Good for you, stafferman! Hopefully, everyone who reads this will stop and think about it for just a minute. I bet every single "old guy" on this forum remembers the "old guys" when they were young and hanging around radio stations... the ones who constantly complained about how horrible radio had become in 1965, 1975, 1985, 1995. I certainly remember them. I didn't like them at all, nor did I respect them. "Old guy" Bob Greene, who was a phenomenal Detroit PD in the 60s, said he told himself that he'd *never* become one of those guys... the ones who complained about "now" and how great it was "then". He said he'd done it, too. He'd never complained about the changes... but he *surely* had had to bite his tongue a lot.
I bet many of us check this forum hoping to see something inspiring, stafferman, as it sounds like you do. When we log on, there's too much blatant negativity, misinformation and irrelevant commentary on posts. Some people seem almost gleeful talking who's been fired. That's hard to understand. There's too little illuminating inside news about what's really happening locally, too little understanding and insightful discussion of the ongoing changes taking place on area stations and too much shock when a particular station makes changes that result in ratings success. Maybe some people don't really get how radio works at all, in 1965, 1985 or now... radio is all about pleasing the listener, not any of us.
On the other hand stafferman, speaking for those old guys for a minute, let me try to explain how it looks. Weeks like the one we just saw are pretty hard to take, whether we're in the business, were once in the business or just love radio. Clear Channel and Citadel cut a lot of people, some of them really talented. That hurts! Seeing radio burdened with such heavy debt by people who didn't understand what they were getting into has been painful to watch, too. Strong PDs and great talent have lost their jobs, voice tracked shows often sound completely irrelevant and unresponsive, sales commissions have been reduced, marketing and promotions have been slashed and research has been cut or eliminated. This has caused a lot of pain and a lot of damage. We've ended up with a product that is less personal, more background and viewed more and more by listeners as no big deal. That's a *big* concern for the future as it leaves radio in a position to slowly fade into the background.
Slowly is the key word, though. Radio is not dead... not by a mile! It throws off *huge* cash flow, much better than almost any other business. Even in today's economy, if not for the insane level of debt, radio would be showing serious profits. As for ratings in 2011, radio still reaches a tremendous number of people each week. It's complicated, because we can't compare PPM side by side with Diary, but radio has lost very few listeners (and not much quarter hour listening) since consolidation. There is a lot out there to keep people busy, but radio's ratings look incredible when compared to what's happened to TV stations and newspaper. We've done much better in tough times than most other media... *much* better! Meanwhile, despite the clueless articles in the print media and online, Satellite's ratings are, and have been, pitiful in every market. And, so far, no one has figured out how to make any level of profit with "online radio" or anything like it.
We really, really need young guys with genuine passion for radio... people who love it and will do what it takes to get in the door, prove themselves and lead the way in figuring out how to make radio work despite the incredible pressures the business faces today. That is still possible. There are a number of people in Raleigh and Greensboro who've proved that in the last five or ten years. Some of them have already moved on to much bigger markets and are doing very well. Others have stayed here and continue to be successful.
Hang in there, stafferman! Whether you're a fan, an on-air talent or both, keep your head up and let us know what you hear!
