Clinton Indiana Chamber of Commerce Best Practices Seminar

Well, amazingly I was able to keep it on my calendar and attended the Success In Business--Best Practices from Local Businesses session put on by the Clinton, Indiana Chamber of Commerce last Tuesday night. Mostly I went there out of curiosity. Although Apex Consulting is a member of the Champaign County (Illinois) Chamber and the Terre Haute, Indiana Chamber, I had considered membership in other communities like Danville, Illinois and even the Indianapolis, Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Frankly, I didn't even know Clinton, Indiana had a Chamber of Commerce, but when it comes right down to it, there is only so much support and time to go around, so joining another Chamber is unlikely.

Anyway, the basis of the session, based on the subtitle above, was noble. The format was an introductory speaker who then turned into a moderator and interviewed four successive business persons. Unfortunately, as the session began with the introductory speaker disappointment looked inevitable as his pedantic, old-industry view seeped through on every slide point and comment. As the interviewing began he and the two successive guests bantered around their disappointment in the younger generations in the workforce and horrors of global competition. Yikes! I had deja vu as I thought I was back in my 1990's MBA classroom...

I was about ready to get up and walk out when the interviewer called up Doug Edge, the General Manager of Terre Haute radio station B102.7 and managing partner of Crossroads Communications, and local morning radio personality. About 30 seconds into the discussion, it became obvious that Doug "got it." An entrepreneur, who has started an number of business, he just happens to be in radio at this juncture in his life. While the interviewer asked canned questions, like, "Do you see satellite radio as a threat?", Doug tactfully, yet pointingly corrected him in saying that his competition was with other advertising mediums. For Doug, it's not a technology war, it is mind share war. Touche!

In fact, Doug took it even further saying that all his current plant--towers, transmitters, et. al. were, in 5 years so, going to be obsolete. When there is an IP radio in every car why do you need FM radio? You can tune it B102.7, or its equivalent wireless IP address, in Mattoon, Illinois or Moscow, Russia. How then does Doug compete? His answer was "By providing the best local content possible." What! Local Terre Haute, Indiana content in Russia? Is Doug's brain fried from playing music too loud in his headphones? Although the speaker may have thought so as Doug's comment went right over his head and, after a generic side remark, he went on to the next canned question...

But you know, Doug, is exactly right!!! You can see it all over. I call it globalocalization. For many years we have all floated away from each other becoming more separated, disconnected, isolated. First with television and video games, now Internet addiction. And in the past 3 years or so you see a big migration back, but a migration back using technology through social networks like Facebook, Linkedin and others, people grope for connections, inclusion--pulling back to a local circle wherever it can be found. So yes, people are globally interconnected with no geographic bounds, but socially seeking localization and community--globalocalization.

And you know, what? Doug and his stable of radio stations could aid in that endeavor by being the best at connecting people with his geographic, no matter if they are in Tokyo or Tallahasee. Where else can they be fed local basketball broadcasts and civic activities at all times, through their IP radios in their car, yes, but more likely on their B102.7 IP channel feed into their Bluetooth headset.

Yes, there will need to be changes... People will not be satisfied with the old radio when it becomes technology independent. It will have to be less one directional, more interactive, more SOCIAL. But maybe, just maybe with entrepreneurs like Doug Edge leading the charge, it may occur.

Kudos Doug! And thanks for making your 10 minutes of interview time worth my time last Tuesday night.