Hiya John...nothing wrong with being a "radio pig".
I had the HONOR of being invited to a gathering of just such people in NYC the other day along with Pat St. John, "Broadway" Bill Lee and Anita Bonita. These were people celebrating all that is radio (in this case oldies/classic hits in NYC) and I must say that we all got an earful. It was joyful noise by the way. Here's why.
We as radio hosts got to hear the usual "oh you're wonderful", or "I listen everyday", or "I'm glad they brought back CBS-FM", "I used to love listening to The Time Machine on WNNBC when I worked the all-night shift", etc... Those comments are ALWAYS appreciated...
But then EACH of us was invited to say something to the quite large crowd in the party-room of a famous Deli. I was the first to speak, as MOST people there wanted to hear what Pat and Bill had to say...but I basically said that WE as nearly life-long broadcasters enjoy knowing that people...real people enjoy what we do. People who have REAL lives and REAL jobs...and hearing that you are entertained by folks like us who just happen to have fallen into this business for various reasons. I did warn the crowd that radio is changing...and they need to support what IS left on terrestrial radio as it could all go away unless there is a market to serve. I think ALL radio-lifers agree that soon audio entertainment will be all about being CONTENT PROVIDERS...and not so much WHERE it's delivered from...be it terrestrial, satellite, internet or cell phone. There may be future technology that we don't even know about yet on a mass scale...but it will ALL come down to BRANDING and CONTENT that is needed...yes needed by a particular audience. The companies or entrepeneurs who make that transition will win! Others will be left scratching their heads wondering what happened.
(Pat and Bill seconded some of what I said during their brief remarks.)
Regular listeners...meaning the CASUAL radio user likely hasn't noticed the major changes in the "business" of radio. Some couldn't tell a voice-tracked show from a live one...and perhaps don't CARE. As long as their NEEDS are met, and their expecations of what they tuned to are met, they're happy.
The sad reality for the folks ON the air is that many will be out of work or are already, entire support staffs have or will be decimated, program directors will HAVE to or already ARE running one or more stations and sales teams are fighting an uphill battle trying to get even a small SLICE of the ad pie.
Newpapers are really tanking. I feel badly for my traditional media friends. They are in real jeopardy. Heck...even TELEVISION is not in the greatest of financial places right now. How many power-scooters CAN they sell on TV Land? They play that spot ad-nauseum because they ain't got no other spots!
John (and others) I appreciate that you get what I write on this board. There are times when I hesitate to write certain things...because I've been told that SOME radio people are quite afraid to come on here with their real names due to some kind of "industry institutional black-listing" when they do. ESPECIALLY when someone is even a TAD critical of what's going on in the radio scene.
Well...then some just don't want to hear the truth. I am not the only one who has given their whole adult life to the biz...just to have it "poof" away just like that through NO fault of their own. That's the cosmic $#@% of all of this. YOU folks TURN ON a station expecting something...then suddenly that something is gone...whether it's a personality, news person, talk host or even a whole FORMAT.
That's business. And I comprehend that.
I just wish there was a better way to handle that stuff..for the LISTENER.
So John, people LIKE YOU and others who frequent these boards NEED to keep stations aware that YOU are on to them. YOU are sad to see things change so RADICALLY in some cases. YOU need to write letters, email, phone or talk directly to management. YOU need to TELL them what YOU want and what YOU NEED from a local radio station. If NOT...they'll all but disappear before you eyes in the next few years.
I certainly hope this economic mess gets fixed soon, as I predict SOME broadcasters will not survive the downturn...and have a fire-sale. Then you may get something on that frequency that is TOTALLY foreign to your ears...with owners who don't give a rat's &$$ what the community at-large needs.
I sometimes unintentionally ruffle feathers when I write on here. I hope that if NOTHING else, the NON-Radio people here get someone of a CLUE as to what really is going on...and not junk speculation and fabrications of the true facts.
I am however STILL UPBEAT about the possibilities of LOCAL radio. I WANT it to succeed. I WANT there to be thriving good old radio wars going on. Now it seems it's just about trying to SURVIVE. They CAN survive IF they don't forget the basics, and not let their very future be taken by others with more vision and GUTS. Technology helped change some of the rules...and some have gone with the flow. Others are going to be left in the dust without MAJOR overhauls in the way they do business.
And one more thing... YOUNGER people may never come back to radio UNLESS you give them a reason to do so. Gone are the days of listening to a transistor radio under your pillow. Now they sneak the I-pod into their beds with songs THEY programmed. So some real stratedgy will have to be used to woo younger folks to RADIO. It ain't gonna be easy. So what's LEFT of the listening base had BETTER be programmed to in a way they relate to...on the platforms they can USE... We ALL have had to learn new techology. If not, we fall behind. Radio had better do the same as an industry, or it will end up where newspapers and magazines are now. Fossils.
And to ALL who post here...PLEASE try to spell-check when you can. Just write it on WORD first, then spell-check things...and paste it on to your post. We all make mistakes (I've had a few but then again, too few to mention.) In the words of the Tavares brothers "It Only Takes A Minute".
BE BIG!
Jay Sorensen...I post my NAME proudly and without reservation.
www.bigjayandanita.com
[email protected].
