Redband Broadcasting
343 Sansome St., Suite 505
San Francisco, CA 94104
415/277-6640
http://www.redband.com
Inc.com laid off 37 of its 53 staffers last week, abandoning hopes of going public and making money on a grand portal featuring all things small business-related. But the site
will remain active as a teaser platform for its steadfast sister Inc. magazine (which was bought last June by Gruner & Jahr). And so far, all indications are that the
Inc. brand will maintain its content partnership with aggregator Redband Broadcasting, which produces and distributes Inc.-flavored radio content for both online and terrestrial
audiences. One factor that's most likely keeping this partnership in good standing: online radio listening rose 40% in 2000 (per Arbitron) and continues to grow. As of last July
more than 45 million Americans were listening to tunes and news on the Internet.
Content
To date, Redband.com has offered a virtual smorgasbord of streaming audio news programs on its own site, covering on a broad array of topics - from music to books to travel to
personal finance to technology. Now the company is shifting its focus toward packaging online radio content for major media partners such as Publishers Weekly, Forbes,
Slate and WashingtonPost.com.
As for its ongoing Inc.com connection, Redband's co-branded weekly radio program for the small business crowd consists largely of Q&A interviews with start-up gurus and
savvy entrepreneurs, plus first-person advice from Inc. editors and contributors (deemed "mentors"). Recent shows have featured George Kurtz, CEO of Foundstone, a start-up
specializing in computer network security, and Amilya Antonetti, whose company, Soap Works, offers a line of nontoxic household cleansers. Also in the mix of late: tips on annual
planning, courtesy of Inc. contributor and USAToday.com columnist Rhonda Abrams.
Keep in mind, making waves with Redband.com may mean gravy in the offline world. The company recently forged a partnership with BusinessTalkRadio.Net to distribute 90-second
pieces (culled from Inc.com online radio segments) to more than 100 small and medium-sized terrestrial radio stations in markets nationwide. On another front, Redband will be
cutting together a 1-2 hour show featuring "the best of Redband content" for distribution through Public Radio International's 660 affiliate stations, which reach 11 million
listeners weekly.
Pitch Tips/Contacts
Producers are diversifying the Inc.com radio show mix with more "tutorial" pieces, along with new features such as "My Biggest Mistake," a 1-2 minute segment which invites
veteran entrepreneurs to recount lessons learned on the road to success (or failure). Another hot topic - for which the show is currently collecting tapes - is a segment on VC
elevator pitches, whereby a select few start-up CEOs will actually be invited to give their spiels on the air. "These men and women have a different mentality in terms of putting
themselves out there and taking risks," says Eve Kupferman, VP of programming and development at Redband, and a former producer for NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things
Considered."
"I've found them to be very honest in a refreshing way."
If you're plugging an entrepreneur as a possible guest on the show, make sure he or she is willing to swallow a fair amount of pride and tell the whole story. No rose-colored
glasses, please.
Your best contacts are Kupferman at ekupferman@redband.com, and Inc.com producer Lisa Chadderdon at Lisa_Chadderdon@inc.com. "Send a zippy email that reflects the heart of the pitch, but be prepared to say the same thing on the phone so
we can hear what you sound like," Kupferman says.
Comments
Until recently, an Inc.com channel on Redband offered content in the form of a regularly updated, produced show (that is, two or three segments strung together in a show
lasting roughly 10 minutes). But as PR NEWS went to press, Redband was on the cusp of repackaging said content for "on demand" access. Soon small business tips will be
archived and searchable by subject, according to Kupferman. "This will give listeners more control. They'll be able to essentially create their own shows. For example, they
might download all of the Rhonda Abrams pieces onto an MP3 player and hop in the car or subway and listen."
Which show guests have proved most popular to date? Kupferman says Doug Levin, CEO of Odwalla, was a big hit when he aired his two cents in the wake of his company's merger
with juice maker Fresh Samantha.
Will the dotcom bust mean waning interest in what Inc.com radio has to offer? Kupferman doesn't think so. If anything, demand for start-up insights is at a premium, given
that so many are now on shaky ground. "People will always be interested in how CEOs think about things," she says. "Everyone wants to know what it takes to be successful."