To write this blog, I read a lot of stuff – things you might expect me to read (New York Times, Wired, etc.) but also news and features from some less likely places.  And lately I’m running across some fascinating radio stories.

Coincidence?

Maybe.  Or perhaps they’re all indicators that radio continues to play a vital role in a lot of lives.  So for this Friday blog post, I pulled a handful of these stories, each compelling in its own way.

Loyal. Radio. Fan – Contrary to much conventional wisdom, radio still has the ability to generate fandom – loyalty to a brand that leaves nothing to the imagination. How many devotees are willing to actually display your radio station in a personal way?

These days, most radio marketers believe bumper stickers have become passé.  After all, who in 2022 is going to display your radio station on a $50,000 car? That’s a good question that speak right to loyalty.

So what about a more permanent tribute?  Like, say, a tattoo.  And not just to a station, but to a personality on a specific station.  That’s the story of WHIO night guy Evening Edge Todd.  A fan named Tina honored him with a permanent form of fandom:

I am blown away by how amazing this tattoo turned out. Thank you, Tina, for being such an awesome Edgehead! And thanks to Zack Royster at Alley Cat Tattoo in Eaton for the incredible artistry. Can’t wait to visit and get mine. pic.twitter.com/3PF5XpT8C6

— EveningEdgeTodd (@EveningEdgeTodd) November 3, 2022

And maybe it’s a reminder about what can happen when you have live and local talent on at night – in  Dayton, Ohio.

Radio’s on TV – In past decades, a number of television sitcoms were based around radio stations.  In fact, a few of them were hits,  “WKRP in Cincinnati” and “Frasier”  But both them graced the TV airwaves a long time ago.

What network in their right mind would greenlight a prime time show set in a radio station in the 2020’s?

Apparently, CBS drew the short straw.  It appears “Poppa” will debut in 2024, featuring Daman Wayans and Daman Wayans, Jr.  The kicker:  The elder Wayans is a talk radio host, “happily divorced,” who tries to drag his ne’er do well son into leading a more responsible, productive life.

That’s all we know.  But the possibilities and plot lines are endless.  Surely, there will be a grumpy program director, a responsible executive producer, and other zany and weird talk show hosts.

Hopefully, the show will avoid some of the real-life radio drama many in radio are experiencing, and instead highlight the fun business radio can be.  Laugh track included free of charge.

Do you remember your first time?  If you listen to the musicFirst crowd, they’ll tell you the value of radio airplay has greatly diminished; that streaming is now the currency.

But the next time you’ve got an interview lined up with an artist or group, ask them this question:

“Do you remember the first time you heard one of your songs played on the radio?”

And watch them go back to that moment, and tell you about it.  They’ll vividly remember where they were, what they were doing, and the radio station that first took a shot on their song.  Now, you might scoff and remind me that artists who remember this moment are probably Classic Rockers – people who have been around for decades.

But what about today’s up-and-coming young performers?  Do they even know what a  radio is?

Look no further than Jax D a former “American Idol” contestant trying to make it in the music biz.  Watch her reaction to the first time her song, “Victoria’s Secret,” got played ON THE RADIO.

@djjaimeferreira Pretty awesome to witness an artists reaction to their song getting airplay for the first time especially when I’m the one introing it! @jaxwritessongs @933flz #fyp #foryou #radio #music ♬ original sound – Jaime Ferreira

A bittersweet moment of dead air – They say that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.  Like Tim Gough, a UK presenter, many of us working in radio feel this way.  Unlike Tim, however, we never foresee our life ending while on the job.

In his case, it was sitting at the board, behind the mic, doing what he loved.  Tim Gough had what is believed to be a heart attack while doing his show on GenX Radio Suffolk.

At one point in his career, he retired, only to return a decade later to GenX Radio.  When I pulled his photo, I scanned across more than a dozen photos of Tim throughout his career.

He was smiling in every one.  Tim Gough was 55.

A dollar a holler? And in perhaps an even sadder story is this Facebook post from radio vet Todd Lyons.  It goes to show that if you think your station’s average unit rate has dropped this year, you’ve got nothing on The Hawk in Yakima, Washington.

First, it’s a bit curious talent is “hawking” time on social media.  But this is obviously a case of “If it sounds too good to be true…”  Plus, you have to love the liberal cancellation policy.

A sad day in radio.

And a reminder it can always be worse.

P.S. Special thank to Beasley ace Jeff Zito for the Jax D TikTok

And to Radio Edge Todd (Hollst) at WHIO/Dayton for the tattoo pic from a listener, proving you don’t need a marketing budget.

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Fred Jacobs

President & Founder at Jacobs Media

Fred Jacobs founded Jacobs Media in 1983, and quickly became known for the creation of the Classic Rock radio format.

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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