OK, this blog post may wreck your Monday, so if you're feeling a little fragile this morning, it might be a good idea to watch The Today Show or turn on the local Adult Contemporary morning show. Or simply surf over to TMZ and look at something more frivolous.
If you're still reading, this post is about numbers, motivated by a "research report" that came out last week from Vocus Media Research. Their study takes a look back at the old media carnage that went down last year. The picture they paint is horrific, and their predictions about 2010 are even more depressing.
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Number of newspapers folded: 293
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Number of magazines folded: 1,126
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Number of financially endangered TV stations (parent companies filed for bankruptcy): 100
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Number of jobs lost in commercial radio: 10,000
You can quibble with these numbers, but they reinforce the story that we know anecdotally. Newspapers are endangered, television has never been through anything like this since its inception, and radio is a much smaller industry today.
So, you can grouse about this data, or show it to your co-workers and piss them off. Or those of you who still have a job in radio can actually do something in response to this bleak recap of last year.
Here are eight suggestions:
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Mentor someone – If there are young people working at your station – even interns – find one with potential, inspire them and help them get better at what they do. Our industry is in dire need of a youth-infusion, and if your company isn't getting the message, you can make a difference right there on the ground.
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Help someone – You know people who are out of work who shouldn't be. Go to bat for someone on the beach, who should once again be making a contribution to radio. Put in a good word with someone at corporate or be a great reference. And pick up the phone and call that person, touch base, and let them know you're thinking about them. It will make a difference (and you'll feel better that you have a job).
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Find a success story – It's not like they're not out there. But too often in this environment, even some of the best news is buried by studies like the one I quoted above. At your next sales or department heads meeting, have each person bring a positive radio story – whether it be public service, sales, and/or a great listener experience. If that works, start out every meeting this way. Success begets success.
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Say something good about radio – OK, you don't have Mel Karmazin's marketing budget, but word-of-mouth matters. Use your Facebook page or Twitter account to spread a positive word about radio. At the next party you're at, don't apologize for radio when someone tells you about Pandora or Sirius XM. Give them a reason why radio matters, and why it continues to be a vibrant, effective industry.
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Listen to your station – It often gets so hectic, especially when you're doing multiple jobs, to actually listen to the radio station you program, manage, or represent on the air. Everyone's doing more with less, and you probably have fewer staff members, less research, and no consultant. Make it a point to spend more time with you station, looking for even the little ways to make it sound better.
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Make it better – Maybe the big boulders are well out of your control, but you can still make a difference locally. You may not be able to influence the weighty decisions coming from corporate, but you can impact some of the basic operational procedures that would make your station better. How does the receptionist greet guests and contest winners? Are the jocks answering the phone, and if so, are they offering the right messages to callers? Are emails and texts answered on a timely and systematic basis? Is the station's Facebook fan page updated and compelling? How about your own presence on the station website? When was the last time you reviewed and updated it? What pieces of productions are dated or out-of-sync with the station's goals? Obviously, the list goes on forever, but in your own way, you can improve your environment and your service.
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Don't feed into the negativity – There is no shortage of anger or cynicism, especially in the blogosphere. Gone are the days when radio's main outlet was just Inside Radio or R&R. Today, if you have a laptop, you're an editor and publisher. While more opinions can be a positive, the negativity of some pundits can be overwhelming – and harmful to you doing your job when you walk into the station each day. Everyone has an agenda, and while you're still on the payroll, yours is to do everything you can to stay employed and help the station accomplish its goals. A pair of blinders might help.
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Celebrate the victories – Even the little ones. There was a time in radio where the beer came out and work stopped for an hour, sometimes just because you had a nice trend. Maybe that was a little overexuberant, but it made people feel good, and gave them a sense of purpose and accomplishment. In recent years, we've gone too far the other way. Stations hit that #1 25-54 goal, and there's nary a high-five. Or a big account comes back, and it's met with a nod, and a low-key "atta boy." It's not easy out there, and making your people feel good when they do something right is a small investment that will pay off later. (And you might end up feeling better yourself.)
So, a lot of numbers to start the workweek – some that may piss you off, some that you may not believe, and hopefully, some that may inspire you to focus on the things that you can control.
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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