Radio Days - Pt2

[John FL]

In response to the previous post from TheBigA, I’d like to expand on his comments as well as add to them.

When Roby Yonge made his infamous comments, it was late 1969. FM was being programmed separately in large markets. This certainly opened job opportunities. In the NYC market, I can recall a time when the AM jocks did a separate show on an FM sister. As everyone knows, the early days of FM had limited billing and the cost of a full roster of jocks was probably out of the question. In time, that all changed.

You said “Atlanta is not that far away, and there are a lot of radio and TV opportunities there. Why? Because there are a lot of big advertisers there. Money drives hiring.” Interesting on a couple of levels. I’ve seen formats launched and it seems to take forever for talent to be placed, if it even comes to that.

I’ve given “money driving hiring” a second look. Conservative approaches to hiring on-air personalities is a strategy I see a good deal of in middle markets such as Jax. There have been a number of adult oriented formats come on the scene. Perhaps there were signal limitations. Perhaps, a track record with ratings and revenue needed to be established. Perhaps, talent hiring on certain formats has not been immediate because it was a way of mitigating risk. This is a double-edge sword in my view.

In the past, as more of a general rule, a new format would launch and from Day One, a full roster of jocks were on board adding life to the format. In fact, many of these debuts were a pretty big event. There were 10,000 or more songs in a row played and days without commercials. No doubt, that station was operating in the red at the start but there was a willingness to make those investments to increase the odds at getting recognition and immediate positive listener impressions. Payback would come later. Well, at least that was the plan! In my view, it helped give that new station a fighting chance. I see many advantages in executing that way but that's not always the norm in a market the size of Jax.

In Jacksonville, there’s been a shift away from what I described above, especially among older adult oriented formats. What determines a formats long-range success is comprised of many things. Having talent on board from the get-go is one spoke in the wheel. We’ve seen a great number of adult oriented formats fail in Jacksonville. It’s easy to say there’s demographics at play or too much competition in upper 25-54 but these are excuses. There are many factors. A big one is senior management support or sometimes it's the lack of support.

The constant I noticed was many of these formats started out pretty well. Listeners were looking for something different and that’s the norm. However, without people in place, that interest waned. By time a team or even a couple of individuals came on the air. It proved, over time, to be too late. Yes, talent is only one factor. I may talk about this further later.

The big recent news was the tax cut/tax reform that passed Congress. Trust me, I’m not trying to be sarcastic here. But, with the extra money corporations and small businesses will add to their bottom lines, will we see more hiring? Can more radio opportunities become reality for the industry?

I realize corporations and all business don’t only look at personnel when they are budgeting for expenses or investments. There could be technology investments or even paying down more debt as I think of iHeart Media.

Whether Jacksonville radio or business in general hires more people will remain to be seen. A great deal has to do with what that company business model and even the company core values. Like it or not, for many organizations, it’s about satisfying Wall Street and the owners.

The word “passion” was mentioned a number of times in the previous post with regard to those seeking a gig in radio. I couldn’t agree more. In any business, when there are people in that company who absolutely love what they do, that positive attitude is invaluable. The subject of people and their contributions to radio is very interesting one, at least to me. I'm sure there will be more on this and the role and value the right people bring to radio.

 

[TheBigA]

I realize corporations and all business don’t only look at personnel when they are budgeting for expenses or investments. There could be technology investments or even paying down more debt as I think of iHeart Media.

That's true...lots of ways to use extra money. Lots of ways to hire staff besides on the air. Here's one thing I've noticed: On-air operations are not an area for financial growth. You can only run so many commercials in an hour, and your can only charge so much per spot in a competitive ad market. Radio appears to have maxed out those two things. Twenty years ago, some companies kept adding commercial minutes, and they saw there was a point of diminishing returns. How many commercials they run an hour had an effect on ratings, and ratings had an effect on ad rate. So then they decided to lower the number of commercials and raise the ad rate. Once again, diminishing returns as smaller advertisers found other platforms for advertising. So there are only so many choices there.

The new topic for radio is NTR, non-traditional sources of revenue. That includes digital, with streaming and podcasts. The bad news here is the music royalty is prohibitively high for most companies. Pandora is the most popular streaming service, but they've never turned a profit. So most digital content is spoken word. The other area is events. Back in the 50s, Alan Freed made money promoting concerts, first in Cleveland, then in New York. Same with Dick Clark. So radio stations have become part of the concert promotion business. iHeart has a few festivals. Several other radio stations have entered this area. It's also very expensive, and can have drawbacks, as in Las Vegas, when a gunman shoots at concert-goers.

But growing revenue is a big subject in radio now. The bigger companies are willing to spend money and hire staff if it leads to more return on that investment. That means more opportunities at radio stations, but not necessarily for DJs. There are only so many air-shifts, and only so many shifts that attract advertisers. If you're an air-talent who also sells, then you're in demand. If you're just a traditional "disc jockey," someone who just plays records, there's less demand. I see a lot of DJs who also do production, or also do social media, or also do marketing, or also do music scheduling, or also do personal appearances. Hyphenates. That's why I said passion is a big part of the equation. Because if you're not passionate about what you're doing, there are probably better ways to make a living.

 

[John FL]

But growing revenue is a big subject in radio now. The bigger companies are willing to spend money and hire staff if it leads to more return on that investment. That means more opportunities at radio stations, but not necessarily for DJs. There are only so many air-shifts, and only so many shifts that attract advertisers. If you're an air-talent who also sells, then you're in demand. If you're just a traditional "disc jockey," someone who just plays records, there's less demand. I see a lot of DJs who also do production, or also do social media, or also do marketing, or also do music scheduling, or also do personal appearances. Hyphenates. That's why I said passion is a big part of the equation. Because if you're not passionate about what you're doing, there are probably better ways to make a living.

What you describe, in effect, is the importance of employees wearing multiple hats. It’s something I’ve been saying for quite some time. Smart utilization of employees and growing revenue certainly doesn’t apply to just radio but in virtually every business. Ambition, motivation, passion, whatever descriptive you want to use is what can often make a difference in hiring and in even staying employed.

If you look at various radio station social media sites, it’s rather illogical to find talent M.I.A. when it comes to contributing and interacting with listeners. Honestly, I don’t understand it. While it’s common for typical workers to have lots on their plates, posting a meme, posing a question, conducting a poll….whatever does not take much time and effort. There’s an entire universe of material out there. Content drives interest in various sites. Radio is no different.

I know this can sound corny but I’ve been talking about “the right people” for a very long time. Getting commitment and quality across the board is a must. I also wonder if the mind set of employees themselves have changed.

Back in the 80s and early 90s, I was a banking center manager. There was a culture we developed. If trash was dumped in the parking lot, it was the norm for my team and I to pick it up and dispose of it. Gross stuff like vomit was a different matter but I didn’t hesitate to at least throw a bucket water on it to dilute it sufficiently until the cleaning crew arrived.

In outdoor shopping centers such as the St. John’s Town Center (I will talk about this place later and the effect it has had on Jax to include radio), I’ve seen plants literally dying in big containers right outside a number of stores. Some of these places have dozens of employees. There’s also management. Not one person thinks it’s their job to correct an eyesore at the entrance of their establishment. I look for initiate and passion as a way of rewarding and advancing people. Does radio needs to do a better job in this regard? I understand what you saying regarding revenue supporting various dayparts. However, I have a different view in regard to talent and how they are utilized. I’m all about results too but I have remained firm that the right people can make a world of difference in increasing the odds at success.

While I believe everyone from the highest members of senior management to the lobby receptionist is required to having a winning attitude, I firmly believe that sh*t flows downhill. That entire operation can never be better than the person at the helm. If this person doesn’t give a crap about a station, format, employee(s) etc., then you can’t expect others to make up for that deficiency or even feel motivated themselves working in a stressful and morale-deficient environment .

More to come.

 

[John FL]

I'm not sure exactly what has happened but my post from yesterday as well as two responses from David Eduardo and one from TheBigA have vanished. The number of reads has dropped since yesterday as well. I have a transcript of what I posted yesterday. Perhaps I'll give this a little time. Not sure if I need to re-post again. A shame, there was information and interaction that was very interesting. Hopefully, these can be reconstructed?

 

[TheBigA]

I'm not sure exactly what has happened but my post from yesterday as well as two responses from David Eduardo and one from TheBigA have vanished. The number of reads has dropped since yesterday as well. I have a transcript of what I posted yesterday. Perhaps I'll give this a little time. Not sure if I need to re-post again. A shame, there was information and interaction that was very interesting. Hopefully, these can be reconstructed?

The site took a hit last night and apparently blew some things up.

 

[John FL]

The site took a hit last night and apparently blew some things up.

Timing is everything, right? Actually, I found the missing posts extremely interesting and the best part of this entire string so far. At any rate, I do save what I post on this board. What follows may not be word-for-word as I tend to edit what I posted but this will at least get us somewhat whole again.

From yesterday: Yes, music testing has been discussed to death on the boards. I’d like to avoid that here, if possible. I look at music testing like I look at just about everything else. There’s no absolutes. As in anything, there’s always room for improvement too.

I’ve read a number of accounts of music meetings where the big AM PDs of yesteryear (such as the 60s and early 70s) sat in an office and listened to a stack of records that looked promising. Much was probably based on national chart rankings and other criteria. Some of the jocks were in attendance where they had an opportunity to vote up or down on a song.

On the surface, that approach may have appeared to be sound business decision making. No one is denying the success enjoyed by many of these radio professionals who had the talent to pick the hits, lots of times just based on how the song sounded. But then we can’t forget, there were a good number of pros who thought The Beatles were a passing fad in England and American audiences wouldn’t show much interest. Boy, were they wrong.

What was obviously missing at these legendary music meetings was actual input from listeners that went beyond chart position. In the first “Radio Days” I talked about how “MacArthur Park” by Richard Harris wound up as an “add” on WABC’s playlist despite the fact the song was very long for AM and didn’t sound at all like a song on typical hit music station of the day.

The decision was to vote it down for reasons above but that decision wound up being reversed. Office workers, secretaries, sales members etc. heard the song played and became completely mesmerized by it. They wanted to hear more of it. That song became a mega national hit as virtually every Top 40 station added it.

Today, music tests are done under controlled conditions. There’s a great deal of science and statistics applied to ensure that costly investment produces a winner playlist to attract target listeners and with that, the advertisers. This is not full-proof or absolute as I mentioned above. I can look through history and can find deficiencies in many methods. Music testing, in my view, is critical. But there’s more. There are many factors involved in be successful.

I’d like to share more on this next. Again, I support the use of music testing and its benefits in determining what target listeners enjoy hearing or don’t like at all. But there are dangers if the results are not analyzed properly. It’s important to look at recent history in the market. It’s also important to differentiate yourself. I will explain more by using a specific former Jacksonville radio station and one of many things that proved strategic errors. (Concludes missing post from yesterday)

Today's new additional commentary: David Eduardo wrote a detailed analysis about "picking the hits." There were various trades that were used. I cited "Rocking America" written by WABC heyday PD, Rick Scklar as among my most used source material to justify my comments. I've seen hyperbole statements and inaccuracies from Rick and others like him in their radio accounts. So, I wasn't taken aback that some statements were exaggerations. David also talked about new artists and the difficult the Beatles had in marketing themselves for commercial radio. (I know I'm leaving out a lot of detail)

There was also an earlier post where Mr. Eduardo responded to my post regarding the grandstanding of Roby Yonge and the Paul McCartney death rumors. Again, I used information from Mr. Sclar's book regarding WABC's nighttime signal and the controversy and long reaching effects Roby's comments generated. David went on to explain how it was not likely there were complaints from as far away as Albuquerque, New Mexico and Guantanamo, Cuba. There's a lot of hype in radio accounts. I'm more interested in the truth and in being accurate. Opinions are another matter.

At any rate, I gave a very Cliffs Notes version of what transpired. It's just one of those things. I know full well what's it's like to see important information and files suddenly vanish. More to come.

 

[John FL]

Music testing is a radio subject that has long held my interest. The discussion that follows pertains mainly to music testing involving upper end 25-54 formats such as classic hits. It’s not my intent to discredit this method of determining typical listener music preferences. But, I do have concerns.

Last night we headed out for dinner and I thought I’d check out what Easy 102.9 was doing. I heard the song “Every rose has it’s thorn” by Poison. I was a bit surprised but then music overlap in various formats grows more each year. Poison’s song is a popular tune but I would think this a song that classic hits and classic rock would feature more exclusively. Formats seem to be melding together where one can see 5 stations play a number of the same songs.

That song is far more mellow compared to Aerosmith’s “I don’t want to miss a thing” that Easy 102.9 also plays. We can argue about the merits of playing rock-ish tunes on a Soft AC format. However, music testing is probably saying something else. Overall, Easy sounds very AC-ish but some songs, including "twangy" ones I suspect could alienate some listeners but they are probably in the minority. Even though it's the same company and format, I find the music on Miami's Easy more to my taste. But then I lived there for a long time and visit there multiple times a year.

We’ve seen AC change rather significantly over the years. Several months ago, I visited my favorite pizza place. They are constantly changing radio stations. So, when I walked in and heard a Whitesnake song, I figured they had 96.9 The Eagle (Pop Classic Rock) on. It turned out to be AC WEJZ. Later in the hour, they played a Bon Jovi song.

In August 2010, when the short-lived variety based classic hits station Magic 107.3 (WJGH) came on the scene, I was stoked. The first few months, before the airteam came on board, were probably the best in terms of music. As I recall, the music was scheduled from the MD from sister WOLL in West Palm. Magic 107.3 was performing extremely well in the ratings achieving a #3 ranking in 25-54 right out of the box.

The music was solid but it also offered an alternative for upper end 25-54. There was music overlap between AC WEJZ and Classic Rock WJGH but it wasn’t significant. I believe it helped Magic 107.3 stand out as something different. Apparently, the ratings indicated many listeners felt the same as I did.

As time moved along, I noticed the music was changing and not necessarily for the better. Consistency in sound is critical. Sometimes the station sounded like Eagle, sometimes they sounded Like WEJZ. I saw problems ahead. I found out that the station did invest in music testing. One of the jocks said to me “Thank goodness, they are” or words close to that. It's a shame there were so many tactical errors.

The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, and Billy Joel were among the most played artists. It would not surprise me that music tests revealed these artists and their music appealed to Magic’s target audience. However, history tells us these artists were power-rotated when “Eagle” launched in 2004 and WEJZ, back in 2010 and even into 2011, was still featuring the artists mentioned including a good number of 70s songs. There was familiarity with the music and I’m sure that helped raise those scores.

The bottom line is music testing offers tremendous insight as to what typical, target listeners enjoy hearing and even not wanting to hear or perhaps even indifference to certain songs. In my view, when a new station winds up sounding like another successful station or stations in the market that comes with risks. Why listen to a copy when you can hear an original and heritage station? It's probably a major stumbling block for any new station launched to compete with a heritage station. Some have the chops to overcome obstacles. When the company is solidly behind a format, that increases the odds at success.

Up to a couple of years ago, I regularly analyzed leading variety based classic hits stations playlists from across the country. I’ve found there were over 200 core songs that virtually everybody doing the format plays. It’s probably the case that in every major format such as Modern Country to Hip-Hop to AC all have core artists and songs they feature regardless of the market.

Music is the bread and butter of music stations. If a decision is made to invest in the expense of a music test, then it’s critical to interpret and manage the results flawlessly. For many years, I was very impressed in how CBS Radio managed their classic hits properties. In my view, many of these stations represented the very best in the format.

Smart rotations is key. Nostalgia-based formats can get stale very quickly. The truth is these stations offered songs that overlapped with other stations in the market. That’s unavoidable. However, because of the efforts made in special programing on long holiday weekends such as A to Z playing everything in the music library, Top 500, even Top 1000 countdowns, and even daily features all, in my view, help differentiate the station from the others. It shows creativity and injects a little fun into a format. CBS Radio also gave their PDs some leeway in transmitting that local flavor, and not cookie-cutter, which is critically important. I've noticed many unique songs on each station. Philadelphia's WOGL would frequently air "Gonna Fly Now" by Bill Conti, obviously a Philadelphia/Rocky connection.

There is no doubt, programmers work under very tight parameters. There’s music testing results. Play too many songs another station plays and listeners will lose interest. Play too many songs that another format plays and listeners will get confused as to your true format. Play too many songs to differentiate yourself and there are obvious risks if those songs test marginally well, if even that. I’ve seen radio copycat some good successful models. However, I’ve also seen sloppiness and laziness when it comes to what the listener hears come over the speakers. Music scheduling and selection require laser focus and attention. In my experiences, why music programing is allowed to get stale or there is little effort in being creative makes little sense since competition and growing revenue is treated so seriously.Anyway, my two-cents.

More to come on this and some additional comments regarding talent.

 

[John FL]

A potpourri of stuff.

Recently, I heard Tony Mann and Dr. A.J. Davis were let go from translator station Sunny 102.3 (W272CQ translated from iHeartMedia’s WSOL.) In the first “Radio Days” commentary, I praised the company – CP Broadcasting – for bringing life to their oldies/classic hits format. Well, let those comments be stricken from the record!

As much as I tried listening to Dr. A.J. Davis’ show in the car, I found the distortion annoying so I didn’t hear much of him and probably not many other listeners tuned in either. Afternoon reception seemed better with Tony Mann. I’ve noticed morning distortion on other low-power stations as well. Why is that? I’m thinking no matter what these guys did on Sunny 102.3, it wasn’t going to move the needle enough to satisfy management. Both are well-known personalities in the market. You'd think that could help brings some sponsors on board.

I've met with Tony Mann a good number of times. He was one of the first jocks I heard when I got to Jax in '97 when he was on WAPE. He's got an easy going on air style. At his time at Magic 107.3, he was engaged with sponsors and their promotions which were all positives. There's been a few listeners asking where Tony is on their FB page and of course no one answers their questions. A shame.

Translator stations have been popping up all over. Despite the poor signal and limited coverage, there must be something attractive about these. I’m thinking it’s helped struggling AM stations to get better noticed and pulled in on FM. Maybe there’s opportunities for mom & pop operators to advertise with much lower rates. Maybe various stations in the cluster are sold as “package deals” too where the sponsor gets bang for the buck with their spot airing on multiple stations. Maybe there’s something I’m missing. Some translator stations have some amazing formats and programing. Ironic, right?

Recently, iHeartRadio stations began carrying the Channel 4 weather team to broadcast weather reports. The Cox stations utilize news/talk WOKV personnel for news updates and traffic reports. Weather updates are provided by their “Action News” meteorologists. Those in media wear many hats. But, an illusion is created, especially in automated and limited personality stations that there are people on these stations and that it’s full-service after all.

While I understand the economics of doing that sort of thing in a market the size of Jacksonville, it still leaves me feeling disappointed. Maybe disappointment isn’t the right word, I’m not really sure what the word is I'm trying to describe. I will probably always see radio as a personal medium and that’s just my view despite automation becoming more the norm.

With news and information at everyone’s fingertips, the need for a music station news/traffic reporter may not seem necessary. However, if that’s all they do on the air, perhaps I could agree. I’ve seen these people be in effect co-hosts to the morning drive host. This brings the program a little life. I think one of the hardest on-air jobs in radio has to be the person doing AM drive solo. Tell a joke and there’s silence. I don’t know, it would just seem tough.

I spoke earlier about how impersonal we have become. Perhaps the average listener is not interested in warm handoffs between a host and a news, weather or traffic person and a little back and forth banter. At any rate, I’ve seen the right team and the right chemistry deliver great ratings. Today, competition strategy has changed. What I believe earns better ratings has been replaced with slow and methodical approaches. Middle of the pack may be the goal. The concept of winning has changed. It's like that fire and passion are just not there.

Next: final comments

 

[TheBigA]

The concept of winning has changed. It's like that fire and passion are just not there.

Not sure what you mean by that. From where I sit, it depends on the format and time of day. You get a lot of warmth when you listen to country. You get a lot of tension and hostility when you listen to talk. You get a lot of banter in morning drive. Less talk the rest of the day. But don't be fooled...everyone wants to win. Just the way to get there differs by the players.

 

[Tibbs4]

I have not had time to read many posts here on RD in the past few months. First, Happy New Year to you all. May 2018 be the best year yet for all of us. John - your posts and time spent are flat out remarkable. It is hard to imagine that with all of the energy and passion that you have - you can condense it into these very specific posts. BigA and David - you manage to find all the fun posts and comment back. Another incredible amount of dedication and passion go into your time spent on here. I cannot imagine the experiences would be as fun if you all quit.

I want to literally BEG you three to continue on the train of thought on here about your views of stations today and winning. I think that what John is recalling, but not necessarily saying, is that the dynamics of station rivalry has changed as stations that were once stand alones or duopolies have gone under one roof and it is rare that you hear one company mention another companies radio station(s) in any sense of competition. It does happily happen here in Nashville as a few of the local Cumulus talk show hosts enjoy Hippie and manage to bring it up every few weeks. It can make for fun banter. So, John, are you missing the old days of the Top 40 or Rock stations tormenting their direct competitors? I think the evolution has changed that part of the business for sure. Maybe that "fight to the death at all causes" competition is gone from the airwaves. but it does exist behind the scenes. Probably it is just better researched and taken on a bigger national scale vs. the knee-jerk reactions down the street.

Secondly, I think we all see another change that has led to less stirring of the pot, if you will. That is the amount of listener engagement on the air. Back in "the day" all we had was a telephone line and a local number and everyone under 25 pretty much felt compelled to call and had a direct line to the person on the air. Now, it obviously depends on the format and whether the station is airing a national show or someone is live in the studio. The CHR sound is so different now, and many stations seem to profit from having a national flavor while still keeping it somewhat local. I think the telephones are not as important by any means as a great social media presence. So that has changed a lot of the actual station dynamics, like Big A said. Maybe the warmth is gone, but the online interest and engagement certainly attracts many people looking to connect in today's world.

What I will say is that those people who grew up as teenagers with stations that were constantly asking for calls and/or having contests seem to be much more comfortable with "just calling the station" even after all these years to talk. At Hippie (ol--es format) we get plenty of calls like that. People love to remember. I am not on the air as much over the last two years as I was or would like to be, but for me, I call it (off air) "mental therapy" for me and "ear harassment" for listeners. There is really nothing like getting a handful of listener calls each time I am on the air where people feel comfortable and connected enough to just call in. That is what, to me, makes radio still so special. It has a personal connection vs. even a great website of Facebook page.

 

[John FL]

Thanks, Tibbs4. Really appreciate it! I was feeling as though I was talking to myself, if you must know. Many seem to have grown out of the habit of checking in on the boards every once in a while.

I’d like to amplify my “winning” comments both you and TheBigA pointed out. It’s normal to say “everyone wants to win” and I believe that’s true. After all, no one wants to be perceived as failing. Yes, there are battles that happen more on balance sheets than they do in "radio wars" like in the past. But, I've been feeling for quite some time that more focus is happening on things behind the scenes and not enough in where it truly counts - what comes over the speakers. It's all about, or should be about, quality broadcasts and programming.

Tibbs4 describes some of the classic radio battles such as tormenting the competition. No, that’s not what I’m reminiscing about at all. I never was on board with so-called guerrilla warfare because, I believe, it diminishes the professionalism that is broadcasting. I’ve enjoyed some poking fun jabs that are not mean-spirited and there’s been lots of very clever and funny ones.

For the sake of not repeating myself, I’ve written a great deal about the spirit of winning and the lack of teamwork in some specific radio stations such as previously mentioned Magic 107.3 . Great teamwork that fosters a winning attitude from top to bottom certainly increases its chances at success. I’ve seen dysfunction at various levels where a station literally meets its demise from within. But to answer the questions, I will offer the following general and generic statements.

I’ve seen contests, especially national ones, where a cue is given for the listener to call or text a word or answer a question – whatever- to get a prize. A number of times, I’ve seen typical listeners get on the station’s social media page complaining there was no cue and no one could be found answering the phone. It’s rare these comments are addressed, never mind a station apology. The person running that station may be committed to winning but his/her actions and overall station sound say something else.

We talked about music testing and the great playlists that result. But, I’ve noticed among certain companies, one here in Jax, there is a set it and forget it mentality. Winning to me means keeping the programing interesting. Change those rotations, add and drop songs. Get involved. How many times have we all seen any particular station begin sliding in the ratings and then the playlist gets an overhaul. That’s not winning to me, it’s reacting.

Next month is Valentine’s Day. What a perfect opportunity for AC stations to dust off some great love songs and do something special. Run promotions in February where listeners can win candy and/or restaurant gift cards. Not surprisingly, there may be token mentions or a romantic prize or two but it’s more like just going through the motions and staying the format course.

I’ve seen station websites and social media pages where links don’t work. There’s a Jax station that has a Twitter hyperlink, click on it and you’ll find no one has posted a tweet in over two years. I think what I’m trying to say is there is a lot of sloppiness. One has to wonder who’s running the show. It's apparent taking the time to check that various and sundry things are all in working order don't have a place. However, listener impressions are made on various levels. They interact on different platforms. If it appears the station doesn't care, why should they, especially for the long run.

Over the years, we’ve seen radio stations grow leaner and leaner as many other businesses have had as well. PDs can also act as OMs and who knows what else. They program multiple stations. There is no doubt, they have lots on their plates and they do what is deemed as essential. Perhaps there is the perception “winning” going on if budgets and other metrics are being met or even exceeded.

Earlier I talked about some of the accounts of those big AM PDs who had a way of making everything they did bigger than life. I’ve also read accounts and even heard interviews of some big jocks of the day who talked about some of their great bosses who lived and breathed winning. They were great motivators and coaches. They demanded excellence. It was something that can be heard over the air. I’d like to hear more of that. Winning is a great thing but I still feel it does not mean the same as it once did.

Hopefully, I explained what I meant by my earlier comments.

 

[b-turner]

Just a small comment. I remember hearing stations where you could tell simply by listening that the staff was super-charged and felt they were building something big. It was not the words uttered over the microphone but more of a primal communication where you perceived the jock as feeling they were part of that winning combination, that they were thrilled to just be there and that all the other components of programming communicated the same. I still hear that but not as frequently as in the past. Likewise I get the feeling sometimes the jock is just going through the motions and would rather be at a format they felt allowed them more of an opportunity to be more challenged.

I recall one station where our PD was let go and the AM PD took over thanks to a budget cut. The poor AM/FM PD had such a workload both stations suffered. You might say we lost our mojo, not enough to lose our lead in the market but definitely enough to make it a close race. Over on the AM side, the same happened. We were out in the community less. Contests ad promotions were fewer and more run of the mill. A couple of people I knew quite well said it sounded a bit like we were tired, as if we had gone as far as we could. Being a jock at that station, I knew these listeners personally. In reality, we had no weekly aircheck sessions and there was less communication between the PD and jocks.

 

[John FL]

Thank you, b-turner. I’m happy you’ve discovered this thread. Your comments rang true to me on a number of levels. Whether our career is in radio or anything else, feeling that you are a part of a winning team and/or company can help make your job so rewarding.

Earlier in this string, TheBigA talked about having lots of passion if one is interested in a career in radio or for that matter it applies to any job really. In my own career and in what I saw in peers and other teammates, there was passion in the beginning but then that changed and went south. The right boss makes a big difference. The same hold true in radio.

Since this is about radio days, I’d like to add a bonus topic – Saturday Nights. I remember the Saturday night daypart as being among my favorites. On the CHR station I listened to when I was growing up, it was a dance party where old songs were mixed with the new. For anybody who complains of repetition today, you have no idea how bad it once was. Saturday nights offered a refreshing change from the same old, same old. It was fun and great hearing songs you hadn’t heard in a while.

In time and with the growth of FM, Saturday night specialty shows sprang up often playing requests and dedications. In my first years in Jacksonville, I especially enjoyed John Harrell’s request show. Not sure if that’s how his name is spelled and I’m not even sure of the station he was on. It was either 102.9 The Point or Mix 103. Maybe it was both. But again, it was a fun experience on the radio. That show was done well IMO.

What’s true is the average person who is entertaining guests on a Saturday night doesn’t have the radio on as an entertainment source. That did happen in the past. There’s all this analysis that says weekend listening is way off from weekdays. While that may be true, I still see opportunity because people are out driving in their cars a lot on weekends.

I see Saturday nights as the time of the week where many people are letting their hair down and enjoying themselves. Jacksonville has an outdoor mall called “The St. John’s Town Center.” I may talk about this some more because it has changed Jacksonville’s image in many ways. Saturday nights are jammed with traffic there.

There’s dozens of restaurants and most are very busy. I think of all the people driving around going here and there. While I realize, some are listening to satellite or their own music stash, but there’s also typical radio listening. Are they hearing something that complements that fun feeling or it just more of the same and pretty much lifeless?

There are some AC stations that offer music for lovers and romance. Saturday nights are a big date night after all. Then there are those who are very much in love and enjoying an evening out. Variety-based classic hits play nostalgic club/dance music mixed with upbeat hits of yesterday. Like seasoning, specialty programing titles need to be sparingly added to the mix.

A number of years ago, Classic Hits Magic 107.3 made the decision to offer a special Saturday night show. I loved the music but I soon came to realize, it probably didn’t fly to the typical Jacksonville listener. It all sounded more like they were doing a Rhythmic AC or even an Old School Urban format. It was too much of a radical change. It was one of so many mistakes that were made. Winning is achieved by being smart, driven, and creative with everyone on the team doing their very best.

Here’s an example of a fun, upbeat song that can be featured on a classic hits station or AC on a Saturday night. I think it deserves occasional airplay other times as well. It’s a feel-good song and an optimistic one too. It’s all part of that winning strategy of “breaking out” from all the sameness. One of my favs from the 80’s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIOJdMdS56k

 

[John FL]

I briefly mentioned the subject of winning and I’m happy to have gotten some good responses. That’s probably an entire subject of it’s own. It got me thinking about the whole concept of winning, perhaps even in a different light.

I looked at the latest Jacksonville radio ratings. There have been interesting trends happening for a while now. On the subject of winning, kudos would have to go to country format, WQIK. They are on fire. While I am not a country music fan, I have no idea what they are doing but they are certainly winning. True, I don’t have 25-54 and other specific demos but they are attracting large numbers of listeners. As I remember from previous conversations from a long time ago, WQIK has usually performed very well in 25-54.

We posters tend to talk about the things that interest us specifically. There’s lots of stations and some just don’t get recognized but should. Given this subject was mainly about my own radio days experiences, I’ve concentrated on past performance of stations such as the former Magic 107.3 but I’d also like to talk about Magic’s replacement since we are still on the subject of winning.

Magic’s replacement was Jack FM.(WWJK) I was never fond of that brand, the indifference of the message in the voice imaging or the typical playlists used. A lot of it was mainly personal taste and you may even say bias. I don’t care for formats and stations that aren’t personality driven. Jack FM didn’t exactly set the world on fire in Jacksonville in overall ratings but I wouldn’t call it a loser either. Not surprising, without the expense of an airteam, there were music tweaks fairly regularly. They'd be an uptick, then down again. It seemed they were stuck in neutral and not being significantly better in cume and shares than the former format. Still, iHeart stayed the course.

Last year, WWJK rebranded itself as “107.3 The River.” They may have decided to change names as use of the name Jack FM can be costly, as I've read on these boards. Sometimes a change of name can change image, especially if Jack FM bore any negative one. I’ve been noticing a rise in beauty contest ratings where they are cuming higher and growing shares. Yesterday, I sampled the station and checked out their playlist. Overall, I can see why more and more listeners have been tuning in. Typical though, there’s overlap with a lot of classic hits titles, many of which were and should have been featured on Magic, but I can see why they are designated as Adult Hits. I see a station that is managed well from how the station sounds overall. There's perhaps 25-30% of songs each hour I don't like but then I'm not their target.

107.3 The River is a station to watch in 2018. What’s probably true is The River has found a sweet spot. If they are performing well, they are probably doing better in the money demo. I suspect they are but I don't have actual information to support that. I also suspect TSL may be going up because the station is quite more listenable.

Interestingly, 107.3 The River does not have a roster of jocks. What that validates is talent is not a cure-all. I never said it was. You can have all the best talent but if the programing is not creative or a little unique and there isn’t an across the board, top to bottom working in harmony mentality, having a thirst to strive for excellence and being committed to success, talent alone can’t keep a leaking ship afloat. I would think upper management believes The River is “winning.” There’s many roads to success.

As I’ve looked at ratings and noticing changes, I believe something else is at play. There are more people who are calling Northeast Florida home. According to the ratings, we are market #46. It doesn’t seem too long ago, we were 49 and 50.

With WQIK (country) attracting big numbers, it would appear the newer residents are country music fans on top of the country format being extremely popular in Jacksonville to begin with. iHeart’s WQIK does have competition with Renda Broadcasting’s WGNE but that station has been trending downward for a while now. Maybe there’s something going on there too turning listeners off.

Winning in a market that is growing. I’m thinking that can be interesting to explore a bit more so we will.

 

[John FL]

There’s another aspect of winning that involves forecasting market growth or even contraction. Many businesses analyze market data to figure the road ahead. I was always amazed at the kind of demo information that can be gathered. That was some time ago when I used it in the banking world. Today, I would assume it’s gotten even more precise.

There’s also the power of simply observing what’s going on in the community. It’s something I did besides looking at raw data. A huge growth has undoubtedly been The St. John’s Town Center. There’s mega numbers of stores and restaurants employing thousands of people. Construction, electrical, plumbing, and road building jobs are plentiful not only at The Town Center but there’s been astronomical building of apartments, condos and homes around that shopping behemoth. Obviously, there are even other growth areas all around town.

I dine at many of St. John’s Town Center restaurants fairly often. Millennials look to be the vast majority of diners around me. Perhaps as a sign of getting older, my analysis may not as scientific as I would hope. Lately just about everybody looks like they are 32 to me. I recall one of the posters talk about Jacksonville as being one of the youngest in median age than any other major city in Florida. I don’t need to look at marketing data to verify that. I can truly see it.

This week, I met with a realtor on business. He told me people are moving to Jacksonville from virtually all over but there’s been surprising numbers from New England and The Mid-Atlantic states. Jacksonville may be earning a good reputation based on the healthy economy. I have no idea how significant any of this is means to Jax radio. The ratings usually tell the story, if not today, then soon.

Speaking of ratings, I often wonder what the parameters are for people to be chosen to participate in the PPM ratings measurement. In other words, is there a time requirement for living in the community before a person is considered to be on the panel? For a market the size of Jacksonville, I have no idea how many people or families are chosen. Hopefully, the sample size is large enough given our large land mass. Again, there are those in radio management who have to analyze what ratings are saying today and they have to forecast what that signifies for at least the near future.

I can look at Jacksonville radio history and wonder if there even was any strategic thinking in certain situations. Some formats, in my view, withered away via lack of support.The content didn't generate enough listener interest. Replacement formats were sometimes a knee-jerk reaction aimed at solving one problem but it brought about another one often by repeating similar mistakes. I've long been an advocate of learning from mistakes and not repeating them. It's amazing how often we see that happen. Winning is not easy given the tough and restrictive parameters radio operates. It's still inspirational to see hard work, commitment and yes passion create a winner.

I thank all the posters who contributed to the “winning” part of this discussion. It got me to thinking about that subject and maybe down the road we’ll talk about it some more if something happens that warrants it. Hopefully, you found this conversation as interesting as I did.

My final comments will come next.

 

[John FL]

Final comments.

Radio has provided me tons of memories. I also learned a great deal about the business of radio along the way. I just didn’t listen to radio but I dissected it and studied it like it was a subject in school. It's been over 5 decades of being radio-intensive. I often wish I had grown up in neighborhoods that kids my age to play with. Radio became my buddy.

By accident, I discovered DXing when I was a kid. I didn’t understand why that happened or why it only happened at night (I learned the whys later on) but what a rush it was to pull in stations from far away. I quickly learned that regional hits existed and that radio didn’t sound exactly the same as the hometown station. I found that interesting.

There were so many great voices and varying personalities heard over the years. Some made it big. Some came and went. Hype existed in a lot of radio. Some gave this persona that they were bigger than life but then the newspaper would report that person was let go for bad ratings. It’s all radio. It’s a lot of theater. Listeners imagined a lot.

Voices and the personality were pretty much all we had to like or not. In you looked like Frankenstein, no worries. If you could entertain, sounded good, and played the hits we (listeners) figured you looked like someone from those beach blanket movies.

Terrestrial radio operates under strict 25-54 parameters. I understand all of that. My feeling is if you don’t like what any particular radio station, tune them out. If you don’t like anything, play your own songs or get a satellite service. Complaining is as old as the hills. When I was growing up, I can remember my parents and relatives complain about “today’s music” and how it’s nothing compared to the songs of yesterday. I can just hear my dad say “And THAT was music!” We haven't changed much.

Today, I listen almost exclusively to SiriusXM in the car and sometimes at home. To tell you the truth, I miss terrestrial radio. There, I have history and a long, and satisfying relationship. While radio has left me because I have grown out of the money demo, I can honestly say I have never left it emotionally. I may not actively listen to it. But, I do have an affection for it and I care deeply for those who earn a living from it.

There’s a number of SiriusXM channels that I truly enjoy. But, the business of radio has some exciting and news-worthy moments. You just never know what’s coming next!

 

[John FL]

There's one more thing. My Jacksonville "radio days" are coming to an end. Next month, I begin a new chapter in my life with a move to Vero Beach. We spent the past week there for a little R&R and to look for a new home. We got both.

As far as radio goes, I have always tuned in to local stations when visiting a new community. This time, I didn't listen to local radio at all. I'm sure I'll eventually check out radio in the Vero area but I suppose my expectations are not that high. But who knows what I might come across. I shouldn't assume low expectations.

Looking back at my contributions to this radio board and especially for the Jacksonville market, I'm proud of my visions and recommendations. To me, it will always be about quality broadcasts and effective utilization of talent. I wish I could have been more influential and embraced more by the Jacksonville radio community. It is what it is.

So, we all move on as life goes on. It's not an end but really a beginning. The personal medium that I see radio is not something that is shared by those running the show. I'll keep tabs on goings on in Radio Jacksonville. You haven't heard the last from me. Stay well and I hope 2018 proves to be a very successful year for the radio industry in Jacksonville.

P.S. I tried changing my profile name. Nothing seems to work. If anyone knows how this can be done, please let me know. Thanks.

 

[b-turner]

Speaking of looking at data to determine your audience, the printed sheet of all the crunched numbers does not tell the story.

My first radio job was in Eagle Pass, Texas. That's right on the border. I also worked 55 miles further up the highway from Eagle Pass in another border town, Del Rio, Texas. 55 miles sounds like a long way but Del Rio was the next town on the highway and the town in the next county.

The difference in the towns was night and day. Del Rio was 75% Hispanic and the median age about 2 years older than Eagle Pass. Eagle Pass was about 97% Hispanic with a median age around 22 back then. The difference in population numbers was only about 1,000 with Del Rio being slightly larger. Del Rio also had Laughlin Air Force Base about 6 miles out of town.

Eagle Pass was dubbed by many locals as 'an extension of Mexico' mostly because it had somewhat the feel of it's sister city, a substantial city, separated by a river. In Eagle Pass, the average person spoke Spanish more often than English. You heard younger demographics speaking primarily English but when a word was easier to say or had a greater meaning than the English word, then the Spanish word was used. Del Rio, on the other hand seemed as if it had no sister city separated by a river. English was the language used. You heard very little Spanish compared to Eagle Pass.

If you just looked at the data, it would appear the towns were not different at all. Sure, Eagle Pass had a higher percentage of Hispanic population and a lower per capita income, but if you were programming a station, you could easily miss the night and day differences.

Even the mindset of both communities was pretty much identical. Both towns had a strong identity with the USA. There was an evident feeling both towns felt the Mexican National was somehow akin to a less cultured and poorer version of the local even if they themselves were immigrants. To give you a rather odd example, in Eagle Pass where you heard Spanish more than English on the street, our radio competitor was a station across the river playing American top 40 songs with commercials and liners in Spanish. It was detested. People wanted English language DJs and commercials with their American hit songs even if their English was poor. I never could really get a reason for this. In fact in trying to explain it, a listener was mostly likely going to use a Spanish word or two to drive home their point. They would say it didn't mesh together although they fluidly went Spanish to English in every day conversation.

Del Rio had a feel like any other Texas town of about 35,000 people. Of the 4 stations there at the time, none were Spanish except one that had an evening program in Spanish playing mostly AC hits from Mexico. Eagle Pass had an FM top 40 and a Spanish daytimer that had a variety format. You got a little pop, cumbias, rancheras, and such via their hourly hot clock.

The only influential difference I saw was Eagle Pass tended to get plenty of wealthy shoppers from across the river. Perhaps more than Del Rio got. To get a retail job in Eagle Pass you must be bilingual. In Del Rio, it didn't matter.

The real difference was in the commercial load. Eagle Pass stations were dictated in pricing from stations across the river. Stations from up to 100 or so miles in the interior of Mexico were regularly on the street selling commercials to Eagle Pass merchants. Stations sold for as little as 5 cents per spot. Thus, the station I worked for struggled to command $2 a spot with a bonus at night. That made us 'one-in-a-row' radio. We're talking 3 to 5 spots between each song, mostly 30s. The stations across the river averaged 5 to 7 spots per song. In fact an AM Spanish pop hits station played about 8 songs an hour without news in the mix. Almost 60% of their typical hour was 30 second commercials, sold in multiples of 100 at $15 per hundred. And yes, people listened.

In Del Rio, stations did 3 or 4 breaks an hour, mostly about 3 or 4 units per break. Spot rates were around 5 or 6 times what Eagle Pass could command. It was quite typical of American radio at the time. Even the stations across the river charged around $2. And the city was smaller. Even so, both cities across the river could be said to be at the tipping point of being 'over-radioed'.

I spent over 5 years on the streets selling commercials in Del Rio. Never once did I run in to a salesperson fro a station in Mexico. My short time selling in Eagle Pass it was a daily thing. I recall in the late 1980s having a conversation with a client in Eagle Pass that turned down all my offers at $3 a spot. He was kind enough to explain. He said he could buy a spot on the most popular station across the river for $3 and the top FM station for $2. Even I knew the audience size of either station was much greater than mine. By comparison, 50 cents would have been about right compared to $3. He even mentioned the local TV station was selling $5 spots equal to what the TV stations across the border charged on a good day.

In conclusion, on paper these two communities appear about the same size, don't appear different and certainly have similar amounts in retail sales yet in reality they are very much like night and day. Thus, as JohnJax stated, one has to wonder if enough attention is paid to research of the market that is not revealed in all the numbers. If all that influence from northern states is happening through the number of new residents in Jacksonville, is the market truly what it appears to be on paper?

Something amusing: I was working on air in Eagle Pass when something happened with the electric grid. The local power company was prepared with a connection to the electrical grid in Mexico. We got power from Mexico a coupe of days before the grid got back on line. This was back in the day of back-timing to network news. The problem was the electric grid in Mexico was not stable at 60 cycles. The electric clock would be off a few seconds every hour, screwing up your perfect back timing to the news. One jock asked for a battery operated clock but we never got one. The worst part was I did sign on and the clock could be off about 2 or 3 minutes either way. We signed on with a 60 second devotion, then network news. One day I was almost 3 minutes early. The next day about 90 seconds late. Then we went back to the American electric grid.