C
classicradionut
Guest
According to a store electronics clerk at Circuit City, anyway.
-- By Steve West
Gang, I went shopping last weekend and one of the places I went was
the aforementioned store. Here's the setup: I'm looking through
the electronics section at the numerous home theatre receiver
systems, hoping to find a standalone AM/FM receiver like you could
get in the 70s & 80s. When I ask the clerk what the specs on the FM
receivers are (5 gangs of RF stages, 4 IF filters), the clerk says
to me, "Well, I can't get you specs like that... I can tell you how
many watts, etc., or I can look them up online in our cataloge.....
But, nobody listens to the radio anymore anyway, that's why we don't
carry just radio receivers".
So, incredulous that this 20-something year old manager actually
SAID something we've all heard but didn't believe, I go on the
explain to him that he's talking to a 25-year broadcaster. We
talked for at least 20 minutes, and among other things, I asked him
why he said that. His answer? "Well think about it. I DON'T
listen to the radio. None of the kids that comes in here listens to
the radio. My brothers and sisters don't listen to the radio". So,
naturally, my next question is, "So how do you know what to buy for
music?" "Online", he replies. "Do you know about Bit Torrent? Well, that, MTV, and I have XM Satellite radio." At about this time I'm thinking to myself that this manager is way too young to know what's going on... but on second thought he's closer to the demographic than any of US, working in a store that sells electronic gadgets.
RANT FOLLOWS--
Radio today just keeps going on as if it's business as usual. For
those of you still IN radio - your GM or OM is still thinking inside
the box, as if that station is going to be there in some form for
years to come. They keep accepting those ads from XM for broadcast
(thats kinda like the crosstown station advertising on yours), they
keep cutting the airstaff and increasing voicetracking and
automation, thinking that by lowering the bottom line and creating
more profits for investors that the money will always be there.
Meanwhile, the programming gets more bland and amateurish every
day. The magic that brought in new listeners and held longtime ones
is gone at most places, replaced by a satellite feed and local
liners. The music is safe. Everywhere, safelists abound by young
consultants who say it's best to play it safe and never take the
chance some P1 listener will change the station because they don't
like a particular song. Um... hello. The P1's are leaving anyway
because there's nothing interesting on the air.
Why do the corporate suits not get it? Whether it's me or some
retired radio legend trying to tell them, they don't listen when we
say that the product is too watered down, is run by Wall Street
investors and the music industry with it's payola tactics, and the
audience caboose is that 35 year old who remembers FM's CHR wars in
the 80s - and even they are leaving.
Why, may I ask, is it that CHRs can't make a dent in the ratings in
most markets? The young audience isn't listening to radio, they're
downloading their songs to their I-PODS. Oops, there's that dirty
word. And, it's not just the young audience that's disappeared.
Radio AND it's advertisers have shot themselves in the foot by
ignoring the 55+ demo. Things like the brilliant format change at
WCBS-FM New York show just how far to the right the stupidity meter
is pegged. Somebody say Jack?
Admittedly, much of this is not necessarilly the fault of radio,
with so many new technologies out there, listeners are very much
distracted away from radio. But, the one tool stations have at
their disposal, the one weapon they have in attracting and keeping
an audience is having a LIVE, LOCAL presence that is involved in the
community. And, it's the ONE thing that most stations are speeding
away from at light speed in this nit-witted effort to lower
operating costs. The line of thinking at most stations these days could be summed up this way: Here's what the GM or his national brand manager is probably thinking: "That's right, fire the DJs, in fact, fire the
Newsperson and Public Affairs person and make the one morning jock
do their jobs along with his. It works in a factory, so why not in
radio, make people do more for less. In fact, why do we need an
airstaff at all? I'll just have my production guy work to fit
everything in during the week, after all he's on salary so he can
live at the station. I'l farm out the liners to a cyber jock."
Now, have you heard the station lately?
Forget entertainment and attracting an audience, you now have a
station that simply BORES the audience to death. The guy you have
doing morning news can barely get through a newscast without
stumbling over half his sentences. And you wonder why nobody's
listening?
Can anyone remember the great old days of AM Top 40? I literally
remember striking up a conversation with friends about what the DJ
did the previous night on WKBW Buffalo - a station about 500 miles
away we got on DX at night. Yea, my FRIENDS even listened! Not
because it was DX, but because it was great radio!! Would we have
listened if we had the internet? Probably not as much but
definitely yes!
You who run radio stations had better pull your head out of your ass
cheeks. Better find a way to attract the young audience, but fast,
because if you don't there really WILL be no listeners left. Your
main audience is probably 38-60 instead of any numbers the so-called
professional bean counters have quoted you. And, as soon as the
advertisers wake up to the fact that nobody's listening to the
radio, your precious revenue stream will dry up. Then what do you
do?
GET LOCAL. It is the ONLY way you will attract an audience. That,
and let your DJs be DJs again. Throw away the liners and cue
cards. Open your playlists. Expand the horizons, and do what XM,
Sirius and MTV can't - talk to and entertain your local audience.
Before it's too late.
<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
-- By Steve West
Gang, I went shopping last weekend and one of the places I went was
the aforementioned store. Here's the setup: I'm looking through
the electronics section at the numerous home theatre receiver
systems, hoping to find a standalone AM/FM receiver like you could
get in the 70s & 80s. When I ask the clerk what the specs on the FM
receivers are (5 gangs of RF stages, 4 IF filters), the clerk says
to me, "Well, I can't get you specs like that... I can tell you how
many watts, etc., or I can look them up online in our cataloge.....
But, nobody listens to the radio anymore anyway, that's why we don't
carry just radio receivers".
So, incredulous that this 20-something year old manager actually
SAID something we've all heard but didn't believe, I go on the
explain to him that he's talking to a 25-year broadcaster. We
talked for at least 20 minutes, and among other things, I asked him
why he said that. His answer? "Well think about it. I DON'T
listen to the radio. None of the kids that comes in here listens to
the radio. My brothers and sisters don't listen to the radio". So,
naturally, my next question is, "So how do you know what to buy for
music?" "Online", he replies. "Do you know about Bit Torrent? Well, that, MTV, and I have XM Satellite radio." At about this time I'm thinking to myself that this manager is way too young to know what's going on... but on second thought he's closer to the demographic than any of US, working in a store that sells electronic gadgets.
RANT FOLLOWS--
Radio today just keeps going on as if it's business as usual. For
those of you still IN radio - your GM or OM is still thinking inside
the box, as if that station is going to be there in some form for
years to come. They keep accepting those ads from XM for broadcast
(thats kinda like the crosstown station advertising on yours), they
keep cutting the airstaff and increasing voicetracking and
automation, thinking that by lowering the bottom line and creating
more profits for investors that the money will always be there.
Meanwhile, the programming gets more bland and amateurish every
day. The magic that brought in new listeners and held longtime ones
is gone at most places, replaced by a satellite feed and local
liners. The music is safe. Everywhere, safelists abound by young
consultants who say it's best to play it safe and never take the
chance some P1 listener will change the station because they don't
like a particular song. Um... hello. The P1's are leaving anyway
because there's nothing interesting on the air.
Why do the corporate suits not get it? Whether it's me or some
retired radio legend trying to tell them, they don't listen when we
say that the product is too watered down, is run by Wall Street
investors and the music industry with it's payola tactics, and the
audience caboose is that 35 year old who remembers FM's CHR wars in
the 80s - and even they are leaving.
Why, may I ask, is it that CHRs can't make a dent in the ratings in
most markets? The young audience isn't listening to radio, they're
downloading their songs to their I-PODS. Oops, there's that dirty
word. And, it's not just the young audience that's disappeared.
Radio AND it's advertisers have shot themselves in the foot by
ignoring the 55+ demo. Things like the brilliant format change at
WCBS-FM New York show just how far to the right the stupidity meter
is pegged. Somebody say Jack?
Admittedly, much of this is not necessarilly the fault of radio,
with so many new technologies out there, listeners are very much
distracted away from radio. But, the one tool stations have at
their disposal, the one weapon they have in attracting and keeping
an audience is having a LIVE, LOCAL presence that is involved in the
community. And, it's the ONE thing that most stations are speeding
away from at light speed in this nit-witted effort to lower
operating costs. The line of thinking at most stations these days could be summed up this way: Here's what the GM or his national brand manager is probably thinking: "That's right, fire the DJs, in fact, fire the
Newsperson and Public Affairs person and make the one morning jock
do their jobs along with his. It works in a factory, so why not in
radio, make people do more for less. In fact, why do we need an
airstaff at all? I'll just have my production guy work to fit
everything in during the week, after all he's on salary so he can
live at the station. I'l farm out the liners to a cyber jock."
Now, have you heard the station lately?
Forget entertainment and attracting an audience, you now have a
station that simply BORES the audience to death. The guy you have
doing morning news can barely get through a newscast without
stumbling over half his sentences. And you wonder why nobody's
listening?
Can anyone remember the great old days of AM Top 40? I literally
remember striking up a conversation with friends about what the DJ
did the previous night on WKBW Buffalo - a station about 500 miles
away we got on DX at night. Yea, my FRIENDS even listened! Not
because it was DX, but because it was great radio!! Would we have
listened if we had the internet? Probably not as much but
definitely yes!
You who run radio stations had better pull your head out of your ass
cheeks. Better find a way to attract the young audience, but fast,
because if you don't there really WILL be no listeners left. Your
main audience is probably 38-60 instead of any numbers the so-called
professional bean counters have quoted you. And, as soon as the
advertisers wake up to the fact that nobody's listening to the
radio, your precious revenue stream will dry up. Then what do you
do?
GET LOCAL. It is the ONLY way you will attract an audience. That,
and let your DJs be DJs again. Throw away the liners and cue
cards. Open your playlists. Expand the horizons, and do what XM,
Sirius and MTV can't - talk to and entertain your local audience.
Before it's too late.
<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
