So, I’m warning you before you read the rest of this post. It is not one of my favorites, it’s painful to write, and as a fan of broadcast radio, it is truly uncomfortable.
But when you’re talking about how “radio” shows up in the biggest search engine on the planet – Google – it’s a problem. Because we make 3.5 billion Google searches a day. That breaks down to 40,000 searches a second. As we know only too well, search drives consumer choices – and their perceptions.
Google matters, and that’s why there is so much SEO – or Search Engine Optimization – happening every second of every day. Reputation management has become a big industry as brands and platforms work hard to ensure a Google search yields positive results.
So, when radio lover and industry veteran, Jay Philpott, sent me an email that contained the following Google search, showing these “autocomplete” results, it got my attention;
The above graphic isn’t from Jay’s email – I was easily able to replicate it myself. And so can you.
Jay Philpott is not a rabblerouser. His first email address was [email protected]. He loves the business that has supported his dreams for decades and is upset that when the typical web surfer types in something as innocuous as “Radio is” into Google, this stuff comes up. His email footer reads “I live in the present, I work in the future, but my hobby is radio’s past.” Believe me, Jay’s current address is “92KQRS,” and he always rides on the radio team bus.
In his note to me, he suggested the radio industry invest in some serious SEO management to counter these nasty search results. If it were only that simple. Because search engine optimization isn’t the root problem with Google’s autocomplete technology. In fact, here’s their explanation of how their search box actually populates predictions:
“We look at the real searches that happen on Google and show common and trending ones relevant to the characters that are entered and also related to your location and previous searches.”
You can read their entire document here that provides a clear explanation of their policy, and how their search technology works.
It’s about millions of previous searches – people typing in the above words and phrases, and Google’s algorithm “learning” the most common choices. That’s an indication that many consumers are searching for information that support perceptions they hold or have heard others say. If it were only as easy as hiring an SEO maven.
I spoke to our Digital Dot 
Connector, Seth Resler, to get his take. Seth is very knowledgeable about these issues, and confirms these negative Google predictions about radio are not an SEO problem – they’re an industry perception problem. What we see Google autocomplete display is an indication of things people already believe about radio.
Here’s how he sees it:
“The radio industry needs to market itself. Once the general perception of the industry improves, people will stop typing these negative terms into Google, and the predictive text will show something else.”
Hopefully, more positive, upbeat descriptors.
Here’s Seth’s prescription for driving more positive Google search results for broadcast radio:
- Speak in one voice – For an industry where broadcast companies often go their own way, this issue is central to the survival of the business. As Jack Shephard said on “Lost” (one of Seth’s favorite shows), “If we can’t live together, we’re going to die together.”
- Invest in marketing – The big players in the industry – along with key trade associations – need to pool resources to make a statement about broadcast radio.
- Look to other industries for inspiration – The “Got Milk?” campaign was a great booster for the beverage we all grew up with (but stopped drinking). “Pork – The Other White Meat” was a smart campaign that helped make consumer rethink their dining choices. These industries were faced with their own set of perceptual challenges, so they took different approaches to address them.
- Don’t do the same old thing – The 93% pitch may be a strong message to advertisers (although I’m not convinced it is and neither are most marketers), but not to consumers. As our Techsurveys have clearly shown, people listen to radio for many reasons – companionship, mood elevation, and at-work accompaniment. Perhaps a new message about what radio means to people – and marketers – should be examined.
Of course, a lot depends on whether an image campaign for radio is targeted to advertisers or consumers. So, why not both?
The Google search problem is just a symptom of disturbing misperceptions about a storied medium that’s a century old, still going strong, and making a difference in millions of people’s lives every day of every week.
Seth’s list contains heavy lifts for a radio industry not accustomed to banding together or seriously investing in mass marketing for its greater good. But just as radio companies were challenged to step it up back in the ’50s when TVs invaded every living room in America, and again in the ’70s when those upstart FMs passed their traditional AM uncles in overall listening, big ideas, big solutions, and big steps will have to be taken.
There are lots of wonderful answers to “Radio is….”
Let’s help the audience fill in the blank.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at Nielsen’s new study of CMOs – advertisers with opinions about what works – and what doesn’t – iin 2018.
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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At least we’re talking about it. Radio is instant without a big spend. Smart U-Tube goes viral overnight. We connect but great format “likes” are needed, now. Cost-cutting on creativity proves dumb. No development. Nothing new. Radio is about to turn 100. Let’s make it our profitable, stand-out celebration!
I’m all about that, Clark. Thanks for the note & reading our blog.
Fred, I read this with extreme interest. The major problem as I see it is an agreement with Seth Resler. Just join some of the Facebook sites dedicated to radio. Sites which cater to jocks in particular, but it’s not limited to those. Here’s what you will find.
Virtually a 9 to 1 ratio of whining, moaning, gnashing of teeth and a cacophony of complaints about the radio industry. It usually all boils down to the perception that the “industry” is comprised of iHeart and Cumulus and they are single (or dual) handedly responsible for how radio is “dying”, how uncreative it is, how there is only VT in American radio anymore, etc. etc. etc. It’s truly disheartening.
When I come across these kinds of postings I vigorously defend radio as it currently exists with facts about listenership, how many radio companies actually exist and the fact the iHeart and Cumulus combined only own about 9% of all the licensed commercial stations in the country. How there are a myriad of individual stations and clusters in pretty good markets competing effectively and creatively just as we have for decades.
Somehow we need more supporters to outnumber the naysayers, mostly either disgruntled jocks or elitist pundits who love to predict the demise of something as useful and effective as radio truly is. Those types have gone from TV to Satellite to now Digital as the medium to put the final nail in our coffin and they don’t have a clue about the industry nor the phony effectiveness peddled about digital.
I am a warrior for the medium. We need more.
Terry, we do, indeed. I see the same naysayers you do – perhaps more former insiders who have experienced disappointment or even heartbreak as the industry has undergone change. With this blog, I try to walk the line – be a champion for the radio, while trying to raise the bar and our expectations. Is radio just fine, totally screwed, or somewhere in the middle? I’m in that last camp, and hopeful our industry can step up as owners did back in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Thanks for the comment.
Here is what came up on my search.
radio is
About 2,050,000,000 results (0.60 seconds)
Search Results
Radio – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio
Radio is the technology of using radio waves to carry information, such as sound, by systematically modulating properties of electromagnetic energy waves …
History of radio · Radio wave · Radio broadcasting · Radio (disambiguation)
People also ask
What is Radio simple definition?
What was the radio?
What are the different types of radios?
What is the radio station?
Feedback
Radio – Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio
Radio is a way to send electromagnetic signals over a long distance, to deliver information from one place to another. A machine that sends radio signals is …
No, Radio Isn’t Dead — In Fact, It’s Doing Better Than Ever – Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/…/no-radio-isnt-dead-in-fact-its-doing-better-than-ever/
Aug 13, 2015 – One would assume that with so many options for accessing music, radio would be having a hard time keeping up, but the truth is that it’s doing …
Radio and digital radio | How it works | AM and FM compared
https://www.explainthatstuff.com/radio.html
Aug 13, 2017 – An easy-to-follow introduction to modern digital radios and how they differ from traditional AM and FM (analog/analogue) radios.
Radio.is
http://www.radio.is/
Radio | broadcasting | Britannica.com
https://www.britannica.com/topic/radio
May 3, 2018 – Radio: Radio, sound communication by radio waves, usually through the transmission of music, news, and other types of programs from single …
Newcap Radio – Radio is Everywhere
https://www.ncc.ca/
Newcap Radio is one of Canada’s leading radio broadcasters with 101 broadcast licences (72 radio stations and 29 repeating signals) across Canada.
Radio Is Dead | CKUT 90.3 FM
https://www.ckut.ca/en/content/radio-dead
Radio is Dead: Monday 2-3pm. This program is intended to provide a space to both foster and showcase collective creative radio production by both amateur …
Radio Is Dead. Long Live Radio. | CBC Radio – CBC.ca
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/radio-is-dead-long-live-radio-1.2801782
Feb 22, 2014 – This week on Under The Influence, an encore performance of “Radio Is Dead: Long Live Radio” where we look at the incredible creativity …
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Searches related to radio is
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Tim, I should be clearer in the post. You hit “search.”
The problem comes into play when you type in “radio is” hit the spacebar as if you’re going to type in the next word, and that’s when autocomplete tries to predict what you’re looking for. And then’s when the list on our graphic appears. Many people search this way – beginning to type in what they’re looking for, and thene Google tries to fill in the blank.
Just for comparison/fun I tried a few others. These all came up in the top 3 results for each “[blank] is/are”:
Podcasts are boring
Podcasts are stupid
TV is dying
TV is bad for you
Space X is bad
The iPhone is disabled
The iPhone is garbage
The iPhone is losing out in Asia
The iPhone is dead
Alexa is not working
Alexa is always listening
Hey, good thinking, Harvey, to try some of these other searches. Perhaps it shows the bigger (societal?) problem is simply that there are more negative than positive people–or perhaps simply that it’s when people have a problem or complaint with something that they start searching about it. Maybe what you really discovered is that the 99+ percent people perfectly happy with radio are never searching “radio is” to begin with. I do still think there are valuable takeaways in this post and it sure wouldn’t hurt for the industry to collectively unify and polish up its image, but I think you’ve uncovered an important part of the equation that needs also to be kept in mind. Again, good thinking, thanks for sharing what you found.
Dave, I think he did, too. But as you also suggest, the medium is in need of a marketing makeover. Yes, there are millions who love radio and enjoy it every day. But as we’ll see in tomorrow’s post, some of these perception problems are shared by advertisers and marketers. Thanks for the comment.
Thanks for the kind words, David! I do want to add that, while radio is hardly the only “[blank] is” to yield such negative results, I agree 100% with Fred and other commenters that radio indeed has image issues and could certainly use a “marketing makeover.”
This topic has elicited some great comment. Thanks for chiming in, Harvey.
Yes, there’s a lot of negativity out there – extremes that bob to the top of search engines. Perhaps radio is no worse off than any other products or services out there, but I would argue that most people don’t believe the 93% claims (despite the fact it’s a fact). Radio has an image problem, perhaps exacerbated by negative search. Thanks for your searches, Harvey.
Fred…if someone at Google reads your column they’ll see it as a revenue opportunity and pitch the radio business on paying them to autofill with something positive. Come to think of it…might not be a bad idea!
Keep up the good work..great content in your blogs…
Many thanks, Jackson. Appreciate your reading our blog.
Thank you for the very kind words, Fred. I think we should share your three word response to the original email I sent you:
“This IS terrifying”
Thank you, Jay.
One of the most amazing experiences I ever had was attending a play at The Westport Country Playhouse. It was two incredible women actors with no PA system whatsoever. The moment they switched on some recorded music during the intermission, all of the magic went away. My point is that there is no substitute for live performance. I’ve also never misidentified the sound of live music.
If you check out some of the aircheck archives at http://www.reelradio.com., you can hear the magic that DJs once had and it’s only 10% of what the excitement was like when we heard it live. Automated streams simply can’t do this.
Sorry, it’s https://ww2.reelradio.com/index.html
Sad to say, they took it offline. 🙁
A lot has changed on the radio over the decades. Funny thing – I had a two hour drive earlier this week through southern Illinois. There’s wasn’t a whole lot to listen to locally. But the renta-car had Apple CarPlay. My phone has the WMMR app which appeared on my dashboard screen. I ended up listening to DJ Jacky Bam Bam for more than 90 minutes, and it was enjoyable, compelling, local, and something I couldn’t get from my Pandora playlists. Thanks, Bob.
Thank you, Fred. Interesting auto fill results… perhaps ‘radio is dead’ is simply a program more people search for using ‘radio’. Is it possible people just don’t search for ‘Radio’ in a manner those working within radio think?
We know that a majority of Gen Y/Z & increasingly all of us connect via a service like a You Tube. It’s more than the 54% stat tossed around re music consumption. More importantly the youth are truly all connecting via gaming, e sports. Within gaming, music is a big deal and choices are plentiful. Immense esport and game platforms such as Roblox to Twitch or all the various ‘smarter’ or even portable consoles. Sony obviously one integrated example that offers all such media: content, dist, services, consoles and TV’s to sound. Plus that little record label.
Add in the technology engines available that power platforms. Google uses TiVo technology for music which about every cable, video offering uses & pays fees to, as well.
It needs to be scaled to compete meaning strange deals between older school entities. A sea change of thoughts about competition & partnering. Exactly how tech firms partnered to make products roll into standards for the common good.
The opps for distribution remain staggering.
One can follow macro changes looking at the game, Grand Theft Auto. At first, You would drive to radio stations, branded as such. With categories & themes like rock, talk, reggae, punk … changing in a manner more and more like a modern Netflix menu as you follow the GTA editions. Embedding the use of other dig platforms, in time.
It also feels like one needs to include music in the newer home invasion of media technology. Unlike the 1950’s music is very much part of the newer invasion as it’s included in all of the new platforms.
Not stating it’s easy, or what I wrote is unknown. Just thoughts. The Google example is an interesting one.
Josh, thanks for the thought-provoking comments. The Google search may not mean anything in the big picture of things, but the need for radio to reassess its position in the minds of listeners and advertisers is important IMO.
Thank you. You work at the forefront of the smart speaker skills race as well, so clearly understand the many ways media delivery has fast shifted and continues. A most important theme in biz is simple: Being where the consumer is. That will require delivery, format change. Workers with experience from other industry or ages has been discussed a lot. Age shouldn’t matter as much as the thought leadership, it’s been such an ugly environment obviously. The very tough shift in strategic thinking comes in. Issues about royalty payments in order to best compete or essentially just to participate. Of course it’s complicated; I understand what I don’t or can’t .. fully understand.
Isn’t the largest silent elephant in the room how music itself changed its own model, to survive? Profitable for the first time since Napster era just in the last 1-2 years.
Meaning the industry surrounding music shifted towards live events for revenue and ‘on air’ consumption towards a paid content tier. Exactly as cable made free TV shift.
Below, Mary discussed Satellite radio, although it’s actually making record numbers. They are offering the internet deals to launch interactive modern capability and have embedded the service within the TV, the speakers, light bulbs to gaming platforms… All leading to new revenue lines and being better poised for the differing consumption and tech changes.
Mary B. / Sat radio can only cover the North Americas (Sirius Satellites cover NA orbits, essentially). They are paying more out to the industry, fighting it while embracing, plus they can pass along these fees to consumers as the MRF – which you may know all about, already.
I don’t think satellite will or can remain bottled up to NA only. The services will follow the consumer trends and become far more visual like You Tube. Come 2019/20 these changes will be more known and perhaps, more subscribed to and present everywhere is the goal. Then, we see Liberty/Sirius terrestrial stake in IHeart debt, the 486$ mm to Pandora. As a consumer, I can now live stream video from many festivals and concerts, for a fee and for free, on You Tube or Nugs.tv (live downloads). Radio has a model to look at; like the networks created the 500 channels in a bundle…
If this is the new norm for music revenue generation, it feels like radio must partner up as an industry to scale, with a common delivery platform. Sirius is very successful providing a radio experience at a national scale. Most music or talk enthusiasts will have their 3-5 must have Nationally Branded presets. Realizing this is a radio blog….
If Music is now a content commodity like TV has morphed … Naturally one thinks radio will eventually have to offer up embedded choices on large tech distribution platforms. Exactly like every other service in the sector, including big tech firms.
What role the royalty costs play is a tough question to grasp. Impacting everyone differently, thus the scale via partnerships like tech and gaming, OR think how medical practices have all had to change to scale as an analogy of disruptive technologies. Thanks for the screen space… JB
Fred,
Today’s blog post made me pause. Seeing “Radio is ______________” with the blank being filled with words like you referenced is beyond concerning at first glance.
I say first glance because in place of “radio” I substituted legacy media or devices like: ‘TV’, ‘movies’, ‘cameras’, and ‘GPS devices’; Google generated similar findings.
I then looked at newer products like ‘Snapchat’, ‘Instagram’, ‘Facebook’, along with things like ‘digital marketing’ and ‘SEO’ – – again the predictive findings created by Google were similar to those of ‘radio’ and the aforementioned.
For kicks, I tried: ‘Trump is’, ‘CNN is’ and even things like ‘Starbucks is’… and once again the Google predictions were like all of the above.
Finally I tried, ‘Google is ______’, and no negative responses were returned – that was a head scratcher.
Taking a stab at why Google is generating these types of predictive responses seems to me that it’s more reflection of how people today are searching and looking for the extremes. Radio is not alone. For many of us it’s what we do and what we deeply care about. That being said, it’s been decades send somebody found Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, and the like. We are an industry that is nearly 100 years and we have to work extra hard to create things that are important and meaningful.
It’s not only incumbent upon everybody in our industry to tell the right story but do the work to discover the products and things that make us cool, relevant, and important to the people who consume our product.
J Chapman
I typed in “Fred is” and it came back:
—Fred is dead
—Fred is afraid of spiders
Fake news.
Hahaha! This made my day. Glad to know you’re alive and well, Fred, but maybe stay away from deadly spiders nonetheless!
Radio has been its own worst enemy.
I loved it, lived it, breathed it during the best years. It was fun, creative, LIVE.
“Perception is Reality” a good friend and one of my favorite program directors would say. His attitude was “If you project that you are the top rated station, that everyone is listening to you and don’t acknowledge the competition, you are perceived as being the winner”. It proved true every time.
With all due respect Fred, radio is more homogenized than ever, with each market sounding pretty much like the one next to it. It happened over time, The idea of “One size fits all” was taking hold of every market. Just like donuts created for a commercial client, the same mentality was applied to station formatting. And suddenly what was a great idea, a way to keep a consistent sound across the group, with formats and playlists determined by focus groups and research, caused the opposite effect.
I drove cross country recently, and was totally bored. (the most entertaining shows were syndicated at night or on weekends) The distinctive regional flavor of music, personalities and promotions disappeared as the same playlist was shared across the group stations song for song, along with promotions, and imaging. personality a thing of the past. I finally resorted to listening to my own music, when talk or music stations failed to entertain.
The questions raised are good ones. But a few more need to be discussed; Could it be program directors are not relying on their gut to make great choices, but falling back on safe paths to preserve their own hides? We all know program directors and staffing has been chopped left and right, each one taking on multiple stations, no longer programming, but managing an ever decreasing staff and answering to the ever shrinking budget.
Most of us did not get rich in radio. We did ok, but we loved our jobs. The personal satisfaction was a bonus. We loved the formats, the music, the unexpected, the daily interaction with listeners, the spontaneity. The spirit when we walked into the building was kinetic…the synergy brought us all success.
Now the playlist is set in stone, voice tracking means no talking with listeners and on air interactions, the “live” feeling is gone. Let’s face it: most on air talent today couldn’t survive without tracking multiple stations. And they wouldn’t have a full time job and benefits unless they did wear multiple hats. It wasn’t just music that held listeners loyalty: it was also the personalities that became a part of their lives.
Radio has fallen prey to the perception that “terra” radio is no longer relevant. “terra” stations even made that distinction, as though they were talking about prehistoric times. Technology is great, but when you decide to trash talk your foundation, you crumble.
We all know “terra” radio is still strong: but radio programmers and owners have got to believe and live that attitude. They need their own re-programming.
Radio will continue to face challenges, especially since the LMA Fiasco has created a landscape of voice trackers servicing multiple stations in a bean counter environment because the stations are over leveraged and “downsize or bust” is a necessity.
“Perception” ~ Terra Radio is dying.
“Reality” ~ Satellite radio is the one struggling. Have you noticed all the “free listening” promotions every month? Do they really think they will convert people to subscription? I know more people are dropping their service once the introduction period is over: especially in new vehicles. It is another added expense, and if terra radio is not serving the music, you just plug into the usb port and provide your own.
However: the reality of satellite radio: They offer more personality and music diversity than terra radio these days, which should be an “a-ha” moment to station owners.
Good radio, locally oriented, community involved and entertaining is pretty hard to beat. Josh is correct in his assessment. the one point all have forgotten: the MUSIC
Roblox, Twitch, YouTube, is key. All these offer access to MUSIC, something new, something that is not played in a revolving 70 minute rotation ad nauseum. That is a fail of radio. Because so much money became involved with property ownership and servicing debt, the fear factor of failure created a stagnant environment of programming that left nothing to the imagination. Music is the key: it’s why we love and search YouTube, sample more new artists every day. It is why Radio came to be a powerful influence in our lives.
Radio just forgot what made it great.
Analytics can be used exclusively to determine your programming choices, or you can *gasp* integrate the best of all worlds.
Start having fun, pay attention to your audience, stop the cookie-cutter mentality and things may just surprise you. Act as though you are the coolest resource for everything music & lifestyle and you will be.
Remember, you live by the book, you die by the book. You live by the analytics and you may just die by them too.
Live with creating a new reality for terra radio.
Perhaps doing it “old school” with an Y/X twist may be a good idea.
But what do I know?
Mary, I don’t know what else you may know or not know but I DO know you have NAILED so many thoughts I’ve had myself over the current state of the industry–and how it got that way. I think the key word that most resonated with me was “gut.” That’s the word I find myself thinking got lost over time. Imagine the greatest, most successful TV or movie directors–or radio programmers–“testing” every concept before creating their masterpieces. I just can’t see Lennon and McCartney sending someone down to the streets to see if people prefer this or that wording of a song, or a particular melody, before creating their work. Just do what you do and do it greatly, and I do think people will find you. Research and testing very much has its place–I’m not knocking it whatsoever–but what got LOST are people of great vision and instinct, who aren’t afraid to take chances with what they believe. They’ve gone MIA and they’re important, too. Great post, thanks, Mary. And by the way, I sampled some of your work linked from your name and it’s fantastic! I laughed out loud at the cowboy cutout saying, “I get that all the time”! Great stuff. YOU, I would listen to!
Thanks David!
I think “gut” is underrated.
Yup, seems that people overthink things.
Love your Lennon/McCartney analogy. Perfect!
BTW: this is not self promotion, but since you are a radio guy, you may appreciate s”And Then There Was That with Sonny Hollywood Chase”. It is a cool 2 hour show has been added to stations around the U.S. as part of their weekend programming…it is actually becoming a Saturday Morning show in some markets. LOL! Love it.
Disclaimer: I was part of a morning show with “Sonny” in the 80’s, and co-produce and edit this show.
The show is recorded “live” and is only produced to provide great quality of sound. The bits are pre-produced to a certain extent, but are interacted with in a live format.
It is a throwback to the Rick Dees/Casey Kasem era. This is the kind of tTALENT I miss. Humor, theatre-of-the-mind stuff we did every morning. “Sonny” (Ed Galloway) nails it.
https://thevoiceontheradio.com/syndicated-programming
Enjoy.
-M
Mary, Much thanks for getting deeper into it from your view. Plenty thoughts in common. In short, It would be nice if radio would re-brand as a true viable and vibrant business structure, itself. The format would follow technology. Embed to participate with the entire medium. Sirius / Liberty should look into that one, uh, I mean… Kudos for bringing up the financial reality of a debt laden firm from the get go. A model for an era that still has legs? Disruptive change has been unfair to workers across too many industries… ‘Life isn’t fair’ as we were always told. As that model unwinds…
I think it would be fun to work within media, as it changes these days. Overall, it’s exciting times. Firms just don’t hire from outside the industry enough to bring in the different ideas, thought process. I guess depending where one comes from.
Telco & Biz educated but still haven’t had the chance to work directly in media, radio. The camp station was my peak in the 80’s, joking but true. Who knew anthropological communications would be useful for marketing and sales.
Sirius, my thesis was about Satellite Radio, in 96, so I’ve closely followed it all. Traded shares a few years back. What happens next is exactly what I think radio could pull off successfully – at least alongside the ‘digital’ distribution. Spectrum needs also are never discussed enough. DAB in Europe per example. 5G. There is room for a few at the newer table between auto, home, office. The dash is a fascinating reflection of so much, and music IS the forgotten glue for all of us until a certain age. Then there’s talk! Sports… comedy. Thanks, Josh
Thanks, as always, Josh.
Radio ownership and programming is certainly not for the fainthearted these days Josh.
Enjoyed your comments
M
Appreciate the comment, Dave.
Mary, these are wonderful, insightful comments, and I appreciate you contributing to the conversation (and hope you become a regular reader, if you’re not). I believe that, in the main, you are correct. There are too many stations executing a format strategy, and not enough truly connecting and engaging with audiences. Oddly enough, that elite group of stations at the top of the heap in most markets are still doing the type of radio you (and I) admire. The degree of difficulty is higher, and those stations now stand out more than ever before. And to your last thought, I think you know a great deal. Thanks for sharing.
Fred,
I lurk. Don’t usually comment, but just couldn’t help myself on this one. LOL! You know I’ve never been one to not express an opinion: even when it disagreed heavily with management.
I hope the elite groups at the top of the heap truly grasp the precarious situation they are in.
Radio will always be my first love, but it needs to learn to love itself.
M
Self-introspection is always a good exercise. I think it’s especially difficult to start fixing the plane while it’s cruising along at 35,000 feet. Thanks for NOT lurking and engaging. Feel free to weigh in if you can’t help yourself again, Mary. 🙂