As the holiday season continues, so does our Best of JacoBLOG end-of-year playback. This was one of my favorite posts of the year, because it’s a call to action to broadcast radio that “‘Good enough’ is no longer good enough.” – FJ
This morning, a reminder that radio no longer operates in a vacuum. And important to note that this post is NSFW.
It starts with a “news” item from The Onion (actually, it first appeared back in 2011) that came through my email box last week:
Radio DJ Invites Whole Town To Some Bullshit
News in Brief • Local • Unsponsored • ISSUE 47•48 • Nov 30, 2011
• TULSA, OK—According to an on-air announcement, KWPA disc jockey Johnny the Radio Bomb is inviting the entire populace of Greater Tulsa to some bullshit or other happening this Sunday. The bullshit, which is taking place in the parking lot of Kirk’s Mattress Warehouse off the Broken Arrow Expressway and may or may not be in a tent, will feature free hot dogs, an unbearable local blues-rock band, a bunch of other bullshit, and an appearance by Johnny the Radio Bomb himself. “Everyone’s welcome,” the Radio Bomb said as he cued up “Feels Like The First Time” and “Juke Box Hero” for a Twofer Tuesday rock-block. “Hop on down to [the bullshit] between two and five.” In addition to picking up bullshit bumper stickers and stupid-ass balloons for the kids from the KWPA Prize Patrol, visitors can register to win a 2012 Toyota Corolla.
Of course it’s satire. It’s The Onion. But doesn’t parody tend to reflect a humorous view of reality? And in this case, the reality revolves around how long can lame, ineffective radio remotes and on-site promotions sustain themselves – much less client and audience interest?
To see a real, live DJ on site can be a memorable, even a life-changing moment. Or it can be a sign that a station is mailing it in – or worse, just isn’t very appealing.
And when stations engage in the same old remotes, the same wheel-spinning-prize-winning games, and offer the same banal experiences again and again – well, it stimulates Onion-like parodies.
It’s a reminder that while radio has a key advantage because of its on-site access and abilities (you’re not going to go to a phone store or a car dealership to meet Pandora), the demands of these time are forcing radio to up its in-person game.
“Good enough” is no longer good enough.
How can events, remotes, and live experiences for fans be enhanced? How can stations truly add value for clients by putting together different, more engaging meet-ups?
It comes down to setting higher standards, raising the bar, and demanding that we look and act bigger, amp up the fun factor, come across as more professional, and be more engaging.
And to modernize event promotion, it’s also about asking how social media, apps, texting, photos, and other digital tools can be woven into these unique, personal moments to make the more meaningful, memorable, and special.
When we do things the same way again and again, the audience – and advertisers – begin to lose interest. Crowds dwindle, demand ebbs, and one of radio’s true advantages becomes equalized and loses it potency.
Whether you’re in Clarksville or Chicago, there’s every opportunity to be more creative, more energetic, more present, and more engaging.
A staff brainstorm is a place to start because the more of these appearances you’re contracted to make, the more they have to be better in order to maintain their effectiveness.
Otherwise, we’re just parodying ourselves.
Thanks to Saga’s Steve Goldstein and Emmis’ Jimmy Steele – two very A-level players – for bringing this story to my attention.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Thank you!!! I have been saying this for YEARS!! Remotes need to change or just go away. No one cares about an old, beat up prize wheel for a chance to win a boring station T shirt, bumper sticker or pass to a lame movie. Get with the FUN! BE ENGAGING! STOP STANDING AROUND ON YOUR PHONE AND INTERACT WITH PEOPLE! 😉
Thanks, Stacey, and of course, radio can do this better than any other medium or platform. Appreciate you taking the time (and your energy level!).
In fact, being GREAT isn’t enough to keep radio relevant. Stations must sound outstanding, inspired and quotable. They must “hire infected, passionate people”, to quote Steve Jobs. Now…will they?
It starts with the programming office (and maybe these days, corporate leadership). I can still think of many stations that are dynamic and exciting, always led by PDs who make it so. There just aren’t as many as there used to be, and the question is, can we truly monetize a full-service station in 2015. Thanks for chiming in.
While I agree with the assessment of remotes, I take exception to the suggestion that meeting a radio deejay can be memorable and/or life-changing. You overstate our importance. Wishful thinking maybe? I could count on one hand the number of deejays that could qualify – with fingers left over. As an industry, we’ve made them commodities, forced them into mindless over-researched format restrictions, devalued them into irrelevance. Sorry to sound so negative. I’m just frustrated. It’s time to face up to what we’ve become. Only then can we grow up.
Dave, I sense the angst jumping off my screen. I don’t dispute your perception because you sound like you’re on the front lines. And it’s sure not what it used to be. That said, I believe that virtually any DJ can become bigger than their station with the proper perspective and work ethnic. It is truly much harder today, to be sure, but it can be done. But that celebrity certainly isn’t going to simply transfer from a bland station to a robotic DJ. To survive these challenges, it starts with the person behind the mic, but as you suggest, we have to admit the reality of what we’ve done and what we’re facing and go from there. Thanks for taking the time to leave an important comment.
I’m in sales and am known as “The Remote Queen” at our local station group in Fredericksburg Va. Our stations have been super at bringing as much excitement as we can to make a difference at a client’s event. But I have found that if we can partner with the client and encourage super deals, only during the remote, that helps some. I try to answer the question of the consumer “What’s in it for me?” Not everyone who comes by are coming for what the business is offering, but for what the station brings i.e. food, concert or event tickets, etc… I have had listeners come to automotive dealer remote because of the remote and the sales people are no where to be found. We also have our wonderfully committed “prize pigs” who come to everything!
Do you have any “out of the box” ideas that have worked?
Leslie
Thank you,
Leslie Lovett
Leslie, you do the best you can. It sounds like you’re using the available tools you have well. At a certain point, the crowds diminish and you have to come up with more effective, personal, and creative ways to engage with listeners. You can bribe some of them with prizes, but to continue to prove your station’s effectiveness, not accepting “it’s the way we’ve always done it” is a start. Instead of just defaulting to doing the same old thing week in and week out, bring in some of the more creative people in the building and do “mini-storms” to come up with ideas that may be different enough to be fresh and interesting to those in your audience who have given up on showing up for these events.
Engaging your personalities to be more “personal” with the audience might be a way to leverage your strengths. It sounds like you’re very aware of the problem and the pitfalls, and that’s a good thing. So does “The Remote Queen” get to wear a crown?
Thanks for taking the time, Leslie.