Brochureware is so over.
Earlier this year in San Antonio, a new talk radio station came on the air, KAHL AM.
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve met some of the people at the station and like them. I pitched them a documentary project about their startup, which they turned down, but I still like them and what they are out to do. Being a stand alone broadcaster up against the Clear Channels and Viacoms, which dominate this market, is not for the timid. Props to them for that one.
KAHL has a unique kind of vibe and is developing a personality and a voice. Some like it, some don’t — that’s fine. But that is what a broadcast property needs. With little or no conscious branding effort, they seem to be developing a brand naturally. That is usually the best way. Props to them for that one as well.
After all that buttering up, you knew a downside was coming. Here it is. The disappointment to see their website, Call1310.com. For a news/talk broadcast property to go live with a 1995 looking brochureware site rather than a format that stores their ever accumulating knowledge and makes it easy to share with a worldwide audience is hard to fathom.
I’m guilty of building many lame brochure style sites myself over the years and feel a special obligation to do what I can whenever possible to slow down their spread. Years of experience building a variety of media sites has shaped my core belief to a point that if a site doesn’t add value to the user, why bother. Your audience will not visit more than once. Years of studying Webtrends traffic reports has shaped that philosophy.
Unless you are building a temporary site to launch an isolated project, like a movie for instance, then a brochure style site is a questionable choice. Even in the case of the movie example, often there are opportunities to include value added features to enhance the user experience.
The bottom line is this — Any web site which is the core site around which you build your brand online should add value for the user.
As part of my penance for past web developer sins, I sent the station an email today to see what was up and to offer some input. I appreciate the challenges that a startup radio staion faces and wish them the best.
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