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Peter Z

This is a shock! PeterZ is a great programmer and a great guy. He has really taken KLUV to the TOP of where an oldies station could be. Sad to see him go, but I am sure great things are in store for him!
 
I'd hardly call Peter 'interchangeable' however, you are probably correct. Shame too. He was a solid PD, and really captured the 'Dallas' sound on KLUV. I have only met him once, but I have a feeling he'll have his choice of jobs.
 
Maybe Radio Truth is making a point about what their corporate bosses actually think about people in the programming side of radio these days. Frankly they look at us as something that can be bought off the shelf, used up, and disposed of at will. Another one will show up on the shelf the next time they need it, and they'll plug it in. Their problems are resolved by the change-out. They are souless so trying to convince them that there's more than something mechnical about radio is really an exercise in futality.
 
I think that can be true, but it's awful cold to come on to a thread about the man and call him names.

Peter Z is a good programmer and a great guy and I'm confident he will land on his feet.
 
One of the hardest things about working in radio and battling in the trenches along side good people is when change occurs. It is especially hard when the change involves a comrade who is a man of integrity, fair, decent and knowledgeable. However this is the nature of radio, always has been and always will be. The only constant in radio is change...

Peter Z is one of the good ones and will continue to have many more successes in the future.

Jay Walker
 
Yes... Exactly. Corporate America doesn't realize or appriciate the work and personal sacrifices a person makes to put out a great product. Maybe Peter Z can find a smaller market cluster somewhere that will appriciate his work better. Small market cluster radio is where "it's at" anymore. They still generally have local or semi-local owners that actually give a damn about their product and employess, and most importantly their listeners and clients.
 
KLUV has found a replacement for Peter according to AllAccess this guy will also program KVIL.
 
Nice guy. Always fun to chat with him at KLUV events, etc. Sorry to hear he's no longer there. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.
 
The most important job of a program director at a music station today is the ability to program computer music automation. It's not about creativity or talent. Any idiot with computer literacy can do it.
 
Truth....

What you just said was that Music Program Directors are irrelevant....For example, what's inside Peter Z's head means nothing compared to a typical computer nerd.

OK....From a standpoint of relevance, how do you feel about:
  • Music Directors
  • Morning Radio Personalities
  • High-Profile Non-Morning Personalities
  • Spectacular On-Air Radio Promotions

Now, what about:
  • Cluster Managers
  • General Sales Managers
  • Account Executives

When it comes to "Radio Truth", which of these are the most important for Radio's future success?

J-D
TWR
 
Truth....

What you just said was that Music Program Directors are irrelevant....For example, what's inside Peter Z's head means nothing compared to a typical computer nerd.

OK....From a standpoint of relevance, how do you feel about:

Music Directors
Morning Radio Personalities
High-Profile Non-Morning Personalities
Spectacular On-Air Radio Promotions


Now, what about:

Cluster Managers
General Sales Managers
Account Executives


When it comes to "Radio Truth", which of these are the most important for Radio's future success?

J-D
TWR
Click to expand...

This is going to take a while to address all this. I'll comment on this stuff in the order it was written.

Music Directors-In the classic hits format there is national research done and most of the CBS O & O classic hits stations play 90% of the same stuff so local music directors mean nothing anymore.

Morning Radio Personalities-It all comes down to talent. If there is somebody who stands out and is LOCAL and has unique and compelling content, it means something. If the station hires some schmuck to take up space, the station will bite the big one. It all comes down to compelling content.

High-Profile Non-Morning Personalities-There are no high profile non-morning personalities. Radio is paying a price of having 30 years of liner card reading retardos. If there was somebody out there who knew how to do real personality and could do adlib humor, it might help a little but, 65% of a station's billing comes from morning drive. The rest of the day, especially after 7 P. M. makes no difference and the stations react by either automating day parts or hiring minimum wage clowns. If this was 1965, my answer would be totally different.

Spectacular On-Air Radio Promotions-In today's economic environment, no station will ever do a spectacular on air promotion ever again with radio's decreasing audience and decreasing billing. Broadcast companies in 2012 don't have the balls. If this was 1965, my answer would be totally different.

Cluster Managers-One answer fits all three of these positions. If you don't sell enough spots, you end up losing your job. This is especially true for a low rated station that gets no national buys. This has been true all the way back to 1920.
General Sales Managers
Account Executives

When it comes to "Radio Truth", which of these are the most important for Radio's future success?

The real, unvarnished answer is that radio has no future. Radio is dying a slow, ugly death. Radio will have a nice 100 year run and be totally finished in November, 2020 to pay tribute to KDKA coming on the air. Nobody under the age of 25 cares about radio for music. Ad agencies won't buy an audience over 50 because it takes twice as many ad impressions to get baby boomers to change brand loyalty. That leaves only 25-49. Each five years radio will lose 20% of the 25-49 demographic. And now for the final kiss of death.....when the cost of bandwidth and digital data come way down and everyone can listen to internet radio in their cars for free, that will be the official end of terrestrial radio. I predict that will happen in November, 2020. In the meantime, average weekly time spent listening to the radio goes down each year. As radio billing erodes over the next 8 years, companies will react by running nationally syndicated shows and voice tracking every day part they can. Again, my answer would be totally different if this was 1965.
 
Nice post, R-T....

(Actually Ben, Truth and I have interacted before. I was reasonably sure that all he needed was an opportunity for clarification, and I think you'll agree that he didn't disappoint.)

Whether Radio exists on AM or FM is moot. As long as there is an interest in Audio Entertainment, there will be Radio.

Truth, your assessment of what currently exists and doesn't in Radio is spot on, as is your understanding of the operating structure of the Industry. That being said....I believe these are the flaws that must be immediately addressed:

  • Program Directors* must first create, then stand behind Creative, Entertaining Audio Programming.
  • Morning Personalities, like every other On-Air Professional must be undeniably Creative, Entertaining, and Consistent. If they are mired in a non-personality format, and believe they have the talent to do something more, they should leave that station forthwith.
  • Music Directors* in every format must work harder to create music lists unique to their particular marketplace. Truth's statistic of 90% of Classic Rock's playlists being identical is telling....and simply cannot stand.
  • What On-Air Promotions lack in Spectacle, should be made up for in Entertainment Value and Creativity.
  • Cluster Managers, General Sales Managers, and Account Executives must be made to realize that Radio's customers are Listeners, not Advertisers.

    To do that, On-Air Professionals* must commit to being the sole providers of Radio's On-Air Product.

    If we are stifled in doing so; in any reasonable way, we should leave these Managers to their own pathological, destructive futures, and stop allowing them to successfully demand our obedient and quietly compliant march into their self-created abyss.

Which brings us to Radio Truth's final (tragic) assessment of Radio's current future....

"...The real, unvarnished answer is that radio has no future. Radio is dying a slow, ugly death. Radio will have a nice 100 year run and be totally finished..."

It is time for Radio's Creators* to stop allowing Radio's Management to destroy this Industry.

We do that by supporting those Managers who demonstrably serve Listeners*, and by irrefutably abandoning those who serve only their Paychecks, Bonuses, and Threats from their Corporate Masters.

*Like Peter Z....

J-D

Jon-David Wells
The Wells Report
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
 
jondavidvox said:
(Actually Ben, Truth and I have interacted before. I was reasonably sure that all he needed was an opportunity for clarification, and I think you'll agree that he didn't disappoint.)
Click to expand...

I agree... *this* time. He seems to do better when given a framework with which to work within. ;)

I also wholeheartedly agree with everything else you wrote, and in regard to radio dying, all I'd like to add is this type of chatter has been going on for 10 years or more, and last one out, please turn out the light!!!
 
On thing....In re-reading my earlier post....I noticed my last statement:

"....and by irrefutably abandoning those who serve only their Paychecks, Bonuses, and Threats from their Corporate Masters."

Was right in front of:

"....*Like Peter Z..."

Those 2 statements we're not intended to be put together. Peter Z is the kind of Program Director Radio needs. He is most assuredly NOT the kind of Radio manager who serves only his paycheck, his next bonus, or cowtows to the threats of his corporate masters. If he sticks with Radio....I can hardly wait to hear what he comes up with next.

J-D
TWR
 
Peter Z is the kind of Program Director Radio needs. He is most assuredly NOT the kind of Radio manager who serves only his paycheck, his next bonus, or cowtows to the threats of his corporate masters. If he sticks with Radio....I can hardly wait to hear what he comes up with next.





JD hit the nail on the head. My personal regret is that I didn't get to work with Peter at KLUV. I would have loved being part of his team. Best of luck to you Peter!
 
Peter Z is the kind of Program Director Radio needs. He is most assuredly NOT the kind of Radio manager who serves only his paycheck, his next bonus, or cowtows to the threats of his corporate masters. If he sticks with Radio....I can hardly wait to hear what he comes up with next.





JD hit the nail on the head. My personal regret is that I didn't get to work with Peter at KLUV. I would have loved being part of his team. Best of luck to you Peter!
Click to expand...

KLUV is one of the worst sounding CBS O & O classic hits station no matter who was programming it. KLUV's sound was and still is inferior sounding to WCBS-FM, KRTH-FM and WOGL-FM among others. If Peter Z was the program director and he was any good, why did and does KLUV sound so lousy compared to the others?
 
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