Ryan Seacrest

[letmethinkaboutit]

I can't believe stations are picking up his show. What makes them think it will be better than Carson Daly's Most Requested, which was horrible. Stations got on that at the time, because of the buzz around Carson and TRL. Much like Carson, Seacrest is in the right place at the right time. Does he really do anything special besides pause between, This........................is American Idol. Good looks may work on TV for teenage girls, but does a midday audience care about Ryan Seacrest phoning in a half-ass show? Radio at it's lowest common denominator. Does the industry realize or care, that listeners don't care about names? They care about content, interaction, and relatability. Listening to Seacrest interview Britney Spears about the set on How I Met Your Mother can't be as good as someone live and local. Seriously, radio needs to start believing in training new talent, and having them talk about the city they are in. Radio is not television, and doesn't work like it. I'm already seeing the effects of not having a new talent crop because of voice tracking. For example, recently saw a morning gig in Tulsa-market #65 looking for a night or afternoon talent to do mornings. The theory being that there are talented people in the top 50 doing nights and afternoons, but up and coming morning shows below market 50? Hmmm...nope. So sad, that an industry destroyed itself.

 

[idontlookhowisound]

Agreed! I don't think these managers are looking forward to the future. They're just milking what they can now. No building teams and talent for the future. Plus, Seacrest is AWFUL. I get practically suicidal every time I have to board op AT40.

 

[Roger That]

Listening to Seacrest interview Britney Spears about the set on How I Met Your Mother can't be as good as someone live and local.

Perhaps, but have you actually listened to what people deem "live and local"? Radio currently SUCKS at it, with rare exception.

There's such a fascinating obsession with this precious "live and local," and yet I'm rarely in a market in which I listen to a station, and can't simply pick that station up, and place it into any other market and not notice a difference. These stations are NOT live and local. Sure, they may have a local jock, and someone who is actually in the studio at the time, but if I have to pick between actual content and some local ****** reading his remote liner because he thinks people care about a midday jock's appearances, guess which one sounds more appealing to me...

Your station could be 100% syndicated and still be more local and better tapped in than any other station in town. You could have a person at the station whose sole responsibility is to liase with the community and champion its events. You can build clock positions to talk about these events. For the bigger ones, this person could be AT them *gasp*, and represent your radio station. You could use your hot zips, find important events going on in them, and then e-blast those people with the info. All of this without a live jock on the air.

News/Talk already works with this concept. If I'm in Jackson, MS and have the choice between Rush and a local "talk host," whose content do you think will be better?

With VERY rare exception, morning talent is the only set of personalities on any music-based radio station that people will really care about (or even recognize). No one believes that because our egos are too big to admit it. But here's a neat test...go ask your sales staff to name all the dayparts on your radio station, and who is on the air during them. You will be embarrassed...and they WORK THERE.

But back to this show...you bring up a good point...it's about the CONTENT. If they get the content right, being a big name will only serve to HELP the progress of this show. Steve Harvey is a great example of getting it right. Big name for instant recognition, and great content to turn those instant cumers into 1-book victories.

Time will tell...

 

[Roger That]

Agreed! I don't think these managers are looking forward to the future. They're just milking what they can now. No building teams and talent for the future. Plus, Seacrest is AWFUL. I get practically suicidal every time I have to board op AT40.

How long have you been in radio? I assume, as a board op, not very long.

I get how easy it is to jump on the "corporate radio sucks" bandwagon, but it just sounds like you work for a bad manager. There are, in fact, great managers out there that are not only programming-friendly, but WANT you to do the next big thing. They're progressive, and are VERY interested in the future.

Radio is in a major slump right now, and we all want to have jobs when this ship makes it's way through the mess. To suggest that there's no interest in the long-term is pretty foolish.

 

[letmethinkaboutit]

Agreed! I don't think these managers are looking forward to the future. They're just milking what they can now. No building teams and talent for the future. Plus, Seacrest is AWFUL. I get practically suicidal every time I have to board op AT40.

How long have you been in radio? I assume, as a board op, not very long.

I get how easy it is to jump on the "corporate radio sucks" bandwagon, but it just sounds like you work for a bad manager. There are, in fact, great managers out there that are not only programming-friendly, but WANT you to do the next big thing. They're progressive, and are VERY interested in the future.

Radio is in a major slump right now, and we all want to have jobs when this ship makes it's way through the mess. To suggest that there's no interest in the long-term is pretty foolish.

I have to agree with him, as someone that has been in the business for 10 years. I do believe there are some places where radio is alive and well. But, overall, it is not forward thinking-and shooting itself in the foot. Talent is not appreciated, and now the powers that be are suffering-and wondering what happened.

 

[Roger That]

I have to agree with him, as someone that has been in the business for 10 years. I do believe there are some places where radio is alive and well. But, overall, it is not forward thinking-and shooting itself in the foot. Talent is not appreciated, and now the powers that be are suffering-and wondering what happened.

Oh...I don't TOTALLY disagree with him. But, I'm choosing not to dwell on how we may have gotten here, but more on how we're going to get out of it.

As a vet of 10 years, take the lead on CHANGING it. Be the squeeky wheel that gets the grease. We're a product of our environments, but also have the ability to create our own.

I get frustrated seeing so many people whine about how unappreciated they feel or how the industry is failing because management is screwing them. Focus on what YOU can control, and improve the state of things. Any job, and any industry, has it's low points, and has some guy who makes more money than us calling shots we don't agree with. So what? At least we're still having fun...at least I am.

If you feel there's no end to the disaster, why not step aside, find another career, and give another talent the opportunity to be unappreciated.

 

[letmethinkaboutit]

I have to agree with him, as someone that has been in the business for 10 years. I do believe there are some places where radio is alive and well. But, overall, it is not forward thinking-and shooting itself in the foot. Talent is not appreciated, and now the powers that be are suffering-and wondering what happened.

Oh...I don't TOTALLY disagree with him. But, I'm choosing not to dwell on how we may have gotten here, but more on how we're going to get out of it.

As a vet of 10 years, take the lead on CHANGING it. Be the squeeky wheel that gets the grease. We're a product of our environments, but also have the ability to create our own.

I get frustrated seeing so many people whine about how unappreciated they feel or how the industry is failing because management is screwing them. Focus on what YOU can control, and improve the state of things. Any job, and any industry, has it's low points, and has some guy who makes more money than us calling shots we don't agree with. So what? At least we're still having fun...at least I am.

If you feel there's no end to the disaster, why not step aside, find another career, and give another talent the opportunity to be unappreciated.

Good post, and btw I did decide to switch careers lol. It's all relevant, you can whine about it-or move on like I have. But, I am still keen to point out what is wrong with the business. However, realizing it is not going to change, I got out.

 

[Roger That]

Good post, and btw I did decide to switch careers lol. It's all relevant, you can whine about it-or move on like I have. But, I am still keen to point out what is wrong with the business. However, realizing it is not going to change, I got out.

LOL...I still have hope. COMPLETELY understand your reasons to bail. I'm feeling like, while it's at a low point, there are regimes that will fade out, and hopefully their replacements will take us to a positive future. It may be a pipe dream, but I'm not giving up yet. If said new generation of lead dogs fail as bad as some of the current ones, then it will get worse. But keep in mind, the people running radio go into it forever ago. New generations means new thinking (usually)...it may take a while, but if there's one thing that's consistent, it's change.

 

[idontlookhowisound]

How long have you been in radio? I assume, as a board op, not very long.

I get how easy it is to jump on the "corporate radio sucks" bandwagon, but it just sounds like you work for a bad manager. There are, in fact, great managers out there that are not only programming-friendly, but WANT you to do the next big thing. They're progressive, and are VERY interested in the future.

Radio is in a major slump right now, and we all want to have jobs when this ship makes it's way through the mess. To suggest that there's no interest in the long-term is pretty foolish.

only been in 5 years and board op'ing because family situation won't allow me to move to a smaller market for another year or so. My manager(s) are fine, they just get handcuffed by the suits higher up who have no idea what good radio is. I know it's easy to jump on the bandwagon that accuses others of being on a bandwagon; but I say this because it DOES suck. It doesn't take a 20 year radio vet to figure out that. Almost every move and decision made by a higher up in the company I work for was made for short term reasons. In fact, I can't think of any decision made that was actually for long-term building.

It IS quite foolish to not think about the future of the radio. But the people I speak of are just that, foolish. They'll worry about the future when we get there.

 

[Roger That]

I know it's easy to jump on the bandwagon that accuses others of being on a bandwagon; but I say this because it DOES suck.

OOOH...burn. You think this that suggesting that there are brilliant people in corporate radio, ones who encourage challenging the system and thinking outside the box is a bandwagon? Please, for the love of God, show me where the bandwagon is. Because there's only a few of us that I see.

Do you even know any of these corporate people that make your life so challenging? Or do you just take the word of those that are also uninterested in challenging the system?

Once...just once, I wish people would play to win, instead of playing not to lose.

Try getting to know these corporate jerks that make your job so miserable. Believe it or not, I've found that these people are actually tremendous allies, and are people who are truly willing to let you rock the boat a little if you come up with a good reason. But I forgot...there's no way that could be, because the instant they get into the corporate world, they lose their humanity, and only want what's best for their paycheck.

Perception is reality, and since the few that really DO care only about themselves get the most publicity, it must be true for all of them, right?

Don't be a sheep. Ask questions. Find out the answers...don't just take people's word for it.

**disclaimer...if you work for Cumulus, nevermind. Your life really IS that bad.**

 

[radiogeek07]

Ok, any word on what stations have pickedem up yet? I know he's on...
"My 94.1, 93.3 WSNE"

 

[snailboy]

wssx out of charleston,sc has him on 3-7pm

 

[Roger That]

Show launched today...anyone hear it?