CRS: Opening Ceremony Features Awards, Keynote

"As everybody knows here, the country music fan base is created by radio. The careers of artists, songwriters, the success of concerts and albums are all dependent on radio broadcasters."

According to Country Aircheck, that was Nashville Mayor Karl Dean at CRS 2014 Opening Ceremonies Wednesday morning.

The event also featured the "Star Spangled Banner" by Brett Eldredge, recognition of CRS Rusty Walker Scholarship winners Alana Lynn (KAWO/Boise), Katelyn Maida (KKBQ/Houston) and Nate Chester (KWRK/Lupton, AZ) and this year's CRS Artist Humanitarian Of The Year, Carrie Underwood. "I really hope you guys feel just as much ownership of this as I do, and are as proud of it as I am ... together we do amazing things," she said.

Gavin McGarry

Keynote speaker Gavin McGarry took the stage with "11 Reasons Social Media Could Save The Radio Business."

McGarry discussed the importance of social platforms and knowing how to use them.

"It should be used as a second microphone," he said, encouraging stations to make social media a priority with all levels of staff, especially air talent.

Here are McGarry's 11 reasons social media could save radio:

11. It’s free
10. The networking effect – a sharing economy, with Facebook as a younger person’s Internet.          
  9. Woman rule the world: 85% of brand purchases are made by females.
  8. Your audience is already on it. Facebook usage dwarfs every other social media choice.
  7. Build local global communities. One billion people speak English.
  6. Social is local on mobile: think SO (Social); LO (Local); MO (Mobile)
  5. It brings passion back to radio. Air talent sees instant results when they can accumulate thousands of             likes on a post within minutes.
  4. Radio is a trusted legacy brand.
  3. Keeps your brand top of mind.
  2. Free data. Facebook pages provide audience insights, allows likes to build organically. “Care about               engagement, not Facebook fans”.
  1. Facebook can sell radio. He demonstrated how to target advertiser needs on a local basis using                     Facebook user data.

The entire presentation can be downloaded here.