Boston Globe Trashes Local Radio

[Signpost]

It just happens to be how, given a choice, the listeners arranged the hour.
What focus groups tell you they want - and how they actually respond - are seldom connected. My opinion. I wish programmers would use more common sense instead of blindly following what research dictates.

Another opinion: College radio is the only canvas where "radio as an art form" is readily done. If WBOS-HD picks up on that, more power to them, i'll tune in. I hope they're reaching out to WZBC, WMBR, WMFO, WHRB and beyond. The talent therein may not be readily obvious to those who adhere to narrow standards of proper "professional" radio. The passion college radio practitioners bring to the airwaves is done for the love of the medium, not to make a living. Not so much WERS, they try too hard to sound professional - it has no verve, even though they play great music.

 

[Flying-Dutchman]

Imagine the review they would give to radio in other parts of the USA!
Boston has some of the best radio in the country. There is worse.
Much, much worse.

 

[Neanderpaul]

Imagine the review they would give to radio in other parts of the USA!
Boston has some of the best radio in the country. There is worse.
Much, much worse.

Yes. There is.

 

[Don Juan]

What focus groups tell you they want - and how they actually respond - are seldom connected. My opinion. I wish programmers would use more common sense instead of blindly following what research dictates.

Care to elaborate?

Care to give an example?

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Another opinion: College radio is the only canvas where "radio as an art form" is readily done. If WBOS-HD picks up on that, more power to them, i'll tune in. I hope they're reaching out to WZBC, WMBR, WMFO, WHRB and beyond. The talent therein may not be readily obvious to those who adhere to narrow standards of proper "professional" radio. The passion college radio practitioners bring to the airwaves is done for the love of the medium, not to make a living. Not so much WERS, they try too hard to sound professional - it has no verve, even though they play great music.

As far as I know, WMBR has not heard from them. I don't know whether WZBC, WMFO, or WHRB have, but I'd guess that the colleges that have stations connected to a communications or broadcasting curriculum (such as WERS) may be the ones more likely to reach out to them and other professional stations for work for their graduates (even if it may be volunteering or interning), rather than the other way around. College stations that are not part of a school communications curriculum such as WMBR, WZBC, WMFO, etc... generally don't reach out to professional organizations to try to place anyone anywhere, though anyone from those stations can always try on their own.

 

[carmen]

post-grad work

College radio is the only canvas where "radio as an art form" is readily done.

false
german radio play
dabo's poetry and song
doug and (c)rusty
puzzling evidence
electrifying mojo
radio HavanCuba
boomnoise and pokes
over the edge
WFMU of course
the rodents are taking over!
various belches and testicling around 77 meters..

etcetera

 

[Don Juan]

Re: post-grad work

College radio is the only canvas where "radio as an art form" is readily done.

false

radio HavanCuba

various belches and testicling around 77 meters..

etcetera

Wow...I wasn't aware that Radio Havana Cuba was doing radio as an "art form"....

...nor did I ever know that belching and "testicling" was considered radio as an art form.

 

[Signpost]

Care to elaborate?
Care to give an example?

Example one: New Coke.

Example two: "Just Like Heaven" by the Cure. Tested poorly - which hook to use ?

Example three: Neanderpaul's quote of studies showing listeners prefer hearing commercials separately, knowing full well a music station's ratings would suffer if they were to implement that.

i have other examples i don't wish to disclose publicly. i know there are many more famous research blunders like "New Coke", can't think of them off the top of my head though. Although having just seen an ad for the new Russian Vodka "Atomiq" with an atomic (radioactive) symbol as a logo strikes me as another marketing blunder in the making (think Chernobyl).


from http://blogs.hbr.org/pallotta/2010/02/no-reference-points.html

"Apple is famous for not engaging in the focus-grouping that defines most business product and marketing strategy. Which is partly why Apples products and advertising are so insanely great. They have the courage of their own convictions, instead of the opinions of everyone else's whims. On the subject, Steve Jobs loves to quote Henry Ford who once said that if he had asked people what they wanted they would have said "a faster horse.""

 

[Don Juan]

Example two: "Just Like Heaven" by the Cure. Tested poorly - which hook to use ?

How is this an example of: "What focus groups tell you they want - and how they actually respond - are seldom connected." I don't think music is done in focus groups.

Example three: Neanderpaul's quote of studies showing listeners prefer hearing commercials separately, knowing full well a music station's ratings would suffer if they were to implement that.

How is this an example of: "What focus groups tell you they want - and how they actually respond - are seldom connected." I don't think Neanderpaul was quoting a focus group....but a study of actual llistening patterns (i.e...hard data.)

i have other examples i don't wish to disclose publicly.

I wish you would...because you haven't quite proven your theory that they are "seldom connected". It all depends on who is doing the focus group.

Although having just seen an ad for the new Russian Vodka "Atomiq" with an atomic (radioactive) symbol as a logo strikes me as another marketing blunder in the making (think Chernobyl).

Do we know this idea came from a focus group?

"Apple is famous for not engaging in the focus-grouping that defines most business product and marketing strategy. Which is partly why Apples products and advertising are so insanely great. They have the courage of their own convictions, instead of the opinions of everyone else's whims.


I always wondered how they came up with the Newton....isntead of the opinion of everyone else's whimes...they relied on their own whims?

http://roadrunner93.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/applenewton.jpg

On the subject, Steve Jobs loves to quote Henry Ford who once said that if he had asked people what they wanted they would have said "a faster horse.""

Sounds nice, but lets not forget all the missteps along the way.

http://thegadgets.net/technology-news/12-most-odd-apple-concepts-of-all-times/

Let's not forget the iMac:

http://www.theapplemuseum.com/images/content/history/lcd_imac.jpg

...or the Power Mac cube

http://www.theapplemuseum.com/images/content/history/cube.jpg

 

[TheBigA]

Example one: New Coke.

Wow. Way to cite a 25 year old product launch to justify a POV. The fact is that "New Coke" is still available today. If you purchase any Coke product other than the one called "Coca-Cola," it uses the New Coke formula. That includes Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and even Cherry Coke. So just because the company said it was going back to the original formula doesn't mean they thrw New Coke in the dumpster.

So don't dismiss all of research just because you think New Coke was a failure. Quite often, the problem wasn't doing research, but rather the KIND of research that was used. As in, the questions asked. If Henry Ford asked the right question, he would get a different answer.

 

[Neanderpaul]

Care to elaborate?
Care to give an example?

Example three: Neanderpaul's quote of studies showing listeners prefer hearing commercials separately, knowing full well a music station's ratings would suffer if they were to implement that.

First...We don't know if that's true at all. Because we have no barometer.

Second, I personally don't advocate it. In fact, I'm well-documented as someone who believes our industry suffers from an over-reliance on research.

Music is not a linear product. It cannot be represented by scores. A good song is a good song. Many have tested poorly. Many artists were panned by the "experts." And some incredibly brilliant songs and bands have prospered in spite of the "research."

I find it interesting that our industry will dismiss the data obtained via actual listener feedback ("Less than 1 percent of your audience calls" "You can't pay attention to e-mails/texts") and yet puts 100 people in an auditorium, and plays them 800 hooks, takes the best 3-500 and considers those scores gospel.

I'm no genius...but I'd bet 1% of a cume of 600k people who actually use your product is a bigger sample than the ratio of 100 random people in a market of over 3 million.

And did I not just see a recent report that shows now in a PPM world that it IS in fact your P1s who drive ratings?

Research is a good tool to have...live by it and you will die by it.

And here we find ourselves.

I'd be thrilled if we actually put music people back in charge of music radio. No spreadsheet can evoke the emotion that a personality who connects the listener to a great song does. So, I guess what I'm saying is; even if it "test well"...if we present it half-hearted, it will be received as such. And how we assemble commercial breaks means nothing if we don't give them a reason to listen.

Just the random ramblings of the unemployed...

 

[TheBigA]

I'd be thrilled if we actually put music people back in charge of music radio.

There are thousands of internet radio stations run by music fans. They each have a few dozen listeners. That isn't what mass media is supposed to be, with music people playing their favorites for a small group of followers. That's what separates the internet from radio. We need BROADCASTERS in charge of music radio. People who understand the goal is to reach millions, not dozens.

There need to be music people in charge of the music industry. That would be a switch. People who actually know a hit when they hear it, and know a star when they see one. Not just some guy with a checkbook signing a bunch of no-names with no talent, and then throwing them at radio with no plan and no promotion. That's what music radio has become. It's been ruined by the failure of the music industry.

I had someone pitch me one of those no-names today. The call came out of the blue. When I said I need to see a little chart action before I take the time, the publicist asked, "You mean someone who gets radio play?" What was she thinking? Why is she talking to me if she doesn't care or know anything about radio? Where was the advance work? Why didn't she send me the music in advance so I could make a decision based on the music? She can pitch her no-name to the bloggers. Let them waste their time promoting a no-name for free. In a world where there are 8 billion singers, I can afford to be selective. If that means radio is boring, so be it. But listeners need someone to do A&R. It's fallen to radio to do the job of the music people. That's why no one's buying CDs any more.

 

[Neanderpaul]

There are thousands of internet radio stations run by music fans. They each have a few dozen listeners. That isn't what mass media is supposed to be, with music people playing their favorites for a small group of followers. That's what separates the internet from radio. We need BROADCASTERS in charge of music radio. People who understand the goal is to reach millions, not dozens.

There need to be music people in charge of the music industry. That would be a switch. People who actually know a hit when they hear it, and know a star when they see one. Not just some guy with a checkbook signing a bunch of no-names with no talent, and then throwing them at radio with no plan and no promotion. That's what music radio has become. It's been ruined by the failure of the music industry.

I had someone pitch me one of those no-names today. The call came out of the blue. When I said I need to see a little chart action before I take the time, the publicist asked, "You mean someone who gets radio play?" What was she thinking? Why is she talking to me if she doesn't care or know anything about radio? Where was the advance work? Why didn't she send me the music in advance so I could make a decision based on the music? She can pitch her no-name to the bloggers. Let them waste their time promoting a no-name for free. In a world where there are 8 billion singers, I can afford to be selective. If that means radio is boring, so be it. But listeners need someone to do A&R. It's fallen to radio to do the job of the music people. That's why no one's buying CDs any more.

That's right. Make someone else do your job. That's the problem.

Why is YOU finding the best music for your station a bad thing?

If that's the product you're selling...and make no mistake, we are ALL in sales...It's incumbent upon you. Especially in the absence of a record company doing A&R. That's what your Music Director is supposed to do. Listen to everything that comes in, and bring the best for your station to you. Charts? Charts mean nothing. Charts are manipulated. Your audience doesn't care who's +15 this week in Tunafish Montana.

I'll stop before I lose civility. It suffices to say (respectfully) that we disagree.

The band Buckcherry had one of the biggest hits of 2006-2007. "Crazy Bitch" started virally. An independent record that a music fan played for another music fan. And then one of those online stations that you look down upon, played it for their tens of listeners, and a story grew.

And radio looked foolish.

I believe it is our job to find the best music for our stations. Perhaps I'm on an island. Perhaps that is why I'm unemployed. I don't know. I do know radio is not dead. There is great music out there. There are great talent. And it's our job to find them and utilize them to the benefit of our companies.

...but I digress.

 

[TheBigA]

That's right. Make someone else do your job. That's the problem.

'

I can't sing. I can't play an instrument. It's not my job to make the music. The music industry forgot how to do their job. That's why people don't buy music anymore. I know how to do mine, and sometimes my job is to tell amateurs with no talent to take a hike. Come back to me when you have talent and a fan base.

Why is YOU finding the best music for your station a bad thing?

It's not a bad thing. It's an IMPOSSIBLE thing! Because the music being made today is appealing to smaller and smaller niche audiences. That's not good when we're in the business of selling mass numbers. THAT is the product I'm selling. I don't sell CDs. I don't sell artists. I don't sell music. I sell the audience the music attracts. If the audience is getting smaller (and it is), then it's my job to create content that will attract bigger audiences (which I do).

The artists are on their own. They have no support staff any more. That sucks, but it's not my job to fix it, because if I turn a garage band into superstars, I don't get a percentage. They become the next Goo Goo Dolls, selling out the Garden, and I'm left with great memories.

You're right, we disagree. I don't care about some band that sells out 600 seat clubs. That doesn't do it for me. If it's great music, I can listen to it on my own time. My job is to attract the largest numbers I can get for radio. There may come a time when there is no music that will attract a big enough audience to make it worth doing. I think we're close to that. The world stopped when Michael Jackson was buried. Is there a current artist who could get that kind of audience if he or she died? Would the world stop if Ke$ha or Drake met an early demise? If not, then it's time to rethink why we're in this business.

I understand you love music. That's great. So do I. But don't let it distract you from the primary objective.

 

[Jimmy128]

Imagine the review they would give to radio in other parts of the USA!
Boston has some of the best radio in the country. There is worse.
Much, much worse.

You don't have to go very far. Just go to New Hampshire.