Web Hosting Radio Brings Top CEOs to Your Home

The idea behind Web Hosting Radio was born by Andrew Capobianco in late 2001. Andrew was intrigued by the idea of having a radio show completely focused on one subject and was confident there was a market for it, particularly in the web hosting industry. In February 2002 Andrew had a chance to show the potential of this type of show when a controversial posting between two prominent reseller companies on a hosting forum caught his eye. Noticing the traffic in the forum, Andrew decided to take it ‘live’ on radio. Interest was phenomenal - people were listening and they wanted more. Web Hosting Radio was dawned. Now, less than two months later, Andrew, who is CEO of Web Hosting Radio, is realizing just how much potential the show has for providing information about the web hosting industry.

Joe Wishnoff, Chief Operating Officer of Web Hosting Radio says, “Web Hosting Radio is the first station actually dedicated to the hosting industry that brings consumers in touch with the CEOs of big hosting companies and brings CEOs to the consumers to help them understand the industry.”

Currently, there are two to three shows per week that involve interviews with CEOs, who come on the show to answer questions thrown at them by a program DJ. One of the biggest shows was with the owner of FutureQuest, Debbie Gillespie.

In an industry primarily dominated by males, the interview provided a different perspective into web hosting. What was supposed to be a 20-minute interview turned into one and a half hours, during which time Gillespie made a special announcement - showing that the program provides an additional platform for marketing.

But, the show is more than just interviewing CEOs. In fact, if you’re a hosting company, you may be one of a few that receive an anonymous call from Web Hosting Radio asking you for technical support. Wishnoff replies, “At an odd time on Friday’s we sometimes call up companies to find out about their support and sales - it can be a pretty wild show. One company we called up - the sales team performed so well the CEO of that company loved it because it showed how good they were to their customers.”

So if you thought the show would be really dry - it’s not. In fact, what is truly great about the program is its focus on having fun while you learn. Wishnoff believes the informal nature of the show is what attracts people to it - both audience members and companies. He says, “It’s not a hard sell to get companies on the show. It costs nothing. And, I think the reason CEOs are coming on the show is because the radio medium is so informal - it’s supposed to be fun. We don’t want our listeners to fall asleep. We want them to really have a good time listening.”

As a listener, not only will you have a great time, but you will also have an opportunity to interact with the people who run these hosting companies. Wishnoff says, “One of the interesting things about hosting companies is that the only time you really interact with them is when there’s a support issue. The radio show gives people who are customers of these companies the ability to get to know the CEO - or whoever, beyond getting answers to support issues. The best way to get to know a company is to call up and start asking questions and seeing how well they respond. It’s a really important aspect of learning about the hosting industry. Particularly because there are so many hosting companies that aren’t good.”

Wishnoff mentions the show has become a competitive tool for hosting companies. “It’s a domino effect with these companies. If a major company comes on the show then others want to come on as well. If they don’t come on they feel like they are being left out of the industry.”

Being on the program also enables companies to gain access to potential customers all over the world. “We’re talking to people here, in Australia, the UK, and in Asia. Listeners can call into the show using a toll free number,” explains Wishnoff. “This show is very interactive and brings these companies to life.”

Less than two months after its first show, Web Hosting Radio has exploded - experiencing such rapid growth that the company is in a whirlwind - making immediate plans to accommodate demand and forming long-term goals to take advantage of its rising popularity.

A number of different shows are in the pipeline to add additional variety to the radio program and attract all audience types. Wishnoff replies, “We’re looking at growing to five or six shows a day and aiming to change our platform. Interviewing CEOs is just one piece of the puzzle. Our DJs are going to have co-hosts and other people who are in the industry on the show to talk about topics that have a weekly theme-for instance bandwidth or hardware week. We’re also thinking about having a game show with web hosting trivia and are aiming to invite even more companies on the program. We’ve only talked to around 15 hosting companies and there are thousands of hosting companies out there. It’s almost impossible to reach everyone but there a few hundred big companies and we want to get those few hundred coming on all the time.”

The station is also working with companies to develop marketing campaigns and commercials, and is selling advertising space on its web site, which is being completely revamped to replicate the interactivity of the radio show. With all these new plans on its plate, Web Hosting Radio is going to be very busy the next several months.