National Radio

[bentheredonethat]

Being disgusted by local radio - I listen to BBC (Radio1 and Radio2) online, and it got me to thinking.

I can listen in North Austin to 96.7 and also pick up KWTX 97.5 in Waco. It's the same voice track, the same songs and the same breaks a mere 30 seconds or less apart.

At what point does CC give up on anything local, and start branding "national" stations similar to the BBC - and just have "KISS-FM", "LiteFM", etc - with 24/7 national programming?

We're a few morning shows away from already being there.

 

[austingeezer]

Yup, I believe that's what it's coming to. They'll keep most of the morning drive shows local; that gives them SOME local identity on the air. The rest of the broadcast day will be nationalized. You might still need somebody in the control room to insert spots (maybe not), but, you can pay a kid 10 bucks an hour to do that. Nationalize SALES, too. Less local sales people are necessary.

If somebody had asked me back in 1961 when I started my radio career to predict what radio will be like in the year 2012, I never would have guessed it. Glad I was in the business when it was still FUN!!

 

[bturner]

I sure think we are headed that way. If it happens will history recall it all beginning about 1980 when satellite delivered formats appeared?

I did hear a very encouraging comment recently. I won't disclose who said it but let's just say a person overseeing a group of stations. The indication was there was a watchful eye on the few stations that are the live and local type. The statement was generally along the lines of that sort of station seems to do well and people are finally paying attention. This person admitted a good voice tracking jock could sound local but indicated if you load them down with too many stations it never works. The idea surfaced as local voice tracked from talents at their homes within the city versus driving to a studio. I thought this was very interesting considering what the biggest operators are trending toward. And this operator has holdings in some major markets. (i have not asked this person's permission to mention these comments and the comments were in a private conversation, so the identity of this person shall remain private)

 

[bturner]

Very good point on a national sales force for these group owners. I can see a national group and regional group with only a handful of local salespeople. Maybe that should have been the starting point.

A National Production Team would be in order as well. Why have all production done locally by the station?

I think this is the wrong way to do radio but from a business standpoint I'd be looking at these models.

 

[TheBigA]

I sure think we are headed that way. If it happens will history recall it all beginning about 1980 when satellite delivered formats appeared?

And before that, reel-to-reel program formats from Bonneville and Schulke. And before that, network radio like NBC and CBS. In those days, an AM station could be heard in 12 states, so you didn't have a lot of local radio.

The thing about CC is it ISN'T a centralized programming company. So it's possible to work at a local radio station in Grand Rapids, and have your work heard in lots of other markets. It's more like the Mutual Broadcasting model, where stations like WOR, WLW, and WXYZ produced programming that was distributed to the rest of the country. Having 840 radio stations gives them 840 locations from which to originate programming, if something good is there. It's a great opportunity for someone who has a programming idea to create a show, go national, and not have to move to NY or LA.

 

[bturner]

I agree there was reel to reel formats that gave radio a generic national face but they allowed stations to utilize these music reels in any way they desired. Satellite doesn't offer as many options.

If formats are nationalized it will be a throwback to early radio.

National radio options as they are today allow different opportunities. The sky is the limit, so to speak.

I have to applaud Clear Channel for trying some new and innovative ideas. I think the 5 second spot idea was great. There are a good number of businesses that have instant name recognition and a firm image that can benefit greatly from such. Likewise, what Clear Channel allowed in Lone Star 92.5 in Dallas/Ft. Worth was very inventive, almost recreating radio as we know it. Neither might be the ideas that evolve radio but as my previous boss used to say, you have to try new things knowing most will fail before you strike on the one success that takes you over the top. As he put it, every idea that doesn't light the world on fire gets you one step closer to the idea that sparks it all.

 

[TheBigA]

I agree there was reel to reel formats that gave radio a generic national face but they allowed stations to utilize these music reels in any way they desired. Satellite doesn't offer as many options.

Depends. The CC model offers local PDs lots of host options depending on their market. It's multiple host choices for each format and daypart. It's a lot more than what you'd get from Cumulus Media or Dial Global. Then again, some national shows like Seacrest or Billy Bush allow the station to program all the music, and just insert host talk segments. It's a lot more complicated than what it used to be, and FAR more complicated than what you could do with reel.

The key thing about this is the music has been national for 25 years. The local difference came with the frequency of the songs, not the songs themselves. The next part is you want to do the best possible show with the best resources. Competition for guests is tough, and the guests are tired of satellite tours where they answer the same questions asked by 50 local hosts. So radio has to come up with a better way to get top stars to guest on small radio stations. This is one way to do it. As far as sales, the benefits are obvious. Advertisers care about numbers. This system delivers numbers. We are getting to a point where we are a country built around national products and chains. Sure there's the local pizza parlour, but he doesn't have a budget for radio. This has been a long, slow process, and involves lots of moving parts, not just radio. For radio to continue to operate like nothing else has changed puts it at a competitive disadvantage with other media.

 

[fredcantu]

Competition for guests is tough, and the guests are tired of satellite tours where they answer the same questions asked by 50 local hosts. So radio has to come up with a better way to get top stars to guest on small radio stations.

If you had a kick-ass local show, the listeners would never notice the lack of national celebs..

 

[TheBigA]

If you had a kick-ass local show, the listeners would never notice the lack of national celebs..

Suppose you had a kick ass show WITH celebrities?

I've had the chance to judge local radio shows for awards, and I'm here to tell you there aren't many "kick ass" local shows. Especially in medium and small markets. Most are pretty standard, music driven shows, with the talk centered around standard subjects. Only a few have someone who could entertain by themselves in a club that charges money. That's the standard for me. Would I pay to hear this show? If the answer is no, they don't win.

 

[fredcantu]

Only a few have someone who could entertain by themselves in a club that charges money. That's the standard for me. Would I pay to hear this show? If the answer is no, they don't win.

Apples and oranges. People don't turn on local radio to hear high-dollar standup comics. They turn on the radio to hear local people connecting with local people on a personal level. And they don't expect to have to pay for it.

 

[TheBigA]

People don't turn on local radio to hear high-dollar standup comics. They turn on the radio to hear local people connecting with local people on a personal level.

They have a phone in their pocket that does that, and they can interact. Listening to other people talk is like watching paint dry. At least a comedian is funny. People don't need a radio to hear local people talking. Unless they live out in the boonies. If you heard the radio demos I heard, the majority of them were people connecting with themselves, not the audience. It's just plain dull.

 

[RadioStarOne]

And that is just your opinion and you know what they say about opinions! And by the way just what they do!

 

[mmnassour]

Listening to other people talk is like watching paint dry. At least a comedian is funny. People don't need a radio to hear local people talking. Unless they live out in the boonies. If you heard the radio demos I heard, the majority of them were people connecting with themselves, not the audience. It's just plain dull.

I guess that's why talk radio never took off, either on a local or national level. ;D

 

[Kent]

I guess that's why talk radio never took off, either on a local or national level. ;D

LOL! Of course, there are a handful of good talk hosts (both local and national), but more people who try talk radio fail than succeed at it! It's incredibly tough to be topical, entertaining and relatable three or four hours a day five days a week.

 

[MisterRadio]

I think its pretty clear (no pun intended) that Clear Channel is moving to nationalization. With the massive layoffs of PD's around the country, they've moved another step in this direction. I'm guessing the model will look like this: each format will have a national PD (country, classic country, top 40, rock, etc) who will program the music and make out the clocks. There will be a handful of DJ's used to voicetrack each format and that will be sent via LAN to the computer at each station which will insert local imaging and what few local spots there are. There will be some markets with local morning shows, but most will be syndicated shows like Seacrest, Bobby Bones or Kidd Kraddock. The majority of sales will be to national clients (GM, Coke, Fed Ex, etc) with maybe one or two local sales folks at each cluster to cover what local presence there is. The bottom line is that radio will be using the McDonald's motto. Where ever you go, you will always be able to get the exact same burger or in this case the exact same station. At least that is how it will be with the major companies. I think there will be a movement amongst the smaller companies and mom and pop operations to counter this will more localized stuff. Just my opinion....