Google Strikes Out With Radio…

Tuesday, May, 12, 2009 by Mel Phillips.

Google’s grand plan, which dates back to 2006, to dominate the radio ad business, has failed.  The company which bags 97% of its revenue from online ads, will pull the plug on radio May 31.  According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Google which sells about one-third of all online ads in the U.S. by dollar amount, has struck out with radio.  A Google spokeswoman said it had “devoted substantial resources” into developing radio and print ads but the resulting products “didn’t have the impact we had hoped for.”  Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said the radio effort failed because Google never came up with a good way to measure listener response.  Schmidt explained that on the Web, Google can charge advertisers based on ad clicks.  “With an enormous data corpus, our computers can do the math really well but in the audio case, there wasn’t a good signal back to us about which ads performed.”…

So Google’s plan which was supposed to show how its online-advertising brainpower could revolutionize an old-fashioned people business like radio, has failed.  Google now joins radio in not figuring out how to be successful in its own industry.  Google at least tried to be successful in radio, something that the current radio industry hasn’t been accused of doing for several years now…

After pitching Clear Channel for about a year, Google finally did work out a deal.  Google agreed to pay Clear Channel a minimum amount for a certain number of spots each quarter, whether or not Google sold the ads, according to people knowledgeable of the deal.  Clear Channel wouldn’t comment.  Greater Media “put their oar in the water” according to Tom Bender, then general manager of the Braintree (MA) based group and Emmis Radio would become one of Google’s biggest partners. Most of the other radio groups passed.  The Google gamble with radio will be buried for good on May 31…   

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1926] The 400 Club: Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators joins Cy Young as the only 400-game winners in baseball history with a win over the St. Louis Browns. No pitcher has even come close to that number since and never will. Last year Greg Maddux became the 9th pitcher to win 350 games but he retired after the season. Randy Johnson is about to win his 300th but is likely to retire after this season…
2. 1932] Lindbergh baby found: The body of the kidnapped son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh is found in a wooded area near Hopewell (NJ)…
3. 1956] No-no, not again: The Dodgers’ Carl Erskine pitches a no-hitter against the cross-town rival Giants. The 2-0 shutout is Erskine’s second no-no…
4. 1959] Victim #4: Liz Taylor takes husband number four, Eddie Fisher. The two will remain married until March, 1964…1971] Wedding Bells ring out for Mick Jagger and Bianca Perez-Mora as the couple rock down the aisle in St. Tropez. The marriage lasts until 1979…
5. 1960] The Odd Couple: Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley team up on a TV special and swap hits…
6. 1970] Let’s Play Two: Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks becomes the 9th player to hit 500 or more home runs. In April, 2009, Gary Sheffield hit his 500th, as a member of the Mets…
7. 1985] Knicks win the lottery: The New York Knicks win the rights to Patrick Ewing in a special drawing, begging the question, was this tainted love for the New York franchise???
8. 1991] Teddy tribute: With Ted Williams in attendance, Lansdowne Street (outside Fenway Park) is renamed “Ted Williams Way” on the 50th anniversary of his great 1941 season when he became the last .400 hitter in baseball history.  In 1995, Ted had a tunnel named in his honor…
9. 2001] ‘Happy Trails’: Perry Como passes away in his sleep at his home in Florida after a lengthy bout with Alzheimer’s disease. Perry, one of the nicest people I ever met, was 87…
10. 2002] Busted: Dionne Warwick is arrested at Miami International Airport when baggage screeners find 11 marijuana joints inside her lipstick container. She’s charged with possession of less than 5 grams of the stuff and signs an affidavit promising to appear in court…

Music Memories:

• 1965] Recorded on this date: “Satisfaction“ - Rolling Stones…
• 1972] Released on this date: “Exile On Main Street” (LP) - Rolling Stones…
• 1977] Gold Standard: “Hotel California” - Eagles…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday”: Emilio Estevez (47), Ving Rhames (50), Billy Squier (59), Steve Winwood (61), Billy Swan (67),Burt Bacharach (81) and Yogi Berra (84)…

Timeline Countdown: 13 days until Memorial Day, 40 days until Father’s Day and 53 days until July 4th…

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