Are we doomed?

[PostIt]

Try for a second to forget the fact that you work in radio and that most people you know are directly involved in "the biz." Does anyone else think that we're in a dying buisness? With iPods, 24 hour news stations, satellite radio, CDs, bland and unimaginative jocks, consultants, testing, timid bosses afraid of lawsuits, Clear Channel-ism, simulcasting, and any one of a hundred other things that are affecting the quality of our product--isn't radio as we know it doomed?

Think about it...You don't NEED radio at all. People are more inclined to turn to the TV for news and weather reports, listen to their own private stash of music, and watch their own drunken friends do the crazy stunts jocks were once known for.

Ask someone OUTSIDE the industry and chances are they don't know half of what's going on with their favorite stations. Isn't that a terrible sign of things to come? Couple that with the fact that you can make more as the assistant manager of a convenience store than you can at some stations--what is the incentive to try to work in radio?

Your thoughts?

 

[yonkstur]

> isn't radio as we know
> it doomed?

The way we know it now, as you describe is not that
hot. However, things go in cycles and radio has always
been resilient. The technology you mentioned I don't fear,
I fear a younger generation devoid of imagination. Radio's
strongest supporter has always been an imaginative and
informative audience.


>
> Think about it...You don't NEED radio at all.

Not true at all. Traffic jams, breaking news
sports scores, live events............radio can
provide all of that if it wants to. The problem is
stations providing it.

> Ask someone OUTSIDE the industry and chances are they don't
> know half of what's going on with their favorite stations.

Why should they know or care? As long as it entertains
them and informs then, the inside baseball stuff is not
in their wheelhouse.

Couple that with the fact that you can make more as the assistant
> manager of a convenience store than you can at some
> stations--what is the incentive to try to work in radio?

The pay scale alwayus will be an issue as long as good talent
is selling itself short.

> yonkstur

>

 

[Arthur_Itis]

We're not doomed but you might be if you're not perceptive enough to realize local radio will dominate NEPA for years to come.

 

[dmer]

Local radio will always be there, if for no other reason than it provides instantaneous local information. It does seem to be in a rut now but eventually someone will surprise us (someone mentioned in another thread about the future of the River under Bold Gold). Satellite radio will be a contender, but not a replacement for local radio. Maybe satellite will actually help traditional radio because it will force them to be more imaginitive and provide better programming to compete. On the same note satellite is not going anywhere and will increase its numbers. I've even considered it because it may match my music interests better. However even those with satellite will still turn to local radio for the one thing satellite can't provide, and that is local content (news, traffic, weather, sports, etc). I've always viewed competition as healthy.

It is ironic, with all the technology we have that local radio is in the state it is. Technology should improve radio, not make it worse. Some remote broadcasts sound worse than ever (almost like the dj is in a bad phone booth). And you would think with all the money Entercom/Citadel have, their radio stations would be the best in the area. Funny that some of the stations that are getting the most praise in the last year or so (WNAK, the River, WKAB or even Y106.5) are not owned by the huge media companies. Radio will survive.

MERRY CHRISTMAS
D.C.M.

 

[NigelWick]

> Local radio will always be there, if for no other reason
> than it provides instantaneous local information. It does
> seem to be in a rut now but eventually someone will surprise
> us (someone mentioned in another thread about the future of
> the River under Bold Gold). Satellite radio will be a
> contender, but not a replacement for local radio. Maybe
> satellite will actually help traditional radio because it
> will force them to be more imaginitive and provide better
> programming to compete. On the same note satellite is not
> going anywhere and will increase its numbers. I've even
> considered it because it may match my music interests
> better. However even those with satellite will still turn to
> local radio for the one thing satellite can't provide, and
> that is local content (news, traffic, weather, sports, etc).
> I've always viewed competition as healthy.
>
> It is ironic, with all the technology we have that local
> radio is in the state it is. Technology should improve
> radio, not make it worse. Some remote broadcasts sound worse
> than ever (almost like the dj is in a bad phone booth). And
> you would think with all the money Entercom/Citadel have,
> their radio stations would be the best in the area. Funny
> that some of the stations that are getting the most praise
> in the last year or so (WNAK, the River, WKAB or even
> Y106.5) are not owned by the huge media companies. Radio
> will survive.
>
> MERRY CHRISTMAS
> D.C.M.
>

I love how everyone says "local content" is the key to survival. There has never been LESS local content in the Scranton/WB area. WILK has a news department of one. I love Bud, but he's reading more national news and newspaper stories than ever before. Where's the local content? WARM? Please! Traffic reports? Most of the time, the traffic people are just reading the construction advisory faxes from PENNDOT, and that's not much of a public service. Music stations are voice tracking more and more. There will always be a place for free terrestrial radio, but unless owners start wising up, that piece will get smaller and smaller every year. Cable and TV are getting in to more "zoning" technology. An advertiser will soon be able to buy an ad for specific areas, and not be forced to buy 20 counties. Look out radio, trouble is brewing.

 

[Arthur_Itis]

what is the incentive to try to work in radio?

For the chicks man! The assistant manager at the convenient
ain't gettin' any by walking up to a girl and sayin,
"Hey baby! You want a free big slurpee?"

 

[TheTiger]

> We're not doomed but you might be if you're not perceptive
> enough to realize local radio will dominate NEPA for years
> to come.
>

That is why that almost most radio stations in the area I hear, they occasionally run the short recruitment ads for sales people. I know that
Citadel made the ad more entertaining so that they can entice people
who want to work for a company get into the radio business. On this ad, I heard the guy saying "Money! Money! Money!". Being an account executive at a radio station I believe is the highest paying job than any broadcasters in the area.

Also, WNAK ran an ad looking for account executives. My guess is that having more sales people, they can improve the radio station's ratings by selling the products that fits to the format's demographics.

 

[notalkallstatic]

> There will
> always be a place for free terrestrial radio, but unless
> owners start wising up, that piece will get smaller and
> smaller every year.

Question: How should the owners wise up? What should they do?

IMO: Less VT (which I think would be a great idea.) Honestly, I want to hear the DJ live. Sometimes it's good to hear a DJ make a mistake on the radio. But with VT, they can erase it, and try again. Like everyone have been saying, more original and creative.
What Oldies 92&100 did, I did not like a single bit. Having a company (from across the country) provide music and DJs for you. But, maybe that is the future. A terrestrial version of satellite radio.

Maybe, one day, Satellite Radio (XM etc) will provide local radio station channels. Almost like, Satellite TV, first they did not provide local television stations, but now they are. The question will be, if the little companies can buy the equipment that is needed to broadcast their signal to Satellite Radio, because, I think we all know that the big ones have the money they need to do that.

That’s all just my opinion, take it, or leave it…

 

[yonkstur]

> > We're not doomed but you might be if you're not perceptive
>
> > enough to realize local radio will dominate NEPA for years
>
> > to come.
> >
>
> That is why that almost most radio stations in the area I
> hear, they occasionally run the short recruitment ads for
> sales people. > Being an account executive at a radio station I believe is
> the highest paying job than any broadcasters in the area.

It can be a high paying job but you need some decent billing
accounts, a mentor and a sales manager who won't get bent out
of shape if your income approaches his or hers. There is only
so much business to go around and when a new rep comes on board,
in most cases they are given a phone book and little training.
If you stick it out, you can be a success but most entry level
sales people can't afford to "get by" for the first year or so.
Thus the high turnover.
>
> Also, WNAK ran an ad looking for account executives. My
> guess is that having more sales people, they can improve the
> radio station's ratings by selling the products that fits to
> the format's demographics.
>
Maybe. Most stations run ads to try and get more new business.
They think their current sales reps missed something and they
figure 9 times out of 10 the new rep can sell new businesses
better than an old hand. If you look at the truly successful
organizations, you'll see the same reps at the same station for
many years.

Yonkstur

 

[emo474]

Radio is doomed in this area because large companies control every station.
When radio became Wal-Mart in this area and all the smaller station run by good and decent people with local ties and an interest in their communities it was doomed!
One company owning a dozen or more stations in our area is wrong. I went to the old school of radio where I was told "radio is a license to serve the public". It wasn't soon afterward that one GM told me that was a lie.. a broadcast license is a license to "print money", he said. The greed of local owners, who sold out to the big communications giants and the foolishness of the FCC who thought it was a great idea to let the few take over the many, killed us all. There's no creativity, no room to serve the city you are licensed to, when you broadcast to every community all at once. Local news, it's a joke.. Pre-recorded and re-written from the morning paper. If there was an explosion in downtown Wilkes-Barre tonight.. What radio station would you turn to? None! God bless Daniels & Webster and Frankie Warren for being creative and original... once they're gone we'll have to put up with the filth and innuendo that dominates the local airwaves. I loved being in "local" radio, glad I left when I did. Sorry to sound so negative, but the endless promises of "something new and bold", always fizzle out within a few months or are outright lies! "Commercial Free" means we have no advertisers, "Less Talk, more music" means we have no live personalities. Doomed... That’s assuming it's still alive... the patient passed away a long time ago!