The message out of this year's NAB seems to have been: We need new blood. I totally agree. We have sanitized this media to the point where it is completely unrecognizable in its current form. The problem with this industry is that we have never stepped back and realized what we are. We are not the music business, we are the ADVERTISING INDUSTRY. I have seen many program directors and music directors bristle at the thought, but that is what we are. Our detachment form that paradigm has waked us to the edge of oblivion. We are staring into the crevasse, and many seem powerless to stop the inevitable leap.
Janet's nipplegate in 2004 was the moment on television changed everything. Even though that event happened on television, radio was the industry that was called to the stockade. I have never been clear as to how that was our fault, but because I want to say a lot on this subject we will just knowledge that happened. Formerly edgy morning shows were sanitized, the FCC fine was hiked up to dizzying numbers, and many shows were just fired all together. We decided as an industry that it was time to stay out of provocative content, it just wasn't worth it anymore. If the mainstream media noticed a show said something provocative, fire that show, and hang their carcass on a pike so that anyone who considered doing anything provocative would see it. We twisted our words and changed our strategies.
Now, the fruition of that plan has happened. There are actually stations out there who brag "we sound like iPods" and there are format outlets all over the country. Like the mall, we have totally taken the joy out of choosing what you want to listen to. We have "CHR model station" or "Rock model station" or "Oldies Package" and we even pipe in talent from other stations so that even sounds the same. I am not talking about music, which should always be studied. Regardless of what the employees in "High Fidelity" will tell you, what's popular is popular so a lot of people like it. So play it. I am talking about stations that have the EXACT SAME imaging as other stations. Jocks that go: "(positioning statement) (station name) (backsell) I'm Eric Thomas! You can (phone number) (transition to liner) (liner) (frontsell) (station lockout)." I have traveled the entire country for months and its the SAME THING OVER AND OVER.
Okay... it's been five years of making sure no one notices us! How'd we do? Yep!! Awful!!!
We are the same exact industry that Wall Street was salivating over because we had millions of "cash on hand", Remember that phrase? Companies were going to get rich off the fact that we make tons of money with very little overhead. They would have, too. But they forgot that this is an art form. Radio is not widgets that come rumbling down an assembly line. This is prose. We paint pictures with words, and that particular skill is not well developed when reading that Misty the morning co-host is going to be on the corner of down and out handing out $5 coupons if you buy $50 worth of product. We have to remember that in order to truly serve the fine people who advertise on a station it is vitally important to make sure the audience actually gives a shit about what you are doing on that station. Sorry, but "keep you head down and don't get noticed" is a horrible business model for the advertising industry.
Sorry folks, prose is an art form and it is dying in our stead. What ever happened to obsessing every day over the spoken word? What ever happened to stressing over every song transition to make sure there are no train wrecks and not just letting Selector do it? What ever happened to doing your own damn show prep and if you are too lazy and need "Prep Burger" than maybe you shouldn't do drive time? What ever happened to giant personalities that walked into the studio DESPERATELY wanting to say something today because they have to?
They are here. They are the new generation. So radio... what are you going to do about it?
Janet's nipplegate in 2004 was the moment on television changed everything. Even though that event happened on television, radio was the industry that was called to the stockade. I have never been clear as to how that was our fault, but because I want to say a lot on this subject we will just knowledge that happened. Formerly edgy morning shows were sanitized, the FCC fine was hiked up to dizzying numbers, and many shows were just fired all together. We decided as an industry that it was time to stay out of provocative content, it just wasn't worth it anymore. If the mainstream media noticed a show said something provocative, fire that show, and hang their carcass on a pike so that anyone who considered doing anything provocative would see it. We twisted our words and changed our strategies.
Now, the fruition of that plan has happened. There are actually stations out there who brag "we sound like iPods" and there are format outlets all over the country. Like the mall, we have totally taken the joy out of choosing what you want to listen to. We have "CHR model station" or "Rock model station" or "Oldies Package" and we even pipe in talent from other stations so that even sounds the same. I am not talking about music, which should always be studied. Regardless of what the employees in "High Fidelity" will tell you, what's popular is popular so a lot of people like it. So play it. I am talking about stations that have the EXACT SAME imaging as other stations. Jocks that go: "(positioning statement) (station name) (backsell) I'm Eric Thomas! You can (phone number) (transition to liner) (liner) (frontsell) (station lockout)." I have traveled the entire country for months and its the SAME THING OVER AND OVER.
Okay... it's been five years of making sure no one notices us! How'd we do? Yep!! Awful!!!
We are the same exact industry that Wall Street was salivating over because we had millions of "cash on hand", Remember that phrase? Companies were going to get rich off the fact that we make tons of money with very little overhead. They would have, too. But they forgot that this is an art form. Radio is not widgets that come rumbling down an assembly line. This is prose. We paint pictures with words, and that particular skill is not well developed when reading that Misty the morning co-host is going to be on the corner of down and out handing out $5 coupons if you buy $50 worth of product. We have to remember that in order to truly serve the fine people who advertise on a station it is vitally important to make sure the audience actually gives a shit about what you are doing on that station. Sorry, but "keep you head down and don't get noticed" is a horrible business model for the advertising industry.
Sorry folks, prose is an art form and it is dying in our stead. What ever happened to obsessing every day over the spoken word? What ever happened to stressing over every song transition to make sure there are no train wrecks and not just letting Selector do it? What ever happened to doing your own damn show prep and if you are too lazy and need "Prep Burger" than maybe you shouldn't do drive time? What ever happened to giant personalities that walked into the studio DESPERATELY wanting to say something today because they have to?
They are here. They are the new generation. So radio... what are you going to do about it?
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