As the industry continues to recover and the revenue picture has begun to improve, the pace certainly hasn’t slowed down. If anything, broadcasters find themselves moving at even a faster pace, trying to keep up with the demands.
The last couple of years of budget cuts have taken their toll on many departments of most radio stations. But perhaps one of the phantom effects of the cutbacks has been the void in training – especially new people.
We see this all the time in sales meetings, as well as with beginners making their way from internships to assistants on both the programming and promotion staffs.
Last week, Paul and I were at a WRIF/WCSX client party and we ran into an intern, Stephanie Taylor, who works in the events department for the cluster. It turns out that Paul gave a talk at one of her classes at Eastern Michigan University last year.
And as she told us, an internship at WRIF was the fulfillment of a dream for her because she’s been a fan of the station for as long as she can remember. I wish I could bottle her enthusiasm and send it to the entire industry.
These are the stories that give me hope about the future of radio, but they also cause concern. While it is heartwarming to see college students who aspire for greatness in this business, it is also alarming when you consider how little on-the-job training occurs within so many companies and clusters due to lack of time, money, and personnel.
This is why Conclave is such an important entity, and why their summer conference plays an even more important role in the education of broadcasters. This year, we are honored to put together an entire program dedicated to young programmers, fledgling DJs, and others in the business who are simply in need of a good refresher.
We are calling it “Summer School” – an intensive, content-rich set of 12 short sessions that are packed into a 4-hour window on Thursday morning, July 15th.
Our core staff – Keith Cunningham, Ralph Cipolla, Paul Jacobs, Bill Jacobs, and me – will be providing the instruction. And the topics range from putting together a great aircheck critique to developing your own personality brand to conducting effective audience research on the cheap – and several more. Each “class” will end with a Top 5 “takeaway” list that will keep these sessions fast-paced, while providing “students” with an actionable to-do list when they return home the following week.
We also have some killer “guest lecturers.” Arbitron’s Dr. Ed Cohen will do a “deep diary dive” for markets that still are tethered to paper and pencils, while Gary Marince and Media Monitors’ Phillippe Generali will do a behind-the-curtain PPM CSI session. And we’re please to note that Saga’s Steve Goldstein will distill his “Brilliant at the Basics” presentation into a tight “Summer School” class.
Having appeared at a number of Conclaves in the past, I know many attendees pay their own way. This year, the Conclave has arranged a one-day special price of $179. Here’s the dedicated landing page link:
<CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE CONCLAVE AND JACOBS MEDIA'S SUMMER SCHOOL>
There’s other cool stuff happening as well. Kurt Hanson’s RAIN Summit is set for Saturday, along with three full days of strong content. And the Twins are in town.
We hope to see you there, whether you’re investing in your own education or helping someone new to broadcasting learn the ropes.
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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