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Maybe you’ve heard about a new game that only daring smartphone owners have the nerve to play.  Called by some “The Phone Stacking Game,” the idea is that when you’re out to dinner with friends, everyone takes out their phones, turns them upside down, and stacks them. Throughout your meal, you’ll hear ringing, beeps, tones, […]

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Every programmer who has suffered through the challenges and heartache associated with being judged by Arbitron, Nielsen, or the services that have come and gone over the years knows all about the realities of the ratings roller coaster. I once worked with a PD who told me how excited he was about the upcoming book.  The station […]

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You can thank the politicians for this one. Katz Media Group maven Bob McCurdy wrote a recent piece for MediaPost that illustrates how negative political advertising takes its toll on the “mother ship.” On the premise that nearly two-thirds of all political advertising on TV is inherently negative (not to mention untrue, sensational, and heinous), […]

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As Lori Lewis will tell you, radio often struggles with social media.  It is fascinating that while everyone in the business recognizes that its essence is communication, the gap between how it’s done on the air and on social sites is often vast. While most stations understand how to talk to listeners on the radio, […]

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I believe we are moving into a different phase of content creation.  And a large part of the credit goes to innovators like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.  We know enough about both of these guys to understand their respective penchants for getting the product right before it goes to market. This philosophy where design […]

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Earlier in the week, Lori Lewis broke down some of the key points from Mark Zuckerberg’s letter to investors.  I have read it over and shared it with our clients and staff this week, and I must tell you that it’s remarkable.  No matter what you think of Facebook as a personal or business connection […]

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We’ve been talking about Facebook all week.  And why not?  Its IPO filing is the buzz of the Internet, not to mention over coffee, dinner, and work breaks. A new chart released by the Silicon Alley Insider shows the gradually changing nature of Facebook’s revenue model.  What was once nearly 100% advertising is now morphing […]

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With all this talk about Facebook’s IPO, there’s been an incredible amount of attention in both the digital and financial worlds about this amazing company.  So I won’t bore you with any financial predictions or even attempt to advise you about the wisdom of “getting in on the ground floor” of Facebook. But the open […]

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Every programmer and promotions/marketing person knows exactly where I’m headed – especially at heritage stations where annual promotions get locked in.  The challenge is how to make them better, more compelling, and more profitable every year. That’s why while reading Mr. Prep (the prep service put together by our good friends at Mr. Skin), one […]

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Our friend Mike Anthony made some nice contributions to our blog in 2011.  One of his ongoing themes revolved around partnerships – the need for radio companies to explore smart alliances that can enhance content and/or distribution – all under the umbrella of financial responsibility and just plain common sense. Late last year, the New York […]

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I recently returned from a visit to Philadelphia, and on a follow-up conference call with the WMMR management team, the idea of non-traditional dayparts came up.  At least that’s what we now call overnights and even nights. PD Bill Weston mentioned that his station has a live jock in overnights, the flamboyant up and comer, Jacky […]

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Traditional media is so easy to bash, and radio has its share of bashers.  I hope that through the posts of this blog – now celebrating its 7th year – you’ve come to know us as strong supporters of the medium.  But we’re always hoping for better.  We are definitely core supporters of broadcast radio, […]

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It’s a weird thing about HD Radio.  Like the topic of abortion on Talk/Radio, it is guaranteed to bring out extreme reactions.  So while I’m expecting the usual negative comments from the usual naysayers, I hope the rest of you take a few minutes to read and consider today’s post. It’s about HD Radio from a different […]

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Lori Lewis has now been with us for nearly a year, during which time our company continues to gain a better sense for how radio can best utilize social media resources – and how that interrelates to its overall digital strategy. As we’ve discussed on this blog before, many stations, clusters, and even companies are engaged in “random acts of […]

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You may have read some of our observations from this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.  We saw some amazing technology, met some bright people, and learned a lot about where the media world is headed.  In the middle of this tech version of Disney World are thousands of smart, tuned-in professionals, start-up pros, and simply dreamers. […]

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On Monday, we addressed the way the radio broadcast industry often reacts to the competitive threat posed by Pandora.  Today, we’ll take a deeper dive into some alternative ways to think about Pandora and its impact on both traditional radio programming and sales.  But first, the question that many in radio are (for some reason) asking: Is Pandora […]

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Today, a post from Tim Davis, a child of the storied Kodak company.  Here’s his perspective watching a once-great corporation deny change, and ultimately declare bankruptcy. OK, full disclosure: Kodak is a company near and dear to me.  My dad worked there through his retirement, and was instrumental in what (small) gains were made in their […]

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The last couple weeks of 2011 were a mixed bag featuring several strange days indeed for broadcast radio.  At a typically slow time of year around the holidays, it seemed like there were big events happening daily.  Like in every other business, things move in cycles, and the big story even during the supposed quiet days […]

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At no other moment in our business lifetimes has the phrase, “the way we’ve always done it,” been more harmful to the health of our companies and our industries. Leadership books and articles are less than a dime a dozen.  They are ubiquitous and yet, true learning and insight are hard to find especially in an […]

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