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That’s one of my favorite lines that a certain radio CEO has said to me over the years, when explaining the true role that consultants play for his company.  No doubt about it, it’s harder to point out the uncomfortable truth than it is to stroke clients from rating book to rating book.  Our philosophy […]

Larry Rosin, of Edison Media Research, makes some compelling points in a new "think piece" on programming HD Radio channels. Click HERE to read Larry’s thoughts.

With all apologies to William Shakespeare… Rock journalist Gary Graff recently asked me about the place of protest music on the radio.  Back in the day, of course, "For What It’s Worth" and "Ohio" were synonymous with that spirit of activism that permeated Rock Radio in the late ’60s and early ’70s.  Of course, there […]

Clear Channel continues to focus on the C-word – CONTENT.  For the first time in recent memory, there’s news and even some buzz about the celebrity signing of Whoopi Goldberg for syndicated mornings.  The chances are good that on her first morning this summer, she’ll be talking to more women than she could possibly reach […]

If you’re OLN (did you know that’s the Outdoor Life Network?), you have to do something about that lame name.  If you’re an NHL Hockey fan, you know about this channel – for everyone else, it’s just a forgettable brand name. That’s why they’ve taken their sports programming into account and have made the switch […]

In a sea of tumultuous radio news over the past week, here comes Emmis to throw everyone a curve.  The big news is that Jeff Smulyan intends to take his company private.  We have long been critical of the Wall Street mentality that prevents radio companies from truly investing in their products and their content.  […]

As first quarter grinds to a tough end, and broadcasters look forward to an HD Radio future, let’s take stock of what’s happened in the last 100 days. The HD Radio promos are rolling out, and are getting prime exposure on many major market stations across the country.  A few more months of this, and […]

There have been a lot of great radio stories in the past year, but perhaps none bigger than the explosiveness of The Hog in Milwaukee.  If you recall, 2005 was the Year of The Brew.  The mission was to "fix Lazer," make it dominant, perhaps hurt The Brew in the process, and do as little […]

More and more gems continue to pour out of our second Technology Poll.  This week’s release of data from that study centers on the power and potential of email databases.  Smart stations have been aggregating them for years.  Now, we’re really beginning to see these efforts pay off. A couple of years ago, a client […]

Regular readers of this blog know that I was effusively predicting that of all the former Stern affiliates, the trends were strongly suggesting that KISW was going to end up being the big winner this fall. Of course, not all the books have been delivered, but after a little research, I think we can pretty […]

Just got back from a great family vacation in Seattle and Vancouver a week ago.  I have worked in Seattle for a long time, originally with KZOK, and in recent years for Entercom at KISW and KNDD.  It’s a great town that has the contrasting corporate cultures of Boeing, Microsoft, and of course, Starbucks.  But […]

Welcome back Dave Beasing for a guest blog today: Consider these two produced announcements heard on Los Angeles radio within minutes of each other on a recent Sunday: "According to research, 92% of Southern California wants to hear this next song MORE."  – Star 98.7, preceding "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day […]

Like so many other "retro" phenomena, there are growing anecdotal indicators that vinyl may be on the comeback trail.  While in Seattle recently with my family, my son (14) and I wandered into Sonic Boom, a local record store in Fremont.  After he was done perusing the new CD releases, he asked about their "Vinyl […]

That’s what Brice Phillips says.  Somehow, this small town broadcaster clearly understands what many of us are struggling to get our arms around.  During a trying time when terrestrial radio is being bombarded by competition from so-called "new media," like iPods, the Internet, and satellite radio, Phillips intuitively knows that serving the folks in your […]

You have to give Kiefer Sutherland a lot of credit.  A few years ago, he was just another actor, sleep-walking his way through forgettable movies.  Then he became the creative force and face behind "24," a Fox-TV show that started out very slowly.  In its first season, "24" was a cult show at best, struggling […]

You can’t run away from technology. I’m not sure who originally said that, but in 2006, it has never been more true.  Last year, our Tech Web Poll showed iPod ownership at a very strong level of 21% – pretty solid levels after the first big Christmas season for these personal MP3 players. But we […]

What is it about the Beatles that keeps them in the news month after month, year after year? In just the past few weeks, their legal issue with Apple Computer was front and center.  Then their "new" CD releases created buzz. And now, their project – LOVE – with Cirque du Soleil promises to be […]