Lotus keeps steady flow of drought tips going. Lotus Communications is using its bullhorn to encourage listeners to conserve water out west during continued drought conditions. All 32 of its stations in June began broadcasting 10-15 second conservation tips that air 25 times per week. Produced in-house, the tips range from simple suggestions (to turn off the water while brushing your teeth, for instance) to facts about the drought, which has affected most every state west of the Rocky Mountains. Lotus owns 32 stations in California, Arizona and Nevada, all of which have been severely impacted by the water shortage. In addition to the short-form PSAs, Lotus stations carry a 30-minute weekly program, "Water Action 411 with Shawn Fazeli," on Sunday mornings. It originates at ethnic "Radio Iran" KIRN, Los Angeles (670), hosted by Fazeli, a longtime conservation crusader. Guests range from farmers dealing with the drought to professors and other experts. The company's Hispanic stations air their own Spanish-language version of the show. "Once you start doing this on the airwaves, your staff starts commenting on the tips and it spreads out into the community," Lotus regional manager Tony Bonnnici says. Audience awareness for the tips is growing-along with client interest. "At this point we could open them up for sponsorships, like you do with traffic reports," Bonnnici says. "When you put something on the air that has public interest, it has value." The tips carry the slogan: "Save Water. Save our planet. Save your money." They're shared across the company's stations via a proprietary Lotus website and voiced by local station personnel. "It's part of our obligation as a broadcaster to encourage people to use water wisely," Bonnici says, "and one that we're damn proud to be doing."

Source: INSIDE RADIO™
Published on: Tuesday, July 7, 2015