Newstalk Marconi nominees

[Shoot From Hip]

There's one other requirement for nomination in the Marconi Awards I don't think was mentioned previously. The parent company of a station must belong to the NAB to be eligible for nomination. Thus, you'll never see a CBS station in these lists (or any other company that doesn't belong). Not exactly the kind of thing that NAB likes to talk about.

 

[amfmxm]

The most ludicrous, outrageous (idiotic, dumbfounding--go ahead and pick your own adjective) among the 2008 Marconi nominees is Washington's WMAL(AM) for "Major Market Station of the Year." What year? 1968? Forty years ago WMAL was a great (GREAT) radio station. Today it is a shadow of its former self.

WMAL plugs into the satellite 14 hours a day and farms out traffic--and even news much of the time--to Metro Networks. They hang around tenth in the local ratings and last year fired their best known local air talent (Chris Core).

If there was an award for making coffee and propping your feet up, WMAL would be a shoo-in. But "Major Market Station of the Year?"

The NAB should be ashamed.

 

[Biz Listener]

The NAB should be ashamed.

Why? The NAB is an industry promotion group that exists to promote its members' interests. What shame is there in what amounts to a formalized "good old boys club" patting themselves on the back with some bogus award? It's not like such awards mean anything.

 

[Shoot From Hip]

The NAB should be ashamed.

Why? The NAB is an industry promotion group that exists to promote its members' interests. What shame is there in what amounts to a formalized "good old boys club" patting themselves on the back with some bogus award? It's not like such awards mean anything.

Silly me. I thought the NAB was out there promoting the interests of radio and TV. Shoulda known better. They should at least be honest in identifying these awards for what they are. So rather than pretend that the winners are THE best in radio in a given year...how 'bout they just concede that these are the best stations that belonged to the NAB in a given year. Stations owned by companies that choose not to join should not be punished for a corporate decision like that. Year in and year out, do WINS, or KCBS, or WBBM or KMOX not deserve a Marconi? C'mon folks, let's get real.

 

[Biz Listener]

Silly me. I thought the NAB was out there promoting the interests of radio and TV. Shoulda known better. They should at least be honest in identifying these awards for what they are. So rather than pretend that the winners are THE best in radio in a given year...how 'bout they just concede that these are the best stations that belonged to the NAB in a given year. Stations owned by companies that choose not to join should not be punished for a corporate decision like that. Year in and year out, do WINS, or KCBS, or WBBM or KMOX not deserve a Marconi? C'mon folks, let's get real.

Given that all the members of the NAB are radio and television stations, promoting the interests of their members is promoting the interests of radio and television. It's just that in the modern world, there are factions within the radio and television industry, just as their are factions within all industries. The NAB serves the interests of the small-scale broadcast operators against all the foes of small-scale broadcast operations. And there's nothing wrong with that. They act like the small-scale broadcast operators are the segment of the industry that's the most important. And there's nothing wrong with that.

If the Association of Independent Boot & Shoe Makers worked to improve the lot of independent boot and shoe makers against the giant corporate footware makers, no one would think anything wrong about them doing what they do. And pointing out that they do what they do shouldn't offend anyone, except those who can't see the world for what it really is.

The truth be told, I prefer both locally owned and operated radio stations and handcrafted boots. I just don't let my own personal preferences cloud my vision or my ability to see the world as it really is.

 

[Shoot From Hip]

I lost you somewhere along the way. I'm talking about the fact that the Marconi Awards are not representative of the entire radio community...only that segment of the radio community that pays dues to the NAB. And the vendetta the NAB is spewing against things like satellite radio is, in my opinion, more a reflection of the agenda of big corporations than it is a reflection of the little guys. Imagine if those millions devoted to torching XM and Sirius and lobbying Congress & the FCC had been spent promoting the benefits of local radio.

 

[Biz Listener]

I lost you somewhere along the way. I'm talking about the fact that the Marconi Awards are not representative of the entire radio community...only that segment of the radio community that pays dues to the NAB. And the vendetta the NAB is spewing against things like satellite radio is, in my opinion, more a reflection of the agenda of big corporations than it is a reflection of the little guys. Imagine if those millions devoted to torching XM and Sirius and lobbying Congress & the FCC had been spent promoting the benefits of local radio.

Sorry, I didn't get that from what you wrote. I also don't understand your position that the NAB's opposition to satellite radio reflects the agenda of big corporations. Big broadcast corporations embrace satellite radio. Big corporations have no problem with any sort of expansion, lateral or horizontal.

Had any extra money been spent promoting the benefits of local radio, it would have been money down the drain. The only "benefit" of local radio at this point in time consists of unrealized potential. Local radio station operators could do a lot of things that national radio doesn't. They could, but most of them don't. Somehow, spending lots of money to tell the world "We could do this or that, but we don't because we can't afford it" doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[cm454]

Big broadcast corporations embrace satellite radio. Big corporations have no problem with any sort of expansion, lateral or horizontal.

Are you kidding?

Familiarize yorself with the players in this battle before you make another ridiculous statement.

While the NAB is preoccupied with satellite, rest assured there are numerous operators, BIG operators, who wish satellite radio nothing but ill will. They are NOT in favor of expansion if it presents more competition.

Don't kid yourself.

 

[Biz Listener]

While the NAB is preoccupied with satellite, rest assured there are numerous operators, BIG operators, who wish satellite radio nothing but ill will. They are NOT in favor of expansion if it presents more competition.

Don't kid yourself.

Satellite radio doesn't represent competition, it represents opportunity for expansion. Whether all the players in terrestrial radio jump on the expansion bandwagon is another story. I remember when the major broadcast networks fought against cable television being anything more than a way to bring weak TV signals to rural listeners. Now look at some of the top cable networks -- MSNBC, ABC Family. On the Food Network, I see shows produced by a division of CBS.

Just because as of this day satellite radio consists only of Sirius and XM, don't think the idea doesn't have a lot of room to expand, and don't think that the smarter major players aren't going to jump on the new opportunities. At the same time, don't think that a lot of stick-in-the-mud players won't ignore the new opportunity and hope it goes away.

 

[Shoot From Hip]

I guess you weren't around when big corporation heads like Peter Smyth and Jeff Smulyan were railing against satellite back four years ago. Or when those same companies all ran thousands of promos apiece using big-name recording artists to extol the virtue of local radio. I'm not disagreeing with the benefits of local radio, mind you, only with your contention that big corporations embrace satellite. What they're embracing is HD and now Internet...because that's where they can feather their own nests. And HD was DOA years ago...they just don't realize it.

 

[Biz Listener]

I guess you weren't around when big corporation heads like Peter Smyth and Jeff Smulyan were railing against satellite back four years ago. Or when those same companies all ran thousands of promos apiece using big-name recording artists to extol the virtue of local radio. I'm not disagreeing with the benefits of local radio, mind you, only with your contention that big corporations embrace satellite. What they're embracing is HD and now Internet...because that's where they can feather their own nests. And HD was DOA years ago...they just don't realize it.

Like I said, "I remember when the major broadcast networks fought against cable television being anything more than a way to bring weak TV signals to rural listeners. Now look at some of the top cable networks -- MSNBC, ABC Family. On the Food Network, I see shows produced by a division of CBS." There seems to be something of a natural progression of events when a new technology comes along that impacts business. Some corporate heads are quick to oppose whatever's new, while the younger executives within the companies take a different view. Eventually, CEO's retire and are replaced with new people who don't have quite the same knee-jerk reactions as their predecessors did. And, not all companies embrace new opportunities. I remember when the head of IBM said that PC's were a passing fad. The guy who replaced him said something very different.

Besides, there are a hell of a lot of players in big corporate radio. There's the station owners, but there are also the syndicators, program packagers, and all the other companies engaged in one aspect or another of broadcasting. Another thing to remember is the next time that all of the participants in any industry universally agree about anything, it will be the first time.

 

[Shoot From Hip]

Best line of the day goes to Mel Karmazin, who credits the NAB with having been among the biggest factors in getting the Sirius-XM merger approved. His quote: “The fact that terrestrial radio broadcasters lobbied so hard proves we’re in a competitive market.”