Elvis Duran Says Radio Isn’t What It Used To Be...

[TheBigA]

I would still argue that there are plenty of Little Rocks and Louisvilles with local (morning) talent. Some of these jocks rule their markets and make decent money.

I agree. And as you say, not all of them play music. Take a look at iHeart's legendary rock station WMMS in Cleveland.

35 years ago, there was live talent in most dayparts. Now, it is pretty much limited to mornings.

Because that's where the money is. As we've said many times, lots of people still listen to radio. Just not as long. As a result, there's no need to staff a station 24/7 if the audience is only there for an hour a day.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

If you want to go down the "blame Elvis Duran" road, I'll abide the argument that the Phone Taps are stale and played out (and have been for 20 years), and exist only because nobody's conceived a better idea for a signature daily feature.

A radio station can't prank call anyone. Period. The person being called has to consent to the call being broadcast prior to being put on the air, and radio stations have been fined tens of thousands of dollars for violating this section 73.1206 of the FCC rules.

How many decades has this rule been in effect? That's how long radio stations have been lying to their audiences with this worn-out stunt. Not to mention, who doesn't have caller ID on their phone in 2024? Not only is the concept of a genuine prank call not legal, it's not believable in our current generation.

Can morning DJs seriously not come up with something more creative, modern and relevant to do with their shows?

 

[TheBigA]

A radio station can't prank call anyone. Period. The person being called has to consent to the call being broadcast prior to being put on the air, and radio stations have been fined tens of thousands of dollars for violating this section 73.1206 of the FCC rules.

We've been talking about all the options that exist to traditional radio, and FCC rules only apply to traditional radio. So if someone wants to do a radio-type show on social media, they can prank call people all day, and don't have to worry about the FCC.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

I’m confused as to whether people actually think audiences weren’t going to go elsewhere when those options became available even if 💵 wasn’t a factor in the business. You want to run stations akin to like what…1984? 1964? People were always going to go elsewhere because that’s what people do. They splinter off as more choices become available. All the fist-shaking at big, bad business isn’t going to change that.

Even more perplexing is that the history of the medium shows precisely this. People aren’t inhabiting board like this in mass expecting to roll the clock back to the days of soaps and quiz shows on the radio, because once those moved to a new platform, radio had to adapt to the change. Maybe we go back to the national concept albeit for today’s age. We don’t need some local person playing the latest Taylor Swift song in a hundred stations, just because hey…they can talk about the local sports team or weather. Time moves on.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

We've been talking about all the options that exist to traditional radio, and FCC rules only apply to traditional radio. So if someone wants to do a radio-type show on social media, they can prank call people all day, and don't have to worry about the FCC.

But we're talking about traditional radio because that's where Elvis works, and that's who's criticizing it. I guess he's old enough to remember prank calling his rotary dial neighbors asking them if their fridge is running. Hilarious in his technologically non-advanced middle school life perhaps, but it's just not relevant today. Especially considering the target demographic of the format he works in.

And honestly, this is what this criticism is about. Where are the new ideas? Why are big corporate radio DJs like Elvis leaning on these age-old comedy crutches from the past? Why can't FM radio step into the present and become relevant, even as everyone watches it implode by doing things that were last relevant 40 years ago?

 

[TheBigA]

Why can't FM radio step into the present and become relevant, even as everyone watches it implode by doing things that were last relevant 40 years ago?

Why does McDonalds still sell the Big Mac? You hate his calls. Other people love them. That's the reality today. Everybody has an opinion.

I thought I just posted the difference between radio and social media.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Why does McDonalds still sell the Big Mac? You hate his calls. Other people love them. That's the reality today. Everybody has an opinion.

Be different but the same. Be the same but different. Do what you used to do but new. Do new but like you used to do.

🤷

I find those phone call bits tedious and did even when they were new. So be it. Some people are still amused by them. Some haven’t heard them. Some have.

The prank call bits aren’t the major issue. They might be somewhere near 783rd on the list.

 

[coreynj2461]

Stopped listening to the morning show when they kept on advertising products during their segments. If I wanted to hear commercials I'd stay for the commercial breaks. Also they take off the most minor 'holidays'. Off for Columbus day and presidents day cmon...

 

[Yabadabado1]

In a "Captain Obvious" moment...

Elvis Duran Says Radio Isn't What It Used To Be

"Radio isn't what radio used to be. A lot of radio companies gave up on personalities; they just wanted to play music, it's cheaper. That's not good for our business."

barrettmedia.com

He either didn't get a big as raise as he was hoping for or they cut his pay.

 

[Yabadabado1]

Can morning DJs seriously not come up with something more creative, modern and relevant to do with their shows?

Here's what blew my mind recently: local station, morning show, mostly interviews health doctors, local vet, government official, officials/team members from various pro sports teams, local coaches from high schools, various other "famous" people, not many yuck-yucks.....and then an hour and a half later they're re-running the interview of whomever they had interviewed earlier! Almost EVERY day they do that! Are they so short of ideas, things to talk about, etc. that they have to do THAT? Then throughout the day ads for "if you missed our morning show, we talked to [name of whomever] and you can log onto our website and listen to the podcast of the morning show to hear what you missed."

 

[TheBigA]

Are they so short of ideas, things to talk about, etc. that they have to do THAT?

Most people aren't glued to the radio every minute of the day. They may only hear 20 minutes while they're driving somewhere. Chances are they missed it the first time. That's the problem with linear real time media, and why podcasts and streaming are so popular. People can listen on their own schedule.

 

[Yabadabado1]

Most people aren't glued to the radio every minute of the day. They may only hear 20 minutes while they're driving somewhere. Chances are they missed it the first time. That's the problem with linear real time media, and why podcasts and streaming are so popular. People can listen on their own schedule.

It's a three hour show. On from 6 to 9 AM. Since it's geared towards older adults, I'd think most may be at home getting kids up, breakfast ready, etc. I would say probably more people are at home listening rather then listening while commuting and if they're doing that it's usually 30-45 minutes.....just a guess time-wise. I've listened to plenty of morning shows and never heard any one else repeating something they did earlier [except for news]. And it's been a while since I regularly listened to morning shows since now I'm in bed by the time they come on When I wrote jokes from some of the morning guys, I'd stay up and listen. .I was done writing jokes for some of them a few decades ago so don't listen that much anymore. The last time I was writing jokes was for a morning show in Toronto during the pandemic. They liked my wisecracks to some of the things I responded to when I was listening to online so they asked if I'd write jokes for them. Told them if I was up and listening I'd send some in but didn't want to make it a regular thing. They used some. Then they got booted from the studio and had to do the shows from their homes so it became a pain and I stopped.

 

[radiofan2023]

Kevin & Bean used to replay segments daily

 

[Ken Ellis]

Kevin & Bean used to replay segments daily

Imus and Mike and the Mad Dog would as well back in their glory days, and it made sense to let a different audience hear something, almost always an interview in the last segment of the show.

 

[b-turner]

When I did mornings, much of what I did 6-7am was repeated 9-10am. That was mid and late 1980s.

 

[SCMcKinney]

Maybe we go back to the national concept albeit for today’s age.

Doing that would start to help radio get back into a growth mode. Comments I have seen here on various forums recently have observed that
1. Listeners are fewer, and there is lower time spent listening
2. Just about everywhere except in the US, radio is successfully done with national shows.
3. The way radio is being done now, the money just isn't there to do anything. In fact, cutbacks everywhere are the norm.

I think musicradio as a growth idea is over. It certainly can and will play a part on individual station's dayparts and in corporate clusters. But the reason in my opinion that the younger generations are not tuned in is because radio for them largely serves up one brand of ice cream. Toffee and Nuts in the morning, and then Vanilla the rest of the day. And they can get Vanilla at the internet store with sprinkles added.

Radio will do much better if they will do something OTHER THAN MUSIC after the morning show, and spice up the afternoons with something OTHER THAN MUSIC. As I think is being observed, for most stations the idea that somebody will leave a music station on all day is not today's reality. There is, therefore, no need to try to ape Muzak. With the proviso that they need to be relevant to today, and the demographic radio needs, WOULD a soap or a quiz show be an idea? It was mentioned on some other forum here that ideally radio maybe should be looking at 6 minutes of commercials an hour. Maybe that is not do-able, but would advertisers be willing to spend more for more exclusivity to half hour or 15 minutes, with fewer commercials overall? Somebody big like Audacy or I-Heart that has stations all over might be able to try something national that a big box advertiser would get behind.

I think people in radio may be afraid to try new ideas. Experimentation is needed, but if something fails it not ought to be the death knell of somebody's career. Pick yourself up and try again. Doing nothing is like the deer in the highway.

 

[TheBigA]

Radio will do much better if they will do something OTHER THAN MUSIC after the morning show, and spice up the afternoons with something OTHER THAN MUSIC.

It depends on the format. The stations with more music tend to do better than those who tried morning-level shows in afternoon drive. They don't play more music to save money. The big companies have lots of hosts they could plug in if there was demand for more hosting in other dayparts. If people want talk shows, there are talk shows. If people want talky music shows with 4 songs an hour, those kinds of shows are available. But the studies have shown that when people tune in for music, they want uninterrupted music. Especially in certain formats. There isn't much demand for hosted music formats among people under 50.

You seem to be making a declarative statement that "radio will do much better." If you have studies or examples that prove your point, post them here.

I think people in radio may be afraid to try new ideas. Experimentation is needed, but if something fails it not ought to be the death knell of somebody's career. Pick yourself up and try again. Doing nothing is like the deer in the highway.

What's new about what you're suggesting? Stations have tried new formats and new approaches to old formats. It's an ongoing process. Hubbard tried a AAA format in Seattle, hiring all local staff with heritage talent, and gave them the freedom to pick their own music. It was a total failure.

 

[MassMusicMan]

Stopped listening to the morning show when they kept on advertising products during their segments. If I wanted to hear commercials I'd stay for the commercial breaks. Also they take off the most minor 'holidays'. Off for Columbus day and presidents day cmon...

Both of which are federal holidays.

Elvis and company create an insane amount of content, and get up obscenely early to make it more than 200 days a year. No listener is being cheated by these guys taking proper holidays, and running a Best Of.

 

[SCMcKinney]

If you have studies or examples that prove your point, post them here.



What's new about what you're suggesting?

I certainly don't have any studies to cite. I am reacting to what seems to be a recent tilt in comments all across the forums, which is that fewer people are listening, and listening for shorter periods. As a listener, aside from podcast radio attempts, I haven't heard anything that is breaking the mold of morning show - a commercial free hour - continuous favorites - afternoon drive - music all night. That is cheap to program, and gets decent ratings for now, but it apparently isn't a route to growth or even sustainability. Other posts are centered on how that long-time duo got canned, or the news is gone there, or the station is down to two live shifts. Other posts center on how local advertising is gone and only some national client interest remains for radio.

Talk radio is likely in the same boat as music as far as it being static or no growth. Advertisers are apparently not interested in the demos listening, and in fact avoid political talk radio.

It is my contention that creative people work in radio. Since any business needs to have growth, and the current offerings are not getting that, particularly with the younger demos it needs, those creative people should be allowed to experiment and come up with a combination that CAN do battle with phones and web music stations. Someone mentioned interactive - how can radio make a show that is fun and interactive - maybe with a quiz format. Something completely different, like a well-positioned (and promoted) emotional drama series - I bet that could draw in the female contingent. If a big box advertiser could be found that wants more than a :30 second message stuck in amongst a bunch of others, that might be the source of money to fund it.

Among the younger demos, radio seems to have lost its mojo. That to me is critical. If there is no way to get them listening, I would have to ask who will be listening in 15 years? If it is the same people who are listening now, but just 15 years older, that may not have a lot of appeal for advertisers buying :30 spots.

 

[AMRadioGuy]

What's the basic difference between Twitch and broadcast radio? One is INTERACTIVE. That's the difference between radio and all social media. Between radio and sites like this one. They're all interactive, and radio is not. Radio can't be interactive. It doesn't matter how many personalities you hire and what you let them do. Unless you are interactive with your audience, you're not going to engage with them. Period. Give any child an interactive toy and one that isn't, and see which one he plays with. The interactive toy. The one that directly responds to the touch of that child. Radio can't do that.

I disagree here... How is Twitch interactive? Largely through commenting. Radio can be interactive, too - phone lines exist for a reason. Many online streaming options also have comment sections.

Remotes, too. I've done my show spinning 45s out and about in the community and get fantastic interaction with listeners - far more impactful interaction than a Twitch comment section. Even if just showing up with a mic and board and cutting into the programming a few times an hour, remotes provide great interactive potential! They used to be a common occurrence. Today? Not really at all. Personalities used to MC concerts and whatnot - also interactive. Once again, this largely no longer exists.

I actually worked with a personality who did a music show online through a streaming service and there was a comment section with comments and interaction constantly flowin'. Plenty of interaction there!

Sure, there's no way to interact with purely radio. But radio companies don't just do radio now - and actually for the most part never did. They can interact through social media. Through comment sections on their streams. Through old fashioned means like phone lines, remotes, hosting events, contests... Saying that radio isn't interactive is just not true. Lazy and cheap radio isn't. But with a bit of effort, it definitely can be.

I just met a lady last week and we got to talking about radio. Totally run of the mill lady - not a radio nerd like all of us on the forum here. She still gets worked up 50-odd years later because 13Q in Pittsburgh called her back in '73 and she didn't answer the phone with "I listen to the new sound of 13Q" and instead said "Hello?". If that ain't interaction, I don't know what is...