There’s always a lot of talk in radio circles about the challenge posed by Millennials. But of course, their little brothers and sisters are members of Generation Z. And if you have teens in your house or your inner circle, you know how fluid their music tastes and tech focus can be.
That’s why when Lori Lewis showed me a Twitter Trending chart from the weekend, it made me stop to think about young people, music, and the radio. Trending in the #3 position was #StealMyGirlOnTheRadio. Huh?
It turns out that “Steal My Girl” is the new song from One Direction (ask your teenager) – and they decided to use radio to promote and market it. In the end, that hashtag collected hundreds of thousands of One Direction tweeting about how they were….gasp…listening to the radio.
A look at some of these tweets showed a lot of teens talking about how they were listening to this new song on the radio wherever they live. And it turns out that while it’s a great promotion for a new pop song, it also ended up being a great promotion for…broadcast radio.
For some people, it’s shocking that teens could possibly find the radio relevant in a world filled with iPods, pure plays, and YouTube.
Yet, we continue to run across young people who actually want to make radio a career. What are they thinking and how can we learn from their enthusiasm and excitement about the business?
One such teen, Annie Wellman, lives in suburban Detroit and is a senior at Plymouth High School. Her academic advisor, Bill Keith, brought her to my attention, as a result of the school’s legendary radio station, WSDP, getting nominated for a Marconi earlier this month at The Radio Show.
Here’s Annie story, and if this doesn’t get you excited about the potential for radio even in a new media environment, well….
Hi! My name is Annie Wellman and I’m the 2014-2015 Program Director of 88.1 The Park. 88.1 The Park was nominated for a Marconi Award this year for Non-Commercial Station of the Year, and it was an absolute honor to be there.
One of the memorable parts of the convention center was going to the “Mentoring Inspiring Women in Radio” meet-and-greet and I met so many fantastic people who are thriving in the radio business, and I was happy to see that many of them were women. Actually, my aunt, Jennifer Williams (Greater Media Detroit), introduced me to most of these people and when she told them of the radio station’s nomination, they were so impressed! (One gave me a hug.)
Because this is a blog, I’m going to be honest, I literally felt my heart fill up more and more with each praise, surprised exclamation, and every “I’m rooting for you now” I experienced along with our music director, Caitlin Flora. The dinner was GLAMOROUS! Like nothing I have ever experienced in my brief 17 years on this planet. And, Hunter Hayes. What a talented guy, I am not much of a country kind of person, but he is an exception!
Let me tell you more about 88.1 The Park. We are in Canton, Michigan in Salem High School. We provide Top 40 music to the local community, local news, and a chance for a student at the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park to live to their full potential. I believe that 88.1 The Park is essential in our community. The main reason behind this is that WSDP is important to the listeners in one way or another. Some look to it for newscasts for local events, some like to listen to students broadcasting their favorite music, or, I hear this often, listen in the morning to avoid radio talk shows.
My time at the radio station has been the highlight of my high school career. I have met so many different kinds of people and made connections with all of them. WSDP creates a haven for the entire spectrum of kids you can find at the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park, from the jocks to the scholars to the recluses, everyone feels welcomed at 88.1 The Park and that’s what I love most about it.
The skills learned at 88.1 The Park are absolutely essential for anyone going to college, like interviewing, communication and leadership! Lastly, when one is a staff member at any high school station, let alone 88.1 The Park, they are treated like adults and expected to perform like one.
That’s one of the best things about student radio: students become so much more than students. They could become the personality of a community radio station, or the driving force behind the scenes. “Directors,” “Journalists,” “DJ’s.”
My staff at WSDP is full of these people, and I could not be more proud of them all.
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I’m so proud of my niece, Annie! Being a teacher at Salem, I listen to 88.1 The Park and am impressed by the work of our students.
Donna, you have every right to be beaming. Annie articulated the spirit and energy that some veteran broadcasters struggle to communicate. She will go far.
But you *did* see Kassof’s “Few 13-20’s Make FM #1 Music Source”, right? https://www.kassof.com/2014/article-1/
Of course. And our research also shows that while radio is still a primary source, it is being challenged by Pandora, YouTube, and others. But there’s a reason why One Direction made their choice. There’s no question that this generation has musically dispersed, but so many pundits write off radio that this story was too good to pass up. Thanks, Tory, for taking the time to comment.
Annie, I am so proud of you and the work you do at 88.1 The Park! I listen every chance I get!
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Claire.