Broadcasters are in desperate search of innovations that position them as influencers in the digital world, not victims. If tapped, these can open up new revenue streams and grow top-line business. BIA/Kelsey’s Neal Polachek attended a session at the 2010 NAB Radio Show where three such broadcasters presented non-audio-based digital projects that are stimulating new audiences, partnerships and dollars.

1 – MyLocal.net

The Concept: MyLocal.net grew out of the community Web portal mymotherlode.com, a subsidiary of Clarke Broadcasting, which operates a three-station cluster in Sonora, California. Since 2001, mymotherlode.com (a reference to the surrounding gold country) has grown into the most frequently trafficked online information source in the area. The site is flush with local, regional and national content as well as richer multimedia. And it’s available and consumable across social networks and mobile platforms. MyLocal.net is Clarke’s template for “productizing” the concept as a white label for other broadcasters to implement.

The Business Model: Mymotherlode proudly touts itself as a profitable “stand-alone” media outlet. The site features all the expected commerce features: classifieds, real estate listings, local display and deals with group buying providers such as LivingSocial.

Jason Banks, the founder of the platform, said that MyLocal.net frames its proposition to interested broadcasters as a full-service provider, from the content-management system to ad trafficking to SEO. They are left to produce content and sell local ads. MyLocal is also creating a larger ad network spanning its network of portals that local sites and participate in.

The Takeaways: It’s not a new concept, as there are scores of companies (DataSphere, Matchbin) with white-label offerings for media. However, in a different twist, MyLocal is founded by broadcasters (not technology companies) … for broadcasters. While the technology curve can be steep, MyLocal plays to its intrinsic strengths with focuses on content generation and delivery. The sites are basic templates that partners “skin” with their brand, according to the demographic and psychographic profiles of their audience.

As for negative connotations associated with the Web 1.0 term “portal,” hub would be a more apt term. MyLocal pulls from wide-ranging content sources and can be an effective cross-promotional tool that points to a broadcaster’s more more traditional franchises.

2 – The Shopping Show

The Concept: Roger Utnehmer, CEO of Nicolet Broadcasting, which operates a fleet of stations in Wisconsin, presented his company’s twist on a radio auction that gives his sales team new ways “in the door” with local clients. Essentially, Nicolet buys goods from local merchants using radio advertising time as currency, then resells the product through The Shopping Show — its online marketplace.

The Business Model: As simple as it sounds. Nicolet uses radio inventory as barter to scoop up in-demand items, then marks them up and repackages them for resale through its marketplace.

The Takeaways: It sounds elementary, and it is. Utnehmer didn’t offer specifics on any profits that the Shopping Store is generating, but the greater value likely does not lie in direct revenues, but through new entry points to cultivate clients. Barter gives merchants a conduit through the station to put product directly in consumers’ hands. Spot exchange makes the proposition low-risk while allowing these businesses to sample radio’s effectiveness. Additionally, the station touches consumers, many of them presumably new, through a direct and unique channel.

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