You know that when a blog post is titled like this one, something amazing could happen.
Actually, the chances of that are poor here because sadly, no one seems to have “the answer.” That’s what makes navigating radio in 2012 a combination of exhilarating and frustrating.
When I first started working in the business, I was lucky that the first broadcast company to hire me was ABC. It was an exciting place to be back in the ‘70s, their FM stations all rocked, and they were dedicated to doing it up big and bold.
At the very first NAB Radio Show in Chicago in 1978, the company held programming meetings ahead of the convention. At that get-together, ABC’s iconic programmer – Rick Sklar – addressed the group of ABC PDs by showing us a clock.
The stopsets were drawn up at 15:00, 35:00, and 50:00. And Rick told us flat out, no questions asked, that this was the optimal stopset placement for successful music stations.
Period.
He knew. He had seen it in Arbitron book after Arbitron book. And he instructed us with boldness and confidence that this architecture would be a winner.
Oh boy, have those days passed.
Last weekend at the Worldwide Radio Summit in Los Angeles, I sat through a number of panel discussions, loaded with some of the smartest people in radio and related digital industries. From Cumulus to CBS to Pandora to the RAB, we were treated to insightful discussions about where we are and where we’re headed.
And the thing that struck me is that not only is there no “one way,” but that just about everyone is saying something different about how radio will salvage itself and become viable in the new digital entertainment age.
Here’s a sampling of quotes, thanks to a combination of my notes, along with those of Air 1’s Paul Goldsmith and All Access writer extraordinaire Perry Michael Simon:
“Any business created before the Internet is inherently inefficient … Think of radio as a technology platform with a stack of services … the radio business requires scale.” – Lew Dickey, President, Cumulus Media
“We’re looking for the right way to marry audience and advertisers.” – Brian Lakamp, President Clear Channel Digital (iHeartRadio)
“The currency in the digital world is real time … the advantage radio has is to bring all the platforms together.” – Erica Farber, President & CEO, RAB
“There is greater value in a smaller audience we know a lot about than there is in a larger audience we know nothing about.” – Chris Bell, President, Triton Digital
“We can’t just focus on content, we have to build brands.” – Warren Kurtzman, President, Coleman Insights
“We provide really good services for listeners … we know who our audiences are.” – Bill Pasha, President, Multibrand Media
And this was just the first day!
On the very first panel at WWRS, CBS Radio EVP Scott Herman spoke of a “15 minute test” to determine whether his stations are truly live and local. At the end of the session, Adelante Media Group President Jay Myers told the room that live and local is “bullshit” – that it’s about “quality and relevance.”
So maybe the true takeaway from all of this is that we are working in the radio industry at a very disruptive time when all bets are truly off. The days of low hanging revenue fruit are over, and new models – from Cumulus’ scaling up deals programs like SweetJack to Clear Channel shifting from terrestrial to digital with iHeartRadio – are being tested as I write this.
Erica Farber joins the RAB trying to get her head around radio’s sales problems and opportunities, while Paul Krasinski leaves Arbitron for Umbel in search of a new way to measure and monetize media. He told the room that he’s staking his career on it.
Unlike those autocratic Rick Sklar days where radio programmers and strategists simply knew “the answer,” it’s all up for grabs now.
You can see it in the way that broadcasters run their stations and companies.
Jerry Lee doesn’t stream.
Ed Christian doesn’t subscribe to Arbitron.
Ed Levine makes his big money on event sponsorship and NTR.
We’re all right and we’re all wrong, and that speaks to the incredible precipice we’re standing on today in radio.
At the Worldwide Radio Summit, one former broadcast honcho may have actually nailed it, speaking for many of us. Figmedia’s Bill Figenshu put it this way:
“If we all knew how to make it work, we’d all be #1.”
Amen. That’s “the answer.”
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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Just a thought on this line:
“We’re all right and we’re all wrong, and that speaks to the incredible precipice we’re standing on today in radio”
It’s not a precipice – it’s a mountain… and there is no “right” trail up a mountain. But those who find their way will see marvelous vistas along the trail and when they reach the summit.
Steve, I hope you’re right. Here’s to many trails and much adventure!
Here is the answer. Hire great on-air talent who are passionate about radio and keep them. The audience returns again and again because of them and not just the format. Without strong talent, radio can’t survive.
Radio is our last free medium. This doesn’t mean it should be diluted and homogenized nation wide. It means each city should have their own localized radio stations, ones who understand their local listening audience and business community, and support them equally. You cannot program a radio station in Portland the same as you would program a station in Chicago or New York or Miami. Each city is unique and special in its own way. Radio is failing because of the focus on being the same everywhere. Beaming in voicetracked, unfamiliar personalities from some command center somewhere makes the audience tune out. The listeners want to know about their city from someone who knows it and loves it well.
Radio can still be vital, but its strengths are at the local level, not the national level.
Tara, I think as people who were at the WWRS will tell you, that’s the direction we believe is right, too. And amazingly, the data back it up. Join us for our free webinar with Conclave to see the results of Techsurvey8 and I think you’ll be pleased with how our 57,000+ respondents echo your sentiments. https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/756800168 Thanks for taking the time to read our blog and to comment.
That’s fantastic to know. Now, if someone could just let the radio programmers of Portland know this, so I can get back on the air, that would be even more fantastic. 🙂
As someone who married Kathleen Heather McMenamin I’m just impressed that she trumped by the name Tara Dublin
I disagree with the premise of Lew Dickey’s comment. Then again, I’m not an investment banker. But I can still recall a time, before the telecomm bill, when small groups and solo “mom & pops” did just fine serving thier local markets – with local, live talent and experienced on-site sales and management. That’s a lesson that a Harvard MBA doesn’t impart, I guess…
Pete, it’s a different day and he is one of many voices with myriad opinions – which made the conference both interesting and frustrating. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Harvard doesn’t teach A LOT. Like that you should always go to the Arrivals level at the airport whether your are Departing or Arriving…always less traffic and more redcaps. Also that you should immediately go to the lower level of Penn Station in NYC to get the train where is no security, you’ll see the train listings first and you will get the first seats. Also that ice cream WILL get you a free upgrade on any airline. Really. Anyone at Sirius can get you a free subscription but you must know the secret words, “I won’t tell Mel.” The IHeart Radio concert is instantly sold out because …almost no tickets actually go on sale, they all go to contesting. (smart). WABC as a music station -needed- the reverb. And that’s the top of my list of things they don’t teach at Harvard. Oh, 95% of Venture Capital investments, fail.
These are good things to know, Walter. Thanks and I’m going to try the “I won’t tell Mel” line.