JacoBlog - Jacobs Media's Blog

Beyond the "7 Dirty Words"

The passing of George Carlin this week brought many memories to mind, especially the controversy, the language, and indecency comparisons.  For many comedians and even DJs, Carlin was very influential in their career choices and even their development as entertainers.

But there was another side to George that came to light, from ESPN fantasy sports maven, Matthew Berry.  Just out of college, Berry was a gofer for Carlin on a Fox TV show.  Every week, people would send in loads of pictures and memorabilia for Carlin to sign, and he dutifully and cheerfully complied.  When Berry asked him why, Carlin offered this comment:

"I always do it.  No matter what.  Look, it's 30 seconds out of my life.  And now those people had a good experience.  And the next time my name comes up, for the rest of their lives, they'll say 'Yeah, I met Carlin once.  He was nice.'  I'd much rather that than a lifetime of 'Yeah, I bought all that guy's albums and then he wouldn't even sign my hat.  That guy was a jerk.'  Thirty seconds for a lifetime?  I'll do that every time."

George Carlin understood a lot about the human condition and what made people laugh - and think.  But he also had a keen sense of what entertainers bring to the lives of fans, and the relationships that are created in the process.  In our world of radio, these relationships still matter, and in fact, are very much a part of our "secret sauce."

A quick recap of "The Seven Dirty Words" (*caution: not safe for work!)

From Worst To First: A Lesson In Talent

Today's guest blog from Keith Cunningham teaches us a lesson about great talent:

Some may not know the Boston Celtics had the worst record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference last season.  Yes, the worst record.  The press was calling for coach Doc Rivers' head, the fans were booing, and some fans even wore bags on their heads.  It was getting ugly in Beantown.  Yet the most storied franchise in NBA history went on to win the championship this year.  From worst to first, overnight.  How’d they do that?

By acquiring great talent.

Radio can learn from the Celtics.  We find many struggling radio stations hoping that a few Selector tweaks or the tightening of DJ execution will make the difference.  It usually doesn’t.  The NBA equivalent would be running more sprints in practice or trying out a new defensive scheme.  Do you think that would have dramatically changed the tide for the Celtics?

By making two key talent moves, the addition of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, Boston created “The Big 3” and it made all the difference in the world.  They ripped through the NBA on their way to the league’s best record, and a blowout victory over the Lakers (and arguably the best player in the world right now, Kobe Bryant).

If a radio station wants game changing results, as the Celtics did, they'll need to make game changing moves.  This might entail a PD change, music testing, perceptual research, and marketing.  But if a station is really looking to change the game, they may need to get honest with themselves and agree to invest in hiring great talent.  The right mix of music can’t be overlooked – but take a cue from some of Radio’s iconic brands that many emulate – they have big talent.

It’s also worth noting that The Bone in Tampa (Cox) went from a mid-pack player to virtually #1 across the board with men, almost immediately, by adding Bubba the Love Sponge to morning drive back in January.  The Bone’s music mix was right all along, but there’s no substitute for big talent.

Whether it's radio or the NBA, talent wins.  Just ask anyone who lives in Boston.

$4 Gas

As oil prices skyrocket, the possibility of $4/gallon gas prices seem more than likely as we head into the summer.  But not if you're the President.

Perhaps you caught his recent press conference, when he was asked about this.  Looking surprised by the question, President Bush responded, "That's interesting.  I hadn't heard that."  It was a reminder to Americans that a guy who doesn't pump or pay for his own gas isn't truly in touch with regular folks.

And it's something you hear with regularity from personalities who have hit the big time financially.  It's not uncommon to hear them talk about a lavish vacation, a Vegas weekend, a luxury car purchase, the free tickets to the suite they received, or the limo ride to the concert.  Part of this may be expected by listeners who totally understand that they're listening to stars who have cashed in on their success.  Some live vicariously through these DJ stars and their rock star lives.  And clearly, a portion of the audience can afford these types of extravagances - or buys them anyway.  Howard Stern has typically talked about his riches and perks, and he's often made it entertaining.  Although I would submit that he was always more relatable playing "everyman" with regular guy problems with Allison and the girls, than when he dated strippers in limos.

It's the same thing with the local morning guy, and even the syndicated show that speaks to millions of listeners around the country.  More often than not, they are better off being relatable, and in-touch with their audiences, rather than above them.  In these recessionary times (yes, it is a recession), keeping it real is the way to go.  We're going through a difficult period in this country, where foreclosures are common, jobs are tenuous, and it's tough for the "Average Joe" to afford concert or baseball tickets.  Personalities that maintain great eye contact throughout this tough patch will most certainly have an edge - not just with their listeners but with many others who work at the station who are struggling to make ends meet.

Comfort Zone

With compliments to Wiley, creator of Non Sequitur, here's a bit of comic relief to usher in the weekend.

Rest In Peace Paul Yeskel: 7/30/51-12/23/07

Rock music promoter Paul Yeskel passed away a few days ago.  I did not know Paul very well, but all of the programmers we work with always spoke highly of him.  Long-time Rock programmer Ted Edwards provides us with some nice words about Paul.

I got the news about Paul on Sunday like all of you and have been sitting on this message and a chance to reply since.  I tired to compose something a number of times but got so thoughtful I just couldn't write anything that said what I really wanted to until now.  Paul and I go way back, almost to the very beginning and since that time he has been a constant in my life as we had both managed to stay in this ever changing business.  He had been able to persist and thrive as he possessed everything necessary to do so when so many of our friends had not or had chosen to move to other adventures.  A sharp intellect, experience, attention to detail, passion, knowledge, curiosity, willingness to change as the times did with a unique ability to see where things were going and to accept them, great communication and networking skills, courage and above all friends.  He had many, many friends and I think the primary reason was he was genuine.  Genuine in all the right ways.  Honest, sincere, caring, consistent, loyal and compassionate.  I have found that genuine is a quality that is all to rare in our related fields.  I have had the valued experience in my career to have lost jobs that made me of great importance to business associates and saw way to many of these "friends" disappear as soon as the job did, and then come back with great enthusiasm when the next job showed up.  But not Paul.  No matter where I was, what I was doing or not doing Paul was always a friend.  Always took my call.  Always asked how I was doing... and meant it.  Always sought me out when new opportunities to work together came along.  I miss him today and will, in no matter how many days are yet to come.  It is times like these that remind me how fragile and wonderful life can be and how rare truly genuine people are.  Paul was rare and if one's life can be summed up by how many friends they had at their passing then Paul was a huge success in this life.  I have no idea what happens once we pass from this life but whatever or wherever it is I hope I get to see Paul there and tell him what his friendship meant to me.  I hope he knew that and I like to think he did.  God bless the life that was Paul Yeskel.  It was a privilege to have been part of it.

Star Power

This week's announcement that Bubba the Love Sponge is returning to commercial radio (on WHPT/Tampa and WFYV/Jacksonville) will elicit the usual response - from happiness to shock to dismay.  After all, Bubba's "shock jock" persona always generated lots of talk and buzz.

It's noteworthy that at the end of 2007, Bubba and Don Imus have come back to the business that put them on the map, despite the controversy and outrage.

At the same time, radio personalities are being let go, left and right, in markets big and small.  In what can only be called a "radio recession," many owners and managers are clearly concluding that highly paid personalities - especially in so-called music dayparts - just aren't worth the freight.  Thus, big names are hitting the streets at a particularly crucial point in radio's lifespan.

R&R/Street Talk's Kevin Carter has been lampooning Clear Channel's term for this talent exodus - "Re-expression." One of CCU's managers defined the thinking behind these firings in this way: "We are re-expressing our assets to achieve greater results."  How's that for double-speak, but as Carter and everyone else on the content side knows only too well, it's not funny.  And it is beginning to say volumes about how this business is mortgaging the future in order to "re-express" better results this quarter.

Content is a two-way street, and it's clear that while the Talk format is healthy, music jocks could become an endangered species if revenues don't turn around.  It's a challenge that both talent and management must meet.  For ownership, radio cannot slash its way to success by cutting research, marketing, and talent.  There are just too many great and diverse media choices available to every American consumer.

But talent has to step up, too.  The clichéd "4 and out the door" will not get it done in this environment.  Jocks have to get out of the studio, make appearances, participate in revenue generation, learn new skills, and in many cases, redefine their roles in radio.

Hats off to Jay O'Connor, Bob Neil, and the Cox Tampa team for bringing Bubba back to the airwaves.  Music no longer creates buzz on the radio, but personalities sure do.  But beyond these big, bombastic, headline-grabbing returns to broadcast radio, what IS radio's long-term plan for personalities?

Full disclosure:  We consult both WHPT and WFYV.

Dear I-Man

An open letter to Don Imus, from Jacobs Media's Dave Beasing:

Dear Mr. Imus,

Welcome back to radio!  For your listeners, mornings just haven't been the same. 
Comedy isn't easy, nor was the way your career at WFAN ended.  It's difficult to consistently be funny without offending someone, and you didn't deserve to be depicted as a monster.  On the other hand, your new deal with WABC is probably a lucrative one, as someone with your increased name recognition deserves.  You're fine.

So who paid the price for your lapse in judgment?  Certainly, the young women on that basketball team head the list.  And so does radio.  While NAB President David Rehr and his team are busy reminding Congress about all the good things that local broadcasters do, you sent a different message directly to their constituents – that this industry has sometimes been racist, sexist, and downright stupid.

Radio needs big stars like you.  Most of us are sincerely happy about your return.  But do us a favor.  Please use your immense talent to everyone’s benefit.  In return, we’ll be listening, laughing and loving your show.  Deal?

Respectfully,

Dave Beasing

A Word From Fig

Last week's blog entry, "The Graveyard Shift," struck a responsive chord with many of you.  Bill Figenshu chimed in with some comments of his own, well worth taking a few moments of your time to read (below).  We appreciate his views as someone who has spent much of his career in leadership roles in radio, but who has the added perspective of being able to step outside the foul lines and see the media world through a different prism these days.

We also heard from many of you, eager to tell your own stories of starting in radio in obscure markets, and in overnight or weekend shifts.  We invite everyone who reads this blog to send along your own tales of how you broke into the business, especially if it involved the entry level route that has virtually dried up in recent years, due to voicetracking and cost-cutting.  How would many of you gotten your starts, had it not been for these part-time, on-the-job training opportunities?  In this case, I believe we can learn a lot about where we're headed as an industry, by gaining a better understanding of our past.

And now, a few words from Fig...

Hi Fred,

I noted your overnight blog regarding the “dearth” of a talent gateway into the radio business. (BTW, that’s $80.00 a week before taxes for me at WMID! Yikes!) You are so correct. And true, by eliminating the overnight shift for financial reasons we have closed the pipeline to new talent. But wait! There’s more!

I believe we in management have failed the process. Today, managers and program directors are spending MUCH more time on administration, and much LESS on the creative process.  Who was your mentor? For most of us, someone took our passion under their wing and taught us the basics of the business. (For me it was Norm Feuer.) Today, managers are so busy; they have no time for the content or the people that create it.

Whether on air or behind a desk, hours were spent training, discussing, teaching, and mentoring us. How is it that most of the talented radio people of our generation were successful in their early 30’s? Many “product people” were either running radio broadcasting companies or support companies such as yours by the time we were 36. We were the first generation of “FM” radio management. We could not get jobs at KHJ, WABC, WFIL, or CKLW. We had to develop those FM stations to be successful. We built stations and companies around the new technology. Nurtured by our managers, supported by the companies, we were allowed to experiment with formats and ideas. “Give the kid that FM station, how bad can he screw it up, it has no listeners anyway!”  “As long as my friends at the country club don’t hear that awful “progressive rock” crap we will be OK.” We were taught the basics of radio, applied them to the new band, and the rest is history.

Can you name the next generation of company presidents, or successful consulting firms such as Jacobs Media?  Where will they come from? Who will give them a chance to make mistakes? Most general managers and program directors are so busy managing the business of the business that there is no time for mentoring. Running 2, 3, 4 radio stations or more in one market, in addition to web sites* leaves no time to mentor. Many of the management decisions come from “corporate” not the local station. Pride of authorship is locally lost when formats are dictated from above. Local managers can’t mentor someone in corporate. Corporate has no time on the schedule to mentor local managers. The pressure for success is now measured in weeks, not months or years. Ask any manager in Houston or Philly who now lives with PPM. Results are delivered weekly. (BTW, having lived with diary ratings, I support PPM. As with the diary, Arbitron will make it work over time.)

As you suggest, there is a clear pipeline available to us if we would only use it. Rather than have a “coalition” select the HD formats for major markets, broadcast companies could allow local stations to develop HD and create the “vibe” necessary for new audio products. Taking advantage of “MySpace/Facebook” and blogs, the viral effect will create the “underground” formats necessary to launch the people and formats we so desperately need in 2008 radio. Given the right environment for experimentation, some kid somewhere will slip the HD radio “under the pillow” at night and dream of running one successfully someday. As was the case with us, the passion for radio could be re-kindled if given the chance. The next “Jacobs Media” or successful talent lies in the dreams of new ideas applied to new technology. “Give the kid that HD station, how bad can he/she screw it up?” “It has no listeners anyway!”

Thanks for letting me vent Fred.

Regards,
Bill "Fig" Figenshu

Punk Blogging

In Richard Laermer's Punk Marketing manifesto, there are seemingly two conflicting planks.  (Actually, this happens with a lot of marketing books.  Seems like many of the "22 Immutable Laws" contradicted each other.)  On the one hand, Richard urges marketers to use the tools of the revolution - in this case, podcasts, blogs, etc.  On the other, he warns about not being seduced by technology.  That is, don't just do blogs or stream video because everyone's doing it.  In fact, a bad blog is worse than no blog at all.

And that's why it's impressive to see what a cool, engaging, compelling DJ blog can be.  Case in point:  Andypants, the overnight guy on X96 in Salt Lake City.  It's smart, funny, and it's a great use of the space.  There's nothing tactical about it, and that's just the point. 

The Graveyard Shift

"My first job was playing the religious tapes on Sunday mornings.  Every now and then one of the tapes would break and I'd be on the air live."
   -- John Tesh, TeshMedia CEO

"My first paying job was as a part-time disc jockey in 1976 at WLYV/Fort Wayne.  I got fired three months later because my voice was still changing."
  -- Tony Richards, Federated Media CEO

"WMID/Atlantic City.  It was summer, and I thought it would be a good idea to get a job 'down the shore' while my friends were flipping hamburgers on the boardwalk.  I was playing tunes for $80 a week, from midnight to 6am, except on Sunday, when it was midnight to 8am."
   -- Bill Figenshu, former Viacom President, and now President/Broadcast Operations for Peak Broadcasting

"I had my first full-time job before I graduated (Emerson College).  In my junior year, I started working for Greater Media.  I was producing the Wolfman Jack show overnight.  I learned a great deal about being a personality from that show.  Wolfman Jack had an influence on how I was on the air, and I never even knew the man."
   -- Ken Johnson, Format Director/Urban, Cumulus Broadcasting

"I went on to Utah State, and working in radio helped put me through college.  I did overnights on Q92 FM, KBLQ in Logan, Utah."
   -- John Dimick, Lincoln Financial VP of programming & operations

"My sophomore year (Swarthmore College) I sent a tape to WMMR in Philadelphia and started doing part-time at the dominant station of free-form progressive radio.  I graduated college and started doing afternoons at MMR.  I was very lucky."
   -- David Dye, host of WXPN's "World Cafe"

These are great stories, and they're just the tip of the radio iceberg.  (I "borrowed" them from Erica Farber's always entertaining "Publisher's Profile" column in R&R.)

These reminisces are from a handful of radio's celebrities and movers & shakers who first got their start in the business doing overnights, part-time, and/or weekends.  Those were the "gateway shifts" where aspiring radio professionals got their start, learned their craft, and fell in love with the business.  Radio was so intoxicating that most aspiring broadcasters felt considerable pressure to get that first job in the business, the stepping stone to bigger markets.  There was always a great deal of competition for radio jobs, even in smaller markets.

Today, radio finds itself at the opposite end of the spectrum.  A recent report from the U.S. Labor Department notes that radio will be among the slowest-growing industries in the next decade.  Among the "negatives" for radio work, reports Inside Radio, are shift work and low pay."

If you talk to station managers and PDs in Norfolk, New York, or Nome, the story is the same.  We cannot find talented, motivated, energized young people like the Bill Figenshu's and Ken Johnson's of decades ago.  That's because many of them aren't captivated by radio as an entertainment medium.  We saw this in vivid color during our "Bedroom Project" interviews.  If you're not a core radio listener, why would you want to make it a career?

Among the many difficult challenges facing radio in this new millennium, perhaps the most glaring is the need to reintegrate youth into the business.  As we have noted in this blog before, HD2 stations should be doing just that.  But the problem runs deeper because the training grounds, known as overnights and weekends are too often walled off by the economics of voicetracking.  We are so intent on saving money during this quarter that we are in the process of mortgaging the future of radio's employee base.  One of the key reasons why there aren't many great new morning shows, sales reps, research companies, and consultants is that we've virtually eliminated radio's equivalent of baseball's minor leagues.

I was impressed by the spirit of Edison Research's recent "30 Under 30" campaign, designed to shine the spotlight on talented youth in radio.  But the fact is, our numbers are down, there isn't a line of young, energetic, intelligent people ringing around our stations, and we need to take action to reverse this trend.

As the NAB continues to move forward with its recently announced "Radio 2020" initiative, let's hope that a youth component is part of the plan.  Because long after the PR campaigns have run their course, attracting the youth of America back to radio ought to be on the front burner of radio's new strategic plan.