Radio show recruits social media expert

Lots of radio stations have been slow to embrace the social media craze. Many, in an effort to say they're doing it, assign social networking to an intern or muddle through it themselves--frequently using it as the microphone that they're used to talking into. The effort usually has disappointing results and the excitement wears off quickly.

Enter the nationally-syndicated "Tony and Kris Show" and social media master Jessica Northey.

Beginning today, the morning drive team of Tony Randall and Kris Rochester are upping their commitment to social media and setting themselves apart from the competition. With the addition of Jessica to their country music show, not only will they be getting a beautiful, on-air sidekick, they're bringing in one of social media's heavy hitters to enhance the show's web presence.

As owner of social media consulting firm Finger Candy Media, Jessica works with companies, celebrities, and musicians to help them harness the opportunities of new media. With a Twitter following of nearly 150,000 on Twitter and another 3,000 fans on Facebook, Jessica is a widely-known commodity in social media circles. She writes the daily column "Socialmediology 101" for AllAccess.com (the web's largest music and radio industry community) and contributes weekly to FullThrottleCountry.com. She is also a regular contributor to Nashville Music Guide magazine. Jessica speaks at technology, broadcasting, and music conferences and is the founder of Country Music Chat (#CMchat) on Twitter. She has more than 15 years of media experience, including on-air and sales positions, and is currently ranked number one on the Most Powerful Women on Twitter list, as determined by TwitterGrader.com.

As traditional media tries to remain competitive, bringing in a hot shot like Jessica Northey is a step in the right direction. "They say radio is the original social media," Jessica says. "However, ratings indicate that people want less talk and more music these days, so we're going to take the conversation to the web." In addition to bringing social media-themed features to the on-air show, Jessica is going to be writing tips and tutorials for the Tony and Kris website, engaging people through the show's Twitter page, and chatting with them on Facebook. “Most of the markets don’t go all day long. They don’t have a brand ambassador that’s constantly engaging with their audience,” Jessica says. "We're going to give listeners a place to hang out after the show ends each morning."

Radio, much like print, is struggling to stay relevant in a world now dominated by high tech platforms. The addition of Jessica Northey to the Tony and Kris team might just be the cherry on top that radio has been missing for quite some time.