By: Eric Reamer Issue: Innovation, Growth, Job Creation Section: Making airWaves
When Angel Tuccy and I were first approached in 2009 by executives of AM 560 KLZ in Denver, the possibility of their grassroots radio “revolution” gaining momentum found a crack in the soil of the business community, and a seed was planted. Up until that time, the Experience Pros Radio Show had been a once-a-week, one-hour internet radio show with an average listenership of 200 people per week. The opportunity to bring their unique message to tens of thousands of listeners inspired them to think big, and take the leap of faith that brought their show to the Colorado airwaves for 30 minutes every weekday for the first 15 months, and is now live for two hours (10:00 a.m. – noon MST) Monday through Friday. The whole point of our radio show is to feature the very best in business from the customer's point of view. By giving the listeners a voice that trumps paid endorsements and advertisements, we open the door to a more genuine collaboration between business owners and their customers.
This is why Tuccy and I call the show a “revolution.” And, it appears to be taking root, as more and more business owners are finding a common source of connection with each other, their customers and their communities. The Experience Pros' use of current technology, including web 2.0, social media, and terrestrial radio, has provided a much broader opportunity for the audience to participate in the conversations being presented. Listeners may call-in, e-mail, tweet, text or write their comments and questions on the Experience Pros' Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/ExperiencePros). And because the show is live, we respond in real-time to the stream of incoming commentary.
Partnering With ICOSA
In March 2011, the message of ICOSA hit the airwaves as the Connect + Collaborate with ICOSA show joined the Experience Pros Radio Show. "We are very pleased with our partnership with Experience Pros", says ICOSA founder and publisher, Gayle Dendinger. "They have provided us with a vehicle for our message that we did not have previously and provided a solution that we didn't need to recreate."
Connect + Collaborate with ICOSA started as a once-a-week segment of the Experience Pros Radio Show, airing Thursdays from 11:20 a.m. to noon (MST). Hosted by ICOSA's editor, Jan Mazotti, the show's guests have included six-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee and award-winning filmmaker, Dawn Engle as well as the Executive Director of the World Trade Center Denver, Karen Gerwitz.
“We are thrilled to report the huge impact and positive feedback that we are receiving from our listeners,” says Tuccy. “ICOSA brings a fabulous lineup of guests and truly fresh information to our programming that our listeners are raving about!” And the show's ratings, already strong in a competitive business talk market, support the value that ICOSA brings to the table. There is a demonstrative spike in listenership that has grown every Thursday since the addition of the program. The news that people were indeed listening and responding to the content prompted discussions about expanding ICOSA's footprint within the Experience Pros Radio Show. “We are very happy to announce that beginning the first week of July 2011, Connect + Collaborate with ICOSA will expand to a daily presence, airing from 11:20 - noon (MST) Monday through Friday,” says Mazotti.
We couldn't be more pleased with our growing relationship with ICOSA. Here is a company (ICOSA) that doesn't just talk about collaboration — it actually lives it in every aspect of its corporate and community-minded culture. ICOSA’s vision and objectives are a perfect complement to our own, and what we have created is a perfect example of a business connection that offers a result that is greater than the sum of the individual parts.
The show's listeners are the ultimate beneficiaries of this partnership, and the readers of ICOSA are invited and encouraged to tune in to experience it for themselves. Residents of Colorado and the five-state region reached by KLZ may tune in at 11:20 AM (MST) on AM 560 on the radio dial. The show is also streamed live on www.icosamag.com or www.560TheSource.com. Archives are available on iTunes or www.ExperiencePros.com.