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Not to bum everybody out, but...

J

jimwalsh2001

Scanned the dial this week...radio everywhere sounds really bad, the worst I've ever heard (and I lived through the slow demise of AM Rock in the seventies when things were pretty damn brutal). Clearly, the industry is in serious trouble.

And the worst format? Talk...
 
Well then how do we fix it?

Problems, eveybody knows the industry has problems but to find solutions, that is the trick.

I will start: Please provide 5 things, if you had the power. you would change to make it better as a business. (No favorite formats) Just five, no more.
 
well, ad revenues are down, companies like citadel, westwood one, CBS Radio, clear channel have little value and the fact is, they are not going to spend what they use to on talent.....air and programming. Even little things like imaging guys are going to new platforms (online/sat/video games) to make a respectable living.

Is terrestial radio turning into the minor leagues of broadcasting? Will someday talent aspire to be part of an AOL Radio or whatever instead of wanting to be in a major market?

things are changing.
 
Five things? OK, fair enough...

1) Invest in talent...

2) Invest in talent...

3) Invest in talent...

4) Invest in talent...

5) Invest in talent...

Next question... ;D
 
There is very little talent and original style being encouraged or nurtured right now.

That is disastrous for the future of not only Newstalk, but radio in general.

The powers-that-be need to realize this and invest in talent. There is practically NO sign that this is about to happen, so radio companies deserve to suffer for their own lack of foresight.

On the positive side: Radio people will slowly but surely find other things to do. Owners/operators, on the other hand, stand to lose a fortune.
 
1. Fire the owners
(not gonna happen, but should)

since number one won't happen...

1.(rev.a) STOP VOICE TRACKING
(yeah, it's cheap. But it is also boring. Yeah I'm going to get real excited about your station that
only has live voices 8 hours a day... YAWN And hire some live talent that are actually engaging too.
We don't need anymore liner card reading d-bag jocks)

2. Fire the CEO's and executive boards of all major operators
(well Clear Channel just re-committed to most of they're execs, so they're out)

3. HIRE CEO's and executive boards away from new media companies
(they would have a better understanding of what to do and follow through with it)

4. Dump tightly controlled formats
(people consume music of all genres more now then ever! Your stations should reflect that)

5. Stop pretending it's 1998
(ten years have passed by and all they've done is added some webstreams and text spam, hoo-friggin-ray)
 
Actually, I was wondering recently following Limbaugh's recent contract renewal how relevant will his show be in 2016? Many of his listerners will be 70+ by that time, and by that point I'm sure local radio will have vanished or he'll be doing an internet show.
 
1. Force sales reps to walk away from business if the client won't pay the stations' rate. Cutting rates devalues the entire station.
2. Air talent need to coached and developed on a regular basis and share in the successes of a station just as management does.
3. Slashing marketing expenses is counter-productive. Isn't radio's entire business model built on the idea that businessess should market themselves?
4. Try unique and different formatics. Yes, many will fail but some won't. Isn't that how the movie business works?
5. Grow the next generation of jocks. Allow them to be live in off (or off-off) hours. Aircheck them weekly. Train them properly.



b344077 said:
Well then how do we fix it?

Problems, eveybody knows the industry has problems but to find solutions, that is the trick.

I will start: Please provide 5 things, if you had the power. you would change to make it better as a business. (No favorite formats) Just five, no more.
Click to expand...
 
Good ideas a'plenty here.

I would add regarding formats:
don't run-off your older listeners, the ones over 50.
That group, after all, remains the most loyal radio listeners. They grew up with the medium and have always listened, unlike today's teenager or 20-something who would rather play MP3s or surf the web.

Find a way to put on some programs appealing to more older listeners, i.e. oldies radio and standards.
 
The thing I've noticed about MOR/Standards station is they're almost all built on the concept of "memories". Many Oldies and Classic Rock stations have scrapped that approach in the last 4-6 years, sounding much like a Hot AC just with different music.
Maybe someone should try a similar approach to MOR. No one wants to be reminded a song is 50+ years old, and by extension so is he/she.
I worked in the format in the late 80's, and it really sounds better when there are local things to talk about versus the satellite jocks (as good as they are) generic talk breaks. Why do so many stations use a bird now that locally automating is almost as easy?

Don62 said:
Find a way to put on some programs appealing to more older listeners, i.e. oldies radio and standards.
Click to expand...
 
1. If your Talk station isn't on FM yet, flip your lowest performing music FM to talk. What are you waiting for? Your competition to do it first?
2. Bring back the farm team.
3. Try something new - talk can be more than left, right, or pop culture.
4. Looking for something to cut in the budget? Boycott and stop paying the FCC. Their "protection" is slowing strangling the industry.
5. Add Free Talk Live up to six nights per week. 8)
 
1. PD's, listen to the station!
2. PD's, listen to the station!
3. PD's, listen to the station!
4. PD's, listen to the station!
5. Management, stop promoting people that only have the skills they learned from the person above them that you fired.
 
Success is called ''local personality radio''(throughout the day). Why do we always reflect to the ''good old days?''of radio......it was fun,interesting,informative,with listener participation. You had your favorite local ''Jock''.
Corporate radio has dumbed down and dilluted the talent pool with cue card readers....thus, ''MORE MUSIC,MORE OFTEN''. This generation knows nothing about ''fun'' radio,only ''MORE MUSIC''......so why listen to radio? get an iPOD!!!
Talent breeds talent....get back to the basics,and the money will follow. Put ''fun personality'' back in the mix.
 
I think dumping the reliance on the all-syndication, all-the-time crutch might help as well.
Radio is best as a local medium, not some translator of nationally-syndicated shows. Little listener interaction with most of those shows.
 
Don62......THANK YOU!!!! SYNDICATION HAS IT'S PLACE.......JUST NOT ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!
 
I was always amazed at how many people applauded stations for bringing in some carpetbagger from out of town to sit in their studio reading liner cards and they called at "local" programming.

What I think local news/talk stations need are truly, genuinely "local" hosts who've actually lived in the markets where they're working, who know the local dialect, can pronounce any local place names correctly, and who can talk with first hand experience about the local area. These host should "host" the show, spending most of their time interacting with local callers on the air.

I'm sorry, but Limbaugh is not a "host". A "host" is someone who treats guests well, which certainly doesn't describe el Rushbaugh.
 
To the previous I would add this: a talk PD should not eliminate a talented host from consideration just because said host is not a Rush clone.


(Sarcasm? I wish...) ;D
 
FreknDekn said:
Success is called ''local personality radio''(throughout the day). Why do we always reflect to the ''good old days?''of radio......it was fun,interesting,informative,with listener participation. You had your favorite local ''Jock''.
Corporate radio has dumbed down and dilluted the talent pool with cue card readers....thus, ''MORE MUSIC,MORE OFTEN''. This generation knows nothing about ''fun'' radio,only ''MORE MUSIC''......so why listen to radio? get an iPOD!!!
Talent breeds talent....get back to the basics,and the money will follow. Put ''fun personality'' back in the mix.
Click to expand...

What we have here is the "y" factor.

Technology-

Local newspapers have moved to the internet.
Local TV now competes with 500 other channels
Local radio (music & talk) competes with I-pods/mp3's, podcasts,sat radio, and more technology is on the way.

Economy

Advertising budgets are being slashed.
At the top, the auto industry.
Just a few years ago TV and radio could rely on millions from national, regional and local dealers.
The manufacturers, (foreign and domestic) have cut WAY back.

Use to be simple placing a buy. Local radio, TV, ad in the local paper and you're done.

Less advertising money=less growth.

Advertising agencies and local clients don't give a crap if you're live and local.
They have less money to work with and want targeted ears and eyes.

Sure wish it was as easy as simply firing and replacing some people.
 
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