JacoBlog - Jacobs Media's Blog

The Big 3-0

Given all the exciting news in the world, as well as many of the stories rocking the radio and media sectors, MTV’s 30th anniversary may have gotten overshadowed.

Part of the cause may be the changing ways in which MTV has evolved over the years.  From music and video tastemakers to producers of some of the biggest reality-type TV shows, especially over the last decade.

To many of MTV’s viewers in recent years, the channel has been more about Beavis & Butthead, The Osbourne’s, and of course, Jersey Shore.

Lost in all of this is the impact that MTV had on an entire generation, not to mention its impact on the radio business.  Early on, I remember Les Garland speaking to a group of PDs at a major radio convention, explaining that MTV was complementary to FM radio.

But of course, that minimized the incredible footprint that MTV created – for music, lifestyle, and the explosion of multi-media expression of music.  After you saw the “Sledgehammer” video, it changed the way you perceived that song for all time.

Similarly, MTV’s VJs were something special, too.  Selected for their pop culture appeal, style, and diversity, that original lineup also said a lot about the value of personality to their network – and to radio in general.

Until that time, DJs were often heard and not seen.  Once MTV burst on the scene, looks mattered.

I was struck by a contest that MTV ran not that long ago where they searched for the best “TJs” – Twitter Jockeys – people who could do more than smile and look good in leather pants.  The winner – a non-MTV-looking young lady from Detroit, Gabi Gregg, symbolized that change was in the air.

But what about at your station?  Are you hiring with new skill sets in mind?  Or are you still looking for jocks with big pipes, familiar resumes, and commercial production skills?

What value do you place on their educational backgrounds, their writing ability, their talent in communicating in 140 characters or less, and their proficiency at creating online communities that can share your content and recommend your brand to others?

MTV’s big birthday is a reminder that the skills that mattered 30 years ago pale in importance to what is needed today.  Take the time to refine your concept of an ideal on-air personality in this changing environment. Ask yourself what qualities really matter in the next group of people you bring into your station.  And take the time to reassess your current staff to determine whether they exude the talents to make an impact in 2011.

The ‘80s are a long time ago.

Underwear On Their Heads

True story.

More than a decade ago, our company partnered with a couple of other smart players to launch a web-based advertising company called “Fastblast.”  It was a cool idea that involved geo-targeted ads on websites to drive traffic to radio station sites. 

At the time, we also were pitching a global-based web company that you have all heard of and used.  The idea was to use the power of local morning radio to drive traffic to this site. They were just a startup, attempting to figure out their media and marketing strategy, and our little group was in the mix to help them build awareness and web visits.  The radio component was novel, and there was definite interest.

Several people in this fledgling company were very high on us, but the last hurdle was to get the green light from their New York City-based ad agency.  Our entire team flew to the Big Apple for our meeting. As we sat in one of the most spacious conference rooms I’d ever seen populated by their upper echelon of their executives, we rolled out our plan that heavily involved influential morning shows in key media markets to get the word out about this web-based program.

As we got up a head of steam, a question arose from one of the higher-ups in the agency:

“Morning radio, you say.  Isn’t that just a bunch of DJs running around wearing underwear on their heads?”

The room went silent, and the meeting essentially ended with that comment.  As we scrambled to try to counter that perception with anecdotal and statistical evidence about the value of morning/personality radio, the air was rapidly hissing out of our balloon.  Perceptions run deep, and in this case, they were more than six feet under.  Their impression of morning DJs was akin to the barker at a cheap circus carnival - a low-rate, zany form of entertainment that was clearly thought to be well below the image of their valuable up-and-coming web company. 

And so we think about radio a dozen years later.  Have we come that much farther?  Has morning radio made itself a more viable part of our business, and have our DJs grown up?

I’ve been thinking about that lately with the return of Randy Michaels to major market radio.  There’s talk of “stunting” (one of my least favorite tactics, by the way), there are already C&Ds flying around, and you can’t help but wonder whether some of those dated Jacorian stunts and antics will make their way into the Chicago and New York markets.

They get attention, to be sure, but they also help to solidify some of the sophomoric perceptions that we witnessed in that agency get-together many years ago.  Guys like Letterman in the ‘90s and Jon Stewart today do a great job of shaking it up within the confines of civility and mainstream entertainment.  On the radio, that’s what Ryan Seacrest is all about, along with hundreds of other morning and personality shows.  So the hope here is that Merlin Media is all about doing great radio, while helping to lift radio as an industry into a positive spotlight.

On that note, there was an interesting episode last week that took place in a small market that did just that.  I realize that whenever there’s a natural disaster, like a tornado, hurricane, flood, or fire, local radio is there to hold it together, help the community, and provide true service.

I am not denigrating that coverage because it is often courageous and beyond the call of duty.  But it is also expected.  It’s like commending firefighters for doing their jobs in stressful situations – well deserved, but also mandatory.

That’s why when 97X, a Panama City Beach rock station, offered an hour of airtime to the Westboro Baptist Church in exchange for them not disturbing the funeral of a family that suffered a major tragedy, it was a shining moment for local radio. 

Westboro Baptist Church has become (in)famous for their protests of high-profile and celebrity funerals.  They had planned to picket at the funeral of seven members of the Teutenberg family, killed in a plane crash.  And this “deal” by 97X – an hour on the air in return for allowing the family to grieve - effectively derailed the protest.  This story did not get anywhere near the trade press that Merlin Media has received, but it should have.

Stroke Mastro of 97X (of the Doctor Stroke & ShortBus Show) noted that his station made this bold move “to let the family and friends mourn their loss in this tragic event.”  It should also be pointed out that this station is not owned by any of the CEOs featured in Radio Ink’s “Most Powerful” list – but perhaps these are the types of executives and programmers that Eric Rhoads and crew should be thinking about for 2012.

It should also be noted that 97X is a rock station.  They carry Lex & Terry in the morning, and they play bands like Disturbed, Linkin Park, Nickelback, and Papa Roach.  It is of interest to us that given some of the trades’ recent coverage claiming that the rock format is “dead” following the demise of WRXP and Q101, rock stations like 97X continue to serve their communities and stand out as trailblazers.

The list of highly-successful, involved, attitudinal rock stations that are winning in the diary or PPM is too long to mention here.  The rock format (and its variations) is challenged to be sure, but in market after market, it is among the leaders in key demographics like 18-49 adults and 25-54 adults.  And in Jenny Tsao’s Arbitron presentation at their Client Conference last December, the two best-performing stations in the U.S. in those demos were 98Rock (Entercom/Sacramento) and WDVE (Clear Channel/Pittsburgh).  Yes, a couple of great rock stations. 

So, long live rock, congratulations and thanks to 97X in Panama City Beach, and let’s hope for great formats and entertainment from new ownership as well as veteran companies.  There's a whole world of agencies and buyers out there who need to understand just how powerful and incredible radio can be. 

Summer School 2011

We’re back from the 36th Annual Conclave, and Jacobs Media’s “Summer School” sessions.  For the second straight year, we put together solid “classes” that featured some great learning.  And thanks to the continued revival of Conclave, we presented our curriculum to an enthusiastically large crowd, eager to advance their education. It was a fun morning. 

Lori Lewis (bottom left), our newest digital and social staffer, brought her social media skills to the classroom with a great session that helped attendees better understand the rules of interactivity with the audience.  Bill Jacobs (top left) connected the dots between PPM and diaries, while Ralph Cipolla (top right) schooled us on the art of tease writing, complete with a great re-enactment of an old SNL bit that originally featured Jerry Seinfeld, but was acted out by the “Mighty Conclave Players.”

Our “guest lecturers” were excellent, each bringing great content, experience, and credibility to "Summer School."  Arbitron’s SVP of Digital Media and Analytics, Paul Krasinski, (middle left) took charge and talked about “Total Audience,” a new service that’s designed to track listeners throughout their day, as they move from one platform to another.  As radio becomes more adept at shifting from on-air to online to mobile, Arbitron’s goal is to connect streaming data with PPM listening to help determine “what they’re doing and how they’re engaging with you.”  This was exciting information, and we were thrilled it was the lead story in Inside Radio last Friday.

As many of you know, we have worked with public radio since the late ‘90s, and we always have an eye on how these stations are approaching some of the same challenges that commercial broadcasters face.  To provide that context, Mike Reszler (bottom middle) – Minnesota’s Public Radio’s Managing Online Editor – put together a great presentation that offered strong evidence about the power of digital assets – how they can be programmed, managed, and generate revenue.

To describe the various ways in which the MPR audience accesses their content, Mike presented one of the best “pie charts” I’ve ever seen:

I’ll have a slice of the pecan, please.

Mike also reminded us of the importance of mobile and social, noting that broadcasters need to set goals and get serious about their digital activities.

And our final “guest professor” was marketer Michael Brandvold, the guy behind the online marketing of KISS and other iconic rock and pop performers.  Mike (top middle) has been on the front lines, learning from Gene Simmons, as well as our favorite teachers – success and failure.

The KISS formula is simple – it’s all about the brand.  Mike reminded the classroom about the importance of listening to the fans, and tapping into their passion.  That’s been a big part of KISS’s online success.  He also emphasized the importance of retrenching when mistakes are made, and not being afraid to change minds and strategies.  At one point, KISS got too “family friendly,” drifting too far away from their rock roots.  Acknowledging errors, moving on, and changing directions are all part of mastering the learning curve, and Michael gave us proof positive about why he’s a great marketer.

As has been the case for decades, the Conclave continues to be a standout event, and we’re proud to be a part of it.  We hope that attendees got their money’s worth for their tuition payments.

Thanks again to all who attended, and please give us feedback on our sessions, our agenda, and the overall experience.  "Summer School" can be enjoyable. 

The Social Media Experience

There’s something interesting happening at the crossroads of television programming and social media that is worthy of our attention.  While many of us are addicted to consuming TV shows through a DVR for maximum convenience, there’s a sub-event occurring around live programming.

There are certain real-time events that don’t make sense for the DVR – the Super Bowl, the Oscars, and American Idol that you just have to watch live.  And recently, the ratings for some of these programs (except the Oscars, but you could understandably lay the blame on the choice of James Franco and Anne Hathaway as the pathetic hosts) have actually been stronger, despite the media fragmentation.

That’s because as Dr. Jeffrey Cole (pictured) of USC Annenberg explained at a recent speech called “The Changing Face of the Internet,” the communal aspects of television viewing is part of that medium’s history.  Most of us grew up, sitting around the rec room or den with our friends or family members, watching Cheers, L.A. Law, or Seinfeld.

Dr. Cole says it best:

“We’ve always had co-viewing at home with other people in the room, but now we’re seeing co-viewing through social networking where people who are not together are watching as if they were together.”

This experience is being amplified thanks to real-time social media tools, like Twitter.  I can tell you that my TweetDeck silo during the Academy Awards broadcast earlier this year was far more entertaining than what you were watching on the screen, or even whatever quips you were hearing from others in your living room.

That’s become the case every time there’s a major sporting event or TV show that viewers are compelled to watch live.  If you remember the old Mystery Science Theater 3000 on The Comedy Channel/Comedy Central where the robot characters quipped throughout old sci-fi movies, then you have a sense for the fun and joy that come from watching TV while enjoying the cleverness, snarkiness, and witty comments from your “friends” and “followers” via social media.

NBC is attempting to corral some of this conversation with the creation of a new social platform, NBC Live.  It will contain polls, trivia, photos, and an ongoing social stream where users can comment about what they’re seeing on the screen along with thousands (millions?) of others who are logged in.

For NBC, the aim is two-fold: get consumers away from the DVR habit for a TV event or show, and to attract them from Twitter or Facebook and onto their proprietary social platform.

By the way, there’s probably a third goal here, too.  The chances of viewers watching commercials – whether they realize it or not – runs a lot higher during live programming than on a time-controlled device like TiVo.

By the way, this communal phenomenon also occurs on “The Backchannel,” that Twitter community created by anchorman Stephen Clark here in Detroit.  We showcased Stephen at last December’s Jacobs Summit, and we’ve discussed the phenomenon of news viewers participating in the content creation of the 11 o’clock news on this blog on our website.  In many ways, watching the Twitter comments in real time on #backchannel is indicative of this social viewing experience.

So what’s the application here for radio?  Or is there one?

Seven or eight decades ago, people sat around their living rooms and enjoyed the radio together as a group.  As radios became ubiquitous and portable, listening became more personal and solitary.

Fast-forward to today.  Is it feasible for those who have a favorite morning show or who follow a talk show to log-on, participate, and comment simultaneously?  Is it of value when a station interviews a music star to encourage listeners to use social channels to have their own running conversation about the content?  Why wouldn't a personality show want listeners to send in content - audio, video, links - in real-time during the broadcast? 

TV is beginning to understand the importance of a two-way exchange with its audience.  They realize consumers will multi-task – watch, chat, and share feelings, jokes, and observations at the same time.  And that dialogue can enhance the experience and build a greater sense of loyalty and a new dimension to the act of consuming video content.  This is a different kind of engagement that brings out the emotions, humor, and shared experience of enjoying (or hating) the same shows in real time.  It is not like watching a YouTube video.

In radio, we are still BROADCASTING, and the audience is passively listening (with the exception of talk and sports talk radio).  Until we figure out that a new dynamic to enjoying media content is to converse and socialize, we won’t unlock some of the wonderful possibilities that come with creating great radio where the audience can interact with us - and with each other in real time. 

I cannot envision listening to Pandora and discussing what song comes next with friends on Twitter.  But I can imagine listening to Drew & Mike or Preston & Steve or B.J. Shea and having an ongoing dialogue with other people enjoying the same show.

If we open our eyes to new ways for our audience to enjoy and consume our programming, we just might develop new channels, new revenue streams, and better engagement with our rapidly changing audience.

Thanks to the maestro, Dave Martin, for bringing Dr. Cole’s speech to my attention – via Twitter.

Classic Idol

As we move into the final throes of American Idol for this year, Jacobs Media’s digital dude, Tim Davis, has some observations about a season that has ushered in some major changes for one of the most successful television shows in history. Here’s his “take” on this season’s Idol:

With the finale of this season’s American Idol under our belts and knowing that a country crooner now holds the title, it’s a great time to look back at the impact of rock on this season’s shows – most especially Classic Rock.

The ratings juggernaut has continued to plow through the competition and hold (nearly) steady with previous seasons’ ratings levels. But notable this year is the overt rock vibe – whether it’s Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler’s presence each week that has caused more need of a 7-second delay than all the previous seasons combined (all the while proving to be a truly sweet man and a great mentor to the aspiring singers), Casey Abrams doing "Smells Like Teen Spirit” on the Idol stage, James Durbin and his “ode to Metal” all the way through the Top 5, or the fact that (arguably) this year’s best talent who departed in third place, Haley Reinhart, is a Classic Rock chick.

Haley treated the Idol audience to rock anthem after rock anthem – and in the final three weeks, she posted a pair of Classic Rock titles in her performance:  Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” and most notably for its quality as well as being a first (Page/Plant have never cleared their tunes for Idol), she belted out Zeppelin’s “What Is & What Should Never Be” – with her dad on guitar no less!

So, if you are at a Classic Rock station and need a “story” to push the mainstream impact and appeal of this format in 2011, look no further than that of this young lady, with her father on guitar, playing Led Zeppelin & Fleetwood Mac in the semi-finals of America’s most viewed TV show. Clearly, the joy and timelessness of this music was shared by millions of Idol viewers, while helping to broaden an already massive viewing audience.

Even though we ended up with a pair of teen country singers in the finale, the truth is that for the most part, Season 10 of American Idol ROCKED.

Check out Haley’s Zeppelin performance here:

>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW HALEY'S ZEPPELIN PERFORMANCE<

 

The King’s Coach

It’s interesting how we can watch the same film, and come away with different takeaways and impressions.  After seeing The King’s Speech early in the year, I was struck by King George VI’s challenge to master new technology – radio – in his communication efforts and likened it to the challenges that legacy media faces today.

Greater Media’s programming czar, Buzz Knight, enjoyed The King’s Speech, too.  But his “take” was that it is a great parable for coaching talent.  And after reading his thoughts below, you will probably agree that his thoughts may be more on target than were mine.  See what you think.

Every Program Director in America that manages on-air talent needs to see The King’s Speech.  Without question, the lessons instilled in this fantastic movie about speech therapist Lionel Logue and his relationship with King George VI are a motivation to getting the most out of our own version of royalty... otherwise known as our on-air talent.

I don't want to minimize the critical mission in The King’s Speech – dealing with and conquering the condition of stammering.  But beyond this vital task of therapy, here are five great lessons that can guide us in the coaching of on-air radio talent.

Lesson One – Respect and Empathy for Talent - Lionel Logue seemed to have an almost superhuman sympathy and empathy for the King’s communication challenges.  For PDs, more respect for talent and more effort he/she builds in creating an authentic relationship, will lead to accomplishment of the coaching goal.

You can't be a "know it all" PD that constantly is trying to showcase their expertise if you're trying to build the needed credibility to create the respect that we saw in The King’s Speech.

Lesson Two – Establish Trust with Talent - Logue's relationship with the King was heavily built on trust.  He consciously set out to build that bond by keeping the identity of his royal client confidential.

A Program Director must establish trust with their client (talent) on a regular basis.  Trust can't be mandated in memos or in a weekly aircheck session.  It has to be done with authenticity and credibility of actions.

Logue demonstrated his trust, courage and knowledge by proving his worth.  And he got results!

Lesson Three – Be Clear from Day One - Lionel Logue was very clear with the King and set his terms in the relationship from their first meeting.  He never budged.

Flexibility has value at given moments but when we lay out our criteria to talent for how the relationship is going to work, we have to stick with those expectations and continue to reinforce them with brute force directness.

Lesson Four – Credentials Don't Matter.  Results do. - When all was said and done, Logue didn't have the big name that a royal family thought they deserved.  It didn't matter in the long run because he got results with his tactics.

A PD can talk about all of the jobs in their resume past and none of this matters unless results occur.

Lesson Five – Have a Sense of Humor. - Lionel Logue approached his task with dignity and respect, but in the midst of an enormous task, he had a sense of humor.

When we approach our talent with a difficult mission, let's not forget that we're in show business and let's have a sense of humor.

Go see The King’s Speech – not just because it won all those Oscars.  Look for that special motivation that helps you find your coaching voice and allows your talent to excel and grow with confidence.

Your audience will thank you by giving you even better ratings.

Winning?

What can we learn from Charlie Sheen’s “Violent Torpedo of Truth” tour, which of course opened here in Detroit on Saturday night?

First, celebrity will only take you so far.  Sheen brought his entourage to the Fox Theater and it didn’t take long for fans (or ex-fans) to start walking out.  For all the reasons you can imagine, the show sold out quickly because people were curious.  However, that appeal ran out real quickly. Simply put, every radio programmer and DJ knows you can’t mail it in and survive for too long.  Sheen hopefully learned that lesson after this Detroit debacle and will course-correct for future gigs. 

Second, it’s about content.  The “show” was clearly not well-designed for a live theater.  And even a TMZ celeb, hot women, and mediocre hip-hop couldn’t save this thing.  WRIF’s Drew Lane was quoted in the Free Press and probably said it all, one performer to another, “"People were upset, but I don't think they knew what to expect. He's a movie star, not a stand-up comic.” 

Third, choose your first big move wisely.  When asked why Detroit was selected for opening night, publicist Larry Solters said, “Why not?”  Well, if you think Detroit residents will put up with lousy entertainment (exception: the Detroit Lions), think again.  This is a town with a heart, filled with lots of great fans who love to laugh and participate.  But they have great BS Detectors and can smell a rat all the way down Woodward.

Fourth, local radio ruled.  The amazing thing about this event is that Sheen and his publicists pretty much had their pick of media to promote the show.  And what did they choose?  Not Pandora, not Facebook, not Sirius/XM.  They chose local radio – specifically Mojo In The Morning on Channel 95.5 and the Drew & Mike Show on WRIF. While Sheen's appearances on these morning shows got botched (big surprise), the fact is that hometown radio shows were the chosen conduit – something that each of those station’s sales staffs should be trumpeting this morning – as should any AE working in any broadcast radio station in the country. Nothing works like local radio.

And finally, the post-PR on the event was also dominated by Detroiters and their great morning shows.  In the Fox 2 news coverage, you’ll see and hear Drew Lane of the Drew & Mike Show, not to mention his quotes in the Detroit Free Press.

Email Recipients Click Here For Video:
Charlie Sheen Live Show 'Torpedoed' in Detroit: MyFoxDETROIT.com

For Sheen, this “Night In Detroit” could turn “winning” into “losing” and mark the beginning of the end of his 15 minutes of post “Two and a Half Men” stardom.  For local radio, it was a big win, and another reminder that when you need to successfully reach people where they live, there is still no substitute. 

We were contacted by Nadja Geipert, author of "Eye of the Storm," a blog that appears in Psychology Today.  Here's her "take" on what's going on in the mind of Charlie Sheen.

Charlie & The Psychic Timebomb

Can Charlie Sheen Teach Us Somethign About Love?

The Cover Of The Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is running a promotion that is very similar to what consumers have heard on radio stations for years.  And in the process, they remind us of the value of unsigned bands, and by definition, local music.  But their "Rock & Roll Star" contest goes well beyond the norm.

Working with Atlantic Records, AOLMusic.com, and Bonnaroo, they are staging a contest to find the best “undiscovered acts,” utilizing online voting as the audience engagement tool.  Like a “Rock Girl” or “Battle of the Bands” promotion, they’re starting with 16 bands, and through elimination rounds, a winner will be chosen.  The lucky artists will play live on Jimmy Fallon’s show and, of course, be graced on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Garnier Fructis (the hair care brand) is the title sponsor, and one of the positioning concepts here is to connect their products to men.  (If you’ve ever attended a festival like Bonnaroo, you know the value of free shampoo.)

But this Rolling Stone promotion goes beyond the value of uncovering and showcasing local music.  It is evidence that listener-driven contests and promotions can be done on a large scale, and can energize an audience.

They aren't the only ones.  Playboy is in the middle of naming Miss Social from a field of 60.  They all look pretty much like what you'd expect but apparently have "social skills."  And yes, there's even a Facebook app for that. 

I know what many of you may be thinking as you read this post: WE do this same type of promotion, so what’s the big deal?

Well, the “big deal” is that Rolling Stone is making it a big deal.  They have media partners (AOL Music), a music partner (Atlantic Records), a festival/events partner (Bonnaroo), a TV partner (Jimmy Fallon), and a major sponsor (Garnier Fructis).  

This synergy creates multi-dimensional support for the promotion, while also opening up the doors for millions of people to be exposed to the diminishng Rolling Stone brand.  As their readership and subscription numbers erode, Rolling Stone has strategized that the way back is to partner with other (healthier) brands, while enjoying the exposure and the integration with their audience communities.

Now you may also be saying that Rolling Stone is a global brand, so it’s not at all surprising they’ve been able to attract great partnerships for this promotion.  But locally, your radio station has brand equity, and potential partnerships, too – if you go after them.

Sadly, too often, radio stations go it alone.  The sales people run around for a couple of months, trying to sell sponsorships (too often “value added”), but the station rarely benefits from a consumer growth standpoint because these clients usually don’t even co-promote the event via their database and/or social media tools.

And too often, these events don’t have a media partner – a local TV station, a local team, the local free events paper, the cable company, etc.  Nor do they utilize local celebrities and their communities and networks.

Thinking BIG isn’t just about coming up with a cool promotion.  It’s going those extra miles to foster audience involvement, create partnerships, utilize local media outlets, and go beyond the confines of the cume to make these signature events iconic and much more successful.  For too long, radio stations have been beaten down by corporate indifference, budgtary limitations, and a sense that it just doesn't matter.  As a result, too many promotions come off as smaller and less successful than they should be.

Rolling Stone is showing us that if you want to be big, you have to act big.

Or "Go big or go home."

Portnow's Complaint

To:  Neil Portnow, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences President/CEO

From: Fred Jacobs

Re: Your comments at the Grammy Awards

Your statement:

“Now, rest assured, in the future, The Academy will continue to fight for all music makers to be compensated for their work.  We will support the new broadcast services like satellite and Internet radio that actually pay creators for their work.  And everyone can help give artists the ability to create the music you love by using any of the many easy and legal ways to enjoy music.  We will also continue to stand for the rights of free speech for artists to express themselves through their music.”

My response:

Good luck with that.

Source: Tech Survey VI, February/March 2010, 78 radio stations, 26,125 respondents

Response to the question:  New music is exposed in a variety of places.  Which of the sources listed below do you use for finding out about new music/new artists? (CHOOSE AS MANY AS APPLY)

The Best PD…in Hockey!

Who says jocks don’t make great programmers?

For a great real-life example, let’s look at Brendan Shanahan, formerly an iconic player who is morphing into an even better programmer… and marketer now that he’s an NHL executive.

The NHL All-Star Game played last weekend is a case in point.  Of all the all-star games, this one’s a turd.  (OK, the Pro Bowl isn’t much better.)

But instead of blowing up the concept, Shanny’s prescription was to fix it and make it better.  And he did that by tying into the jock/fan emotion and trying something potentially risky.

In every other all-star contest, the divisions essentially create the teams.  If you play in the West, those are the colors you wear.  And the coach simply looks down his bench to a team that is essentially picked by fans and/or the league.

But this time around, Shanahan went right back to the schoolyard.  We’ve all been there.  Two captains are appointed, and they pick the teams – or choose up sides.

All of those emotions that we all remember on the playing field are being shared by millionaire hockey stars, waiting to find out about their all-star pecking order.

As he explained it, “It was just, if a player could get his hands on (the all-star game), what would he do?  And this was my best guess.”

And he adds, “It’s something that all of us, especially in hockey grew up doing.  Stand back and the captains will pick teams.”  In this case, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nick Lidstrom, and Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal.

And what are the outgrowths of this change in format?

1. Fans are involved in the strategy. The Internet has been loaded with all kinds of tips, opinions, and tactics that fans and hockey pundits are bandying about for Lidstrom and Staal.  With the old format, the fan was essentially out of the game, passively sitting in the arena.
2. The players are engaged. Imagine how the last guys picked on both sides feel?  Believe me, they haven’t felt that way in 20 years.
3. It’s a cume-builder. The NHL is challenged to grow its fan base.  This unique change in format is just the thing to bring new people into the game.
4. It’s a ratings booster. The numbers are out and the NHL is saying that Versus ratings were up 33% over the last televised all-star game back in 2009.  
5. It’s relatable.  This format brings an all-star game right down to fan level.  And as consumers have a stronger desire for transparency and going backstage, this glimpse into a different side of the NHL is brilliant.  Does it make for a better game?  Who cares?

An NHL fan tweeted, the #NHL all star draft was pretty cool, enjoyed watching superstars sweating it out.

And the draft itself had no shortage of drama… and as it turned out, humor.  One of the unintended consequences was that not only did the choosing of sides aspect of the game take the players back to their youths, but the fans got all the wisecracking that came with it.  And it made for an entertaining show.

And unlike past years where nothing essentially happens leading up to the game, all of these questions started flying around bars, chat boards, and forums:

Who would be the first player chosen? (Eric Staal’s teammate, Cam Ward)

Who would be the last player picked? (Toronto’s Phil Kessel)

And would the Sedin brothers who have always played together finally end up on separate teams?  (They were.)

The game itself was a typical blowout – 11-10 in favor of Team Lidstrom.  But there were some surprises (a penalty shot in the NHL All-Star Game), not to mention that both Sedins survived being in different uniforms.

A great deal of credit goes to “PD” Shanahan for his vision and trusting his gut.  It made for something very innovative for a league that sorely needs it - especially from an event that universally dull.

And as in radio where programmers know a good idea when they hear one, wonder if Shanahan's brainchild will end up shaping the future direction of some of these other "all-sstar" games? 

Let's hope so.

Point Guard

The definition of a point guard in basketball is the player who sets up the offensive strategy and guides the flow of the ball.  He or she can shoot, distribute, and do the basic setup.  That’s because the point guard is the one person on the team who best understands the scheme and how a team’s game should flow.

Radio stations need point guards, too.  Traditionally, this person has been the program director.  In the early years of format radio, the PD was responsible for everything that came out of the speakers.  Whether music, personality, or a combination of the two, it was the programmer who set the tone for the station’s on-air strategy.

Over the years, the PD role expanded – into promotions, marketing, contesting, and event promotion.  Then the advent of the Internet brought additional responsibilities – the website, texting platform, and podcasts.

In the past couple of years, mobile and now social media have been added to the PD’s growing list of duties.

But how many programmers are truly qualified to set a station’s social media strategies, overseeing the fan page (or pages), Twitter messaging, and other products that digitally connect the audience with the brand?

And how many stations simply have no internal social strategy at all?  When lots of different people participate equally, several tactics are likely occurring simultaneously.  And sometimes they’re at odds with one another.

As we learned at Summit XV last month in a session called “What IS Radio,” featuring WTOP’s Joel Oxley and NPR’s Michael Yoch, new platforms require different or retrained personnel as well as updated goal-setting.  Oxley (pictured) pointed out that new employees at WTOP are required to take a writing test, and added: “While they still have to be good at audio, we want to see how they would handle a blog and tweeting.”  Yoch noted that NPR has hired digital specialists, including videographers and bloggers, while offering training for employees to refine their digital skill sets.

And a recent Inside Radio story noted that stations are beginning to hire “social media editors” – essentially social media PDs.  Not surprisingly, Bonneville is headed in this direction in both Chicago and Phoenix.  Other broadcasters, however, are banking on their traditional program directors to lead the way in this space.

Yet, how many companies are providing the type of education and training necessary to school PDs in the best practices of social media integration?  How many companies are organizing their own social media seminars to help arm programmers with new digital tools to accomplish community building goals?

We won’t know for a number of years which model will emerge as most successful, but our hunch is that a dedicated “point guard” for social media will emerge as the winning strategy.  And maybe this person will also be in charge of integrating the sales efforts in the social space.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.  That’s for another post on another day.

In the meantime, who’s the Magic Johnson social mediologist at your station?

Best Of JacoBLOG - Two Fronts

Until the end of the year, we'll be reposting some of our most-read and tallked-about blog entries from 2010.  This first one ran nearly a year ago, back in January, not long after I returned from the Arbitron Fly-In.  The theme that radio is fighting two simultaneous wars was referred to throughout the year, and I believe is still very much a challenge as we move forward into 2011.  So once again, here's "Two Fronts."

It is a basic rule in military strategy that cautions against fighting wars on two fronts.  Of course in history, it has been done, but it is indeed a difficult task especially in a climate of diminishing resources.

When we advise client stations that are surrounded by music competitors on both sides, our response is to try to pick one battle that is winnable. 

That is why the current dilemma facing radio programmers, managers, and owners is so challenging.  And I'm not talking about the difficulty of programming two stations while also having an airshift, or overseeing an entire cluster.  

The challenge at hand goes well beyond the familiar day-to-day "radio wars" in which we've all been well-trained.  The tough nut about today's environment is that so many managers are often oblivious to the larger war they're fighting - and yet rarely acknowledging. 

I was sitting at Arbitron's "Programmer Fly-In" last month, observing the well-attended conference's rabid attention on PPM.  As this new methodology is rolled out in more and more markets, interest in figuring out "How to win in PPM" has never been higher.

Here were 200 attendees, intensely focused on gaming PPM, determining how to best construct clocks and stopset strategies that might beat the system, and gain an edge on the station down the dial.  For decades in radio, that's been the mission - beat the other guy.

Most programmers have been schooled in these hand-to-hand tactics, made famous by brilliant tacticians like Randy Michaels, Scott Shannon, and others who looked for every angle that would drive the competition crazy - and out of format. 

But while so many in radio are focused on these time-honored traditional battles, a larger war has been raging for more than a decade, and it has nothing to do with call letters or clocks.  In fact, like rust, it is insidious and easy to ignore, as it steadily erodes radio's once dominant position in the media hierarchy.

Today's PDs - and more importantly, the captains of the radio industry - are saddled with a two-pronged threat: the station-to-station battles as well the new media competition.  The latter is a far greater threat to the industry's welfare.  

Yes, it's still critical to achieve the highest possible target demo rank in Arbitron.  For the purposes of revenue maximization, especially following radio's worst year ever, ranking as high as possible to accrue the largest share of declining dollars is still an important goal.

But the other front is all about the revenue erosion in radio, accelerated by the leakage of consumers to other entertainment and information options.  It is no longer just a matter of what comes out of the speakers in your hometown.  The larger struggle is maintaining radio's importance in the array of media choices, keeping content relevant, and engaging a very fickle consumer base.

That second front is about your digital presence, your community engagement, your audience networking, your personality lineup, and integrating consumers into your brand in ways that generate loyalty and word-of-mouth.

That's a lot more difficult than tactically moving stopsets, strategically burning out the competitor's gold library, and nest marketing efforts that may stimulate people to tune in at work.  

But it is more comforting to continue to wage the easy, familiar and convenient war - the one in which we've been trained, and many of us have experienced success, in some cases, for decades. 

If bumperstickers were still in vogue, we would not be seeing very many for The Eagle, Z98, or The Fan.  It would be far more common to spot stickers with messages like "I ♥ my iPod" or "Got Pandora?" or "What's your favorite app?" 

Radio's battleground has changed, and as companies regain their financial footing this year, either through economic recovery, planned bankruptcy, or whatever is necessary to remain solvent, focusing on "the other war" isn't just a good idea.

It's the only idea.

Falling Behind

As invigorating and forward-thinking as Summit XV turned out, I couldn’t help but get the feeling from many of our presenters that radio needs to move faster in order to keep up with the changing way in which consumers are accessing and enjoying media.

We’re not alone.  Last week’s story that The New York Times was dropped by the S&P 500 in favor of Netflix pretty much says it all.  While many “new media” companies (Daily Beast) are integrating “old media” stalwarts, and even some of their strategies (Newsweek), the fact is that heritage media brands are being profoundly challenged.

While many of our Summit sessions provided great ideas for how stations can more effectively create content, use new platforms, and try different things, I think that many attendees came away with a sense of anxiety, too.

And who could blame them?  Is radio falling behind?

Val Geller pushed attendees hard to focus on great content – before getting too hung up with social media.  Without “powerful radio,” all new platforms, archiving, and fan pages don’t matter much.  Consumers won’t share and recommend shows and material that don’t make the cut.

CEA’s Gary Shapiro challenged radio to step it up, and see the bigger picture that is consumer electronics.  Acknowledging radio’s inherent in-car advantage, he let the room know that Wi-Fi in vehicles would be commonplace in three years.  As he told a packed room, “Wireless internet means you can not only get any radio station in the country, but any music service you want.  There will be thousands of (services) trying to get in the car with their compelling content.”  Like Ford's SYNC (pictured).

Stephen Clark’s “Backchannel” proved to be an exciting concept because it takes an outside-in approach to TV news.  By giving the audience a voice, Clark is reinventing the news here in Detroit.  So, how many radio stations are bold enough to do something as innovative and risky?

WTOP’s Joel Oxley and NPR’s Michael Yoch are trailblazing at their respective brands.  Becoming more platform agnostic, both WTOP and NPR have dropped the word “radio” from their identification.  So, they’re way ahead of the game, right?  Not really.  As Oxley told the room, “It’s great that we’re doing really well in radio, but honestly, I feel we’re behind.  We need to do more online and with social media.”

Social mediologist Jessica Northey laid out her G.R.A.S.P. plan for integrating brands with tools like Facebook and Twitter.  Many of her ideas and techniques that have enabled her to hit the 100,000 follower milestone are concepts that simply aren’t being done at many stations.  Many continue to simply promote contests and bits, missing out on the engagement, conversation, and integration that are so critical to social media success.  Not to mention the gap at most stations where there is simply not a go-to staffer in charge of the overall messaging and strategies.

And finally, radio legend Lee Abrams.  After the Tribune war stories were told, Lee got down to the business of radio.  On the one hand, he noted that “radio is in a tremendous position of strength.”  On the other, he told the room, “I don’t see a lot of swagger and confidence…There’s a lack of balance where creative isn’t seen as important as revenue, operations, or digital strategy…Digital is seen as the magic answer and what suffers is our core product.”

Interestingly, the morning started with Gary Shapiro yearning for more American innovation.  And it ended with Lee Abrams wishing for the very same thing.

As radio looks to the future and contemplates its current reach, simplicity of use, and its historical assets, will it take the bold, innovative steps that so many our speakers from all walks of media life urged?

Or in 2011, will we fall further behind?

Rock Band

This morning’s post is courtesy of 96rock/Raleigh PD Jay Nachlis who is involved in a great promotion with a local retailer.  I thought you’d enjoy this story about how every once in a while, it all lines up and programming, sales, and the client create a win-win-win.

You’ve sat in a sales/promotions meeting so many times, the rhythm clicks in your head.  Sales rep brings up client, finds out about the product, asks what the USP (unique selling proposition) is, spits out ideas.  Repeat.

We’re so used to generating ideas for the client, it could be pretty easy to miss a good idea coming from the other direction.

96rock/Raleigh hosts the “96rock House Band” competition each spring, which is a twist on the standard “Battle of the Bands” template.  Hearing this promotion gave the proprietor of a small recording studio – Ellington Studios in Angier, NC - a thought.  Did any of the 96rock jocks play an instrument?  He called the request lines and wrote a few e-mails and found out that in fact, none of the jocks could play anything.  He claimed that with lessons at his studio, not only could he make us into a band, we would be playing Classic Rock songs within 30 days.

We talked about it amongst ourselves, but then didn’t follow up on it right away – in part, I think, because we thought he was joking.  Then he posted a challenge to us on the station Facebook page and we decided it was worth at least investigating.

Deciding who would play what was easy – our night guy Adam-12 was the consummate “air drummer”.  Midday jock Alli Morgan would grab the bass.  And morning guys, Salt and Demetri, had the attitude for lead and rhythm guitar, and I, the karaoke connoisseur, would rock the mic.

Since then, we all took lessons once a week, mostly individually since our schedules are so different.  Once a month, we jam together at the studio and on December 16th we’re playing a couple songs as part of a holiday concert at Campbell University.

96rock’s coffers will not be filled by a small recording studio located 40 minutes south of Raleigh.  But:

1. We have a new solution for the calls that inevitably come from clients looking for a cover band every few months.  We’ll hire ourselves.
2. We created web and Facebook content from which listeners can follow our progress.
3. We found a great team-building activity that we all enjoy.
4. A small local company is seeing his business grow.

Here’s our band after 30 days:

 

>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW 96ROCK AFTER 30 DAYS< 

Here we are playing together as a unit for the first time after only 60 days:

 

>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW 96ROCK AFTER 60 DAYS<

Good thing we called him back.

Everybody Is A Star

Maybe it’s the long-term effects of a society that’s been pelted with Reality TV for more than a decade now.  Or maybe it’s just the impact of social media realities coming home to roost.

But whatever the case, it is becoming abundantly clear that in the worlds of Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites, just about anyone can rise to stardom.

Recently social media maven Jay Baer tweeted about an article by ExactTarget’s Dawn DeVirgilio (pictured).  Dawn talked about social media myths, and the one that jumped out at me is “Twitter’s success hinges on celebrities.”

Dawn explained that while Twitter became popular because of the attention stars like Ashton Kutcher generated, “anyone can be a Twitter superstar and fan his or her own fame 140 characters at a time.”

She also notes that Twitter reports 370,000 new sign-ups a day.  How’s that for rapid cume growth?

I am seeing this happening every day on Twitter as smart, innovative “social mediologists” are making a name for themselves, and in the process, carving out careers.

Jessica Northey is a case in point.  Her Finger Candy Media advises radio stations, personalities, and other entities about how to “tactegically” use social media.  And she is walking that walk every day and night on Twitter.

Jessica recently passed the 100,000 follower threshold.  She is a relentless communicator who has instinctively mastered the art of connecting with anyone and everyone in short, clever bursts.

And she’ll be on hand Thursday at our 15th Jacobs Summit in Baltimore to share her secrets and help our broadcasting attendees better use social resources to connect with listeners and communities.  140 Conference founder Jeff Pulver calls Jessica “a force of nature.”  And that’s coming from a guy who totally gets what Twitter can do for personalities, business, and communities.

Our goal at these Summits is to bring in outside experts and personalities who you just don’t see at the typical radio conferences and conventions.  Jessica is that kind of cyber celebrity, and along with a great cast of other presenters and panelists, we are excited about our lineup on Thursday.

Arbitron’s schedule rocks, too. I am especially interested in meeting and hearing from their CEO Bill Kerr who is making a difference every day for this company and for radio.  His experience at Meredith Corporation is impressive, and something that all broadcasters can benefit from. 

In the book “Lessons From The Top: The Search For America’s Best Business Leaders,” Kerr is highlighted and his big quote truly resonated with me:

“We have to keep earning the trust of our customers.”

From what I’ve heard from many radio managers and owners who have spent time with him, that’s precisely the winning philosophy Kerr has brought to Arbitron.

And I hope you’ll be there to see our “Special Edition” of “Goin’ Mobile” during lunch on Wednesday at Arbitron’s Client Conference.  We’ve got new segments about multitasking and radio listening locations to show you. 

But the big highlight is a part of “Goin’ Mobile” that no one knew about – our respondents carried the new PPM meter for a week prior to our interviews with them.  We’ll show you powerful segments about their impressions of the meter, what it’s like to carry around, what others said about it, and a host of other observations that has helped Arbitron’s refinement of PPM, and can help you better understand the process.

There’s still time to register and hang out with some of radio’s best and brightest.  Click here to register, and hopefully, we’ll see you at the Summit.

Reaching The Summit

Maybe I should warn you upfront - this is a longer post than usual today.  That's becasuse I have a lot of wonderful content to tell you about.

It is hard to believe we have put the final touches on our 15th Summit.  Since 1995, when they were originally billed as “Alternative Summits,” Jacobs Media has been producing these events, first at Gavin, then for many great years with R&R, last year with the NAB, and next month with Arbitron in conjunction with their Client Conference.

We appreciate our partnership with Arbitron, and by working together, we have each put together killer agendas.  They have their Urban PD sessions on December 7, followed by a full day of great sessions that include WFAN’s Boomer & Carton, Jon Coleman, Emmis Interactive’s Deb Esayian, Larry Rosin, Cox’s Jay O’Connor, RCS’ Phillippe Generali, and Matt Fisher of curiosity360 (a social media firm). 

I’m especially excited to hear new Arbitron CEO and former head of Meredith Corporation, a top media and marketing company.  And we will also be entertaining the lunch crowd on December 8 with a special edition of “Goin’ Mobile” with never-before-seen segments that I promise will amaze and educate.  We have put together new video stories that are very revealing for radio and mobile efforts, and I’m excited to show them to you.

But then there’s the morning of December 9 – the Summit.  I believe we have the best lineup ever.

Our premise is simple.  Radio – and the rest of the media world – is going through a cataclysmic change that will determine the industry’s place in the new media hierarchy.  Will radio be a major player, will it hold its own, or will it erode in importance?

To get at these answers, the Summit sessions are shorter this year, allowing us to incorporate more content, panelists, and speakers.  They are divided into two broad categories:

The Big Picture – What are the macro factors that are impacting radio and how do outsiders view the industry’s prospects, challenges, and opportunities?

Get The Picture – What can local stations and clusters do to maximize these opportunities, face the challenges, seize the moment, and make the best of the new digital tools that are available?

To that end, here is our Summit schedule for the morning of December 9:

8:00 Continental breakfast & opening remarks by Fred Jacobs

8:30-9:00 - IT’S THE MESSAGE THAT MATTERS: World-renowned talent coach and author, Val Geller, will set the tone for the day.  Whether you’re creating content and entertainment for transmitters and towers or podcasts, social media pages, and Twitter communities, what are the key factors and best practices for creating powerful audio?

9:00-9:40 - A 'BUGGY WHIP' INDUSTRY?: Consumer Electronics Association’s President & CEO, Gary Shapiro, will be weighing in at The Summit. Gary is well-known for his hard-hitting views on radio, and his perspective as head of the CEA will be invaluable for Summit attendees looking to get a glimpse of the future.

9:45-10:15 - USING THE BACKCHANNEL: Everyone in radio is working hard to strategically integrate social media into our programming.  Stephen Clark is an anchorman at Channel 7 in Detroit.  But if you think you know how TV news is being gathered these days, think again.  Stephen has initiated a novel audience interactive program - The Backchannel - using Twitter to communicate with his audience as he's putting together stories.  The Backchannel is an innovative feedback loop that might just change television news and it has applications for News/Talk radio stations, as well as for personalities and teams who are bold enough to interact with their audiences.

10:20-11:00 - IS THIS RADIO?:  A number of major radio brands have dropped the “R-word” because their content now goes well beyond terrestrial broadcasting.  This will be an amazing discussion because of our panelists and the issues they will talk about. Panelists and topics are as follows:

• WTOP in Washington, D.C. is one of the most successful radio stations in the U.S., and Bonneville’s Senior Regional VP, Joel Oxley, will be on our panel to discuss extending radio’s footprint.
• NPR is no longer called “National Public Radio.” To discuss their changing brand philosophy, Michael Yoch, Senior Director of Product Development, will join the panel.
• Jeff Haley, President/CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau, will round out this group for a lively discussion about whether we are still marketing radio and the future for cross-platform revenue generation

11:00-11:30 - ARE YOU BEING FOLLOWED?: Renowned social mediologist and owner of Finger Candy Media, Jessica Northey, will bring her unique – and successful secrets about how to ramp up a social media effort.  She practices what she preaches – Jessica currently has over 94,000 followers on Twitter and her dog has 4,500.  Jessica IS social media – she translates the confusing points into an easy-to-understand platform based on her 15+ years of experience in all media, including radio.

11:30-12:00N - TURNING THE QUEEN MARY: Former Tribune Chief Innovation Officer and radio pioneer, Lee Abrams, will make a return appearance at the Jacobs Summit.  Lee’s challenge to bring fresh thinking to a legacy media business has been well-publicized. In this last session of Summit 15, he will share his vision on what “old media” industries must do in order to be vibrant and competitive moving forward.

I think you can appreciate my excitement, and I hope that many of you can make the trip to Baltimore to invest in your company, your station, and yourselves.  I don’t believe there are plans to archive these sessions, so as Buffalo Wild Wings likes to say “You have to be here.”

Registration info is available here.

And as we’ve said for many years now, “See you at the Summit.”

In An Instant

Maybe you’ve read about a new search enhancement from Google – or perhaps you’ve used it and maybe didn’t realize what was happening.

Google Instant begins to predict what you’re searching for, suggesting search possibilities even before you’re done typing.

This has obvious implications on the art and science of managing and manipulating search, especially as it pertains to consumers discovering your product via Google.  Getting to the top of the search hierarchy has never been more important.

That’s because the terms that are suggested in Google Instant have a much greater chance of earning a click.  To test drive this feature, I tried a series of searches, and the results are both fascinating and very telling as it relates to branding and search.

Check out this one below:

 
No KIIS-FM in this search, but no American Idol either.  Which led me to this one:

 
I’m sure this thrills Joe Perry to no end.

Well, of course I had to try it for our company.  Interesting results, but maybe not too surprising:

 
Here are a couple of radio examples:

 
This video short from Google explains the Instant feature.  Yes, it will save you search time (2-5 seconds per search), but it has implications over the way you, your station, your personalities approach optimizing search and using keywords on web pages.

<EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW GOOGLE INSTANT VIDEO> 

This is going to be a big topic moving forward, and once again, Google is setting the pace.

To TVB Or Not TVB

Reinvention is always a challenge, especially for traditional “we’ve always done it that way” institutions.

That probably describes the Television Bureau of Advertising, an organization founded in the early 1950’s that is trying to rebrand itself and simultaneously, re-establish its value to both TV stations and advertisers.

Step one is to start using the same shorthand that the media industry has used for years – TVB, instead of the more formal Television Bureau of Advertising.  (Think KFC, NPR, FedEx, and Mickey D’s – all brands that have shifted their brand names to reflect the way customers talk about them.)

A key focus for the TVB is to rethink its entire mission.  As its new president, Steven Lanzano notes, “We sat down and asked, ‘What would TVB be if we created it today?’”

That’s a tough question that any traditional business – media or otherwise – could and should be asking.  In the TVB’s case, it’s going about its reinvention by making the following moves:

• Digital platforms – The TVB is trying to get advertisers to grasp the notion that its stations offer more than just spots.  Digital subchannels, mobile apps, and various websites are all part of the menus that sales organizations should be packaging for advertisers.
• Advertiser Input – To function in a less insular way, TVB has created an advisory board with advertisers and agencies, including AT&T, Toyota, and Kraft Foods.  In this way, they can work together to develop strategies that work for both ends of the advertising spectrum (and in the process, gain the buy-in from advertisers).
• Biz dev – A new wing of TVB will be to go after new business opportunities using television platforms.  Thus, TVB will represent TV stations in the acquisition of new sponsors and advertisers.
• Web resources – TVB is committing to beefed up web content development via a new site that will be unveiled next month.

The good news for TVB is that television advertising is making a comeback.  So these moves may be well-timed to take advantage of an influx of cash.  Impressively, rather than just exhale about the recovery, the television industry is going on the offensive, using the opportunity to remake itself through these efforts by TVB.

And that brings us to the inevitable questions about the RAB.  As we look at the state of advertising in the radio industry as the recession dust clears, many of the same factors impacting television are happening in our parallel universe.

We’re looking forward to experiencing the combined forces of both RAB and NAB at this week’s convention in D.C.  While still the industry’s main gathering, a lot has changed in the past few years.  And the integration of these two industry entities to produce a single convention is the first sign that change is in the air.  Jeff Haley has long been focused on digital initiatives, so it will be interesting to see how this new permutation of "The Radio Show" plays out.

We’ll be on the lookout for more tangible signs in our reports from “The Radio Show” in this space and on Twitter (@fnjacobs).

Gift Horse

A charitable donation of $100 million dollars makes headlines.

And in fact, something so gigantically generous might just be able to overshadow the negative publicity generated by a new movie.

Or perhaps that’s what skeptics are postulating about Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to gift the Newark school districts with more money than any of us will make in a lifetime.  Or lots of lifetimes.

So, is this benevolent effort a not-so-subtle attempt to take the spotlight away from the debut of Social Network, a new movie about Facebook that makes Zuckerberg look real bad?  Or is it a genuine effort on Zuckerberg’s part to share some of his billions with children who badly could use an injection of good news – and money?

Maybe it’s a little of both.  And those of us who have been associated with edgy morning shows over the years had to smile just a bit when we read this story.

My very first client some 27 years ago was FM99, WNOR/Norfolk, a legendary rock station even back then, with a dynamic morning guy, Henry “The Bull” Del Toro.

Sadly, Henry passed away in 2002, and left in his wake a rainbow of memories – both good and not-so-good.  Because when Henry was bad, he was very bad.  At a major civic parade through downtown Norfolk, Henry mooned the crowd, along with some of the key government leaders.  His April Fools’ Day stunt at “Mt. Trashmore” still serves as a lesson to overly-ambitious morning guys about what not to do.

But much of Henry’s bad boy antics were mitigated by his charitable activities, many of which were also legendary.  Henry once lived in a cage in support of the local SPCA.  He raised awareness and generated tons of food over the years for local food banks.  He walked to Washington, D.C. on behalf of the Vietnam vets.  And in a military town, the “human flag” event staged by Henry and Tommy Griffiths made national headlines.

And most of the time, these moves weren’t calculated.  They were who Henry was – when he wasn’t being "The Bull."

I conducted scores of focus groups throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s for FM99.  In those days, you could literally greet the respondents, simply say “Henry The Bull,” and they would talk non-stop for an hour without me having to say a word.

And the contrasting views toward Henry were nothing short of incredible.  There was simply a Jekyll/Hyde aspect to Henry Del Toro on the one hand and "The Bull" on the other.  And that was the way he was discussed in focus groups – and in bars and homes all over Hampton Roads.

Just when people would start to gang up on Henry for being a “shock jock” and mindless, sexist jerk, others would jump right in to vehemently defend him, citing all his charity and community work.

Deep down, he was a great guy.

Mark Zuckerberg, I don’t know.  And the debate will undoubtedly rage on about whether this Newark schools windfall was calculated or the real thing.

But to all you morning shows that play it a little close to the edge – and sometimes trip over it – a good deed, a community event, and helping out someone who needs it is always a smart tactic to counterbalance your mischief.

And it will make you feel good, too.

Here’s a tribute video about Henry that I found while researching this blog:

<EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW HENRY "THE BULL" DEL TORO MEMORIAL VIDEO>

Baby, You Can Sell My Car 2

In yesterday’s post, we talked about how radio can potentially be the most effective medium when it comes to selling cars.  But of course, that equation is dependent on whether stations continue to invest in the marketing tool that is most likely to attract consumers to showrooms – the influential local DJ.

But the question is, what are the 2010 requirements for hiring talent?  To best meet the needs of radio’s two most important constituencies – advertisers and audience – what are the DJ attributes that matter most? 

A tight board?  Great pipes? 

No one’s saying that sounding great on the air isn’t as important to radio today as it was in 1978.  But there are now so many other aspects that go into making a bona fide staff contribution that are often forgotten in the application and hiring process.

How much should appearance matter?  Or the charm and presence to host station and/or client events and work the room?  Or the ability to use social media sites in an effective way that engages consumers and creates viral content sharing? 

The fact is, many DJs have historically not been good “people persons,” preferring to hide in the van at appearances or sequester themselves in the air studio, far removed from the salespeople or station tours.

Today’s needs are diametrically different, and while being smooth on the air can still be effective, the ability to connect with listeners and advertisers in settings as diverse as in-store appearances, blogs, and on Facebook fan pages have become just as important. 

As we wrote in this space last month, MTV recently completed a search for the next TJ – or Twitter Jockey.  Like many of their innovations, this one had “stunt” written all over it.  But the main point of this promotion shouldn’t be lost on us.  MTV now needs talent that can engage and grow an audience that has moved well beyond watching TV, one video at a time.  Standing on a set wearing leather outfits isn’t going to create loyalty or a sense of belonging with today’s pop music audience.

While older consumers may still enjoy hearing those dulcet tones on their FM station, many listeners – and advertisers have moved on.  What can today’s personalities bring to the table for radio stations struggling to still have leadership and relevance for new music discovery, while putting older songs in some sort of meaningful and current context?

Permit me to toss out a modernized want ad for talent in 2010 – one that raises the bar and ups the requirements necessary to be a media star in today’s landscape.  And let me also suggest that perhaps programmers aren’t effectively looking for “the right stuff,” while job-seekers ought to be repackaging resumes and their materials to show a different side of their skill sets.

Pictures and video that demonstrate client and listener connections, the ability to write for many different formats (social and copy prep), a desire to engage with a rapidly moving audience, and the instincts to tune into a fickle but fascinating pop culture are all part of the new skills necessary to growing radio careers.

Too often, broadcasters cavalierly write off on-air talent at budget time because they don’t always perceive the value their DJs bring to the operation.  This is a flaw in their expectations and goal-setting as much as it is a deficit in the awareness of talent to adapt to changing times.

Personalities, not stations, sell cars.  And personalities, not logos, build listener engagement.  You beat Pandora, Nanos, and Sirius by creating connections and content that local consumers cannot get anywhere else. 

If radio is to morph and grow in this 21st century, we need to create a new road map.

Where It’s At

"We have to go where the audience is.  If people are hitting the iPad like crazy, or the iPhone or other mobile devices, we've got to be there with the content they want, when they want it."

That’s USA Today Editor John Hillkirk, explaining why the paper is going through a major makeover to focus on reaching readers on mobile devices.

Keep in mind that this is the second largest newspaper in the country.  While laying off roughly 130 workers, USA Today is undertaking a major overhaul in the face of circulation declines of roughly a half million readers in just the past three years.

Legacy brands can wait for the tidal wave or proactively move into spaces and platforms that have already become consumer destinations. 

Wayne Gretzky’s quote about skating to where the puck is going to be has become a cliché in marketing circles.  But he was one of the few gifted players who saw the game differently.

Today, you don’t have to be The Great One to know where the puck’s going to be.

It’s already there.

A Question of Balance

Nearly 50 markets have joined the ranks of PPM, and as consultants, we continue to field questions every day related to talk content, and that delicate balance between personality and music delivery. 

Many personalities and teams have supposedly been displaced by PPM, despite strong historic performances in the diary.  But with meters, the rules have changed and not all shows have made the transition seamlessly.  I think about what must have been happening in the movie industry when “talkies” came along and replaced silent films.  Not every star was able to adapt to “multi-media films.”  Ironically in radio, many of those who have talked so successfully for decades have now been forced to rethink some of the basic tenets and architectures of their shows with PPM.

Along these same lines, many stations – especially those who have been community-focused traditionally – are grappling with the question of how to pull off “radiothons” and other charitable initiatives without paying a huge price in a PPM weekly (which of course, leads to a PPM monthly).

Public radio stations have discovered that pledge drives essentially fall into that category.  Their audiences – even the most loyal Super P1s who are “members” in good standing – have let them know for years that these “beg-athons,” while necessary for keeping the doors open, the lights on, and the great programs on the air, can be toxic for sustained listening.  PPM has confirmed that reality in spades.

But public radio stations have to participate in some form of fundraising (although the person who invents a PPM-friendly option that raises just as much money – or more – will win the Carl Kasell Award for Fiscal Creativity). 

Commercial stations are not obligated to having to sponsor blood drives, charitable walks or 5k runs, or radiothons.  

For some perspective, I turned this question over to Buzz Knight, Greater Media’s programming guru.  As most of you know, Greater Media stations, as a rule, tend to be very community focused, and that comes from Peter Smyth and the Bordes family at the top.  But like any other broadcaster, they face the same ratings pressures in PPM in market after market.

Buzz, like many of you, is losing more than a little sleep these days over these types of dilemmas.  Here’s his view:

I woke up in a cold sweat last night.  I had a dream that PPM and its challenges had buried programmers into a frozen fear that charity and community service was "anti PPM." 

Please tell me it's a bad misguided dream.  One of the most gratifying parts of the job we all do is how we make our communities better places.

I'm so proud of the work that our industry does and of the tireless work that the members of our Greater Media family do raising millions of dollars and raising awareness to support important causes.  It's a vital piece of our DNA.

Yes, it's true that the advent of PPM forces us to rethink how we do everything.  This includes charity.  When we peel away what great brands stand for - much like we peel apart an onion - within that core includes:

• Great blood drives for a community in need
• Radiothon auctions to support veterans causes
• Food drives that fill a motor home full of abundance for a local soup kitchen
• A recognition campaign honoring the work of exceptional women

The list can and should go on and on.

Let's be great tactical and strategic programmers, but let’s not lose our heart and soul.

And so that brings us to that balance question.  Is it a matter of "we should/we shouldn’t" when it comes to community and charity?  Or is it a matter of how can we best support local causes and civic groups in ways that minimize meter migration?

Is there also a calculus that demands us to weigh the short-term price of a less-than-stellar day in PPM against the long haul brand value of being more than a jukebox and truly making a difference in your hometown?  When you think about vital stations that truly mean something in their communities – and the list is too long to mention here – don’t these stations have to continue their good work, just as much as public radio stations need to earn financial support from their audience?

It’s a question of balance.

The Coach’s Show – Part 2

In yesterday’s blog, we got some sage advice from one of radio’s best talent show coaches – Randy Lane.  Earlier this month, I was honored to emcee a private broadcaster conference that featured Randy and our own Keith Cunningham.

The guys expertly broke down three very different personality shows, bringing their own unique views and experiences to the session.  This morning, I’ve got some nuggets from Keith who has sat in more 10 a.m. sessions than anyone I know.  His ability to work with fledgling personalities and grizzled veterans is part of why he’s such a valuable guy.

Here are Keith’s tips for creating and growing a great personality show:

Aircheck Yourself:  In these times when even in major markets, programmers are often responsible for more than one station, honest critiques may not be easy to come by.  One of the best things a personality can do is hold up the mirror and critique her own work.  Grab an aircheck from a week or two ago (so the show isn't fresh in your mind), go home, listen, and take honest notes.  Or jump in a car, get stuck in some traffic, and “tune in” to experience what it’s like for a station listener.  Like getting on the scale once a week, it’s a reality check that can make for better radio. 

Best of CD Rule:  When done prepping the following day's show, it's a good exercise to ask:  "On tomorrow's show, what will be good enough for our Best Of CD?"  If nothing obvious come to mind, the job of prepping and being creative isn't complete.  Personalities have to push the creative process to a higher level each day.

Treatment Times Five:  Boring people usually create boring radio, and boring and predictable decisions equal boring and predictable content.  I use the word "treatment" often, which simply refers to the angle a show takes with its content.  In many cases, the first/easiest/most predictable choices are the worst ones.  The exercise here is to think of five different ways to handle the same topic or bit.  American Idol is a great example:  most shows all treat Idol the same way - they play the same clips and make fun of the contestants, judges and Ryan.  How can a personality or team look at the same “jump ball” and develop something that will stand out and be entertaining? 

Coach Smart:  Every talent requires a different approach, and a coach or PD needs to find the right avenue to get the best results.  There isn't a one-size-fits-all blueprint for coaching talent.  Some personalities may respond to a terse approach that clinically attacks the problem, while others need a shoulder to cry on and a warm smile.  Similarly, shows require daily meetings, others work best with a “hall bump,” and a few thrive with just a weekly get-together.  The best coaches adapt and find a way to break through and build trust.

The Coach’s Show

I was recently involved in a client conference where we were graced with the presence of talent coach extraordinaire Randy Lane and our own Keith Cunningham.

Each coach took a look under the hood of three very different personality shows, and gave their unique perspective on what was working, not working so well, and how best to nurture and grow each show.

As moderator of this “Personality Makeover” session, it was fascinating for me to step back and let the experts show their stuff.  In this post, I’m going to highlight a few of Randy Lane’s nuggets, and tomorrow, I’ll turn the spotlight on Keith.

Randy believes that the best shows in radio find a way to be exceptional at one of the following elements, while showing proficiency in the other two:

1. HD characters
2. Killer content
3. Flawless execution

If you start riffing through some of the most successful shows on the radio today – and even some great personalities from the past – you are likely to agree with Randy’s formula for success.

Is there one of these that is more important than the others?  If you keep going up and down the list, all three play a key role, and it’s hard to imagine a truly successful show that skips one of these three elements.  Obviously, a key to help making a good show great is to build on the strengths, but to also work on the things that may be a bit lacking.  So, a show with engaging compelling characters might need to hone the content and improve the execution.  Or a show that has great timing and formatics, along with solid content, might need to focus on character development.

Randy also shared three questions that talent can use as a sort of “content litmus test” to ensure strong idea development and solid execution:

1. What is the payoff? What is our intention (humor, conflict, emotion)? Where are we going with this? How do we want listeners to feel? How will we get out of it?
2. How are we going to set it up to engage listeners within 10 seconds for PPM?
3. How can we make it bigger (an expert or guest, production piece, conflict or controversy, a story, a stunt, media coverage, etc.)?

These are powerful questions – and if the responses are equally strong – personality shows can clearly create memorable, viral moments.  I was especially impressed with Randy’s PPM focus – not just from the standpoint of being economical – but to avoid some of those ID/time/temp/how ya doin’ setups that slow a show down before launching into the meat. 

With PPM, the need to get to it quickly without the crutches and the obligatory back-and-forth is essential to winning in this new arena.  Too often, shows get caught up in the same old style that while successful with the diary, slows everything down in metered measurement.

Tomorrow:  Keith Cunningham

The S Curve

Sometimes the way they do things in television amazes me.  There’s a much greater tendency in TV land to make sure that every season has something that’s new and different. When they run those "new fall season" promos, they'd better have something to sell.

TV executives and producers realize the fickle factor that guides tastes and habits.  There is constant pressure to innovate, to try new ideas, and introduce new cast members. 

In contrast, radio almost always wants to stay the course, reluctant to change cast, crew, features, or bits.  Hey, “If it ain’t broke…”

This stubbornness (fear?) to try new things has to be in some way – subtle or not – part of the reason why consumers might take us for granted.  Of course, radio – especially in morning drive – is habitual.  Most people get up at the same time, eat breakfast at the same time, and commute to work at the same time - day in and day out.  Thus, the need to be consistent, familiar, and steady.

But that doesn’t mean they want everyday to be the same.  And it doesn’t mean that whatever worked in 2004 is going to be successful today.  Radio’s “stability” also translates to “lethargy.”  That's when people start to lose interest.

Despite how well they’ve sold since they were first introduced, new iPods are introduced every year.  Sometimes it’s new colors.  Sometimes it’s new features.  Sometimes they get smaller.  Or have radios built in.  But there’s always something different and innovative to capture the consumer’s imagination.  That’s baked into the DNA of companies like Apple.

Water cooler talk isn’t just about your show discussing a big topic in the news.  It’s important to remember it also has to do with the audience talking about you – your show, an internal controversy, some drama, and even some rumors.

It is amazing how Howard Stern is the most copied jock in the history of morning radio, and yet most shows don’t get the part about how he stirs it up with intra-show buzz and talk.  Is Howard really pissed at Gary?  How much longer is Robin going to take this?  Will there be a new cast member this fall?  Will the show still be on Sirius?  That's part of the viral recipe that keeps Howard vital and top-of-mind.

But in terrestrial radio, we’re still debating whether we should use the word “new” in slogans for stations and formats that are a year old – or older.

A good example of freshening and energizing is American Idol, one of the most successful shows in the history of television (and music).  Since its full-time arrival on Fox in 2002, AI’s producers have shaken up the content with different musical themes and other tactical twists.  But for many years, the cast remained intact as the American public formed relationships with Simon, Paula, and Randy.

But as the Paula Abdul story started to get weird and wiggy (all the while making for higher ratings and more buzz), Kara DioGuardi was introduced in ’09.  And then to try for a totally different approach (nice, not mean), Ellen DeGeneres was signed for ’10 to replace the erratic Abdul (only to “resign” for this coming season).

Now it’s Steven Tyler, as the rumors go, and a whole new soap opera has already ensued.  And of course, all the while, there has also been lots of chatter about Howard Stern (the master), Jennifer Lopez, and other potential celebrities to replace the outgoing Simon Cowell.

That’s what new partners, teammates, and cast members do for shows.  They amp up talk and speculation.  In Idol's case, they make fans wonder how Tyler will get along with Randy Jackson (or Ryan Seacrest for that matter).  Will Joe Perry show up?  Will the show take on a more rock ‘n roll vibe?  Will men start watching because they want to, and not just to please their significant others?  

Who cares about why consumers watch the show?  The fact is, people are talking about AI, and the audience for at least that first show should be pretty damn big.  Where they go from there is the art part of the programming equation.

Now you can make the case that AI has ratings and momentum problems, and while still immensely popular, the show is vulnerable to new competition and may be stumbling under its own weight.  But the producers may be looking at it differently.  Every TV show has a lifespan or in business and marketing circles, an “S Curve.”  The question is whether a legacy show (or radio station) has the ability and the guts to step up and try to achieve a breakthrough - thus creating a new growth spurt.

With other products, there is a realization that innovation and experimentation are critical to keeping a brand vital.  Radio shows would do well to be on the lookout for fresh content, a new team member, buzzworthy benchmark features, a new setting, or a webcam - all factors necessary to keep a show heading in an upward direction.  And given the PPM reality that morning drive is no longer the daypart behemoth it was in the diary, it would serve radio, its personalities, and its management teams well to start thinking more about the “S Curve” and less about giving away tactical cash in morning drive.

Consultants, researchers, talent coaches, PDs, and producers often miss the bigger boat when it comes to guiding shows that have been on the air on the same stations for years – and even decades.

It’s not about changing the clocks.  It’s not about more concise breaks.  It’s not about shorter news stories.  It’s not about time checks.

It’s about changing up a show or a station because the vibe of the audience, the culture, and the market demand it. 

Watch your “S Curve.”

Alternative – Or Mainstream?

“When’s the last time an alternative station has been number one anywhere?”

That’s the question that Chris Huff, Tom Taylor’s ratings guru, asked earlier this week in his “Taylor on Radio-Info” email newsletter after looking at the Salt Lake City July book, and seeing Simmons’ X96 sitting on top of the heap with better than a 7-share.

Chris asks a good question, because the Alternative format’s success over the past two decades has been totally dominated by KROQ, and justifiably so.  But there are other burgeoning success stories, and after reading a nice piece on X96 in “The Sands Report,” it occurred to me that there’s a lot to be learned by their success – especially in a market where you wouldn’t expect the most listened to station to be a rebellious, edgy brand like this one.

(By the way, kudos to Richard Sands on recently celebrating his weekly’s 10th anniversary.  As the Alternative format has been much criticized or ignored over the years, it is enjoying a renaissance due in part to PPM, and Richard has become the format’s voice.  While he may not have thousands of subscribers, “The Sands Report” does a great job of looking at Alternative – and its main players – from many different angles.)

Saluting Todd “Nuke-Em” Noker, Richard asked him about the keys to succeeding in this market and in PPM, and here’s the big quote from Todd:

“There isn’t any conceivable way that an Alternative station – or any station, for that matter – can achieve success without programming locally, and having live, local personality events, and having personalities that own their brand and the station’s brand is paramount to having a successful station.”

There are a lot of naysayers throughout radio and the blogosphere who continue to trash the local strategy as being shortsighted or simply wrong.  And yet, talk to someone in Salt Lake City under the age of 45, and chances are good you’ll get a great X96 story.

Part of Todd’s “formula” revolves around not treating X96 like a niche player.  As he reminds programmers everywhere, “Run your Alternative station like it’s the only station you own.”

Of course, that’s good advice, whether you’re programming a Hot AC or a Sport Talk station.

Todd also told me that while X96 jocks are not under “a gag order” since PPM came to town, they work on clutter reduction and more jock break economy.  While Todd doesn’t suffer from analysis paralysis when the weeklies come out, he does looks for patterns and shares the data with his team: “I love to show this to the staff so that they know exactly how the game is played.”

X96 is a personality-oriented station, and Todd wouldn’t have it any other way.  There’s “Radio From Hell” in morning drive, along with Marci, Todd, and Corey O’Brien in the dayparts.  Like all strong stations, there’s an at-work program in place (X96 Workers Union), along with features that emphasize listener interaction and inclusion.  Marci hosts “Last Letter Game,” while Corey is the guy behind “On Demand.”  This is a cool, hip staff that is marketable – big contributors to X96’s success.

 

Live, local, compelling content, and connectedness to the market – all elements that contribute to X96’s success.

Among his other accomplishments, Todd is an author and he tells me that the big lesson from that experience is working with editors who have taught him that “getting the message across without being cumbersome with too many words.” 

So, is the takeaway here that an Alternative station can be a solid #1 in PPM?

Or is that great local radio can win whether it talks, plays Lady Gaga or Linkin Park?

Or is that you can win in PPM without being a jukebox, and for the long haul, that’s what makes better brands?

Todd?  “Don’t try to out-iPod an iPod.  Win the battle of being a great radio station.”

Yes.

P.S. We're still looking for linchpins - those hard-working souls at stations and clusters who hold the place together.  You never read about them in the trades and they rarely are in the limelight.  But they tirelessly work station events, sales remotes, and do whatever it takes to create a winning environment.  Greater Media's Buzz Knight and I are showcasing these linchpins.  Write about that person at your station/your cluster.  We have a nifty iPod Touch for the best of the bunch.  The deadline is Labor Day Weekend.  Please send them to me at [email protected].

Stay At Home PDs

A recent article in Radio World jumped out at me for a couple of reasons – it resonated with something I’ve been saying to PDs for years, and it was written by a former colleague and friend, Mark Lapidus. 

The premise of “Are You Speaking In A Local Voice?” is that programmers need to get out of their radio stations on a periodic basis, stay home, and do nothing but listen to their own craftwork for a day.

Steve Goldstein preaches “Catch the flu” in his “Brilliant At the Basics” primer.  You don’t need to tell the staff what you’re doing or where you’re going.  Just stay home, stash the music and commercial logs in your backpack, grab a legal pad, put on a pot of coffee, and just listen to your radio station. 

I guarantee you that you’ll fill up several pages with “to-do’s” that you just can’t hear when you’re running around the station, multi-tasking your life away.

This is even more crucial in today’s environment where most PDs are performing double and triple duties, overseeing more than one station, hosting or voicetracking shows, and attending one meeting after another.

I remember as a PD back in the days when you simply oversaw just one brand that it was still difficult to spend quality time listening to your station.  Middays were especially tough because those hours are typically filled with meetings.  Yet in the PPM environment, this daypart is perhaps the most important block of hours of them all.  It deserves your time, attention, thought, strategy, and creativity. 

As Mark points out in his column, there’s a lot to hear throughout a day-long monitor – positioning, production, messaging, and local content/references.  I would add that another productive activity would be to spend at least half of this listening time on your stream – a typically neglected platform despite its potential ability to “out-cume” the terrestrial signal.  Listen to those commercials breaks, and count the number of times the stream simply disappears.  What kind of listening experience are you creating for loyal consumers tuning you in on computers and mobile devices?

Mark recommends a quarterly monitor, and that strikes me as a good interval.  He concludes with the statement that “To be a great program director, you’ve got to be a great listener.”

That’s one of the functions that makes for a good consultant, too.  The time necessary to just listen, coupled with knowing how to address problems are the formulas for creating a successful brand.

Are you listening?

The Bob Brand

No, this post isn’t about yet another faceless variety station called “Bob.”  It’s about a living, breathing personality named Bob - Bob Lester - who can teach us a great deal about how it should be done in 2010.

That’s because for all that has changed in broadcast radio over the decades, one thing is still essentially the same:

Radio often hires air personalities using the same criteria that made sense in 1978.

Here’s an ad we mocked up for a presentation about the care, coaching, and brand-building of DJs.  These job requirements are archaic, given the needs that radio stations now have.

In an environment where voicetracking, PPM, and tight budgets play a role in diminishing the role of the DJ, the fact is that local radio needs strong, multi-faceted, and active personalities in order to be viable in a changing world where Pandora and iPods are rapidly becoming common choices.

We have developed presentations designed to help stations and their personalities redefine the role of the DJ in order to better contribute to the industry’s changing needs.  And along the way, we occasionally run into a personality in a local market who is making a difference.

Our poster boy for this blog is Bob Lester, half the morning show at KWHL (K-Whale) in Anchorage.  While not always the case, it is probably a truism that it may be even easier and more desirable to build a strong DJ brand in a medium or small market where distractions like pro sports, Broadway plays, and great local TV are minimal or non-existent.

But let’s give Bob his due.  He is much more than one half of the morning show on his station.  He has created what he calls the “Bob brand” by adhering to one basic philosophy (especially in the early years):

Never saying no.

In short, Bob took just about every job, opportunity, promotion, meet & greet, pie eating contest, PA gig, and remote.  Most of this was done for minimal or zero compensation. 

Why do this?  In Bob’s own words, “I was able to put my talents in front of as many people as possible, hoping that eventually somebody would see me and say, ‘I need to hire that guy.’"

How did it pay off for Bob Lester? 

• He is the PA announcer for the Alaska Aces (minor league hockey team in Anchorage), the A.F.C. (local cage fighting), the Alyeska Slush Cup, the Snowmachine motor madness races, and several other Alaska events.
• Bob is the owner of his own production agency where he creates, produces, and places radio and television ads for several clients. (It's not going to be easy to get rid of a personality who is immersed into the local advertising world.)
• He is one of the most politically connected media personalities in Alaska – and the only representative that is in touch with Sarah Palin’s organization on a consistent basis. Here he is on Fox News the night before Palin was announced as John McCain’s running mate:

• Bob has always been very active in local charities, having raised more than $250,000 for Toys For Tots over the past 17 years. He has also worked with the local Red Cross, American Lung Association, and numerous charities. But as he told us, his “proudest moment was raising in excess of $120,000 in 24 hours for victims of an apartment fire.”
• Bob has hosted his own children’s television show (Fox 4 Kids Club), along with emceeing hundreds of local trivia nights at neighborhood bars and clubs.

But here’s the kicker – Bob’s view of his role at the station and in Anchorage has been part of a larger ethic that has guided his career trajectory.  As he explains, “Being in radio is a huge responsibility, and one that I do take seriously.  I love this community, and the people who live here.  Giving back is all part of being part of this ‘Anchorage family.’”

We have to nurture and grow more Bob Lesters in radio because few personalities truly understand that there's more to this job than just being great on the air, hosting bar nights, and performing well at remotes. 

The community connection is indeed the “secret sauce.”  Many years ago, author Emanuel Rosen spoke at one of our Summits.  His book, The Anatomy of Buzz, broke it down clearly and simply:  the number one thing that people talk about is other people – celebrities.  And this was before Facebook and Twitter.

Radio has to rethink its time-honored job requirements, and design a new role that redefines station personalities.  We need to grow local celebrities, and help them develop into brands - and people - who matter to their communities.

Bob Lester has given us a pretty good template.

Every Company Is Now A Media Company

It seems like the more the world becomes digitized, the smaller and more connected it truly is.  Earlier in the week, the phrase was Greg Verdino’s “Everybody in the audience has an audience.”

In this post, “Every company is now a media company” comes from Vice co-founder Shane Smith, speaking about how brands like Intel now have to concern themselves with content creation, demographic appeal, and event production.

(By the way, these are skills that most people in radio have been developing for decades.)

This trend where brands now have to concern themselves with creating content – in the form of videos, concerts, and websites – is new to some of the more conservative corporations.  That's why consulting firms like Vice are becoming increasingly important to managing brands and appealing to young people.

We talked about this shift in a recent blog about how MTV was searching for their first TJ – or Twitter Jockey – young people with the talent to create, grow, and communicate with online communities.  Pictured here is TJ winner Gabi Gregg from Detroit (of course).  She doesn’t look a whole lot like Nina Blackwood or Martha Quinn, but she has the skills and talent to create, build, and connect communities.  And that's the point.

The New York Times reports that Vice is growing its business by deftly managing youth brands, while helping legacy companies reach young people, beyond the traditional TV spots and print ads.

Part of the strategy is working with companies to create new websites that connect the young audience with (in some cases) heritage brands.  In Intel’s case, it’s a joint effort with Vice called thecreatorsproject.com.

The fact that all companies need to start thinking like media companies struck me as ironic when you consider radio companies have been theoretically thinking like this since Day One.  Except most are now struggling with the notion of being a true media company in these days where giving up control, displaying transparency, and flipping the funnel by giving the audience a voice are all part of the “new rules.” 

In much the same way that many silent movie actors could not make the transition to “talkies,” radio is in a battle with itself.  On the one hand, it has many components of the necessary skill set – like production pros, creative types, strong communicators, and clever people who can sell air in 30 and 60-second increments.

Some old-line brands - like Old Spice - have figured it out, creating funny viral commercials that have lives of their own.  In the process, Old Spice has become viable for a new generation, despite being a consumer product that your grandpa used.

<EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW OLD SPICE VIDEO>

The game has changed, but it still can be learned, mastered, and won.  Many radio brands still have equity, loyalty, and even trust.  But the dimensions and scope of the battle have changed, as have the competitors. 

If Old Spice can be cool again, so can we.

A Question Of Balance

As PPM rolls out across the land, programmers and managers often find themselves in an uncomfortable position with heritage talent.  On the one hand, a great personality show often becomes part of the station’s brand, generating loyal listening and advertiser support.

On the other, some shows have a difficult time adjusting to the faster pace of PPM meter maintenance.  Those long set-ups that listeners apparently sat through back in the diary days are less tolerated in those fickle folks holding meters.  Tempo, pacing, and getting to the point are all part of the challenges that many veteran shows face, especially when they’ve become long-accustomed to operating at a certain rhythm.

Then there are other times when a perfectly wonderful show could simply use an infusion of…something.

Maybe those benchmark bits have gotten stale.  Or that 12th annual fundraiser – while still supporting a wonderful cause – just doesn’t have the impact or the “oh wow” factor it did in the early years. 

Or maybe the show simply hasn’t made the adjustment to providing content on listener-desired platforms – podcasts, social media pages, or video.

In those cases where perhaps a venerable brand just sounds sluggish and maybe out of rhythm in a metered environment, what’s the best course of action?

Well, it you ask Oprah, she’d tell you that a new producer – or in her case, a new editor – can work wonders.

That’s what the Queen of All Media has done to shake up her magazine – O.  While it is still a well-read publication, O has shed readers and has lagged behind similar competitors like Martha Stewart Living.

Remember, we’re talking Oprah here, not a second rate talent.  But that’s exactly the crossroads where O found itself, even though it still has very respectable readership – north of 2,000,000 copies sold a month.

So Oprah made a smart move.  She brought in an outsider – Susan Casey – to take over the tough task of re-energizing the magazine while not losing its essence.  And while Oprah still has a strong hand in the magazine’s content, Susan comes at it from the fresh angle that O needed.

As Oprah told The New York Times, “I recognized her talent as superior to my own, in the magazine world.”

For someone like Oprah, this is a major admission that sometimes a franchise needs a facelift – or even a shake-up – in order for it to hit new highs or to regain past levels of success.

I have quoted Oprah’s examples in the past in this blog, and this move with O reinforces my sense that part of what makes just about everything about Harpo Productions impressive is that Oprah is not afraid to take risks, try new things, and step out of her comfort zone.  You may not personally appreciate her content, but you have to admire her approach and her ability to keep it fresh over the long haul.

She’s comfortable being Oprah, but also realizes that in order for her franchise to make greater strides, she needs to rock her own world now and again.

It would be a wonderful thing if some franchise morning shows could learn from Oprah’s example because it might add years to their careers, while helping the stations that support them.

The coming of PPM can be a treacherous experience for a comfortable personality show.  But it can also provide a call to action to re-examine the things that may have got it to the dance in the first place – risk, irreverence, and having no fear.

Maybe adding a new producer, a new character, or even a feature that isn’t in the comfort zone can be just the catalyst that’s needed.

As Oprah’s #2 Gayle King notes about Susan Casey, “She’s an Oprah-type girl.  She’s fearless and confident.”

Good qualities for any personality show to possess.  Especially when it’s time for a makeover.