also implemented a flash media player that will link to different articles, and have separated the majority of their home page by various frames pertaining to different sections of content.
Site Appearance
Kiss FM’s weakest feature was site appearance. Simply put, the home page requires too much scrolling than the average user is willing to perform. Some of the content is surrounded by too much negative space inducing us to conclude that much of it could be moved away from the main page and to other sections of the website. The bottom half of the website has the same links as the top.
Availability of Playlists
Kiss FM scored highly on its availability of playlists by positioning them to the right-hand side where they are easily seen by viewers. Clicking on a song opens a new window that contains the music video to the song; loading is fast and effective.
How Current
In the radio broadcast industry, the most successful websites are the ones with the most current up-to-date information. We decided that although Kiss FM’s content is current, their playlists tend to lag behind by about a half month as far as popularity is concerned.
Efficient Communication
Efficient communication is key in the radio industry; how can the station best communicate to its listeners the events going on in the most concise way possible. Kiss FM exemplifies this feature by providing basic facts about community events and outsourcing links to other news sites for more detailed
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 11
information.
Company #2 The Wolf Rating Website Content
The content of the website is phenomenal; the only problem with the website is that it might contain too much information and would get their consumer confused.
Ease of Navigation
The website is really easy to navigate, nothing tricky to figure out. There is a little bit of difficulty in accessing the DJ’s on the primary tool bar.
Site Appearance
The overall appearance of the site is very fresh, interesting and informative. Lots of color, the only thing that the site could improve on is that the color scheme of the background could be taken as boring.
Availability of Playlists
There is a playlist of the last ten songs played on the radio station listed on the homepage. The downfall to the website’s playlist is that access a way to listen to the songs on the list.
How Current
The website contains very current information on artists, upcoming events and the community. The content that is provided on this website is refreshed daily.
Efficient Communication
The website makes it clear how to get from one link to another. The website gives a way to communicate with each of the DJ’s. You are able to understand and find a way to navigate to everything on the site.
Company#1 WRR Rating
Explanation of Rating
Website Content
It has the bare bones information of the company, a playlist, and how to get to the live streaming, but not much other content.
Ease of Navigation
It is pretty easy to navigate, the only issue is that the side bar is changed depending upon what page you’re currently on.
Site Appearance
Everything is blocked off from each other and feels blocky and boring.
Availability of Playlists
Although the initial playlist is easy to get to they have two different playlists, each for different times of the day, so to get the information on what’s playing at
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 12
certain times you have to follow a link to a different site and find the playlist you’re looking for. There are also 3 different links for getting to the live streaming which makes it a little difficult to figure out which one you need to click on. How Current
The information is updated on a daily basis and covers current events in the local area, but not much about any of the new players or conductors.
Efficient Communication
They have the most pertinent information on upcoming events up in the middle of the front page.
Company #4 Mix 102.9 Rating
Explanation of Rating
Website Content
The website contains an opinion box, events, up to date information, Mix Music List, music videos and advertisements. This content is necessary for the radio broadcasting industry.
Ease of Navigation
The website operates via horizontal navigation seen through the tabs on the upper portion of the homepage.
Site Appearance
The website has a good color scheme, and the content is very organized.
Availability of Playlists
The webpage has the Mix music where you can get the Top Music Lists as well as ringtones.
How Current
The amount of current content is fairly good, but the playlists need updating since the summer has almost ended.
Efficient Communication
The webpage is formatted in such a way that the content is communicated decently to the viewer.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 13
7. The industry’s strengths and weaknesses in regard to the effective use of the web?(at least 3 each) Strengths
Weaknesses
1. Radio broadcasting effectively uses the web for online streaming to live stations, thus increasing the availability to its listeners. 2. Radio stations use the web efficiently in communicating information about daily content on the station and upcoming events in the local area. 3. Radio stations use the web as a medium for listeners to submit content or ideas to the station, thus making it more interactive and personal to the listener. 4. Many radio station websites have games and activities on the web that provide entertainment for their users.
1. Unlike some of its competitors, radio stations can’t provide a permanent source of continuous music on the web. 2. Some of the radio stations attract a specific audience with the type of music they play; this creates a lack of uniformity in the radio broadcasting online segment of the music industry and can detract from the industry’s strength overall. 3. Much of the news posted on radio stations’ websites is not professional-grade and is found lacking on real-world events beyond the local environment. 4. Because most radio stations are sponsored (public broadcasting doesn’t cost the listener anything) they are required to include advertisements between songs.
8. Proposed website enhancements for the industry(at least 3 each): i. What type of information would you recommend they add to their websites? -
Many radio stations feature the top 10 music artists for their respective genres but fail to give the listener more than just their name. Because of the use of technology in having a website, many stations could link to these artists’ fan sites for the dedicated fan.
-
Some radio stations’ websites have so much content about past or daily shows that some users would like to revisit something they heard or saw earlier in the week. A website enhancement that would address this issue would be the introduction of a search bar to sift through the mass amount of content kept on these stations’ websites.
-
Diversified media content would help increase traffic and keep the listener entertained seeing as most radio stations’ websites don’t have an introductory video explaining the site or relating to some of the daily content on the station.
ii.
What modifications would you recommend to their web design?
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 14
-
Repetition of links taking the user to the same locations can be avoided by having a primary navigation toolbar. This would also help save space and decrease scroll time for the homepage.
-
Touching off that, links to multiple pages with smaller amounts of content is always preferable to one page that has all of the content on there. Scrolling for more than five to ten seconds down a page is not recommendable when you can improve navigation to take users to new pages.
-
Advertisements should be kept to the sides of the page and not embedded in the main content of the website.
9. Name of the company that you propose to create and its geographic location: Our team would like to create a Radio Broadcasting company titled ‘Fdub 99.9’, located in Fort Worth, Texas. 10. Detailed description of the proposed new business, including mission/goals, services and products it will offer, size, etc. Fdub 99.9 Fdub 99.9 is a radio broadcasting company located in Fort Worth, Texas playing the most popular and recent songs available from current artists. Our mission is to entertain our listeners with the top hits from most genres of music by giving them what they want while also informing them of local events. Fdub 99.9 is a unique station in that we offer: o
Unlike Fort Worth’s largest radio stations, our music will feature the top songs from emerging and current artists from most genres including: Rock, Pop, R&B, Alternative, Hip-Hop, Rap, and Country.
o Current and real time information about local events and contests in the DFW metroplex pertaining to the station and the music industry in general. o A steady source of playlists available for our listeners to sample music from emerging artists or entertain themselves with popular songs from current ones. Fdub 99.9 would not be a successful enterprise if it was not continuously contributing to the music business industry. In this respect, some current goals of Fdub 99.9 include but are not limited to: o Encouraging the development of musical talent by promoting new and emerging artists in the DFW metroplex. INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 15
o Championing the utilization of music as a source of entertainment in the average family household. o Offering internships and job positions to the community within the radio broadcasting sector of the music business industry. Like most public broadcasting stations our product is the music we air, and in doing so sponsorship and advertisements will be a must in order to create a steady stream of revenue for the business. Because we are a new company, our best assets are our flexibility and adaptability. Adapting rapidly to the demands of our listeners is a must, and so the size of this company need not be managed by more than twenty individuals. The positions available within this company would range from experienced DJs in ‘sync’ with local tastes to the technical standpoint of analysts and web masters who adapt content to popular demand.
11. Determine which of Porter's Three Generic Strategies you will use as you build your company for the 21st century. Explain your answer. 99.9 Fdub will implicate the differentiation strategic and in doing so will create a one of a kind music listening experience. Our purpose is to give air time to the biggest hits in every genre to ensure that everyone will enjoy something about our radio station. Giving music listeners a huge variety of music to listen too will broaden their horizons on what genres of music they would prefer. A lot of music enthusiasts only like a type of music, Fdub’s listeners would explore their music taste buds by experiencing all the top hits of each genre.
12. Discuss the many eBusiness strategies that your company could use to increase revenue and decrease cost. A. Company web site’s target audience – who will use the website (internally and externally), for what purpose and where are they located geographically? Our website will target an audience of all races and genders between the ages of 16-40 in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex for the purpose of supplying them with the most popular music and information about local news. B. Company’s website purpose: Our website will serve as a medium to communicate information about events, daily content, guest speakers, and featured artists coming to the area. C. Company’s primary usage of the web a. Is the primary use going to be informational or transactional or both? Justify.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 16
The primary use of the web will be informational. The radio broadcasting industry uses the web as an additional means of communicating to its listener’s information about its respective radio stations. Because listening to public radio is free of charge, there are no transactions occurring on many radio stations’ websites.
b. What pages will be found on the website? Please list major sections of the site. Home Page / Index
Music Playlists
About Us
Blogs about new artists
Contact The Site
Events
DJs on Station Music Videos
c.
Is the website primarily for B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to consumer) or both? Justify. The website will serve as both B2B and B2C. Its primary function is obviously B2C seeing as it serves to communicate to the audience news about events and concerts coming through the DFW metroplex. However, by doing so, it also demonstrates to aspiring artists and record labels its popularity amongst its consumers (listeners) and thus creates value in the advertising of new artists and music.
D. How can an eBusiness strategy help your company attract customers and increase sales? Our eBusiness strategy would attract customers and increase sales by giving our listeners a variety of information and interaction that they could associate with our site. A well established website makes a company/organization seem very sophisticated and professional. Our website’s professionalism would enhance the listeners’ experience and make them want to join our website’s community. Fdub would allow our listeners to feel a part of the radio station and identify with the music we play. This would in turn attract advertisers once they realize the amount of traffic our site draws. Increased advertising on our site means increased sales.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 17
E. How could eBusiness strategy help customer service? Developing an eBusiness strategy will assist our customer service by letting our listeners submit requests through emails and polls. We could receive feedback on the songs that our listeners want to hear by developing polls, quizzes and surveys to better serve our listeners. F. How could you use an eBusiness strategy to partner with suppliers? eBusiness strategies would allow us to contact and communicate with record label companies to streamline the process of brokering deals in order to obtain royalties and rights to play their music. G.
How could a portal help your employees? A portal would be very useful to our employees. They would be able to email one another, utilize searches for information, and also get in touch with our listeners so that we can better serve them better.
H. How could a kiosk help your business? Kiosks set with our website as the home page are a cheap, easy, and effective tool for promoting local awareness about the radio station and encouraging involvement on behalf of the listeners. A kiosk in a popular location (such as a shopping center) or set up at concerts would attract individuals looking to get online. By having a kiosk set to our website’s homepage, individuals can explore the content and gather knowledge about Fdub 99.9 and the type of music we broadcast. I. What types of metrics would you want to track on your eBusiness Web site? Be sure to justify your answers. Utilizing cookies would be helpful for our business because it would allow us to analyze how often listeners visit the site and their patterns of activity on the site. Areas that don’t generate as
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 18
much cookies compared to others can be focused upon and improved. Click stream Data Metrics would allow us to further analyze the patterns of activity listeners produce while visiting sites, specifically the time they spend on the site, the number of page views, and the dates and times of visits. This can further be reinforced by analyzing data from Visit and Hit Metrics.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 19
Fdub 99.9 Project Proposal submitted to Dr. Beata Jones By Brandon Corcoran, Kate Polley, B.J. Wessels & Edgar Crespo
1. Industry overview, based on research (include sources): According to current market research, the music radio industry has grown steady since 2002. This has in large part been boosted by the addition of many radio stations turning to the internet as a means of live streaming to the station. This turning point in the broadcasting industry has actually increased popularity of stations due to the increase of availability to their consumers (listeners). Following the uncertainty over royalty rights payments in 2002, radio station tuning hours “are forecast to reach 360 million hours in 2006, and there are currently over 700,000 average quarterly hour listeners to online stations, combining Arbitron and Webcast Metrics user data.” The analysis also reports that at the start of 2006, radio station subscribers to Internet music saw an increase of 2.3-2.4 million subscribers, globally. The report also combines data from many radio stations current competitors in the online marketplace: internet radio hosted by native pure-play companies such as AOL, Yahoo, Chaincast Networks, etc. Top line report findings and analysis: An important statistic for all radio stations is known as ATH, or Aggregate Tuning Hours. According to the data presented within the report: “Aggregate tuning hours (ATH) for the top ten sites and networks rose by 43.8% in 2005 per month, to 257.3 million hours.” ATH further grew by roughly 53% in 2003 compared to the prior year, which experienced regulatory problems with regard to royalty fees and copyrights. The most current data available reports that streaming media revenue, “rose from $49 million in 2003 to $237 million in 2005 and projected to surpass $340 million in 2006.” Growth rates for revenue were 163% in 2004, 84% in 2005 and an estimated 45% in 2006 Internet Music Radio 2001 - 2006: The Brands and the Beat Go On AccuStream iMedia Research, May 2006 http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/338211
Another report focuses on the growing shift of local radio broadcasting stations towards the web. After the emergence of many pure-play radio stations in 2004, it became readily apparent that there was few barriers to entry for emerging radio stations based solely online. Borrell Associates Inc. reports, “For as little as $2,000 per year in music licensing and Web hosting fees, anyone can establish an online radio station. No FCC license, no broadcast tower, no expensive tape decks or remote broadcasting trucks.”
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 2
What many of these pure-play competitors are missing are the local ties that personalize broadcasting stations to consumers. Many stations such as Kiss FM have well over 200 different stations, with different channels spanning out nation-wide. The emergence of online streaming into local stations is a relatively new phenomenon brought about by increased technology on the web. Some pure-play competitors are already mimicking this ability, however:
“MSN has taken a square aim at local listener affinities by allowing them to select an MSN radio channel “similar to” the call letters of local radio stations. Local traffic and weather reports – which are remarkably easy to come by – are likely to come next.” 2005 Outlook: Online Radio Advertising Borrell Associates Inc., Dec 2004, Pages: 25 http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?cat_id=0&report_id=301094&q=radio %20advertisement&p=1
Conclusion:
Based from these reports, we conclude that many of the most popular radio stations nation-wide have jumped the transition to online streaming of their content on the web. This, in turn, has led to the creation of websites displaying such content. In the last few years, these websites have sought to become more interactive with their users in order to compete with pure-play competitors who stream music with less advertisement. By providing listeners with local venues information and events, as well as playlists of music and live broadcasts, radio stations have solidified a foothold in the use of the web to attract listeners and gain traffic to their websites.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 3
2. Perform a detailed Porter's Five Forces analysis for your industry. Be sure to discuss entry barriers and switching costs. Power
HIGH
LOW
Buyer Power
Buyer power is high because the decision to listen to the radio station is entirely up to the listener. Most listeners have different tastes in music and so they can choose to listen to different genres. There are often many different stations for each genre.
X
Supplier Power X
Threat of Substitute Products or Services
Threat of New Entrants X
X
DJs of radio stations have a lot of influence on what they choose to play for their station. Depending on whom the radio station purchases the music from, there can be a high or a low variation of supplier power. Radio stations whom are more established and into the mainstream would experience lower supplier power because the industries (often the artists) selling the music would want their music to reach a mass audience. There is a high threat of substitute products due to the emergence of Apple’s iPod and also Pandora. Both don’t have commercials and are more convenient to carry around or listen to. Online-only radio stations have also created a firm foothold amongst consumers as they offer much of the same content without advertisements during play.
X
Rivalry Among Existing Competitors
Justify
Most established radio stations are well known and have developed consumer loyalty amongst their listeners. Small, new stations often struggle to generate a large pool of audience.
Because listeners have different tastes in music, they can afford to choose which radio stations they like to listen to. If a radio station is playing too many commercials or not playing to the listener’s tastes, the chances are high the listener will switch to a different station since there is little cost involved.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 4
3. Description of the competitive environment that is relevant to the use of the Web by the industry. Competitive Force
Customers
Suppliers
… and their Web Usage within the Industry Customers use the web to listen to music playlists and obtain information regarding the radio broadcasting station (events, guest appearances, etc). They also can submit content for contests hosted by the radio station. Suppliers are able to communicate their music to the radio station and use the web as a medium for advertising their products. Also, they could use the web to upload the music to the radio station as a digital copy.
New Entrants
New entrants to the radio station industry utilize the web to improve awareness about their station and advertise events. They also sometimes use the web to link to partnering or ‘sister’ stations that they are affiliated with.
Competitors
Competitors use the web to gain recognition and awareness for their respective stations. This can be done through advertising events, contests, guest appearances, and marketing. Pure-play competitors like online-only radio stations use the web as their sole basis of business.
Substitute Products
Substitute products use the web to sell their products. The radio stations’ largest substitute product is the iPod, which is a pure play business conducted solely online. With the introduction of iTunes, competition has skyrocketed in this category.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 5
4. Using what you have learned about good/bad web design in class and using class notes, please identify: four web sites in your industry that you believe are ‘good’ and four that you consider ‘poorly designed.’ (Each individual researches two companies.) Company Name
106.1 KISS FM
100.1 The Edge
Web Site’s URL
www.1061kissfm.com
www.edge100.com
Site’s Target Audience
Male/female. Approximately ages 16-40 (mainly)
All genders. 18+
Site’s Purpose
Provide information & entertainment through the use of webpages, newsfeeds, and music playlists.
Allows interaction between station and listeners.
Good? (Yes/No)
Yes
No
Navigation – main links centered horizontally at top makes for easy navigation.
Design elements from the lecture notes/lecture that contributed to a Positive/Negative impression - provide at least 3 for each site & explain
Negative Space – used poorly, creates large ‘gaps’ between content.
Boxes/Frames – overdone. Simply put, there’s too many of them. 1 Flash item – provides info in an interactive way; by only having one the site keeps things simple but effective.
Playlist positioning – site follows the clockwise eye-coordination.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 6
Company Name
99.5 The Wolf
96.3 KSCS
www.995thewolf.com
www.kscs.com
Local, younger country music fans.
Local, country music fans.
To promote their radio station and upcoming events.
Site’s Purpose
To promote their radio station and upcoming events while guiding viewers to local Texas way of life.
Good? (Yes/No)
Yes
Web Site’s URL Site’s Target Audience
Design elements from the lecture notes/lecture that contributed to a Positive/Negative impression - provide at least 3 for each site & explain
No
-The Wolf website has a primary toolbar that creates easy nevigation.
-Lots of “white” space.
-Great contrasting colors to make it easy to read.
-Boring colors, dated pictures of celebrities.
-An abundant amount of things to click on and keep you entertained
-Hard to find contact information. Not easy to navigate.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 7
Company Name
WRR
KBEC
Web Site’s URL
www.wrr101.com
http://www.kbec.com/
Site’s Target Audience
Local classical music fans. Mostly middle aged.
Ellis county country fans.
Site’s Purpose
Keep the listeners informed about upcoming events and what they’re playing and when.
Inform the listeners of upcoming events and what they’re playing and when.
Good? (Yes/No)
Yes
No
• •
Design elements from the lecture notes/lecture that contributed to a Positive/Negative impression - provide at least 3 for each site & explain; Attach website screenshots with discussed features highlighted with diigo.com or awesomehighlighter.co m
•
Website loads quickly and efficiently due to organized content. Effectively utilizes an effective color scheme that attracts the readers’ attention and complements the articles and information.
• • •
The website contains valuable information for the listener pertaining to the stations’ content.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 8
Negative space is prevalent throughout the website, detracting from the overall value. Color scheme detracts from content. Website does not have enough pertinent information relating to upcoming events and shows.
Company Name
Los 40 Principales
Wao 97.5 FM
Web Site’s URL
http://los40.com.pa/
http://www.wao975.fm/
Site’s Target Audience
People who want to know about music and events
People who want to know about music and events
Informs and entertains the listener.
Music Radio Station and Music Events
Yes
No
Site’s Purpose Good? (Yes/No)
The website contains no negative space and has nicely positioned content.
The website contains too much negative space and has poorly formatted content.
Some of the links on the site are confused; navigation is poor and creates difficulties for Navigation is neatly handled by utilizing the user in trying to get from page to page. Design elements from tabs at the top of the page to direct users the lecture notes/lecture to various pages of content. that contributed to a There are too many things occurring on the Positive/Negative site’s page to really direct the viewer’s impression attention to any one thing.
- provide at least 3 for each site & explain;
Music plays upon reaching the website; this can be detracting and unwanted by the user. Attach website screenshots with discussed features highlighted with The conglomeration of pictures and text The entire website is done in flash format. diigo.com or creates a nice effect that pleases the eye. awesomehighlighter.com
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 9
5. Industry ‘key competitors’ (Select four of the well designed websites from the previous section and have each individual research their company in more depth. Include your perceptions/opinions in this section.) Competitor’s name and URL of the web site
Kiss FM
The Wolf
WRR
Mix 102.9
How (what features?) are they using on the web?
What are their most effective or unique ways of using the web?
What are their most ineffective ways of using the web?
Kiss FM is using the web to upload information about events (such as contests), guest speakers coming to the show, concerts, contest, etc.
Kiss FM has a separate page dedicated to each individual DJ, and each DJ has their own contests and events going on. This personalizes it for users.
Kiss FM has a scattered layout as you scroll down the page; their main page is too long; sometimes advertisements pop-up.
They have a list of the Dj’s, different concerts, podcast, videos, events, Texas Motor Speedway, Texas Living magazine, community, wolf experts etc.
The homepage gives you access to the most interesting parts of the site.
Contains several links that are random and have nothing to do with the website like for instance they have a link after searching that helps you to get your kids eat healthy.
Contains their playlist, a list of all the DJs, upcoming events, and an email newsletter that listeners can sign up for.
Lacks really anything unique, but possesses the pertinent information readily available.
Doesn’t possess a whole lot of content to keep you on their site for any length of time.
They have different access buttons to see: Events, concerts, up to date information, Mix Music List, Movies and Music Industry news.
They have videos, photos, They have blank spaces information, and advertisements.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 10
6. Industry Key Competitors - Web Site Ratings (scaled 1-10) (Be sure to come up with three more criteria on your own.) Company Name
Websit e Conten t
Ease of Navigatio n
Site Appearanc e
Availabilit y of Playlists
How Current
Efficient Communicatio n
Overall
Kiss FM
9
8
7
10
7
10
8.5
The Wolf
9
8
9
4
9
10
8
WRR
6
8
7
7
9
8
7.5
Mix 102.9
8
9
7
7
7
8
7
Company#1 Kiss FM Rating
Explanation of Rating
Website Content
Kiss FM earned a rating of 9 under website content for their innovation of using the web to communicate different activities. They have a variety of innovative content, including the most thorough playlists, a calendar of events, and unique webpages to each of their DJs.
Ease of Navigation
Kiss FM earned an 8 in the category of ease of navigation through the use of their horizontal link navigation up at the top. They also implemented a flash media player that will link to different articles, and have separated the majority of their home page by various frames pertaining to different sections of content.
Site Appearance
Kiss FM’s weakest feature was site appearance. Simply put, the home page requires too much scrolling than the average user is willing to perform. Some of the content is surrounded by too much negative space inducing us to conclude that much of it could be moved away from the main page and to other sections of the website. The bottom half of the website has the same links as the top.
Availability of Playlists
Kiss FM scored highly on its availability of playlists by positioning them to the right-hand side where they are easily seen by viewers. Clicking on a song opens a new window that contains the music video to the song; loading is fast and effective.
How Current
In the radio broadcast industry, the most successful websites are the ones with the most current up-to-date information. We decided that although Kiss FM’s content is current, their playlists tend to lag behind by about a half month as far as popularity is concerned.
Efficient Communication
Efficient communication is key in the radio industry; how can the station best communicate to its listeners the events going on in the most concise way possible. Kiss FM exemplifies this feature by providing basic facts about community events and outsourcing links to other news sites for more detailed
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 11
information.
Company #2 The Wolf Rating Website Content
The content of the website is phenomenal; the only problem with the website is that it might contain too much information and would get their consumer confused.
Ease of Navigation
The website is really easy to navigate, nothing tricky to figure out. There is a little bit of difficulty in accessing the DJ’s on the primary tool bar.
Site Appearance
The overall appearance of the site is very fresh, interesting and informative. Lots of color, the only thing that the site could improve on is that the color scheme of the background could be taken as boring.
Availability of Playlists
There is a playlist of the last ten songs played on the radio station listed on the homepage. The downfall to the website’s playlist is that access a way to listen to the songs on the list.
How Current
The website contains very current information on artists, upcoming events and the community. The content that is provided on this website is refreshed daily.
Efficient Communication
The website makes it clear how to get from one link to another. The website gives a way to communicate with each of the DJ’s. You are able to understand and find a way to navigate to everything on the site.
Company#1 WRR Rating
Explanation of Rating
Website Content
It has the bare bones information of the company, a playlist, and how to get to the live streaming, but not much other content.
Ease of Navigation
It is pretty easy to navigate, the only issue is that the side bar is changed depending upon what page you’re currently on.
Site Appearance
Everything is blocked off from each other and feels blocky and boring.
Availability of Playlists
Although the initial playlist is easy to get to they have two different playlists, each for different times of the day, so to get the information on what’s playing at
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 12
certain times you have to follow a link to a different site and find the playlist you’re looking for. There are also 3 different links for getting to the live streaming which makes it a little difficult to figure out which one you need to click on. How Current
The information is updated on a daily basis and covers current events in the local area, but not much about any of the new players or conductors.
Efficient Communication
They have the most pertinent information on upcoming events up in the middle of the front page.
Company #4 Mix 102.9 Rating
Explanation of Rating
Website Content
The website contains an opinion box, events, up to date information, Mix Music List, music videos and advertisements. This content is necessary for the radio broadcasting industry.
Ease of Navigation
The website operates via horizontal navigation seen through the tabs on the upper portion of the homepage.
Site Appearance
The website has a good color scheme, and the content is very organized.
Availability of Playlists
The webpage has the Mix music where you can get the Top Music Lists as well as ringtones.
How Current
The amount of current content is fairly good, but the playlists need updating since the summer has almost ended.
Efficient Communication
The webpage is formatted in such a way that the content is communicated decently to the viewer.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 13
7. The industry’s strengths and weaknesses in regard to the effective use of the web?(at least 3 each) Strengths
Weaknesses
1. Radio broadcasting effectively uses the web for online streaming to live stations, thus increasing the availability to its listeners. 2. Radio stations use the web efficiently in communicating information about daily content on the station and upcoming events in the local area. 3. Radio stations use the web as a medium for listeners to submit content or ideas to the station, thus making it more interactive and personal to the listener. 4. Many radio station websites have games and activities on the web that provide entertainment for their users.
1. Unlike some of its competitors, radio stations can’t provide a permanent source of continuous music on the web. 2. Some of the radio stations attract a specific audience with the type of music they play; this creates a lack of uniformity in the radio broadcasting online segment of the music industry and can detract from the industry’s strength overall. 3. Much of the news posted on radio stations’ websites is not professional-grade and is found lacking on real-world events beyond the local environment. 4. Because most radio stations are sponsored (public broadcasting doesn’t cost the listener anything) they are required to include advertisements between songs.
8. Proposed website enhancements for the industry(at least 3 each): i. What type of information would you recommend they add to their websites? -
Many radio stations feature the top 10 music artists for their respective genres but fail to give the listener more than just their name. Because of the use of technology in having a website, many stations could link to these artists’ fan sites for the dedicated fan.
-
Some radio stations’ websites have so much content about past or daily shows that some users would like to revisit something they heard or saw earlier in the week. A website enhancement that would address this issue would be the introduction of a search bar to sift through the mass amount of content kept on these stations’ websites.
-
Diversified media content would help increase traffic and keep the listener entertained seeing as most radio stations’ websites don’t have an introductory video explaining the site or relating to some of the daily content on the station.
ii.
What modifications would you recommend to their web design?
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 14
-
Repetition of links taking the user to the same locations can be avoided by having a primary navigation toolbar. This would also help save space and decrease scroll time for the homepage.
-
Touching off that, links to multiple pages with smaller amounts of content is always preferable to one page that has all of the content on there. Scrolling for more than five to ten seconds down a page is not recommendable when you can improve navigation to take users to new pages.
-
Advertisements should be kept to the sides of the page and not embedded in the main content of the website.
9. Name of the company that you propose to create and its geographic location: Our team would like to create a Radio Broadcasting company titled ‘Fdub 99.9’, located in Fort Worth, Texas. 10. Detailed description of the proposed new business, including mission/goals, services and products it will offer, size, etc. Fdub 99.9 Fdub 99.9 is a radio broadcasting company located in Fort Worth, Texas playing the most popular and recent songs available from current artists. Our mission is to entertain our listeners with the top hits from most genres of music by giving them what they want while also informing them of local events. Fdub 99.9 is a unique station in that we offer: o
Unlike Fort Worth’s largest radio stations, our music will feature the top songs from emerging and current artists from most genres including: Rock, Pop, R&B, Alternative, Hip-Hop, Rap, and Country.
o Current and real time information about local events and contests in the DFW metroplex pertaining to the station and the music industry in general. o A steady source of playlists available for our listeners to sample music from emerging artists or entertain themselves with popular songs from current ones. Fdub 99.9 would not be a successful enterprise if it was not continuously contributing to the music business industry. In this respect, some current goals of Fdub 99.9 include but are not limited to: o Encouraging the development of musical talent by promoting new and emerging artists in the DFW metroplex. INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 15
o Championing the utilization of music as a source of entertainment in the average family household. o Offering internships and job positions to the community within the radio broadcasting sector of the music business industry. Like most public broadcasting stations our product is the music we air, and in doing so sponsorship and advertisements will be a must in order to create a steady stream of revenue for the business. Because we are a new company, our best assets are our flexibility and adaptability. Adapting rapidly to the demands of our listeners is a must, and so the size of this company need not be managed by more than twenty individuals. The positions available within this company would range from experienced DJs in ‘sync’ with local tastes to the technical standpoint of analysts and web masters who adapt content to popular demand.
11. Determine which of Porter's Three Generic Strategies you will use as you build your company for the 21st century. Explain your answer. 99.9 Fdub will implicate the differentiation strategic and in doing so will create a one of a kind music listening experience. Our purpose is to give air time to the biggest hits in every genre to ensure that everyone will enjoy something about our radio station. Giving music listeners a huge variety of music to listen too will broaden their horizons on what genres of music they would prefer. A lot of music enthusiasts only like a type of music, Fdub’s listeners would explore their music taste buds by experiencing all the top hits of each genre.
12. Discuss the many eBusiness strategies that your company could use to increase revenue and decrease cost. A. Company web site’s target audience – who will use the website (internally and externally), for what purpose and where are they located geographically? Our website will target an audience of all races and genders between the ages of 16-40 in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex for the purpose of supplying them with the most popular music and information about local news. B. Company’s website purpose: Our website will serve as a medium to communicate information about events, daily content, guest speakers, and featured artists coming to the area. C. Company’s primary usage of the web a. Is the primary use going to be informational or transactional or both? Justify.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 16
The primary use of the web will be informational. The radio broadcasting industry uses the web as an additional means of communicating to its listener’s information about its respective radio stations. Because listening to public radio is free of charge, there are no transactions occurring on many radio stations’ websites.
b. What pages will be found on the website? Please list major sections of the site. Home Page / Index
Music Playlists
About Us
Blogs about new artists
Contact The Site
Events
DJs on Station Music Videos
c.
Is the website primarily for B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to consumer) or both? Justify. The website will serve as both B2B and B2C. Its primary function is obviously B2C seeing as it serves to communicate to the audience news about events and concerts coming through the DFW metroplex. However, by doing so, it also demonstrates to aspiring artists and record labels its popularity amongst its consumers (listeners) and thus creates value in the advertising of new artists and music.
D. How can an eBusiness strategy help your company attract customers and increase sales? Our eBusiness strategy would attract customers and increase sales by giving our listeners a variety of information and interaction that they could associate with our site. A well established website makes a company/organization seem very sophisticated and professional. Our website’s professionalism would enhance the listeners’ experience and make them want to join our website’s community. Fdub would allow our listeners to feel a part of the radio station and identify with the music we play. This would in turn attract advertisers once they realize the amount of traffic our site draws. Increased advertising on our site means increased sales.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 17
E. How could eBusiness strategy help customer service? Developing an eBusiness strategy will assist our customer service by letting our listeners submit requests through emails and polls. We could receive feedback on the songs that our listeners want to hear by developing polls, quizzes and surveys to better serve our listeners. F. How could you use an eBusiness strategy to partner with suppliers? eBusiness strategies would allow us to contact and communicate with record label companies to streamline the process of brokering deals in order to obtain royalties and rights to play their music. G.
How could a portal help your employees? A portal would be very useful to our employees. They would be able to email one another, utilize searches for information, and also get in touch with our listeners so that we can better serve them better.
H. How could a kiosk help your business? Kiosks set with our website as the home page are a cheap, easy, and effective tool for promoting local awareness about the radio station and encouraging involvement on behalf of the listeners. A kiosk in a popular location (such as a shopping center) or set up at concerts would attract individuals looking to get online. By having a kiosk set to our website’s homepage, individuals can explore the content and gather knowledge about Fdub 99.9 and the type of music we broadcast. I. What types of metrics would you want to track on your eBusiness Web site? Be sure to justify your answers. Utilizing cookies would be helpful for our business because it would allow us to analyze how often listeners visit the site and their patterns of activity on the site. Areas that don’t generate as
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 18
much cookies compared to others can be focused upon and improved. Click stream Data Metrics would allow us to further analyze the patterns of activity listeners produce while visiting sites, specifically the time they spend on the site, the number of page views, and the dates and times of visits. This can further be reinforced by analyzing data from Visit and Hit Metrics.
INSC 20263 -- Project Proposal – Page 19
