Here's the deal:
Active Rock is at a point in the pendulous cycle of being "not so great" right now.
New "Rock" music is woefully mediocre. Look at the Top 200. Not a lot of "new" bands making waves these days. You'd think...with all of the alleged avenues for people to get their new music (yes...I'm talking to all of you who think Satellite/Ipods/Internet/Any other media source you can use to slag radio) There'd be at least one of two things happening...1. Terrestrial would be knee-jerking to catch up. Or 2. There'd be some semblance of sales story.
But there isn't.
During times of economic hardship...and it's easily arguable we're in one of those times...People want what they know. Safe...Familiar...Music that reminds them of better times.
Combine that with the dearth of great product, and you have a lot of stations tightening up. I can tell you we keep things pretty down the middle here. And it works. "Active" Rock is such a misnomer to begin with. It's not about current-to-gold ratio. Well, I take that back..it IS about that by definition. But, it was never really about that at all.
It's about being the epicenter of a lifegroup. And calling yourself "New Rock" or "Alternative" or "Classic Rock" is not conducive to broadcasting...it's narrowcasting. And the available audience for niche formatted music stations are so fractured now, that it doesn't make sense. In fact, the only reason the over-fracturing of Rock radio happened to begin with had nothing to do with specializing, and everything to do with promotional budgets. Now that there're no format-specific budgets to promote product, record companies have to pick the best possible outlet for their music. And if a station casts the widest net, hoping to haul in the largest possible audience for their product, there's your outlet.
But again..the music has to be good. Which is why we see so many alleged Rock stations playing stuff like Linkin Park's "Shadow Of The Day" which is in NO WAY a Rock song. But, it appeals to those who buy CDs and therefore record companies can show sales, and therefore Radio has a reason to play what the audience wants.
We are a reflective medium. We play what they want. Or, we don't get ratings. The days of music education are gone for radio now.
That doesn't mean they are gone for good. It means we as an industry are not doing good enough a job of being that epicenter of a lifegroup. We are not engaging enough. We are not interactive enough. We have not given the listener a sense of involvement to the point where they believe anymore. There was a time when Lynrd Skynrd's plane went down...fans called their favorite station. When Kurt Cobain died, fans called us to vent. That doesn't happen anymore. You know why?
We became a monologue. Talking at, and not with.
We ceded our position to the internet, and other media. Because we let Wall St. dictate our product. Because we cheaped out and eliminated live jocks. And those jocks we still have...we tell to shut up. This is nothing short of stupid. People don't hate talk. They love it. They want it. They hate useless talk. And there's a ton of it on the dial. Because PDs have so much on their plates, they can't manage talent. And their APDs are (more often than not) either glorified secretaries, or untrained in how to coach talent. And we have a lot of people in high places, that have neither cracked a mic, nor a creative bone in their bodies. Our business is run by salespeople. And I understand that. We're in it to make money. But most salespeople have no idea what we do on our side. Can't blame them. Some don't even listen to the properties they're selling...that I have nothing but contempt for. But...we need to let these people know how this is done. It's not a regular marketing machine. It's unique. And education is both time-consuming, and sometimes expensive. But which costs more...taking the time to do it correctly? Or, doing it 6 times? Wall St. doesn't have the time, nor the patience.
And now...because times are tough economically, and new product is in a down cycle, stations like the Blitz have to circle the wagons and rearrange their strategy. That's the first step. What Hal chooses to do from this point on is his decision. Everybody's a PD. Most have never actually done it. And fewer know how to do it correctly.
I'll say it again:
People do not listen to the radio for music. They listen to feel connected to the music.
Read it again until you understand it. It is the absolute essence of our industry.
It is incumbent upon every talent to do their best every shift to capture that listener. Make them feel like you care that they're listening. Answer EVERY E-mail. Spend an extra 5 minutes on the phone with them. Don't sit behind the table at a remote. This is show business. We must remember that. Give them 5 minutes, and you can have them forever. Know everything there is to know about EVERY band on your playlist. Take credit for other stations' contesting. If someone calls and asks if they're the right caller, don't tell them you're not giving anything away. Let 'em know you just got a winner, and thank them for listening. They came to you...don't send them away disappointed.
I think I've rambled enough.
What The Blitz did...is the right thing for Rock Radio 2008-2009. They're no longer one thing. They are "The Rock" and when executed correctly that's a brand in itself. The audience picked the songs. The PD arranges them. The talent does their jobs correctly. And...the audience will be there.
Do your job correctly. And you will be successful.
It really is that simple.
The trick is to find "correctly" in today's radio structure....
