Yesterday’s post – “Uncool” – predictably stirred things up, generating lots of talk and comments from several people, off-line and in our comments section.
But those of you who know our style and the evolving mission of this blog also are aware that we have disdain for those who just complain, finger point, or make excuses for why things are the way they are. After more than three decades of consulting, our mission is to help solve problems.
And that’s the goal of today’s post. But tackling the major task of repositioning radio in the minds and hearts of advertisers is a little bit more daunting than doing a music re-sort or coming up with a spring contest. But we started this, and our mission is to suggest action steps, as big and gnarly as they may be.
Now as you read down the list, there may be a tendency to blurt out reactions like:
“Great – but where is the money going to come from?” Or…
“Like that’s going to happen.” Or…
“Fred, you’ve finally lost it.”
But I’m hoping you can suspend those negative thoughts to truly consider my suggestions – and then perhaps take the time to work on some of your own. Because if you’re in radio, this is our problem. And it’s not going away. As many hoped that the Internet was just some sort of fad, radio’s doldrums aren’t just going to reverse themselves with the next tornado, Presidential election, or celebrity scandal.
I have often quoted a line from Pierre Bouvard over the years when he was an ace research analyst for Jon Coleman’s company:
“Perceptions are like glaciers – slow to form and slow to melt.”
While I think that for decades and decades this was a truism, but may not be the case anymore. In our fast, faster, fastest media world, perceptions and attitudes that were once glacier-like have become more like a firehose. In this environment, attitudes, moods, and emotions are changing fast. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the ways in which once popular people, gadgets, and media fall out fashion.
So how do we begin the process of solving these radio’s perceptual issues, because they are moving quickly?
• Conduct a S.W.O.T analysis for radio. The industry is in need of the same exercise it puts its stations through – assessing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats it’s facing. You can’t fix what you can’t identify and prioritize. So hire Gerry Tabio, bring in some of the best thinkers in the industry, and create a radio summit – perhaps organized by a wide range of companies, the NAB, RAB, and other broadcasting organizations. A strategic starting point is mandatory for truly moving the needle and changing perceptions.
• Use the power of personalities, showcasing talent on both the local and national stages. Radio’s unique strength is its on-air talent and its reach – assets that put it in front of the other audio media outlets and brands. Whether it’s on marketing seminars and sales calls, at events, and at conferences like The Radio Show, talent should be front and center in every key presentation, pitch, and event. We are a personality/celebrity-driven world, and yet radio too often makes it difficult to access its most visible, most-known, and popular talent.
• Convert The Radio Show into a showcase for radio rather than an industry insider event. Move it to locations that matter to advertisers – like New York City and L.A. – and put radio on display for advertisers and marketers. Of course, it would be mandatory to include the aforementioned personalities because CEOs and program directors aren’t going to charm Madison Avenue.
• Hire a national PR firm to create a major program that is rolled out nationally, but that also has local opportunities for every station and company to tell radio’s rebooted story. And require that every sales call begins with this “Why Radio” PR effort.
• And while we’re at it, radio needs marketing. That’s right – develop a national advertising campaign that positions radio as the vital medium it truly is, and get the message out there through all the conventional – and unconventional – channels. Great brands market themselves.
• Stop playing defense, and use the aforementioned S.W.O.T. to actively position radio’s strengths while pointing out its many advantages as an entertainment and advertising medium over new media competition. For more than a decade, radio has allowed Sirius, XM, Pandora, and others to get control of the messaging, and make its points. Radio needs to go on the offensive and stop being repositioned by everyone else.
• Work the circuit – TED TALKS, TV talk shows, and other outlets using radio’s top personalities armed with stories and even some data to make a great impression. New products, new films, and new gadgets have rollouts. As long as we’re going through this “reboot,” let’s take advantage of all those cable, Internet, and TV channels. If you make enough noise, they’ll cover us.
This list could be longer (packaging radio’s digital efforts, improving its user experience and talking about it, collaborating more meaningfully with state broadcasters associations), but this is already plenty to suggest, discuss, and critique.
I’d love to hear from you about these ideas, and hopefully, some of your own.
In the past, radio simply has not had to make much of an effort to achieve success among advertisers. As one of a very limited number of media outlets just a decade or so ago, radio raked in a lot of cash by just being there.
The “If you build it, they will come” mentality has run of stream for radio. Today, you have to be aggressive to get attention. Some of the advertising malaise we talked about yesterday may in fact be attributable to radio’s lackluster effort to collectively take control of its messaging in an entertaining and attention-getting way, selling its strengths.
Whether you’re Kim Kardashian, the NBA, Legos, or Old Spice, the need to assess, evolve, reinvent, and sometimes reboot is all part of the branding and marketing process.
Radio is no different. In fact, you could make the case that it’s been a long time since good old radio had its last makeover.
“Radio is red hot.”
“You heard it first on the radio.”
We can do better than that.
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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I totally agree with you. And I feel like Radio is just lazy, getting slapped in the face daily and just rolling with the punches. I used to work in radio, urban format. I haven’t seen urban radio…or ANY RADIO in my market do anything! Its as if they are in denial, as if they don’t believe radio can die, so why change anything? Even the older things radio USED to do could help. I don’t ever hear any contest anymore, contest that makes radio sound exciting even for those who aren’t the type to participate. Can’t tell you the last time I heard a national artist give an interview on the radio. People USED to respect radio because it had close ties to their music, and culture, by being able to interview national recording artist on air. Radio didn’t just play the music, like Pandora, is was always thought that the radio station LIVED, BREATHED the music and culture. I hear less and less listener interaction on air. People love to hear themselves on the radio, and when they know their going to be on the radio, they tell their friends to listen. What ever happened to “shout outs”…Young people calling up to shout out tho their friends was always a great way to get the younger generation involved, and loving radio. The stations here are non existent to the public as well. They never go anywhere and give out stuff, never go to high school football games, or block parties, they never throw concerts, they never do street hits. Radio has the ability go out and touch the listener. What ever happened to this? Radio DOES nothing but PLAY MUSIC! Its boring! And its not real radio. Music…I can get anywhere. Radio sucks, and if its not dead, it sure fooled me, it must be in a very deep sleep.
Reflecting the emotion and enthusiasm of the audience – whether it’s about the music, politics, or events around town – is table stakes for radio. And as you point out, a difference-maker that sets radio apart from everyone else. Thanks for the comment & adding to this conversation.
Everything listed in your post would be an excellent start Fred. A concerted effort is needed at both the national and individual market levels.
Radio’s most valuable asset is the on air talent. As Milk on May says in their post above, you can get music anywhere but what sets radio apart, or what should, is the ability to interact and be a part of people’s every day lives. It would also benefit the industry to have our personalities available on multiple platforms and there are too few doing that currently. Ryan Seacrest is obviously doing it well, and even though he is no longer on terrestrial radio, Howard Stern has always excelled at this too. Radio personalities need to be everywhere. Promotion on billboards and radio stations is a great start but I want to see blog posts by radio personalities all over the internet. We have experts in sales, sports, politics, entertainment and music all of which should be on radio, TV, on popular podcasts, and featured on blogs.
Sean, thanks for reiterating the personality piece. It’s been an ongoing theme here, and fits perfectly into this discussion of radio’s “cool factor.”
agreed.
One other thought from a sales perspective. When satellite radio first came out some major radio companies actually owned stock in Sirius and XM but I have never heard of a similar situation with Spotify, Pandora, etc. and radio. Maybe there are legal implications that don’t allow them to do so. My point is this, I’ve seen Miracle on 31st Street so I know that Macy’s sales improved when they sent people to Gimbels to purchase a product they didn’t have. Why can’t radio do that on the sales side? Come up with a sales package where advertisers get the best of both worlds. If Coca-Cola wants the cache and analytics of online but the sheer volume that radio provides give them both. Be the one stop shop where advertisers can purchase our listeners plus Facebook users or Pandora listeners or whatever they want. Form a partnership and instead of fighting against the current use it your advantage.
Sean, creative partnerships should always be a consideration. Thanks for bringing up another key point about the potential to reboot for radio.
Great points. Can it happen without the industry ‘destroying’ it’s own? Can a roomful of buyers and advertisers get past their preconceived notions of what they think (or have been told) Rush Limbaugh is long enough to hear him tell them what a great industry he works in? Can Ryan Seacrest, Carson Daly, or Jim Rome declare their loyalty to radio without hurting their TV gigs? Can the lenders live with skittish stock prices when investors discover a company actually spends money on R&D, Cap-Ex, and marketing, instead of it being a budget line to be ‘adjusted’ later?
And can we finally tell the radio “used-to-be’s” and doomsayers to take their “I miss the old days” and GTFO? I remember winding 40 second carts, the full time overnight guy, and taking AM tower readings too, but let it go.
1-An edited montage of country artists thanking radio to go with the “Why Radio” pitch.
2-Maybe a baseball related piece, showing the ratings power of sports on the radio.
Thanks for the forward focus today.
Good questions, Jerry, and all the more reason to try some of these and other innovative ideas. I know that “fail fast” has become cliché, but radio needs to start throwing passes. Appreciate you taking the time.
To expand on the talent aspect, think of how the NFL, NBA, and professional baseball celebrate and compensate their players. An entire culture has grown up around the players, their great salaries, and their work. The franchise is one thing, but the tickets are sold by the attraction of the players. Radio has this ass backwards. Plenty of parents encourage students to do their best so they can be like Peyton, etc. Radio minimizes, and denigrates talent. If radio became a high paying performance space, proud parents, friends, relatives, and a growing base of fans would become a massive promotional information radiator.
No disagreements here, Ricky. But there are also many very well-compensated DJs who are being utilized by their stations and by the industry.
Love the ideas! I also agree that our industry could benefit greatly from a powerful mother figure that will make us all sit on the couch and hold hands when we aren’t getting along. Who that “mother” is…I’m not sure. Radio seems to have a big problem with getting past the competition part. Lets work together to build a bigger pie first…then we can worry about fighting over how much of that pie we can take from the competition. Getting things done on the national scene would be awesome. However, local broadcasters can play a major role in their own fate. Get more involved in organizations, support more community events and remind people you are here every chance you get.
A MOTHER figure – what a great idea! So who do we nominate? And remember, listen to mom.
Mother is listening.
Fred, I agree wholeheartedly with your “Re Boot” concept. In my younger years I spent time in radio programming and research. I then transitioned my career to the ad agency side of things in media and strategic planning. Over the last two decades the changes we’ve all seen have been tremendous. Digital technology has created incredible fragmentation and put pressures on radio that we couldn’t have imagined twenty years ago. That said, technology can also be the saving grace of radio. Several years back the radio industry got a lot of people excited, including a number of forward thinking media people at agencies, with talk of developing side carrier stations. Doing this would have enabled young programmers to push the envelope with new niche formats that would truly target “lifestyle”. Unfortunately, the radio industry didn’t promote the technology and eventually gave up the ship overall. Consumers want to tap into what is relevant and meaningful to them. Perhaps in a “re boot” scenario, the idea of side carrier stations could be revisited. This (along with local relevancy) would be the means to gain listeners back from “Internet Radio” and satellite. It would also enable station operators the opportunity to package platforms to include: the “primary” station, side carrier station, digital and social media. From an agency prospective it would enable us to get in front of tightly defined lifestyle targets. Just a few thoughts from an “Ad Guy”.
James, thanks for the comment and the idea. I bet that Bob Struble and the HD Radio team are nodding their heads while reading your comments. While their technology has taken a long time to evolve and take hold, their vision of HD2 and HD3 channels that offer variety, niche formats, and other offerings you can’t hear around the country has never taken root. Thanks for contributing to this fascinating conversation.
Your suggestions are attempts at rebooting perceptions but don’t acknowledge or address reality. If revenue reacts to and follows perception, try this simple exercise. Take all of the things that you’ve acknowledged radio has dumbed down or diminished – live personalities, marketing, research, fewer people doing way more work, less effective salespeople and strategy and whatever else you’ve cited, (including the emergence of other newer, shinier media) and apply an admittedly arbitrary % to each, rating how big a % of the whole each issue represents. Add those percentages up make that your multiplier. Now take radio’s best revenue year and apply that multiplier. Compare the result to the latest revenue figures for radio.
Is radio’s problem perception or has the advertising community accurately recognized that radio is still valuable, but less valuable? I wouldn’t be surprised if this exercise shows that radio’s perception is actually better than your own assessment of radio’s loss in value.
Actions have consequences and radio’s decision to cut its way out of the doldrums rather than innovate out of them has fostered a largely accurate perception that radio is less valuable than it used to be. It seems to me that trying to fix that with PR directed at the ad community me is doing what my uncle Fred used to warn against – trying to BS a BSer (he was a bit more graphic). Acknowledging the mistakes and reversing them would probably impact perception a lot more – like that old joke about playing a country song backward – your dog comes back to life, your wife comes home, your truck starts running and you stop drinking.
PR may move the needle a little but playing radio’s record of self inflicted wounds backwards will move it a lot more.
Bob, I’ll respond to both of your comments here. I hope that today’s post addresses some of the issues you raise about assessing the client’s problems, and constructing a combination of traditional and digitally driven, measurable solutions. Our newest Techsurvey shows that 2/3s of those who stream their favorite radio station would willingly provide registration information. That’s a strong sign that radio can achieve some level of accountability, but it needs to make the commitment to do so.
I totally get that PR alone won’t pave over problems that have existed for years, and that have been exacerbated by a challenging economy in recent times. As you indicate, mistakes have been made – let’s own up to them, address them, and fix them. And your Uncle Fred was right.
Your ideas are terrific, Fred. And I would venture to say that nearly everyone at line level agrees and would have terrific fun implementing them. At one time owners were at the top of the broadcasting food chain and they were families or smaller corporations with only a few staffers at headquarters. And they let the line people at stations exercise their experience. But now there is a layer of chess players at the top, a notch lower than the massive number of stockholder and pension-fund owners, and those top managers are responsible only to the cronies they appoint to their boards. The game they play is always with financial numbers, it is not about pleasing audiences or advertisers. That game is placing nearly everybody at the line level in checkmate.
I have been lucky enough to have had careers in both radio and TV. Even in view of today’s blog entry about TV vs. digital, I don’t perceive that TV has this same perception problem with advertisers as radio does. It may be a quicker fix to figure out why that is, and emulate the TV relationship with advertisers, rather than hold one’s breath until the chess players release their checkmate. IMO, it will take some more quarters of loss–or maybe even another year,–before the micromanagement loosens and people are actually allowed to do their jobs and given a chance to implement your ideas.
Chuck, I think about the TV-radio thing a lot, and there’s no question that the former has always had a stronger image and perception. Television has always felt bigger, especially since network programming has historically provided its best content offerings. The pictures don’t hurt either.
You may be right that the bleeding will have to continue for some time. But hopefully, radio can reprove its value to an advertising community that is flailing around for answers. Thanks or commenting.
Fred, you’re piece on “Rebooting Radio” makes a lot of sense. I am shocked in some of my recent travels to see air personalities continue to disappear off terrestrial radio. We seem to be fixated on eliminating all tune in factors, other than music.
By the way, I wrote a piece on “Rebooting Talk radio” a few months ago, you might enjoy.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maximizing-talk-radios-appeal-kevin-barrett?trk=prof-post
Thanks for the comment & for including your piece, Kevin. I will definitely check it out.