Background
For this week’s egtabite, we are taking a look at radio projects designed for little listeners, the kids who will grow up to be radio’s audience of the future. With advertising and other commercial activities around children’s audiovisual content being a very sensitive issue, those that want to deliver financially sustainable radio or audio services to this group have to be particularly innovative in the ways they generate revenues.
The following projects go beyond just attracting new listeners to radio; they are effective ways to strengthen loyalty to the radio broadcaster’s umbrella brand and develop a richer advertising portfolio and marketing proposition.
Kidz-dj Radio (the Netherlands)
 Kidz-dj is a project developed by Rattle Records, which is a cross-media music publishing house established in 2005. Rattle Records produces classic pop hits with a twist; the lyrics are re-worked into Dutch language songs for young kids. Rattle Records delivers live events, including in partnership with the bank Rabobank, DJ workshops for kids aged 10-12 and the company also produces a range of CDs.
Rattle Records teamed up with Sky Radio Group’s MyRadio in October 2014 to launch Kidz-dj Radio, an online radio station for children and their parents.
Kidz-dj Radio is just one of some 50 stations on MyRadio, which is available online in the Netherlands via browsers and mobile apps. For Sky Radio Group, this project serves as a great marketing tool to widen the fan base of MyRadio, and whilst this is in the early stages, there are potential revenue streams to be explored. Kidz-dj Radio is a great example of the flexibility of the online audio space, which allows broadcasters to reach highly-defined target groups with relevant content and commercial communication.
Kiki van Leeuwen Boomkamp, Product Manager MyRadio, explained to egta, “We continue to expand the MyRadio platform with radio stations in all kinds of flavours. There were quite a lot of requests for a special radio station for younger children. When Kidz-dj approached us for a cooperation, we were enthusiastic right away! Hopefully more niche stations will follow soon. It’s important that everybody can find their favourite music on our platform.”
BabyJoy (Turkey)
Turkey’s leading radio broadcaster Karnaval.com recently launched the online station BabyJoy, designed for children aged 0-2 years old and their parents. There is no advertising on the station, which features music such as lullaby versions of AC/DC hits and informational programming on issues around bringing up small children. However, there has been great interest from major advertisers, as niche audiences such as the parents of young children are rarely served in a targeted way by traditional radio offers.
Fun Kids Radio (UK)
Fun Kids, owned and operated by Folder Media, has been around for a few years, and it is another great example of tailoring a station and commercial offer around the young listener. Targeted mainly at 7-12 year olds, the station is available on DAB digital radio in London and online throughout the UK, and it reaches over 266,000 kids and 71,000 adults each week (source: Fun Kids Live). The station sits at the heart of a multi-platform brand, which also includes a website with plenty of interactive elements, podcasts, mobile apps and videos, which generate over 25,000 YouTube views each month.
 Fun Kids offers a very limited inventory of spot advertising, allowing brands to speak to the station’s listeners in an uncluttered environment. The broadcaster has run spot campaigns for companies including British Gas, Doctor Who Magazine and the Royal Horticultural Society. Fun Kids also offers Enhanced Advertising solutions, which allow brands to really engage with children and their parents. By combining the advertiser’s commercial messages with interesting audiovisual and interactive content, these Enhanced Advertising cases have proven effective at driving awareness and activation for clients. These have included Disney, Universal and the airport operator BAA Heathrow.
Other advertising opportunities around Fun Kids include feature and show sponsorship, events, integrated web content, mobile apps, competitions and video campaigns. The broadcaster has a dedicated website for commercial opportunities, including stats, news, details of the advertising products on offer and a great collection of interesting case studies.
Why this matters for egta members
We have highlighted Kidz-dj Radio, Baby Joy and Fun Kids Radio as great projects that combine all the strengths of traditional radio broadcasters, develop innovative programming and commercial products and make the most of the opportunities of the online space.
Online audio, as a complement to terrestrial radio, offers broadcasters a chance to develop niche content and reach scalable audiences and otherwise neglected target groups, and the costs for doing so are favourable compared to traditional FM radio. As well as engaging the future listeners of radio, they present new revenue streams for broadcasters that are open to building creative solutions for their clients. |
