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We’ve heard about these future pipe dreams our entire lives – innovations that would change out lives, like flying cars, robots that do the housework, vacations on the moon, and a radio in every room. Wait – a radio in every room? It turns out that Radio-Craft magazine published a series way back in 1939 that talked about a […]

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The industry trades were abuzz with news about Bob Pittman’s big soiree at Cannes, featuring A-list guests as well as heavy hitters from the advertising industry.  No, I was not on the list, but Mariah Carey (who performed) and Shaun White (who did not) were reportedly in attendance. Clear Channel bashers may take the opportunity […]

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Last week, I was honored to present at the Illinois Broadcasters Association conference, held this year in Champaign.  This is another great state broadcaster get-together, featuring hundreds of motivated radio and TV pros, eager to learn from each other. It’s a proud organization, and rightfully so.  During this year’s Broadcaster of the Year luncheon, the […]

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It is fascinating to see the jockeying going on in Los Angeles as Nielsen continues to dig into the meters to determine what went wrong. In a story that has now moved any remaining controversy about Casey Kasem’s illness and passing off the front page, all attention continues to be focused on the efficacy of […]

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So here are a couple of quotes from a new chief executive of a company that is one of the most successful in the world – and yet, he is talking reinvention: “There are so many new ways to serve customers. Technology, data, and information are opening new doors for us to lead through. Our […]

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Finally, there’s a benefit to Bill Jacobs going to all those Classic Rock concerts over the decades.  Turns out, there’s a lot of strategic business lessons to be learned from the many bands that have made immense cultural and musical contributions. – FJ Whether you’re a fan of the Beatles, Hendrix, or Led Zeppelin, their […]

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Next week, the NAB’s Charles Warfield gets his chance to testify in front of Congress about the music industry’s newest attempt to extort money from the broadcast radio industry.  SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe made the claim that FM radio airplay actually hurts music sales.  In fact, Huppe avers that if FM radio were to disappear […]

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More and more these days, I think about those promotions that ingenious 1970s General Managers and Program Directors dreamed up in their attempts to dominate the car radio back in the days of Gerald Ford, the Godfather movies, and the Big Red Machine. In the days when cars had five or six preset buttons, earning a place in […]

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OK, in more than nine years of writing blog posts, I have only recommended two films. (By the way, both went on to win the Oscar for best picture, so you might want to pay attention to today’s choice.) Our posts about The King’s Speech in 2011, and then the next year The Artist attempted to draw […]

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From the beginning of time, radio has struggled with its commercial loads, stopset placements, and the ongoing debate of units versus minutes. While all that’s been playing out over the decades, newcomers like music pure-plays and satellite radio have come along, providing consumers with alternatives to commercials.  And if you’re willing to pay a subscription […]

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No, today’s blog post title is not the newest Sue Grafton whodunit.  But it is something of a mystery why there’s so much innovation occurring around the radio business, but so little actually occurring within it. I just returned home from Radio Ink’s “Convergence” which at times felt a bit like an “assault of the new.” I have taken […]

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We see it all the time – broadcast professionals who could do a better job prepping their shows. Whether it’s making an appearance at an event in a town or speaking in front of a group, some basic research can make all the difference in the world when it comes to making an effective personal connection. And […]

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We see it all the time – broadcast professionals who could do a better job prepping their shows. Whether it’s making an appearance at an event in a town or speaking in front of a group, some basic research can make all the difference in the world when it comes to making an effective personal connection. And […]

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You have to feel a little sorry for brands trying to make a major impact in the mobile space. First, it costs a lot of money to develop an app, and as we know, there are two platforms that really matter: Android and Apple’s iOS. But the biggest challenge facing companies, personalities, and brands of […]

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Sadly, we’ve seen the iceberg off in the distance.  If we’re not careful, we’re going to hit it. Radio’s relationship with car dealers continues to be complex, concerning, and worthy of broadcasters’ collective attention.  It’s something we tackled head-on at DASH this past October.  And you can count on even more coverage and discussion at DASH […]

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You’ve heard the new conventional wisdom: Millennials aren’t interested in buying cars – they want public or shared transportation. Young people are putting off getting their driver’s licenses. The automakers are in trouble because Gen Y would rather have a smartphone than a car. (Actually, that last one about phones being on the same level […]

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Tamar Charney is Program Director of Michigan Radio, one of the biggest and best public radio stations, covering a large chunk of the Great Lakes State. In today’s guest post, Tamar explores the other side of algorithms, and just what we may be missing when we let technology make our content choices. By the way, […]

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You have to hand it to SoundExchange.  They always seem to come up with creative, inventive, and imaginative ways to try to extract money from the broadcast radio industry. As opposed to trying to innovate their way out of their mess through creative solutions that would be good for their artists, radio, and the American public, they […]

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Whenever one company buys another, you typically hear terms like “efficiencies” or “economies of scale.”  Translation: “Downsizing,” because that’s what often happens when one company buys another. The workforce often goes into a panic, job slashing is imminent, and the cultures will inevitably clash. Or pieces will be sold off because they are “redundant” to the good […]

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Whenever one company buys another, you typically hear terms like “efficiencies” or “economies of scale.”  Translation: “Downsizing,” because that’s what often happens when one company buys another. The workforce often goes into a panic, job slashing is imminent, and the cultures will inevitably clash. Or pieces will be sold off because they are “redundant” to the good […]

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