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What defines "Mix"?

Kracko would always enjoy a good conversation on the chairlifts / gondolas at the major ski areas.. It's always funny that when a "Mix 98.5" listener in Boston tunes in for a very rude awakening to central Vermont's badging of "Mix 98.1"... Always try to expalin that this version of "Mix" is similar to Boston's version of "Magic 106.7".... Then it clicks.. A "Mix" by any other name..
 
Funny you should ask that question. While I love Radio and have been lucky enough to make a living at it for a long time, I sometimes wonder about its future. Automation, now that it's actually fairly reliable, has wiped out the overnight and many weekend gigs used to train the next generation of talent. So many jocks nowdays can't even run an EAS test or switch transmitters without help. Promotions with no value to listeners. 16+ units an hour. Salespeople who sell things that don't exist (at my last station, the sales mgr sold a 1230pm news sponsorship...there has never been a 1230 cast). Stations are bought and sold like baseball cards until the price gets high enough that running a locally-based talented airstaff will earn you an express route to Chapter 11.
IMHO, unless Radio earns itself a bigger slice of the advertising pie the vicious circle of cutbacks/less attractive product/lower rates/cutbacks etc will continue. To do that stations must earn it and not succumb to the crack cocaine of $5 spots. Radio devalues itself on the street everyday by reps grabbing their ankles just to "make budget". Who cares if a nursing home buys spots on a CHR? (yes, I've seen it). They'll say "We've tried Radio and it doesn't work." Why? Because they were ripped off by an unscrupulous rep under pressure from equally unscrupulous management.
Until Radio stations actually listen to their P1s and P2s and give them a reason not to slide in that CD as well as providing value to clients nothing will change...and that's a shame. Bad enough that many young people today find Radio, especially AM radio, absolutely irrelevant to their lives without us paving the way.


Mr. Marbles said:
Excellent feed back, I see you are all students of radio ;) radio philosophy is like a fine wine, you can identify with it...but do you like it? :-* NUFF SAID
Click to expand...
 
This is actually 2 replies:

For NH Radio....do you think the reason there's less personality and listener communication in radio today is due to a GM (or a consultant) screaming at the sales staff to GO OUT AND SELL THOSE AVAILABLE POSITIONS...OR IF YOU SELL SOMETHING, WE'LL CREATE A POSITION FOR IT! Lately I've heard more newscasts with a "sponsored by" in the opening billboard....but the spot that's included is totally different! Obviously...listeners logic doesn't come into play. Just additional money! [I'll spare everybody about the screaming car dealer commercials because there are so many of them on the air right now that you can't really tell one from another! :eek:]

And for Mr. Marbles...everybody who is (or isn't) connected with the radio business will usually have some opinions about their favorite station(s). But unless they happen to be a true broadcast connoisseur...I doubt the majority could tell the difference between a $100.00 bottle of merlot...or one that retails for $5.95! ;D

argytunes
 
Argy:
I think "screaming at the sales staff" is only a part of the equation. I think the biggest reason for the lack of personality is stations don't want to invest money in developing (or even paying) good air talent due to the GM (or corporate) screaming CUT EXPENSES. For some reason I can't begin to understand, many managers can't see that a better air product gets more (and happier) listeners and thus commands higher rates.


argytunes said:
This is actually 2 replies:

For NH Radio....do you think the reason there's less personality and listener communication in radio today is due to a GM (or a consultant) screaming at the sales staff to GO OUT AND SELL THOSE AVAILABLE POSITIONS...OR IF YOU SELL SOMETHING, WE'LL CREATE A POSITION FOR IT! Lately I've heard more newscasts with a "sponsored by" in the opening billboard....but the spot that's included is totally different! Obviously...listeners logic doesn't come into play. Just additional money! [I'll spare everybody about the screaming car dealer commercials because there are so many of them on the air right now that you can't really tell one from another! :eek:]

And for Mr. Marbles...everybody who is (or isn't) connected with the radio business will usually have some opinions about their favorite station(s). But unless they happen to be a true broadcast connoisseur...I doubt the majority could tell the difference between a $100.00 bottle of merlot...or one that retails for $5.95! ;D

argytunes
Click to expand...
 
NH Radio...

I completely agree with you!

If ALL the screaming and yelling (from the announcers) is supposed to make a listener pay attention to a product or service...I think the concept is a major mistake!

I don't think I realized how bad the trend has gotten until after listening to the commercials and promos from so many different stations? And especially the audio portion from CHANNEL SIX (WCSH in Portland, Maine)!

Do advertisers really believe that their "screaming shotgun announcers" leave a good impression with the general public? There's nothing wrong with being enthusiastic over a product or service UNTIL the voice pitch starts to get higher and its volumn starts to get louder! :eek:

And that's when I usually change to a different station---or hit the MUTE button on my remote until the spot cluster is OVER!

argytunes
 
Listen, consulting works. It's a must to have a GM and an Ops manager to keep things going in the right direction. The personalities are there to fill time,the listener does not care...Trust the Great Houdini he doesn't fail!!
 
Professor Marbles...based on your comment, there is no need for "talent" at all...Why not just run satellite all day? So much for the "local" feel you want on your stations. Maybe you should look at John Tesh in the afternoons...ya know, right before Delilah?

Sounds like Houdini is still locked in the box in the lake...tick tock, tick tock
 
Maybe I'm mistaken here, but aren't consultants being paid to work with the radio stations that hire and pay them the big bucks? ???

I'm sure many of us have been employed by radio stations (or groups) that strictly adhere to whatever a consultant suggests....and still ended up with a lousy book?

Gotta disagree with you Mr. Marbles on your theory that the announcers are there to just fill time...and that the listeners don't care??? Does your theory apply to syndicated talk show hosts too?

The beauty of radio...and MOST of the personalities who are part of it...is the one-to-one connection with a listener. And there's a big difference between talking TO someone and yelling AT someone! Consultants are wonderful only when a GM or PD want uniformity and liner card readers.

But when it gets to the point that a listener knows what liner is going to come out of a stop-set or if a spot cluster is loaded with screaming annouincers...do you HONESTLY think they're gonna hang around for all the noice or predictability?

I know I wouldn't! :-[

argytunes
 
Consultants can be a very useful additonal pair of eyes and ears to a willing, open, and understanding PD or Ops manager, same goes for a sales or management consultant. Mr. Marbles, you appear to make these, "time filling personalities" sound like they work in a passionless factory and their contributions do not matter. I would hope that the people under your 'spell' don't feel that way, or I agree with Dudeman2000's last sentence in that post.. tick tock tick tock..
 
Mr. Marbles said:
The personalities are there to fill time,the listener does not care...
Click to expand...

Echoing another sentiment on the board, if all they're there for is to fill time, then why do we need them? I agree that many of them don't cut the mustard, which is why they fall into that categorical pit, but a GOOD personality people will listen to for the personality, not the underlying format. Otherwise there would be no such thing as groupies... or maybe now there AREN'T because of programming choices that accentuate your position and kow-tow to that ideal.

When I was a "free bird" at WPNH and I had command over my own show (barring commercial rotation and various community-oriented events), I actually did have a couple of followers who weren't really even the stations demographic entirely. The "Quality Rock" format I believe was aimed for 25-55 but yet I had a 13 year old girl and her GRANDMOTHER both infatuated with my show!
 
Half way through the spring book already. We shall see who will be number 1 (again ;))? ???
 
Mr. Marbles, who the hell cares about ratings. This is not Boston. I wouldn't brag about being number one in the ratings (unless Pam and Al's dad has a big fat bonus fer yah !) and revenues around 70% of goal with only a few selling days left in the month to go. Having 5 stations and selling commercial time for $10.00 per commercial for 3, 50kw stations is nothing to brag about at all. Thats pathetic. This small market radio, it's the revenue ratings that count and the ratings that keep programming people employed. I'm glad I'm not in your class.
 
:D I now I know your salesman Jo Jo, a lousy one! It's all about ratings, they drive sales. Maybe if I did teach a class I would drive that concept into pea brains like yourself :-*
 
Professor...PRODUCT drives sales. Its clear that you ARE NOT in sales or you would know that. How valid is your precious book when the average participant will soon hold an AARP card? If it was all about ratings your blindly loved 50,000W AAA station would be something else. Who wants to spend money on bland group of stations with no promotions? Seems your customers are putting their dollars in other places...perhaps the local paper? Or maybe just not spending it at all...judging by the way you look at the replaceable staff, the product your pushing isn't worth the pennies your asking. From what I hear word of mouth is better than all the wattage!

Steak sells better than Hamburger Helper any day. Get back to the kitchen...you've got your nose so deep in the book you can't smell the ground beef burning! Tick Tock...
 
Mr. Marbles, if ratings drives sales, which is does in Boston, Albany, or even Burlington to an extent. I agree. Since you appear to have an 'either / or mentality', i.e. either sales or programming.. We clearly know, you nothing about the sales process, and Kracko sees no GM stripes for you anytime soon. Being number one or 2 in Market #179 does not mean a whole heck of a lot, I would not call that bragging rights, especially with the sales situation as bad as it appears at your group. That seems like an anomoly to me since if a good product does drive sales, then your stations or a least 3 maybe 4 out of 5 should be at goal. Certainly your soft AC, CHR, and Country at least.
 
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