This thread got the ol "tune out" on page 3
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Why? Aren't we aren't doing good RadioDiscussions on Boston?
Not quite. Commercial radio stations program music formats that, each, attract enough listeners so as to make them an attractive advertising medium to businesses.
If a particular music type or blend attracts too few listeners or not the right demographics, it fails and has to find a different format to program.
This is no different than merchandise selection at your nearby supermarket. If certain products don't sell enough to justify being on display, they are no longer stocked. Products that sell a lot get more facings on the shelves, and are put on the most visible eye level shelves.
I want to give a shout out to the college stations in Boston that continue to weather the storm. They have passionate staffs who do radio because they love it, not to make a profit. These colleges continue to own their stations at a time when colleges in other parts of the country are selling, often to EMF or other religious groups. A particular shout out to the Harvard alumni who support & lead WHRB. It would have been easy to do what the Brown U alumni did. Harvard hangs in. Of course Emerson is doing a great job too. You expect that from a school that trains future broadcasters. UMass charts their own course with all of their stations around the state. Each of them are unique stations in their own way. Every day I read about how college students don't care about radio, and maybe some of that's true. But the college stations in Boston, whether student-run or professionally run, deserve a salute for what they do. It's one of the few places where this happens.
Case in point: My nearest supermarket, Stop & Shop, used to have an amazing "ethnic" foods aisle. Plenty of variety and interesting products from places you wouldn't expect to find here given the ethnic composition of the community -- Japan, England, Mexico, India, Middle East (Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey). But a couple of weeks ago, I found the aisle had been completely redone. It's now dominated by Goya products, with tiny spaces for a few of the eliminated foods. The English and Middle Eastern items are gone completely, as are a lot of the products from South America. I'd imagine that someone noticed the dust on the lids of canned spotted dick (a dessert) from England and pistachio halva from Egypt.
Now I am sure they made some type of deal them. Kinda reminds of a popular nationwide drugstore chain, that in recent months, came up with the idea to put scree advertising in the front of their coolers. I am very much wondering if the very now lost revenue from someone, such as myself, because I am now both annoyed, and have to take this brand new step of having to open each door, to see if anything is available, offsets their new advertising, profit margin?
To possibly ratchet up your annoyance level, I've heard that those screens use cameras to scan customers and then AI attempts to customize the ad content based on visual cues like age and gender.
Well, so far, it is not working at all. The irony is, even with online companies doing this (sic. Google and Facebook), their marketing diagnostics have actually played into my favor quite well, so far! But I digress!
From a music angle, their online targeted and suggested song streams tend to be right up my alley.
Therefore, other posters here, especially David Edurado have made some very good points about this aspect!
Same old tired crap of an explanation.
Why don't you start a group called McDonaldsdiscussions.com.
Dismissive know it all
That was just a realistic response. The fact is that there are tens of thousands of people working in radio and all trying in some way to adapt to new technology and new generations of listeners.
Dismissing the opinion of a successful broadcaster is inappropriate.
A friend who is a consulting engineer was asked at the Broadcaster's Association annual meeting by the owner of a station that had severe technical issues what he could do. The engineer said that the first step was to give him an airline ticket, a hotel reservation and minimum two day's worth of his fees. The owner said he could not afford it.
The engineer said, "then go screw yourself", turned his back and walked away.
If you are unwilling to accept the answers, don't ask the questions.
Very likely. Just like end-aisle displays are given in exchange for discounts or extra case allotments for the stores. But shelf space or displays are given only if doing so will result in a greater profit than they would get for a different kind of product.
The supermarket also considers having a selection that will satisfy customers so that they don't go shopping at a different store that has more of their preferences. So display spacing is determined by sales volume, consumer demand and profit per foot of display.
A "deal" is only a good deal if the result is greater sales for the market and for the product vendor.
Actually, I checked out the Stop & Shop in Wallingford, less than 5 miles from the location closest to me, and that store has the full "ethnic" aisle that my "home" store no longer has!
Of course, Wallingford is only 7 percent Hispanic, many of them Mexican-Americans who work at a large chemical plant (coatings) and several specialty metals operations, while my city is nearly 30 percent, mostly Puerto Rican and Dominican. So a deal with Goya for extra shelf space certainly makes more sense here than there.
Once again, being snippy on a radio board is also inappropriate. You pros wonder why you get flack that you don't think you deserve. Like it or not, you set the tone here. If you don't like snark, don't serve it up.
If you can't control your own snark, spend some time away from the board doing something else until you can.
That engineer, while correct in his assessment, obviously already had enough paying customers. He apparently was able to blow off the possibility of future work from that potential client. Not all contract engineers have that luxury.
It's hard for engineers, but we've had to learn to suffer fools gladly in the service of our careers.
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JFC did this thread go off the rails
At some point, when a participant in a thread just refuses to accept the reality that commercial radio dances to the tune of advertisers and not to "art" we end up frustrated and annoyed.
When the participant concludes that all of us are stupid and won't do "new things" we end up angry and frustrated.
This particular sub-thread was one of those cases.
That engineer, who was my Chief Engineer at WQII and WZNT in San Juan, went on to be a partner with Ron Rackley and Bob DuTreil. He did not need frustrations.
some engineers know what their skills are worth, especially the ones that are sought after.
Even those who are good engineers, but not known as Gods nationally, but have a reputation regionally, have probably already been burnt or have an associate that has... and that is usually proved by a stack of noncollectable invoices on their books.
We know the owners that have churned and burned contract engineers, and then you get that phone call from them that they are off the air and need you ASAP... and you know they have failed to pay 3 of your friends.... those of the ones you say no to
When an owner says they can't afford you, you walk away.
I rarely give solutions for free, come into my shop and expect me to spend an hour diagnosing your car for free so you can take it somewhere else doesn't happen. My minimum diagnostic charge is one hour at the posted shop rate I have paid out close to 4 grand in the last month for new diagnostic bi-directional scanners for cars and motorcycles. 90% of the time I need them to do a proper diagnostic. If I don't bill for my time, I won't be open for long. Long time regular customers who give me all their work... they are a different story, just as the some of the shops I appraise for when I am not twisting a wrench.... you feed me work constantly I'm glad to help you out with a quick answer over the phone, or if I am in the area I can stop by for a few minutes..... if you are a shop that only calls me once in a blue moon.... you are getting billed. I don't need customers like that.
I think the issue with this topic, and pretty much any other topic either locally or nationally, is the inability of human beings to find a middle ground and combine to help move any topic, problem, discussion issue, etc. forward.
As far as this particular subject goes, whatever that may be at this point, it is my humble opinion that you can actually combine the "corporate" approach with some new tactics that address the complaints of the average listener. The problem is, in most cases, neither side wants to nudge over in the other direction. And, again, not just here, everywhere.
One again we come to the reality of radio discussion boards that are made up of two types:
1.) Listeners, who's only perspective is what they like personally (as it should be!). They don't care about spot rates or salaries or budgets, they just know what they like, and that's all we expect from listeners.
2.) Pro's who have made a living in the business, where we know and respect the "big math problem" that goes on in every commercial radio station. How it all works, what is needed to succeed, and to continue to pay our salary.
Two types of people enjoy radio, and enjoy discussing it.
I think that participants on forums like this have to have a respect for where people are coming from in their comments, perspective and passion.
Pro's shouldn't follow every listener/enthusiast comment with an explanation of spot rates and budgets. Knowing there are enthusiastic listners on this forum means the pro's have to have some patience, and not talk down to listeners posts, nor feel the need to explain the "cold hard facts" to someone who is simply sharing and opinion about something they feel strongly about.
Listeners just know what they like...and that's as it should be.
We could all use a lot less snark.
1.) Listeners, who's only perspective is what they like personally (as it should be!). They don't care about spot rates or salaries or budgets, they just know what they like, and that's all we expect from listeners.
2.) Pro's who have made a living in the business, where we know and respect the "big math problem" that goes on in every commercial radio station. How it all works, what is needed to succeed, and to continue to pay our salary.
Two types of people enjoy radio, and enjoy discussing it.
I think that participants on forums like this have to have a respect for where people are coming from in their comments, perspective and passion.
Pro's shouldn't follow every listener/enthusiast comment with an explanation of spot rates and budgets. Knowing there are enthusiastic listners on this forum means the pro's have to have some patience, and not talk down to listeners posts, nor feel the need to explain the "cold hard facts" to someone who is simply sharing and opinion about something they feel strongly about.
Listeners just know what they like...and that's as it should be.
We could all use a lot less snark.
The problem is you can discuss a subject on a message board all you want, and the discussion has no impact in the real world.
That doesn't mean people shouldn't discuss. But at the end of the day, running a radio station is a job, not a hobby.
But ignoring all of that doesn't help the listener who still doesn't understand why their ideas don't get followed.
I think if someone is going to go through all the trouble of putting together a post on a subject, they deserve an answer.
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