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A career in radio? Think twice.

cyber

cyber

I'm not sure this is the right place to post this but since it concerns all markets I thought it would be appropriate.

radioink.com

Is AI Going To Replace Voicetracking? - Radio Ink

For years radio stations have used voicetracking and automation technology to replace live hosts to save money. Reuters is now reporting that Artificial Intelligence start-up WellSaid Labs has developed voice technology that sounds exactly like live DJ's.
radioink.com radioink.com
 
I longed to be a DJ, but if I do it's going to be on a podcast. I was a guest DJ back when 94.1 in Philly was WYSP. The show was "Hey Mom I'm on 94WYSP." The songs I picked were not on their playlist though(I'm more into Rock and Roll Underground of 60's and 70's). One of the songs I put on my list to play you could've found on Aerosmith's box set "Pandora's Box". It was one of Steve Tyler's earliest recordings from 1966 "When I Needed You" with his group Chain Reaction.

It's not that they weren't capable as I was lead to the sound booth I passed by a closet with a whole bunch of albums. Unfortunately, corporations probably tell the DJ'S what to play instead of allowing the DJ to choose for him/herself. It was still a great experience though as I got to meet Robin Lee and Andre Gardener, but as a DJ I would want to mix it up a bit. Like T-Morgan did with his Sunday morning oldies show on WYSP. If AI is the future of radio. It's over.
 
First rule as a DJ is it is not about you but what the audience wants.

A very good guitarist I knew used to play lots of live gigs and he said early on he'd get on stage and pretty much demonstrate his musical abilities. It dawned on him one day that people in the audience could care less what he could do with the guitar. It was all about making them smile and feel the music. That was when he learned it's generally the simple and easy to play material that reached the audience and engaged them. From then on his stage presence was one of feel good music. I figured his experience was a good lesson for a radio guy like me.
 
b-turner said:
First rule as a DJ is it is not about you but what the audience wants.

A very good guitarist I knew used to play lots of live gigs and he said early on he'd get on stage and pretty much demonstrate his musical abilities. It dawned on him one day that people in the audience could care less what he could do with the guitar. It was all about making them smile and feel the music. That was when he learned it's generally the simple and easy to play material that reached the audience and engaged them. From then on his stage presence was one of feel good music. I figured his experience was a good lesson for a radio guy like me.
Click to expand...
I don't disagree, but there are a couple of examples to the contrary. Howard Stern always maintained, for example, that he did his best radio when he talked about himself/his personal life/made it about himself. But perhaps he's an outlier.
 
My point I was trying to make when I said it is not about you but what the audience wants, is not about if a talk show talent believes it is best to make the show about him. It is understanding that what you choose to do on the air is what the audience wants. It's about the person that decides a that little farming community in the Midwest should not have a country music station with heavy ag news emphasis but should play heavy metal or big band music because it is what they like. I have seen this done way too frequently.

An example: a ministry took a station on the air with a traditional religious music format (George Beverly Shea for example) and traditional hymns as the only radio station for a couple of small communities. After a year or two of zero response from the community, they switched to a 'family friendly lyric' country & classic country format mixing 25% Christian Country. They added lines that enhanced the local feel of the station and they do pretty well now. Had they stopped to listen to what the community wanted, they would have found the original format wouldn't work. Their mix lets them get their Christian emphasis in 25% Christian Country but serves up what the area wants. Now when they announce things like Bible Studies and such people hear it and some show up.
 
Howard Stern, in my opinion, is exceptional as far as air talent goes. He knew just what to do, broke barriers and saw what 99.9% didn't see. Like him or not, he breathed new life in to radio and faced the wrath that came with his decision. I recall the FCC made it rough on him. Perhaps that was why he opted to leave over the air radio knowing stations would only put up with FCC fines for so long before deciding he wasn't worth the hassle.
 
b-turner said:
Howard Stern, in my opinion, is exceptional as far as air talent goes. He knew just what to do, broke barriers and saw what 99.9% didn't see. Like him or not, he breathed new life in to radio and faced the wrath that came with his decision. I recall the FCC made it rough on him. Perhaps that was why he opted to leave over the air radio knowing stations would only put up with FCC fines for so long before deciding he wasn't worth the hassle.
Click to expand...
That’s exactly why he left. He’s said that many times on his show. I agree completely about Howard Stern. For all his flaws, he remains the most compelling radio host I’ve ever heard.
 
cyber said:
I'm not sure this is the right place to post this but since it concerns all markets I thought it would be appropriate.

radioink.com

Is AI Going To Replace Voicetracking? - Radio Ink

For years radio stations have used voicetracking and automation technology to replace live hosts to save money. Reuters is now reporting that Artificial Intelligence start-up WellSaid Labs has developed voice technology that sounds exactly like live DJ's.
radioink.com radioink.com
Click to expand...
When I entered radio 50+ years ago, while still in high school, it was such a different business than it is today. I retired in February 2019 and I've said several times I wouldn't trade a day of it. (Well, maybe a few days would be better relinquished). As much as I loved the business, if I were 16 again in 2022, I wouldn't go anywhere near radio. The industry is too consolidated, stations are mostly micromanaged and short staffed, and the number of places where you can really develop as an on-air person (either as a jock or newsman) is becoming more and more limited. Finally, the business is no longer "fun" because, instead of being run by radio people, it's largely run by MBA's and Wall Street types who know "business" and accounting, but not THE business. In other words, they have no heart or soul for radio. My advice to a young person considering radio today would be to run hard and run fast - the other way!
 
rtetro said:
Finally, the business is no longer "fun" because, instead of being run by radio people, it's largely run by MBA's and Wall Street types who know "business" and accounting, but not THE business.
Click to expand...

Personally I want the people who control whether or not I get paid to have MBAs. I don't need "radio people" running the corporate part of the business. The mistakes I've seen were when the MBAs didn't know how to take care of the money. In the meantime, I learned how to play the Wall Street game myself, and that's how I was able to make enough money to pay for my radio habit. For me, it's still fun because I gave all of the non-radio work to all those non-radio people. That's how you keep it fun. My advice to young people (and I interact with a lot of them) is to keep an open mind. There's still fun to be had and money to be made.
 
IMO there really isn't a career in "radio", where you start playing the hits on the all-night show in Fargo, until you can land nights in Des Moines. There is, however, a career in audio (and video) which can include radio. Who ever heard the term "audio branding" before the last few years (even though it's always been around). Audio is red hot!
 
For me, it was not a career choice but following a passion. In many ways it's the same as the musician or the artist. It's not as much about the money as the passion inside you. The art of radio has always been monetizing your passion in my opinion. I do have to say I consider myself very fortunate to have been pushed outside my comfort zone to learn sales and other positions than on air. That ability to work several positions has always meant I have always had a job and generally of my choosing. Even now I sell advertising with very little supervision and I sell the way it's comfortable for me. In fact, I love it because I really work for my client's continued success and they know I do.
 
b-turner said:
I consider myself very fortunate to have been pushed outside my comfort zone to learn sales and other positions than on air. That ability to work several positions has always meant I have always had a job and generally of my choosing.
Click to expand...

That's another big piece of advice I give to young people. Don't allow yourself to get pigeon-holed in a particular job or format.

Knowledge is power. The more you know, the more valuable you can be.
 
I'd say the best thing that happened to me is understanding radio from the programming side and the sales side. Too many GMs I have worked for knew only sales. While I was GM I made sales and programming equal and tried to not rule on one over the other (it happened but not often). I'd say my programming experience is a real plus on the sales side. I think audience and how to reach them when I propose advertising to a client. I want what I suggest to match the format and the station's target audience. And if it is a contest or anything unusual, I talk to the PD to brainstorm how to pull it off without hurting programming. In my book you need great programming and great sales and if either side has the upper hand the whole station will not reach it's potential.
 
rtetro said:
When I entered radio 50+ years ago, while still in high school, it was such a different business than it is today. I retired in February 2019 and I've said several times I wouldn't trade a day of it. (Well, maybe a few days would be better relinquished). As much as I loved the business, if I were 16 again in 2022, I wouldn't go anywhere near radio. The industry is too consolidated, stations are mostly micromanaged and short staffed, and the number of places where you can really develop as an on-air person (either as a jock or newsman) is becoming more and more limited. Finally, the business is no longer "fun" because, instead of being run by radio people, it's largely run by MBA's and Wall Street types who know "business" and accounting, but not THE business. In other words, they have no heart or soul for radio. My advice to a young person considering radio today would be to run hard and run fast - the other way!
Click to expand...
100%!
 
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