Innovative & Untapped Uses for Your Radio Station Website

When you have a robust radio station website, you may not realize it can be used for much more than informing and entertaining your listening audience. Adding additional functionality can transform your website into a powerful tool for streamlining operations, enhancing communication, and boosting efficiency across all departments.

Some of these options require a simple form to pull off.  Some might require custom plugins.  And some might require custom coding from a professional developer.  So, they could go from cheap to expensive.  Some of these may be impossible, depending on your hosting plan or website partner.  We’re not advocating that you do all or any of these.  We only want to let you know of the available possibilities.  Let’s go through each department and give three examples.

Use Cases by Department

Sales

1. Sales Order Forms: Create internal forms for salespeople to enter sales orders, track leads, and manage client information.
2. Client Portals: Develop secure client portals where advertisers can access contracts, invoices, and campaign performance reports.
3. CRM Integration: Integrate with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to track sales activities and client interactions and to book appointments.

Business/Administration

1. Document Management: Implement a document management system for storing and sharing internal documents, contracts, and policies.
2. Expense Reporting: Use forms for staff to submit expense reports, which management can track and approve.
3. HR Portal: Create an HR portal for managing employee records, training videos, benefits information, and internal job postings.

Production

1. Production Requests: Use online forms to submit and track production orders, ensuring all necessary information is captured and accessible.
2. Asset Library: Develop a digital asset library for storing and managing audio files, jingles, and other production resources.
3. Scheduling Tools: Implement tools for scheduling studio time, recording sessions, and tracking production deadlines.

Programming

1. Content Management: Use a CMS to manage show schedules, program logs, and content archives.
2. Internal Communication: Set up forums or chat systems for internal communication between show talent, producers, and support staff.
3. Listener Feedback: Create internal tools to gather and analyze listener feedback.

News

1. Newsroom Management: Develop a system for tracking story assignments, deadlines, and editorial calendars.
2. Press Release Submission: Use forms for staff and listeners to submit press releases and news tips for editorial review.
3. Content Archiving: Implement a searchable archive for images, past news stories, interviews, and reports.

Engineering

1. Maintenance Logs: Use digital forms to log equipment maintenance, repairs, and technical issues.
2. Inventory Management: Develop an inventory management system for tracking technical equipment and supplies.
3. Trouble Ticket System: Implement a trouble ticket system for staff to report technical issues and track their resolution.

Marketing/Promotions

1. Campaign Tracking: Use internal tools to plan, execute, and track marketing campaigns, including social media and on-air promotions.
2. Event Management: Develop a system for managing station events, remote broadcasts, and public appearances.
3. Analytics Dashboards: Create dashboards to monitor website traffic, social media engagement, and other key performance indicators.

General Station Use

1. Intranet: Build an intranet for company-wide announcements, policy updates, and internal communications.
2. Training Resources: Develop an online training portal with resources, tutorials, and courses for staff development.
3. Polls and Surveys: Use internal polls and surveys to gather employee feedback and suggestions for station improvements.

Potential Downsides

I can’t mention these additional exciting uses for your station website without giving some downsides to consider.

• Improper hosting can lead to unexpected downtime, disrupting your operations and affecting productivity.
• Security: Sensitive information could be at risk without proper measures.
• Relying too heavily on a single system could impact multiple aspects of your station’s operations if it fails.

It is essential to choose reliable hosting, implement robust security protocols, and have a solid backup plan to mitigate these risks. When you have all these in place, your regular website can acquire superpowers to enhance your radio station’s internal operations, making processes more efficient and ensuring better communication and coordination across all departments.