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Is Local Radio about to see a Rebirth?

Consultant Mark Ramsey over at www.hear2.com. says it’s what’s between the records that counts in radio.  He says that will be the rebirth of radio as we old timers know it with the pending sale of over 400 Clear Channel stations in smaller markets.  He says, and I agree, that local radio will drive that rebirth.

The larger broadcast companies have been behind the move to voice track radio shows or beam them from a central studio via satellite.  What has happened is less and less “local” in stations. 

Are we on the verge of a rebirth?  Art Morris believes “mom and pop” operations are the key to saving small market America?  Your thoughts………………..

Who will be the next radio giant?

With Clear Channel (referred to some in the business as Cheap Channel) going private and reportedly divesting itself of its tv properties and any radio property overt the 100th market, who will become the giant in radio broadcasting?  Will it still be C.C., or will others such as Cumulus and Citadel be the new kings?  Or better yet, are they headed for the private bin and possible break ups?

Nine radio news people lose th

Not a good week for radio news teams.  Boston Radio Giant WRKO axed its seven person news team Thursday afternoon, including long time news director Rod Fritz.  The move by owner Entercom was to make way for higher-priced talk talent.  In other words, Entercom sees the future was being talk radio in the Bean City.

 And in Miami, WIOD said good bye to two news anchor.  WIOD is owned by Clear Channel which is in the midst of downsizing and selling to private investors.

Radio’s face could get plastic surgery

Sorry about lack of posting.  I’ve been tending to some personal business and got behind.

A couple of things:

 1.  The sale of Clear Channel Communications looms.  This again could change the face of broadcasting.  No doubt,  much of it will be broken up and sold.  It’s the opportunity for the “mom and pops” to back up in the picutre of ownership, but I doubt it.  I look for Cumulus, Journal, Beasley and others to go on a “pac man” raid, buying up what they can.

2.   I got dressed down over comments I made on a local radio board.  A couple of emails didn’t like my comparison of Wal Mart to the Radio Industry.  Basically, I said radio was like Wal Mart in that there was No middle.  In radio, ther is no middle any more.  It’s the  owners/executives and the employees.  The employees carry the ball, many 6 days a week, by multi-tasking and working their brains out.   The paychecks are very different between the top and the bottom.  I heard that if you want to be an executive, set your sights on it and do it.  I also heard there is always radio sales to get into.  Well, not everybody makes a good sales person just like not every sales person can make a great on air person.

The on air side of radio is often run like a sales department.  That is bad.  I believe if more time was spent on allowing the jocks to run their own shows and develop their style, you wouldn’t hear the cheerleading calls from the execs (most from the sales arena) to keep raising the bar.  I.e., that means profits.

Radio’s face could get plastic surgery

Sorry about lack of posting.  I’ve been tending to some personal business and got behind.

A couple of things:

 1.  The sale of Clear Channel Communications looms.  This again could change the face of broadcasting.  No doubt,  much of it will be broken up and sold.  It’s the opportunity for the “mom and pops” to back up in the picutre of ownership, but I doubt it.  I look for Cumulus, Journal, Beasley and others to go on a “pac man” raid, buying up what they can.

2.   I got dressed down over comments I made on a local radio board.  A couple of emails didn’t like my comparison of Wal Mart to the Radio Industry.  Basically, I said radio was like Wal Mart in that there was No middle.  In radio, ther is no middle any more.  It’s the  owners/executives and the employees.  The employees carry the ball, many 6 days a week, by multi-tasking and working their brains out.   The paychecks are very different between the top and the bottom.  I heard that if you want to be an executive, set your sights on it and do it.  I also heard there is always radio sales to get into.  Well, not everybody makes a good sales person just like not every sales person can make a great on air person.

The on air side of radio is often run like a sales department.  That is bad.  I believe if more time was spent on allowing the jocks to run their own shows and develop their style, you wouldn’t hear the cheerleading calls from the execs (most from the sales arena) to keep raising the bar.  I.e., that means profits.

Radio Stations Need To Be Streaming

It’s my opinion that radio stations need to be streamling online as of yesterday.  Work is already underway to bring the Internet to car radios.  In five years, it will be a standard feature, trust me.   If you aren’t streamling online now, you will be part of ancient history. If you don’t already have a good website you are promoting on air, you will be left in the dust.

Radio will be about localism in the future.  With the Net in cars, people will be abel to travel across country and listen to their favorite station from back home.  That’s where local will be hot. 

 

The train has left the station.  Are you going to run and jump on and left waving goodbye? 

Favorite News Voices of the Past

My favorite radio news voices of the past:

Christopher Glenn, CBS; Douglas Edwards, CBS; Jeffrey Hendricks, WLS; Lyle Dean, WLS; Robert R. Lynn, KXOK;

Listening to a transistor radio at night as a child

I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s and my first gig was spinning records in 1968 at KTXR in Springfield, Mo.  I thought I had died and gone to Heaven because I was  14 and crazy about the radio business.

Like many radio people of my era, I had a tiny transistor radio that could draw in the big AM signals at night.  I would spin countless hours in the dark, dialing around to pick up the stations and listen to the jocks and news people.

When you were struck with the radio bug, what did you listen to to get great ideas?

How do we make voice-tracking more warm and personable?

I’m often critical of voice-tracking radio programs mainly because most sound so impersonal.  The satellite programming delivered by many of the big networks seem to do a good job with the jocks doing a lot of research and injecting their personality into the programs.  But stations that do voice-track seems to be more of a race of how fast can you get the tracking done so you can go on to other things to do in the station (i.e., doing the jobs of three people or more).

What needs to be done to make voice-tracking more personal and provide genuine warmth to the listener.  Do we need to slow the effort to get it done