Susanne Carpenter is Strategic Operations Director for An Lár TV, a new internet based community TV channel. Here, she talks to all about business about tackling an innovative and growing global medium.

An Lár TV is an internet based community TV channel. As the name suggests, the channel focuses on Irish content, and is aimed specifically at communities around Ireland, and the Irish abroad. The channel is based upon an American PBS model, whereby local people have access to broadcast programmes that are of interest and concern to them. An Lár TV began broadcasting in April 2010, but the preparation began at inception in January 2010.

Setting Goals
“Our first step was to complete a detailed SWOT and PESTLE analysis and calculate the zero sum for the channel” says Susanne. “From there, a five year strategic plan was developed which identified key milestones.” The importance of setting key performance indicators should not be ignored when setting up your own business. By constantly reviewing performance results you can focus on what you need to do rather than what you would like to do.

However, this is easier said than done and developing goals for a start-up company can be difficult. Even with the best planning and strategic thinking your results can surprise you. “We wanted to have 3 advertisers and a weekly audience of 10,000 by the end of 2010” Susanne tells us. “Things are moving faster than we anticipated!”

The channel is currently attracting audience figures of between 1,000 and 2,000 per day. Initially An Lár’s creators thought most of their viewers would be Irish – however the biggest audience is in Italy, closely followed by France, the Netherlands and the USA, and then Ireland. An Lár even has regular viewers as far away as Brunei, Indonesia, the Lebanon and Dubai.

“Setting key performance indicators on audience and demographics has allowed us to refine our programme offerings and tailor our business plan accordingly” Susanne says.

Marketing for Success
It is important to make your entire team think outside of the box when it comes to your marketing strategy. An Lár have been using social media, such as Facebook, and word of mouth to draw attention to their channel and programmes.  

Susanne says that developing a marketing strategy for a start-up business can be challenging. ”We are learning what’s working and what’s not, and channelling our budget into activities that give us a measured return.”

Advice for Entrepreneurs
Susanne thinks that the most important thing when starting a business is to plan, plan, and plan again. “Plan activities. Understand your finances, calculate your zero sum, and make sure that you include all costs and contingencies. If the business cannot sustain itself on the back of this evaluation, then it’s better to hold off and re-evaluate.”

A lot of entrepreneurs fail to realise that there is a lot of help out there, and that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Susanne recommends that people thinking of starting a business should contact people like the National Centre for Partnership and Performance, local Enterprise Boards, local Partnership organisations, or Skilllsnet.  

Plans for the Future
An Làr TV plans to grow their audience over the next year – their first milestone will be a weekly audience of 50,000. Their plans are to increase participation from communities around Ireland, and to produce some programmes that are unique to An Lár TV.

Relevant Links

http://ie.linkedin.com/in/susannecarpenter

http://www.anlar.tv/

http://www.carpenterconsulting.ie/