No wonder Radio is going by way of the Dinosaur

[12 In a Row]

You hit the mark JM. Your wife rose to the top with her personality, but never lost sight of why the people where there, the food.

If you're role is 20/30/40 seconds, do your very best with the time given.
With the exception of a few groupies and prize pigs, the listeners are tuning in for the music and not you.

Take that warm engaging personaility and try talk radio.

 

[probuttonpusher]

I think its just the circle of radio, and live jocks will be back soon. Remember when everyone was going to satelite then going back to live jocks because the listeners wanted live bodys more. Well now its replaced the satelite with voice tracking. When I hear either satelite or vt I automaticly think that the station is in the red and needs to save money OR they are trying to cut costs the bottem line look better to potential buyers. But live jocks are the only way to go in my opinion. Heck I was replaced by a satelite service at one of my first jobs just to get a better job in the next market over because they were leaveing the service the first station was taking. my point is what goes around comes around and live jocks are always going to be the best choice.

 

[12 In a Row]

I agree, live jocks are the way to go, but in 2008 here are the facts: $$$$$

Radio advertising revenue continues to slide downward with no end in sight.

You can point the finger of blame in many directions, but it all started in the mid-80s.
Docket 80-90, the FCC plan to allow more stations on the air by reducing the required spacings.

In every market, small-medium and large many more radio stations were allowed to come on the air.
However, the radio advertising pie didn't get any bigger. The slices just got smaller.
More radio stations, Less money=less bodies.

In the 90s, the introduction of software that allowed these stations to stay on the air, otherwise they would have gone silent years ago.

My opinion, radio has not kept up with the real world.

In the 50s, TV came along and took away radio's programming. Radio re-invented itself and the 2nd golden age began.

Now 2008, radio is stuck in the 80s. For the most part, you no longer need todays radio.

Want the weather? Anytime on the internet or Weather Channel.
Want the news? Same.
Local news? Paper is delivered to my home before I get up in the morning, and it's on the internet.
(Besides, 90% of radio news is simply read from the daily paper and most of AP news comes from the paper.
Want the scores? Internet, or my local TV station has it scrolling across the bottom of the screen.
No school? TV station web-site and just this year new technology. The school calls the home and cell phone to inform you.

Music? With the I-Pod, I can kick off 2,012 songs in a row!

We all LOVE this business. I'm hoping someone much smarter than me, the next Wonder Wizard is around the corner to re-invent radio.

I don't think "local" is THE answer. If that was it, Local Access TV would be #1 in prime-time.

 

[radiothis!]

Not agreeing or disagreeing with 12 In a Row, who sounds like a decent fellow, but if local access TV was produced by professionals, it might not be number one, but it would pull in a strong audience. Let's face it: grainy video and rambling hosts are seldom popular. I'm not sure that's the best analogy.

That said, if local access TV was solely produced by professionals it would also be very, very expensive...which is partly an issue that radio stations are facing. Although: radio is cheaper to produce than TV and radio professionals are paid waaay less than TV pros.

I think creativity is big part of the solution. Fox TV is a lot of things, but you can't accuse them of being uncreative. People keep watching and listening because its various networks have taken creative (and sometimes dubious) risks. We're in an entertainment business. So we better start worrying about entertaining folks.

"Localism" is just part of the picture. Radio needs innovation. It needs to rethink how it interacts with listeners. We need "must hear radio."

Of course, I wish I could dedicate more time to this--but right now, I've got to go to my other job...so I can avoid living in a box.

rt!

 

[12 In a Row]

Must hear radio! Now you have a starting point. EXCELLENT

 

[bub]

I think its just the circle of radio, and live jocks will be back soon. Remember when everyone was going to satelite then going back to live jocks because the listeners wanted live bodys more. Well now its replaced the satelite with voice tracking. When I hear either satelite or vt I automaticly think that the station is in the red and needs to save money OR they are trying to cut costs the bottem line look better to potential buyers. But live jocks are the only way to go in my opinion. Heck I was replaced by a satelite service at one of my first jobs just to get a better job in the next market over because they were leaveing the service the first station was taking. my point is what goes around comes around and live jocks are always going to be the best choice.

I sure hope so. I worked at one station in 2 tours of duty. First as a Board Op for a satellite format. The 2nd time as a weekend jock and we scored in the ratings for the first time in station history a year after launch back to live and local. At another station, I was a weekend jock and topped all the ratings on the station AND the market only to be replaced by a satellite two weekends after the book came out. Station's first weekend ratings after switch to satellite had dropped more than 80%. Today, the station's COL is not even a diary market.

 

[Zeb Norris]

So you bail, but those who stay aren't doing it right?

What a loss for us. But if you stayed and got a gig in management you'd actaully have leg to stand on when telling others what to do.

BTW, WNCS/WDOT/WRJT does live weather and school closings for The Upper Valley at 103.1 and 107.7.

Zeb

 

[argytunes]

I think its just the circle of radio, and live jocks will be back soon. Remember when everyone was going to satelite then going back to live jocks because the listeners wanted live bodys more. Well now its replaced the satelite with voice tracking. When I hear either satelite or vt I automaticly think that the station is in the red and needs to save money OR they are trying to cut costs the bottem line look better to potential buyers. But live jocks are the only way to go in my opinion. Heck I was replaced by a satelite service at one of my first jobs just to get a better job in the next market over because they were leaveing the service the first station was taking. my point is what goes around comes around and live jocks are always going to be the best choice.

I think if you give your audience (whether they fall into your desired demographic or not) a decent format or programming interesting enough to listen to AND PROMOTE THE SHOW...they'll listen! Subsequently...if advertisers like the format...they'll buy time!

The result: A WIN-WIN Situation for everybody...including the investors!

argytunes

 

[Remaster]

Argy's right. I don't care how many options are out there, the product that speaks best to the consumer always wins. I might have 350 sat/cable TV channels, yet I only watch about 10 of them. I don't need to explain why since I'm far from being alone on this one. Though a reality in the business world, it's frustrating that everyone cannot be on the same page when it comes to risks. I'm talking corps, suits, jaded and non jaded talent, and sales. Everyone has their own agenda to protect their own for today. That is understandable in today's economic climate.

When broadcasting was more product/consumer friendly medium, the risks were taken because the repercussions were not as harsh. Today, with major corps pulling the purse strings, that is not the case. Until you have the above mentioned "everybody" willing to accept the risks for the product in hopes of a better tomorrow, the industry will continue to blend into the background. This has taken the auto industry around 20 years to figure out. FINALLY steps are being taken over there to take chances in hopes of luring more consumers. Broadcasting could learn a thing or two from the american auto industry. Why did the american auto lose the market share? They became too comfortable and THOUGHT they knew what was best for the consumer....since it worked for the previous 30 years. Someone came along and did it better. The people on the auto assembly lines probably complained for years in the same way broadcasters do concerning their industry while jobs were hacked right and left. It hasn't been until "everyone" has been on board with a focus on the consumer that things even have a point of turn. Hopefully, radio doesn't suffer the same fate. However, as people on the assembly line, it's not totally our call.

 

[Bud Hill]

This is the most productive topi and conversation that I've seen on this board in over 2 years!

 

[radiotony]

I have found this thread interesting and I will admit that I'm listening to my mp3 player more and more.

First, as far as music goes, none of the stations in New Hampshire are playing anything I'm interested in listening to as far as music goes. I'm not going to go on a rant about how today's music sucks like my parents generation did about my music, but I just don't relate to any of it. This goes for classic rock too. If fact, I'm waiting for "classic rock" to start playing stuff from the late 1970s and 1980s. At this point, Blondie and other bands are classic rock.

I used to like to listen to the oldies station when it played stuff from the 1950s because I didn't really know that music and found it, well, fresh, compared to the 1960s and 1970s stuff you hear over and over and over again. But now, they just play Carly Simon and other stuff that just doesn't interest me as a listener, whether live DJ or tracked.

As far as talk goes, my preferred format to listen to, I'm bored with it frankly. There are some stations doing some interesting things but the signal strength of most makes it difficult to continue to listen for any length of time during my commute. As well, the stations that I am able to listen to for most of my commute, have awful syndicated stuff on during hours when I want to listen to talk. Listening to Michael Savage is like boring a drill into my skull. As well, NHPR repeats the morning show in the evening as does WBUR. Boooorrrring. I end up listening to Dan Rea's show on WBZ for most of the commute when 'BZ doesn't have sports on.

However, I would really like to be listening to a local, New Hampshire-focused, talk show in the evening.

 

[murphy66]

Let me start by saying...I am a fan of radio. I don't use my Ipod unless I am at the gym...or perhaps on a long car ride that may bring me out of range of anything truly worth listening to. That being said, a friend of mine turned me on to this site because from time to time you can read some really interesting stuff about the business of radio and the personalities that are on air here in the area that I live in...and believe me there is always something being said. This particular thread caught my eye and I began reading...and of course it is a true mosh pit of a thread isn't it. There really seems to be quite a bit of passion with regards to the personalities currently holding court in our corner of the country...or in some cases "non" personalities. The one thing that caught my eye was within the entry that started it all with regards to being current...talking about people not being "there" but recording themselves so in some situations...such as during a weather event...you get the same stuff that has been said four hours earlier. I cannot agree more...it sounds stupid even to a non radio professional...just like hearing a song request on WTOS at 9pm where the person clearly says they are enjoying a beautiful sunny lunch break and wanted to hear... Where are these people? One thing this same poster stated was the fact about Nassau not allowing their people to say stuff. I got to let you in on an experiment I conducted. After visiting this site for a period of time...I got the locations of the radio stations in and around Portland. I then stopped by each one asking for either a tour or to say hello to "such" and "such" because I was a fan. Every single location treated me like I had the plague, offered me a sticker and sent me on my way...all accept the Time and Temp building...home of Nassau. I not only got a tour but guess what I found...are you sitting? I found people. They had pulses and everything. People on the air...doing live breaks...conversing about events (many of which I had no idea what they were talking about) but they were genuine...and polite...like I actually existed. I even looked for some of the "tell tale" signs of things that some people on here post about. People reading off cards, voices on air with nobody in the studio...this I did find in the ESPN studios but I kind of expected that...there was someone in every single studio talking live about the weather, items of interest, coming events all kinds of stuff, oh yeah and in a couple cases...made jokes, they ad libbed!!! ...even involved me...can you believe it? It was a very eye opening experience and I left truly appreciating the way I was treated and although I may not be a fan of some of the music they play the people seemed just like you and me. If you are reading this and you work in radio for a location other than Nassau...perhaps one of the ones that I visited and didn't see anyone...then you must be the ones they keep talking about on here. If you don't work in radio but you have always wondered what the inside looks and operates like...it is very cool...kind of like locker break in high school but with more bells and whistles. Anyway...that is my two cents...I just wonder why someone who has an opportunity to be "on air"...which should be considered an honor...would treat the people out here listening like some of them do. Just remember...if we go away...so do you.

 

[12 In a Row]

I'm happy to read your experience ended on a positive note.
A tip of the cap to Nassau and it's caring staff.

Just goes to show, lots of folks do live by The Golden Rule.
You will find some of the kindest and most caring people work in this wacky business.