What Austin means to Providence: NAB Radio Show

[Holland Cooke]

THIS ALONE would've been worth the trip to Austin...

THIS ONE HOUR, a presentation by Michael Harrison, is an incredibly provocative and useful "big picture" snapshot of the historic moment we find ourselves at right now, the societal transition from broadcast to broadband consumption of information and entertainment media content.

See-and-hear this entire session at http://podjockey.com/2008/09/28/the-rise-of-the-media-station-and-the-future-of-talk-radio/#more-623

 

[michaelshiloh]

Re: "evacuees thank David Rehr for things that radio did to help save the day?"

FUNNY line by station owner Russ Withers, moderating yesterday's interview with FCC Chairman Kevin Martin:
"The 13 or 14 thousand people who stayed in Galveston were XM or Sirius subscribers, and didn't get the word."

I might add, there were some terrestrial stations you could have listened to in Houston-Galveston, as well, and never have known a hurricane was coming!

Sorry I missed meeting you at NAB, Holland, but it was an eye-opening experience for just the reasons you specify.

 

[Runrigger]

Holland, I know you keep mentioning the possibility of WHJJ eventually moving over or simulcasting on 93.3 & others always point out that Coast is really Clear Channel's only shot at female listeners. Has any station ever gone with a female-oriented talk format: A local morning show hosted or co-hosted by women then maybe some syndication in certain time slots if need be, but just total unabashed female-targeted talk ranging from real news to fluff? I don't mean fluff in any negative sense, but parenting, careers, hair & nails (that's fluff).

Oh, & on the conversation about station websites, don't you think the competition for website hits is much stronger than the competition for listeners?

 

[McRadio]

Satellite Sisters used to be syndicated but now it's online only
http://www.satellitesisters.com/
Talk radio audiences are male-dominant but I don't know if it's because of the shows themselves or the nature of female radio listeners. God knows if there's anything women like to do it's talk talk talk.

 

[Holland Cooke]

Listen for "the other shoe..."

Holland, I know you keep mentioning the possibility of WHJJ eventually moving over or simulcasting on 93.3 & others always point out that Coast is really Clear Channel's only shot at female listeners. Has any station ever gone with a female-oriented talk format: A local morning show hosted or co-hosted by women then maybe some syndication in certain time slots if need be, but just total unabashed female-targeted talk ranging from real news to fluff? I don't mean fluff in any negative sense, but parenting, careers, hair & nails (that's fluff).

Two points:

1. About that simulcast: I'm speculating. But smell the coffee. In this morning's trades: CBS just fired THE ENTIRE AIRSTAFF at its WSNE-of-Charlotte FM. Listen for "the other shoe" to drop aEVERYWHERE.

2. RE Talk-for-women: It's been tried aplenty, most-notably Greenstone Media's well-heeled, well-intentioned, now-defunct network a couple years ago. Nobody's EXECUTED it right yet. Most efforts stumble on the flawed notion that programming-has-to-be-hosted-BY-women. What you get is a bad "View," multiple-voices-talking-at-the-same-time-fast. To win, programming has to speak-TO (not-AT) women.

Oh, & on the conversation about station websites, don't you think the competition for website hits is much stronger than the competition for listeners?

You betcha!
NO -- repeat, NO -- radio station web site will out-Google Google.
And certainly not by being-a-web-site-about-a-radio-station.

But radio enjoys an advantage that even-the-best pure-play web sites lack: transmitter + brand equity + incumbent cume. As someone said in Austin, "You are not trying to be just a station with a website, but rather a local digital media brand with a loudspeaker."

Most-conspicuous effort that's got the industry buzzing lately: Entercom/Boston (WRKO/WEEI).
They hire-away "name" sports writers from the newspaper and create exclusive content, online and on-air.

NOTABLE in my travels: The disconnect between market size and how-good-the-station's-web-site-is.
You won't always see big sites from big market stations. Many are just template brochureware ABOUT the station.

The station I used to manage in Washington, WTOP, KICKS BUTT @ www.wtopnews.com
How: $$$
Right there, in the sprawling high-tech newsroom, are two people doing the site full-time.
Not two full-timers. But two people, there, AT ALL TIMES.

Meanwhile, in market #145, Tyler, Texas, client KTBB's www.ktbb.com has won the best-web-site-in-Texas-radio award repeatedly.
BEATING DALLAS AND HOUSTON STATIONS.
With ONE full-time webbie, and he's also doing the FM's site and several other sites the company does.
And while this station can't afford what Entercom/Boston and WTOP/Washington spend, it does some VERY cool stuff.
This year we MADE MONEY -- from on-air reports and ONLINE VIDEO -- covering both political conventions.
And the New Hampshire Primary and other road trips.
Not diverted spot money...NEW INTERNET DOLLARS...because the owner "gets it."
(As Jerry DelColliano recently pointed out, this particular owner always did. See "Radio Carnac" at http://insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html )

What all-of-the-above have in common is a commitment from ownership.
That'll be tough to get if the owner is out on the ledge.

 

[Runrigger]

As far as female-targeted talk, there used to be a theory that women (in music radio) hate listening to women on the radio. I don't know how valid that is, but midday jocks were always guys who appealed to women. Now middays seem to be reserved for the ladies. Talk may be another matter. If you notice TV spots aimed at women where there's both a husband & wife, the male sometimes is portrayed as kind of a dolt.

 

[BoomerBuzz]

We experimented with female talk in Albany until the network went bust. Unfortunately, the traditional feminists who were in management thought it was about liberal politics but, as a listener, the thing that struck
me was "fun". A couple of the shows were actually fun to listen to because they weren't about politics at all
but instead about life. It was refreshing to hear. Fact is, I never listen to talk radio anymore because it's so damn predictable. If a talk station could be about real life and fun and "you'll never know what's going to happen next", it might be a formula for success. And, by the way, female-focused talk doesn't necessarily mean that all the hosts have to be women.