National Morning Shows will soon replace Local morning drive radio

[pocket-radio]

According to industry experts, local morning shows could soon be replaced by high profile national morning show hosts. We're already seeing some mid-day jocks replaced by voice tracking or simply eliminated altogether. Their argument is people don't go to movie theaters because it's local. Or you don't watch American Idol because it's local. I have to agree talent and content is very important, but I also disagree. Being local and making a connection between radio, listeners and their community is radios best competative edge! Many Am talkers are nothing but national talk radio. And I'd love to hear nothing more than a local talk master taking on crime and drug issues or corruption within our government. I mean someone behind the mike who has passion and who's not afraid of controversy, and isn’t afraid to express independent thoughts. Rush, Hannity & Bortz say the same thing everyday.. Dems/libs suck.. I get it.. please move on.

Radio's biggest problem is they've stopped investing in their product/ talent. And they've given to much credit to music alone. In the meantime, better jukeboxes have come along and to a better job than jukebox radio. People still go to see movies because the content is great and wows their customers. And movie producers can't cut their products to the bone, like radio has. Also you can't download the latest Hollywood blockbuster from the internet. Not yet anyway..

So I'd love to hear your thoughts? Would radio be better if local morning shows were replaced by national high profile hosts? Or, is local better and what would local radio mean to listeners.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

So I'd love to hear your thoughts? Would radio be better if local morning shows were replaced by national high profile hosts? Or, is local better and what would local radio mean to listeners.

You raise some interesting points. People will give opinions coming down on all sides of the issues you raise. (Terrestrial) Radio just as well shut down and sell the towers and transmitters for scrap metal if we are going to turn morning over to good national talent. If that is going to be the morning fare, cut out the middleman. Everybody get a satellite receiver.

And when you look around, it is obvious that many citizens would be perfectly content with that scheme.

I never lived in a "city" until I was almost 30 years old. In recent years I have been living in the foaming and sloshing shoreline of Atlanta urban sprawl. I have one foot firmly planted in the swirling waters of the city, and one foot firmly planted in Appalachia. My city foot says: Who needs radio with a local transmitter. Give me NPR by any means you can get it here and I'll be happy. Atlanta 'city radio' doesn't give me enough local content to worry with it. TV news and a big fat daily newspaper meet that need..

That foot that is planted in 'ruralness' says: please, please, please. Give me radio. Give me a real person with enough brainpower to carry on an intelligent conversation, at least during the morning hours. Give me a government regulatory system that makes it possible for a smart and clever team to actually make those little tea-pot stations work. Make sure they all have some kind of night-time capability. This idea of giving daytimer AMs a low power FM translator is a step in the right direction but there are not enough open spots on the FM dial to make that the only answer.

You get the picture of what I want. (that was a big, bold "I" if you didn't notice.) But, then again, maybe I'm just weird.

 

[Brother Bear]

I contend that national morning shows will never replace local morning drive radio. Whether it's NPR, Stern, Bubba, Steve Harvey or whatever, the more you disconnect from a local market the more listeners will disconnect from your station.
TV morning shows are mostly a smattering of local traffic and weather and then it's back to New York City where the 'talent' takes themselves and their program WAY too seriously. Channel 4 in Jacksonville flies in the face of that logic and provides 4 hours of local content with familiar faces that matter to Jacksonville.
People WANT to know what's happening where they live and work and send their kids to school. Evil Empire Radio has taken away that element and forced syndicated radio down listener's throats ... now they know of nothing different. At the same time, corporate radio has eliminated the 'farm system' of cultivating young talent to move up through differnt markets.
The task ahead is difficult for stations that will find themselves being owned by local operators again. Not only must they reintroduce local personalities to a long-starved audience, but they must nurture those young broadcasters into positions that companies like CC and Cox banished ... personable, friendly locals that know their city ... and love it.
Local radio with local people does not have to be stuffy and pretentiously cerebral like NPR, nor boorish and offensive like Bubba. It just has to be a friendly voice that starts your day with content and conversation relevant to the listeners lives.
An old mentor of mine preached, "It aint rocket surgery, people."
Idyllic? Sure.
Obtainable? Absolutely!

... follow the Bear to the Promised Land!

 

[12 In a Row]

Your thoughts/ suggestions are wonderful. 10 years has past and local broadcasters have taken back the ship.

Imagine going back to the days when it all mattered.
Then that pesky thing called "reality" kicks in.

Advertising revenue has dropped 50% or more. Many local clients either sold, went out of business or moved on to other venues.
More stations, more choices for consumers and advertisers.

Little or no money to hire a full staff of decent people at decent wages.

Local news, weather, sports, no school annoucements, all available when you want it and need it, on the internet or cell phone.

It's the popular thing to say corporate killed the radio stars.
NO, father time and technology did it.

 

[alcapone]

The way radio market managers think is if they can save a dollar they will satellite in Bubba or whoever. They won't care if your Steve Sutton, Robbie Rose,Arthur Crofton or Mark and Chris. Whoever they are. PLEEEZE stop comparing local radio to local TV. True they are both communication mediums but totally differnet animals. Here in Jacksonville WJXT-TV took a huge gamble dropping their CBS affliation 10 years ago. Channel 4's parent company was up for the challenge to make sure "4" got the backing they needed so not to falter. Everything in this age of technology is sight driven. Why do you think contemporary radio stations constantly refer listeners to their website. Look at the trends for radio in Seattle/Tacoma. The highest trending radio station in that market has a 5 share... A 5 SHARE. No one in that market listens to radio. Two things will give radio a chance to rebound. If and when the economy comes back and the clear channel sale really happens. I'm purple holding my breath

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Advertising revenue has dropped 50% or more. Many local clients either sold, went out of business or moved on to other venues.
More stations, more choices for consumers and advertisers.

Radio revenue has dropped 50%? Can you document that. I think that would have made headlines. Maybe I missed the news that day.

Little or no money to hire a full staff of decent people at decent wages.

You are the proponent that times have changed. Full staff at decent wages used to spend a lot of time waiting for a record to finish playing before they could crack the mic and speak something cute. Times have changed. Technology allows the use of staff more efficiently. Maybe radio has dropped the ball. Maybe radio should hire good people, explain to them how cows eat cabbage in the 21st century, and turn them loose to work some magic.

Local news, weather, sports, no school annoucements, all available when you want it and need it, on the internet or cell phone.

This is where radio needs some creative thinking. What we used to do without a lot of creativity or sophistication is now available by those other sources. However, if you are driving down the expressway thinking this has to be worse than driving in NASCAR, are you going to get on your phone and call the PTA, the Weather Bureau, etc.

If you are working in the warehouse where product is coming off the assembly line and needs to be boxed and stacked, the internet screen is not part of your life.

Young families raising children don't have the family budget for unlimited minutes cellphone packages.

Radio is just plain damn lazy is the problem.

It's the popular thing to say corporate killed the radio stars.
NO, father time and technology did it.

Both contributed to making life more dicey for the people who are "invested" in radio. (owners and talent).

Saying corporate hasn't damaged radio is like saying Detroit has damaged the market for American made cars.

Maybe we need to spend less time arguing about who has killed radio, made radio ill or just been a drag on radio and focus on how radio can regain vibrance. It WILL be done with less people on staff.

True, new technology has created more things to gain the attention of would-be listeners, but creative radio people will figure out ways to using technology that has never been part or radio before to make it possible to have something on the air worth tuning in.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure radio gets it.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

........ No one in that market listens to radio. Two things will give radio a chance to rebound. If and when the economy comes back and the clear channel sale really happens. ..........

Think about what you just wrote.

If ratings are down, nobody listens to radio... why would the economy coming back do much of anything for radio? If it is true radio lacks listeners to are doing or watching something else, would the money of the improved economy go to those other things being watched and being done?

What difference will it make if the CC sale really happens. If a big company owning a thousand or more stations has become a problem in the radio industry, does it make any difference whether that GIANT operation is owned by a company with publically traded stock or is owned by a company called a private equity company? If BIG, BIG, BIG is bad, does public stock vs. private stock really matter?

 

[12 In a Row]

Advertising revenue has dropped 50% or more. Many local clients either sold, went out of business or moved on to other venues.
More stations, more choices for consumers and advertisers.

Radio revenue has dropped 50%? Can you document that. I think that would have made headlines. Maybe I missed the news that day.

For the past 10 years, on average revenue has dropped 3 to 5% per year. Do the math.

Little or no money to hire a full staff of decent people at decent wages.

You are the proponent that times have changed. Full staff at decent wages used to spend a lot of time waiting for a record to finish playing before they could crack the mic and speak something cute. Times have changed. Technology allows the use of staff more efficiently. Maybe radio has dropped the ball. Maybe radio should hire good people, explain to them how cows eat cabbage in the 21st century, and turn them loose to work some magic.

Bottom line, you want to give people jobs. We all do, they just don't exist anymore. Just about everything in this country is being outsourced.

Local news, weather, sports, no school annoucements, all available when you want it and need it, on the internet or cell phone.

This is where radio needs some creative thinking. What we used to do without a lot of creativity or sophistication is now available by those other sources. However, if you are driving down the expressway thinking this has to be worse than driving in NASCAR, are you going to get on your phone and call the PTA, the Weather Bureau, etc.

GPS and cell phones.

If you are working in the warehouse where product is coming off the assembly line and needs to be boxed and stacked, the internet screen is not part of your life.

Young families raising children don't have the family budget for unlimited minutes cellphone packages.
This is America, people will find the money for cable and their cell phones.

Radio is just plain damn lazy is the problem.

OK, come up with some creative ideas and YOU will be a billionaire!

It's the popular thing to say corporate killed the radio stars.
NO, father time and technology did it.

Both contributed to making life more dicey for the people who are "invested" in radio. (owners and talent).

Saying corporate hasn't damaged radio is like saying Detroit has damaged the market for American made cars.

Maybe we need to spend less time arguing about who has killed radio, made radio ill or just been a drag on radio and focus on how radio can regain vibrance. It WILL be done with less people on staff.

Again, come up with the magic bullet and YOU DA MAN.

True, new technology has created more things to gain the attention of would-be listeners, but creative radio people will figure out ways to using technology that has never been part or radio before to make it possible to have something on the air worth tuning in.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure radio gets it.

So many industries are suffering from what was and what is. I wish you well!

 

[Rob]

it's gotten to the point now a days, radio is boring, i enjoy listening to my xm that's it. there are some local shows, for example, WKSM has the morning movement and Z96 (WZNS) has their own local show. (most of the cumulus fort walton beach stations are in studio)

..with the only exception to 100.3 which got purchased and now is stale same with 102.1

Deliaha sounds like she wants to be right in your own hometown.. isn't it beautiful?

sorry for those of you who work at KROCK but you guys need to stop relying on JONES for your entertainment and get some local jocks behind the chairs.

..BTW (off topic) just an FYI starguide III will be replaced by mpeg 4 sometime next year so if your a small station, get ready to shell out some bucks.

-Rob

 

[gr8oldies]

Its a case by case basis. Sometimes the national show is more entertaining and makes more sense, sometimes its a local show. Why does it have to be either/or? Sometimes the national show beats the local guys.

As far as families not having money for cellphones and new technology, you'd be surprised at the amount of families I know on various types of public assistance where every kid has a cellphone with all the gadgets and gismes, they have high speed internet at home as well as all the cable channels.

 

[Brother Bear]

I think a majority of people who ARE inside radio or WERE inside make the erroneous assumption that listeners are tech saavy and hip to the newest audiophilia. Let's face it, right now Blackberry's, TiVo, and HD are already yesterday's news.
One of the big mistakes jocks make these days is NOT immersing themselves in the great unwashed (and I mean that literally and figuratively) multitudes that listen to their shows. They have no better grasp of who their P1's are than the man in the moon. If you can't or wont relate to your people, do you really expect them to relate to you? In turn, do you expect advertisers to go out of their way to hand over money in exchange for a tepid product and horrible customer service?
Are overall revenues down in Jacksonville? Yes, but a look at the Miller-Kaplan's shows Cox and CC are, as I've said repeatedly before, bleeding to death a slow miserable demise. CC has to make the bottom line as appealing as possible for whoever ends up buying their stations, and one by one Cox's stations lose relevance and slide down the ratings ladder with the exception of WOKV (Often even the most inept people can't screw up a free lunch). If you send a different AE to a client every week because you treat the old AE's like crap and they quit, that client will take their money elsewhere, or sit on it out of spite.
Goat's right ... lots of radio is just plain damn lazy. But there are a handful who get it and understand they must make more with less. And they will lead us out of the shadows of the Evil Empire's.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

[
Radio revenue has dropped 50%? Can you document that. I think that would have made headlines. Maybe I missed the news that day.

For the past 10 years, on average revenue has dropped 3 to 5% per year. Do the math.

Well, thank you. I learned something today. Trying to document radio revenue figures via the Internet is tough. RAB will give one set of numbers, Radio Ink will quote BIA with lesser numbers. RAB always finds ways to make radio advertising look maybe better than it is.

Here is the best I could find. I don't trust these numbers enough to bet the family farm on them, but I would make business decisions giving considerable trust to these numbers.

Radio Advertising in 1988: 7.83 Billion.

Radio Advertising in 1998 13.0 billion

2001 fell 7% from 2000

2002 6% over 2001

2003 1% over 2002

2004 2% over 2003

2005 and 2006 about the same as 2004

2007 down 2.3% below the numbers for 2004, 2005, 2006.

Current Radio Volume is just over 18 billion if you prefer the BIA based numbers,
or 21.4 billion if you think RAB is not inflating the numbers.

RAB has an "Index" system. They say that 2006 radio business was 139.7% compared to 1998 as 100%.

Everybody seems to agree 2008 will be below 2007 ..... maybe by 3.1%

Worst case numbers: 2008 radio will be 35% more than 1998 radio.

Somebody is still making money this year.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

As far as families not having money for cellphones and new technology, you'd be surprised at the amount of families I know on various types of public assistance where every kid has a cellphone with all the gadgets and gismes, they have high speed internet at home as well as all the cable channels.

To some extent you and I are both arguing generalizations here.

For two years I have had a part time job managing an apartment community where tenants must prove they are low income people in order to live there. I had to document their income per Federal guidelines. Financially, they had to come to my office and figuratively, financially "lay themselves down naked" on my desk. Four times a year I personally inspected their apartments primarily for safety issues.

Yup, there are some people on public assistance with cellphones and toys. There are a LOT more people on public assistance who go hungry for a week or so before their monthly social security check, and have no toys, no internet, etc.

But actually, my observation about people who do not CHOOSE to have all the cell phones with high speed and choose not to have high speed internet includes young couples starting families who DO NOT qualify for public assistance but are stretched tight paying their bills. Their priorities include music lessons for the children and starting their 401k plans at an early age even if it means not having today's electronic "adult toys". They make GREAT radio listeners because they also don't buy daily newspapers sometimes.

Granted, some advertisers are going to say: We don't care about THAT demographic group. They won't spend their money to buy what we are selling if they are that willing to do without things.

 

[pocket-radio]

You mentioned ad reps and clients. Clients don't know what they want. One thing is sure, radio reps are trained to sell their inventory and what their out of touch managers demand. Reps are not trained how to sell their clients inventory. Radio says buy us we can move your merchandise.. But our training doesn't even come close to do the job. And rates for most advertisers are out of reach to afford effective reach and frequency. But we have to hit our budgets. So the typical radio rep sells poor schedules while hopping and praying it will work. Radio over promises results and under delivers We take the order knowing the schedule was sleazy and the ad copy sucked! Some great reps figure it out and they last. But others don't even stand a chance. These new reps don't receive the training and time from management. Because management is running 2 or 3 sales staffs and dealing with the out of touch demands of their bosses. Management should ride with reps. But they don't, they manage from the windows of their office. Radio burns and churns clients and pumps and dumps reps while hopping and praying one or two ad reps with stick. Production is over whelmed with transactional business, they bailey have time to produced creative ads. Which is why, everything sounds like rip and read copy and is why your clients say radio didn't work for me. Rip and read copy and poor week ad schedules equals unhappy clients. You'd think someone in management would wake up and say we can do better.. but everyone is so focused on one thing, hitting budgets from out of touch owners and getting ratings for out of touch ad agencies. Local directs don’t buy ratings, they buy results.

What a great business radio is..

 

[Stewy]

Tough call pocket but you speak accurately. The best I can do is to remind you ('cause it's easy to forget in today's environment) to prioritize your people and managers (and bosses if possible). The way I look at it is the reps number 1 priority is the client, number 2 is the client and number three is the client; they're rarely happy but as you mention good schedules make them money so then they'll keep running, burn 'em and you've churned 'em. Managers number 1 is employee, number 2 is client (employee's client) and number three is boss. But when the talent is let go then you can't create, teach or serve.

Hang in there, it'll get better and I think it is closer rather farther!

 

[vadar]

Priorties are all mixed up here. In 3rd world countries, most people go to bed hungry, yet everyone seems to have a cell phone and money for cigarettes. Not much better here in the good ole USA.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Priorties are all mixed up here. In 3rd world countries, most people go to bed hungry, yet everyone seems to have a cell phone and money for cigarettes. Not much better here in the good ole USA.

Don't let your focus get trapped on the visible trinkets. I left my hometown in the Ozarks to seek my fortune. We would go home and those who stayed would show me their new fishing boats or their shotguns or their new video cameras when we would go home to visit. I asked myself: What's wrong with this picture. I've gone to the big wicked city where all the money is supposed to be and I don't have the toys. What's up with that? Then as time went by and I would continue to observe on these trips, I noticed who was losing their teeth, and a number of other things that require funds but don't make a big splash.

Which 3rd world country are to planning to escape to in hopes of finding better priorities? :-\