In the three months or so since we changed the radioinfo site from totally free to part paid, many people have asked us whether it has worked. Well, the changes have certainly generated much discussion, which in turn has generated much publicity. And that’s certainly helped maintain traffic.

Predictions about how the changes might affect us and our user base tended to run to both extremes. Some thought (even hoped) that we’d lose our readers overnight, while others seemed extremely worried that all 10,000 of our registered users would become paid subscribers, making us very wealthy very quickly.

Of course, neither extreme happened. I guess we’re grateful for the former and philosophical about the latter. It’s what we expected.

Here are some facts about what has happened.

Registered Users up by 2,500

The number of registered users, (i.e. everyone who provides their details to access the site whether they become paid subscribers or not) now stands at over 12,500 – 2,500 more than we had three months ago. Which basically means that new people keep discovering us all the time.

Before anybody gets too excited, we should point out that some of the 12,500 user base represents people who for various reasons signed up more than once (in one case more than six times!) Others are one time lookers who have never used the site since. And so on.

Although it’s difficult to determine exactly who is and isn’t a true active user, our best estimate is that about 6,000 to 7,000 are regulars. Nonetheless, “registered users” (as distinct from “paid subscribers”) continue to rise at much the same rate as prior to the change.

Paid Subscribers – over 1,000 and Climbing

So far, we have received just over 1,000 unduplicated paid subscriptions – which is way ahead of our expectations. We expected that it would take a year to reach that number. Our research showed that many of our registered users weren’t really interested in news so much as jobs – which remain free – and were therefore quite happy not to pay but to continue to enjoy the free bits.

Who Has Paid?

As we had hoped, most stations in the major networks were happy to become subscribers as have lots of independent and community stations. As a result, many of their staff have been able to sign up at the Robin Hood Rate of just $20 per year. A number of other organisations have also become “corporate” subscribers – see list below.

It’s fair to say that every CEO, Network PD, PD, MD and a significant number of on-air and senior staff from virtually all the major networks are now paid subscribers which reflects radioinfo’s new positioning statement; “A Site For Broadcast Professionals”. On top of these are individuals ranging from people in the industry to students and those that service the industry. There are also people from overseas, including many ex-pats in far flung places like the UK, Hong Kong and South Africa. Although we can’t name them all due to our privacy policy, a check of our Faces For Radio page (which only shows paid subscribers) will provide a pretty good indication of the diversity of individuals who see radioinfo as a good investment in their career or business.

Also, you can read subscriber comments by clicking the box called “What Our Subscribers Say” in the right hand margin of the home page.

Overall Traffic Has Increased

Naturally, the traffic to pages that can now only be accessed by paid subscribers has decreased. Yet overall traffic has increased markedly. Impressions on our home page reached a record high at the end of September and is maintaining momentum in October.

Why is this so? Firstly, our tracking shows that paid subscribers have become heavier users, logging on several times a week. Many have installed radioinfo as their home page on their browser and are on every day. Also, many people are accessing the site through a computer that is available to several people in a radio station or office, which increases activity and translates into impacts. Which suggests that in the same way as print, our on-line readership is much higher than actual circulation.

Another big reason for the overall increase is due largely to our new pages such as Paper Clips, Sales Doctor and, in particular, Faces for Radio which has almost instantly become our fourth most popular feature after jobs and news.

Our new competitions have also proved popular. In particular, our inaugural “Predict the Survey Result” competition drew a flood of entries in just a few days. We should have the new one open for survey seven later this week.

Free Audio has been another big drawcard for those who have programs to fill. With the help of ScreenSound Australia we’ve been able to provide stations with unique downloads – Free of Charge – that have been broadcast by everyone from Geoff Brown’s community station, Bay FM at Nelson Bay to John Laws on 2UE and his network of 63 commercial stations.

All these new, exciting and mostly free elements have helped to increase traffic to the site.

The Forum

Some people have commented that there are now less contributions to the Forum than was the case prior to the change. True. And that certainly is partly due to the fact that only paid subscribers can contribute directly to it, even though non-subscribers can still contribute, but not as easily.

We’ve also made it more difficult to post anonymously because we received a number of complaints about the frivolous and unprofessional nature of some of the posts from a relatively small but active group of regular respondents. Even anonymous posts now must supply their real name and details to us before we publish. When you have to put your name to something, you quickly become a lot more careful about what you say.

Coincidently, most of that particular group have not been as keen as others to take out paid subscriptions to date, which in turn makes it harder for them to participate in the Forum.

On balance, we’re happy to have sacrificed some quantity for quality.

Subscription Fees

No issue has caused more debate than subscription fees.

Almost from the start, we developed a philosophy to charge stations and businesses a reasonable fee for our service in order to subsidise their staff who could then pay our Robin Hood Rate of just $20 a year or 40 cents per week.

While most people who work at subscriber stations are prepared to pay $20, those who work at stations where, traditionally, budgets are tight, feel penalised because their stations refuse to pay the usual $156 for a subscription (or $99 in the case of a community station). For others it’s simply irrelevant because they don’t happen to work at a radio station or qualifying corporate entity.

We can certainly empathise with these groups of people which is why we are trying all sorts of ways to allow them to subscribe relatively cheaply while maintaining rate integrity with our full rate subscribers.

So,this week we introduce our “Five In” Group Rate of just $45 for individuals. This means any group of five people (not stations or businesses) can chip in $45 each to pay for one full subscription and four subs. And we’ll get the group together for you. All you have to do is email us at [email protected] to let us know you want to join a group. And as soon as we get four more emails from others like you, we’ll let you know, turn you on and bill you. With the way subscriptions have been going, it shouldn’t take long.

If even $45 is too steep, you can always enter one or more of our regular competitions and win a freebie as several people have done already.

Finally, we welcome your suggestions on how we can make the fee structure fairer as well as any other ideas you may have about any aspect of radioinfo.

Thank You

From all of us who work on radioinfo, we thank all our readers, whether paid subscribers or not, for coming back time and time again to visit our site. We’re glad we are of service to you. To our paid subscribers, a sincere thank you for demonstrating in a tangible way that you value our work. Not only has it helped to assure the long term future of the website, but it means a lot to us as personally.

Here’s a list of stations and other organisations who have signed up as “corporate subscribers” which means that if you’re employed by any of these you qualify for our Robin Hood Rate entitling you to a full year’s radioinfo subscription for just $20 – less than 40 cents per week.

Commercial & ABC Stations

• ABC – Sydney / Tasmania / Gippsland
• ARN – Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney
• AUSTEREO – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane Adelaide, Perth, Newcatle.
• Commercial Broadcasters – HO FM and Mix 101.7 Hobart
• dmg – Adelaide / Market Research Adelaide / Albany (Western Hub/ Albury / Cairns /Coffs Harbour / Nova 937 Perth / Nova 969 Sydney /Townsville / Nova 100 Melbourne /Port Macquarie
• Macquarie Network – Sydney
• 2BS & B Rock – Bathurst
• 4BU & Hitz FM- Bundaberg
• Grant Broadcasting – Darwin, Hunter, Nowra
• Hot Tomato – Gold Coast
• HOFM & Mix 101.7 – Hobart
• Rural Press – 4KZ & Kool FM Innisfail / River 94.9 Raymonds Hill / 5CS Port Pirie
• R G Capital – Gold Coast / Central Coast / Hobart / Townsville
• 2RE & Max FM – Taree
• C91.3 Campbelltown
• i98 Wollongong
• 6MM Coast FM – Mandurah W.A.
• Southern Cross Media Sales
• Canberra FM Mix 106.3 / FM 104.7

Community Stations

• The Academy of Radio – Leederville W.A.
• Community Broadcasting Foundation – Victoria
• 2WKT FM 107.1
• Radio Bay FM Nelson Bay
• Life FM – Gippsland
• Logan City Community Radio 101fm – QLD
• Great Lakes FM – Tuncurry
• Hawkesbury Radio 89.9 FM – Windsor NSW
• i1197am – Fortitude Valley QLD
• Radio 101fm – Logan City Community
• Radio Adelaide
• 3mfm – South Gippsland Radio
• Sonshine FM – W.A.
• Vision FM – Springwood
• Western Visitor Radio
• Western Sports Media Inc
• Fbi Radio

Businesses

• Australian Broadcasting Authority – Sydney
• Air Media – Melbourne
• The Basement – Sydney
• Carnegie, Wylie & Company Sydney
• DART Audio Sydney
• DCITA Canberra
• ESP Media – QLD
• The InfoRadio Network Canberra
• Innes Corporation Pty Ltd – Hornsby
• mcm Entertainment – Melbourne
• Media Direct Specialists – Balgowlah NSW
• NZ Radio Training School – Wellington NZ

Aussies overseas
If you’re an Aussie currently working in the UK you can get your yearly sub for $20. Contact Mark Beever.

Also there are one or more people signed up from the following stations and organisations.