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Is there ANY hope for radio

J

jamesh

Are we near a bottom in this cycle or are we watching a form of media just die?

Where do you see things in 5 years in this market? Any local talent still on the air here? Just repeaters for canned content from corporate or consolidators collapse and local ownership and talent makes a comeback?

What if anything do you see raising the Titanic that is now the radio business?
 
jamesh said:
Any local talent still on the air here? Just repeaters for canned content from corporate or consolidators collapse and local ownership and talent makes a comeback?
Click to expand...

I don't understand why radio people think local talent and content are so important when it hasn't been the case for TV in decades.

Back in the 50's I can remember local TV talent (besides newsreaders) but they've been gone for quite a while in most markets. Radio had local talent up until several years ago in most places and there are a number of small market stations where local talent is still viable. Because of the way radio serves its markets I suspect "local" will be the standard for small market radio indefinitely whereas, except for news departments, TV is no longer local.
 
Whenever I see comments about "local ownership making a comeback," I just laugh. If you won the lottery and had a spare million left over, would you spend it a radio station? Seriously. YOUR money, not someone elses. Be honest. Everyone has opinions when it comes to spending someone else's money. It's a lot harder when YOU'RE the one writing the checks.
 
Well it appears that the Non-Local thing isn't working, just look at the recent arbitron scores, they're not great. Maybe you like canned radio but I don't, people in New York or wherever have no connection to me or this area. Maybe the people who listen to Justin Bieber like canned, commerical, crap radio but I don't. The reason those kind of people like canned radio with non-local talent is because they're not very high on the Intelligence scale to begin with, they like to be force fed auto tuned crap that is not talent. So no I don't see where canned radio or consultant driven pencil pusher radio has done anything for radio in this market, it sure isn't showing in the arbitron ratings.
 
clemsonbloke said:
Well it appears that the Non-Local thing isn't working, just look at the recent arbitron scores, they're not great. Maybe you like canned radio but I don't, people in New York or wherever have no connection to me or this area. Maybe the people who listen to Justin Bieber like canned, commerical, crap radio but I don't. The reason those kind of people like canned radio with non-local talent is because they're not very high on the Intelligence scale to begin with, they like to be force fed auto tuned crap that is not talent. So no I don't see where canned radio or consultant driven pencil pusher radio has done anything for radio in this market, it sure isn't showing in the arbitron ratings.
Click to expand...

Bad traffic on the way home tonight Mr. Bloke? That tirade didn't have much to do with local vs remote in radioland. For the record, bitching about current music is one of my favorite pastimes so I agree with you in that regard but it doesn't have anything to do with local radio. Whether it comes from Klem over tuh Jasper Junction or from DJKRAZEE up in Noo Yawk Sity it's still the same musical crap.

As a suggestion I could recommend any one of a number of Internet webcasters (virtually all of which are streamed terrestrial radio stations but virtually none from your local neighborhood that play really nice music and have friendly and interesting, if not local, banter. There is still plenty of radio talent out there but not necessarily in your market.
 
Ha you guys are hilarious. But yeah the consultant stuff isn't working, arbitron shows it.

http://ratings.****************/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb191

Thing's don't look to be getting better! ;)
 
TheBigA said:
Whenever I see comments about "local ownership making a comeback," I just laugh. If you won the lottery and had a spare million left over, would you spend it a radio station? Seriously. YOUR money, not someone elses. Be honest. Everyone has opinions when it comes to spending someone else's money. It's a lot harder when YOU'RE the one writing the checks.
Click to expand...
Local ownership and "live and local" you gotta be "live and local". I've heard it a million times... just never from a listener. If you gave listeners a multiple choice test, you might get a few affirmatives but not unprompted. Even then they'd probably just agree because it sounds nice.
 
landtuna said:
jamesh said:
Any local talent still on the air here? Just repeaters for canned content from corporate or consolidators collapse and local ownership and talent makes a comeback?
Click to expand...

I don't understand why radio people think local talent and content are so important when it hasn't been the case for TV in decades.

Back in the 50's I can remember local TV talent (besides newsreaders) but they've been gone for quite a while in most markets. Radio had local talent up until several years ago in most places and there are a number of small market stations where local talent is still viable. Because of the way radio serves its markets I suspect "local" will be the standard for small market radio indefinitely whereas, except for news departments, TV is no longer local.
Click to expand...

Yes, back in the 1950's-but radio is not television. Radio has thrived on local realtionships for decades-with listeners, advertisers and the community. You certainly have not bought into the bs that voicetracking was created so the best and brightest could be shared nationwide. It was created to save money-period-no other reason.

Local station can't be better jukeboxes than Pandora, Spotify, Sat radio etc. But they can connect with local listeners and local advertisers. Local advertisers could give a rip about Seacrest, but they are happy to shake hands with and know the local morning team that does their live spots-drives the same roads, eats at the same restaurants, kids at same schools etc. They KNOW those people on the air.

It is the only edge radio has-to connect. It has been abandoned by corporate cost cutting so you get a crappy jukebox targeted to a generic person with 14 minutes of ads per hour rather than a personally tailored one with two minutes of ads an hour (Pandora). Local stations can't beat Pandora at their game, but Pandora can't have a relationship that local radio can with listeners and advertisers. Local radio is running from it's only real strength and playing a game they are losing and can only lose.

I would love to listen to local radio-it's just become un-listenable for now. Too much clutter, disconnected and stale music.
 
Take it from a young guy that just left radio...radio is still a viable medium. Unfortunately the companies that currently run radio are making it less viable with their "my way or the highway" business plans.

Pet projects are the name of the game. If it isn't a pet project, corporate won't move on it. Young people in the industry don't have a lot of upward mobility and are forced to move on to other things in order to survive. With no young talent everything will ultimately consolidate.

Local management gets it and works hard for their people. Corporate does not. Which one do you think wins out?
 
jamesh said:
Local advertisers could give a rip about Seacrest, but they are happy to shake hands with and know the local morning team that does their live spots-drives the same roads, eats at the same restaurants, kids at same schools etc. They KNOW those people on the air.
Click to expand...

The hardest thing for me when I was selling local radio was to get the morning guy to make sales calls with me. The absolute hardest thing. They hated it. Felt it was below them to speak with the people who paid their salaries. The thing that killed local radio was the talent themselves, who would complain about certain advertisers, complain about commercials, complain about visiting clients, complain about the sales staff, and then refuse to do anything other than their show. They got so wrapped up in their egos and their ratings that they forgot who got them there. We even had a few who had it written in their contracts that they didn't have to make personal appearances any more. Why have local talent if they're not going to meet the listeners? You guys who wonder where local talent went need to ask yourselves if there ever was anything more *I* could have done to help bring money in, to reach out to listeners, to spend more time with the public and less time on the golf course.
 
BigA makes a good point. Back in the 50's, when Rock n Roll was new, the DJ's connected with their audiences. It was a rare weekend evening when one of them wasn't at a movie theater doing stand-up or at the skating rink hosting a skatefest. They were standards at grocery store openings, gas station giveaways, drive-in restaurants and movie theaters. And for the teens in the audience they were your homework buddy and a couple of them even showed up at my friend's birthday parties. They were just ordinary guys with personality and great pipes but they were involved and it did make a difference.
 
I think we're all disheartened with radio to one degree or another.
But the "business model" is what scares me the most.
Radio, as a whole, needs to be more innovative when it comes to generating revenue.
For the most part, radio is sold now the same way it was sold 40 years ago.
And as long as stopsets are 5, 6, 6 1/2 minutes long; radio will never appeal to young listeners who are building new listening habits through satellite or Spotify or Pandora etc
 
jamesh said:
Yes, back in the 1950's-but radio is not television. Radio has thrived on local realtionships for decades-with listeners, advertisers and the community. You certainly have not bought into the bs that voicetracking was created so the best and brightest could be shared nationwide. It was created to save money-period-no other reason.

Local station can't be better jukeboxes than Pandora, Spotify, Sat radio etc. But they can connect with local listeners and local advertisers. Local advertisers could give a rip about Seacrest, but they are happy to shake hands with and know the local morning team that does their live spots-drives the same roads, eats at the same restaurants, kids at same schools etc. They KNOW those people on the air.

It is the only edge radio has-to connect. It has been abandoned by corporate cost cutting so you get a crappy jukebox targeted to a generic person with 14 minutes of ads per hour rather than a personally tailored one with two minutes of ads an hour (Pandora). Local stations can't beat Pandora at their game, but Pandora can't have a relationship that local radio can with listeners and advertisers. Local radio is running from it's only real strength and playing a game they are losing and can only lose.

I would love to listen to local radio-it's just become un-listenable for now. Too much clutter, disconnected and stale music.
Click to expand...

well stated
 
GordonSims said:
And as long as stopsets are 5, 6, 6 1/2 minutes long; radio will never appeal to young listeners who are building new listening habits through satellite or Spotify or Pandora etc
Click to expand...

If you can come up with a better way to pay the bills, we're all ready for your plan. Even Pandora is starting to become more oppressive with their ads. You can't do this for free. What we've seen is the length of the break doesn't matter. It's the interruption. So the fewer breaks you do, the better.
 
TheBigA said:
What we've seen is the length of the break doesn't matter. It's the interruption. So the fewer breaks you do, the better.
Click to expand...

Fewer interruptions may be better all things considered but if you know the break is only one 15-30 second commercial it is tolerable versus a 5-minute long break.

If I am listening to KOOL-FM and they start a break I know it will be awhile until the music returns so I am gone. If I am listening to KEZ-HD2 I know the break is considerably shorter so no button pushing is required.
 
landtuna said:
If I am listening to KOOL-FM and they start a break I know it will be awhile until the music returns so I am gone. If I am listening to KEZ-HD2 I know the break is considerably shorter so no button pushing is required.
Click to expand...

You're giving it more thought than most people. And more energetic. It's easier to just leave it where it is.
 
It's just easier to.... Hmmmmmmmmmmmm? WE HAVE NO INTENNNNNNT-ION OF LEAVING IT LIKE IT IS! Where sits a need, an idea will stand. RADIO is still in the larvel stage,...it's not finished yet. Count yourself amongst...The Foolish, and The Visionless, if you believe that EARTH FM is an isolated effort. Whether in or out, I have always made it My Business, to point-out those that are in The Business, that have No Business, being in The Business, because they selfishly hinder The Business!
No, I'm not aiming the The Boney Finger Of Blame, but better yet,...The Size 12 Boot of Tailbone Granulation! Corporate Radio would impress everyone, if they too...would only get real, and ditch the shackles of both the Record Labels, and the Consultants. The continuance of following those that simply....Do Not Know! EARTH, like it or not, is back to square one, and Consultant free. Today, Bill Love, to also add fire to their furnace, began to host the Traffic Report on WYFF-TV. Discount his role, if you desire, but he's...on the tube! MAGIC stands the most to gain here, but they have no leader.
 
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