Comments on: “RADIO DAY 2009″ a.k.a. “MOURNING RADIO” http://underthebigtopics.com/advertising/radio-day-2009-aka-mourning-radio A Neal Advertising Blog created to discuss the biggest topics on the web. Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:49:30 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: minnickup http://underthebigtopics.com/advertising/radio-day-2009-aka-mourning-radio/comment-page-1#comment-733 minnickup Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:01:28 +0000 http://underthebigtopics.com/?p=335#comment-733 Greeting, This was a great forum. I needed to find something for my Homework and This site helped me out so much! Thanx alot!!!! Greeting,
This was a great forum. I needed to find something for my Homework and This site helped me out so much! Thanx alot!!!!

]]> By: Glenn Mandelkern http://underthebigtopics.com/advertising/radio-day-2009-aka-mourning-radio/comment-page-1#comment-725 Glenn Mandelkern Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:01:27 +0000 http://underthebigtopics.com/?p=335#comment-725 Radio provides something that those of us who live in marketing crave: promotional velocity. If your product is great and you tell many about it, you will get sales even in a down economy. Conversely, if your product isn't the greatest, that same promotional velocity will turn off countless customers. Worse, with the networking effect through both the Internet and face-to-face talk, they tell 2 friends and they tell 2 friends and so on and so on. This is actually the time to be a creative risktaker and innovator. If the economy is as bad as everybody says it is, then you've got nothing to lose. Unfortunately, some of the big Warrior guys have adopted fear as their operating model, and so they fall. That's okay, the more agile smaller Elf operators can laugh as they make treasure. (And so will their glad-to-pay customers.) Radio provides something that those of us who live in marketing crave: promotional velocity.

If your product is great and you tell many about it, you will get sales even in a down economy. Conversely, if your product isn’t the greatest, that same promotional velocity will turn off countless customers. Worse, with the networking effect through both the Internet and face-to-face talk, they tell 2 friends and they tell 2 friends and so on and so on.

This is actually the time to be a creative risktaker and innovator. If the economy is as bad as everybody says it is, then you’ve got nothing to lose. Unfortunately, some of the big Warrior guys have adopted fear as their operating model, and so they fall. That’s okay, the more agile smaller Elf operators can laugh as they make treasure. (And so will their glad-to-pay customers.)

]]> By: Melissa Kunde http://underthebigtopics.com/advertising/radio-day-2009-aka-mourning-radio/comment-page-1#comment-111 Melissa Kunde Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:27:55 +0000 http://underthebigtopics.com/?p=335#comment-111 I was not there to hear anyone speak. I was working hard in Portland, Oregon. Getting excited and creating passion in my marketplace for the Power of Radio. There is nothing wrong with the medium. This medium is magnificently positioned to dominate in the years to come. I see it. I know it. I can feel it and I am creating a buzz in Portland. Opportunity for growth is our future. Three tweaks to the Radio groupthink: 1.) Let go of old organizational and entertainment edifices. They don't serve the fiscal health of radio in the new consumer-driven market place. 2.) Reinvest, rebuild and reinvent locally - if leaders and investors would stop thinking that profit came from cutting, Radio would find itself well-positioned when to recession breaks. 3.) Radio needs to start playing to "Win" the "Whitepaper/Conference/Webinar" battle. We are losing market share because we have our "own conferences" but we seldom, if ever, are at the events that our customers attend. Advertiser's and Marketer's make choices based on what they learn and what is repeated to them as "the" most effective best-in-class solution. I see mind-blowing opportunity. I see the path. I see money coming out our ears. I invite everyone who leads Radio erase what they "think" is the solution and imagine that they are creating a new solution that reaches many locally and nationally, speaks to individuals, and works like a dream with social, digital and mobile media. There is a lot of opportunity for revenue when you seamlessly combine an emotional/personal mass media with digital relationship/capture long-tail assets. I bet "new" investors and marketer's would be all over that solution! I was not there to hear anyone speak. I was working hard in Portland, Oregon. Getting excited and creating passion in my marketplace for the Power of Radio. There is nothing wrong with the medium. This medium is magnificently positioned to dominate in the years to come. I see it. I know it. I can feel it and I am creating a buzz in Portland. Opportunity for growth is our future.

Three tweaks to the Radio groupthink:

1.) Let go of old organizational and entertainment edifices. They don’t serve the fiscal health of radio in the new consumer-driven market place.

2.) Reinvest, rebuild and reinvent locally – if leaders and investors would stop thinking that profit came from cutting, Radio would find itself well-positioned when to recession breaks.

3.) Radio needs to start playing to “Win” the “Whitepaper/Conference/Webinar” battle. We are losing market share because we have our “own conferences” but we seldom, if ever, are at the events that our customers attend. Advertiser’s and Marketer’s make choices based on what they learn and what is repeated to them as “the” most effective best-in-class solution.

I see mind-blowing opportunity. I see the path. I see money coming out our ears. I invite everyone who leads Radio erase what they “think” is the solution and imagine that they are creating a new solution that reaches many locally and nationally, speaks to individuals, and works like a dream with social, digital and mobile media. There is a lot of opportunity for revenue when you seamlessly combine an emotional/personal mass media with digital relationship/capture long-tail assets. I bet “new” investors and marketer’s would be all over that solution!

]]> By: Cris http://underthebigtopics.com/advertising/radio-day-2009-aka-mourning-radio/comment-page-1#comment-108 Cris Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:25:10 +0000 http://underthebigtopics.com/?p=335#comment-108 The nails have been poised in the coffin of analog radio for sixty years now. It was saved from that fate by creative men who were willing to do whatever it took to give the medium a unique market position and keep it viable. It cannot be saved by people who have been widely quoted as seeing it as just another advertising medium. The nails have been poised in the coffin of analog radio for sixty years now. It was saved from that fate by creative men who were willing to do whatever it took to give the medium a unique market position and keep it viable. It cannot be saved by people who have been widely quoted as seeing it as just another advertising medium.

]]> By: Jim News http://underthebigtopics.com/advertising/radio-day-2009-aka-mourning-radio/comment-page-1#comment-106 Jim News Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:15:24 +0000 http://underthebigtopics.com/?p=335#comment-106 In reading over my recent comments, I was startled by own anger. I've been a proud broadcaster for 25 years. Over most of those years, I've seen radio taken from private ownership to corporate. I actually recall being excited when my first station was purchased by a large company. We all thought we'd have new tools, promotions, new gear and better stations. Jesus, I sound like an old man, I'm only 42. In those days, the Program Director had the final say on what did and did not go on the air and they were bold, relevant assets. It is simply not that way today. In the rush to embrace new technology, the quality of what we broadcast "on air" has suffered. We've taken the bricks out of the foundation, yet can't seem to understand why our structures are weakened by our actions. We don't even respect our own airstaffs anymore, we tolerate them just as we would an unpleasant liability. The first opportunity to replace them with someone cheaper or even better, a computer program, the happier we are. I believe that radio's best days can still be ahead. That's not blind faith, I really know it can happen. I also believe that we have amazing opportunities online and through wireless devices. That said, I also believe that sales managers create sales, DJ's create audiences and smart managers know how to balance and exploit both, all the while showing respect to them both. This is our foundation. John Hogan did not set out to do anything wrong. Perhaps he simply wanted to start an intervention and begin a new dialog on the state of the industry. I do know that saying only the things that make us feel good about ourselves and ignoring what is clearly right under our noses does us no good. Just because we all work hard does not mean we are making fundamental mistakes. Can anyone deny that radio is in a crisis? We seek short term solutions to long term problems. The most common response to problems is to fire more people, take more bricks from the foundation. Since this has become our business model, it will be the same attitude we carry into every product we produce. Until we realize that "good enough" is not good enough radio may not die, but it won't live either. Read the comments here from those who understand that content is always going to be the key. The best digital delivery system in the universe won't be around for long if all it delivers is crap. A web presence that exists only to create new things to sell won't work if what we're selling has no meaning. We spend millions of dollars each year to train our sales forces, they "ain't" the problem. The answer to radio's problems won't be solved by better General Sales Managers, Market Managers, Local Sales Managers and Account Executives. It will be solved by an unprecedented and never ending effort to create a product the potential audience wants. Then and only then, do we give our GMS's and CFO's something worth selling and our clients something worth buying into. Beyond that, AE's have to stop using tactics meant to CONVINCE clients they care and understand their unique needs in order to make the sale and start REALLY caring and understanding. In reading over my recent comments, I was startled by own anger. I’ve been a proud broadcaster for 25 years. Over most of those years, I’ve seen radio taken from private ownership to corporate. I actually recall being excited when my first station was purchased by a large company. We all thought we’d have new tools, promotions, new gear and better stations. Jesus, I sound like an old man, I’m only 42. In those days, the Program Director had the final say on what did and did not go on the air and they were bold, relevant assets. It is simply not that way today. In the rush to embrace new technology, the quality of what we broadcast “on air” has suffered. We’ve taken the bricks out of the foundation, yet can’t seem to understand why our structures are weakened by our actions. We don’t even respect our own airstaffs anymore, we tolerate them just as we would an unpleasant liability. The first opportunity to replace them with someone cheaper or even better, a computer program, the happier we are.
I believe that radio’s best days can still be ahead. That’s not blind faith, I really know it can happen. I also believe that we have amazing opportunities online and through wireless devices. That said, I also believe that sales managers create sales, DJ’s create audiences and smart managers know how to balance and exploit both, all the while showing respect to them both. This is our foundation.
John Hogan did not set out to do anything wrong. Perhaps he simply wanted to start an intervention and begin a new dialog on the state of the industry. I do know that saying only the things that make us feel good about ourselves and ignoring what is clearly right under our noses does us no good. Just because we all work hard does not mean we are making fundamental mistakes. Can anyone deny that radio is in a crisis? We seek short term solutions to long term problems. The most common response to problems is to fire more people, take more bricks from the foundation. Since this has become our business model, it will be the same attitude we carry into every product we produce.
Until we realize that “good enough” is not good enough radio may not die, but it won’t live either.
Read the comments here from those who understand that content is always going to be the key. The best digital delivery system in the universe won’t be around for long if all it delivers is crap. A web presence that exists only to create new things to sell won’t work if what we’re selling has no meaning.
We spend millions of dollars each year to train our sales forces, they “ain’t” the problem. The answer to radio’s problems won’t be solved by better General Sales Managers, Market Managers, Local Sales Managers and Account Executives. It will be solved by an unprecedented and never ending effort to create a product the potential audience wants. Then and only then, do we give our GMS’s and CFO’s something worth selling and our clients something worth buying into.
Beyond that, AE’s have to stop using tactics meant to CONVINCE clients they care and understand their unique needs in order to make the sale and start REALLY caring and understanding.

]]> By: Max http://underthebigtopics.com/advertising/radio-day-2009-aka-mourning-radio/comment-page-1#comment-104 Max Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:15:49 +0000 http://underthebigtopics.com/?p=335#comment-104 Steve, I agree with you, but why do most folks waste time holding up and/or comparing CC and other companies on some kind of pedestal (good or bad). If radio wants to grow, we should learn this important growth lesson and don't keep looking back on CC or focusing on them. It's kind of like programming, find their faults and do a better job. You sound like a guy who wants to do radio right, let's just do it, take the revenue away from CC, continue to force their fire sale and re-innovate the wheel. With today's new technology, it just can't be that difficult. The other lesson that we should all learn is getting back to honest, compassionate, passionate communication. Radio and the new technologies should continue to be community partners, that's a lesson that we should ALREADY know! Steve,

I agree with you, but why do most folks waste time holding up and/or comparing CC and other companies on some kind of pedestal (good or bad). If radio wants to grow, we should learn this important growth lesson and don’t keep looking back on CC or focusing on them. It’s kind of like programming, find their faults and do a better job.

You sound like a guy who wants to do radio right, let’s just do it, take the revenue away from CC, continue to force their fire sale and
re-innovate the wheel. With today’s new technology, it just can’t be that difficult.

The other lesson that we should all learn is getting back to honest, compassionate, passionate communication. Radio and the new technologies should continue to be community partners, that’s a lesson that we should ALREADY know!

]]> By: Trish Kinahan http://underthebigtopics.com/advertising/radio-day-2009-aka-mourning-radio/comment-page-1#comment-103 Trish Kinahan Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:21:17 +0000 http://underthebigtopics.com/?p=335#comment-103 This industry has faced many challenges over the years and I think for myself it has made us look at new and more creative ways of doing business for our clients.  I was very excited for Radio Day this year to hear from the CEO's  their perspective on where the industry is and what they feel lies ahead. As I sat in that room I was disgusted and saddened by the remarks made by John Hogan....how can you discredit the hard work of some great employees and say that with no remorse in a public forum....I guess that is his form of leadership.  We have not just started intergrating...we have been doing that for a number of years.  We have been putting the radio industry to the test for our client for ...expecting creative ideas and the local talent we use to deliver them.  We look at the parternship we create between the sales force at the stations and the agency...this is what benefits our clients.  We know this is a tough economy and times are difficult but with a negative leader I see nothing but negative results coming his way. We all have a difficult road ahead and need to take a leap of faith to survive.  This industry has faced many challenges over the years and I think for myself it has made us look at new and more creative ways of doing business for our clients.  I was very excited for Radio Day this year to hear from the CEO’s  their perspective on where the industry is and what they feel lies ahead. As I sat in that room I was disgusted and saddened by the remarks made by John Hogan….how can you discredit the hard work of some great employees and say that with no remorse in a public forum….I guess that is his form of leadership.  We have not just started intergrating…we have been doing that for a number of years.  We have been putting the radio industry to the test for our client for …expecting creative ideas and the local talent we use to deliver them.  We look at the parternship we create between the sales force at the stations and the agency…this is what benefits our clients.  We know this is a tough economy and times are difficult but with a negative leader I see nothing but negative results coming his way. We all have a difficult road ahead and need to take a leap of faith to survive. 

]]> By: Jim Ryan http://underthebigtopics.com/advertising/radio-day-2009-aka-mourning-radio/comment-page-1#comment-101 Jim Ryan Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:49:16 +0000 http://underthebigtopics.com/?p=335#comment-101 Unfortunately Jim, there is no out-of-the-box solution. The radio industry business model is dying, not dead just yet but dying never the less. What we are seeing presently is the incredibly fast revenue decline that will be followed by incredibly fast user decline (sorry David Fields) and radio's last breath. Remember, sticks and licenses have no value in the digital world. Current users of radio will continue to peel off due to unlimited choice of distribution platforms, technology and content. By the way, content "is" king and it doesn't have to be "local" to chew down time spent with local radio. Newspaper and TV websites already have the local content, news, weather, entertainment and hundreds of thousands of unique monthly users to prove my position. Compared to what, 10, 15, 30 thousand max users of radio websites, spread out over an entire metro? Tell me where the value is to the local advertiser? But here is what everyone seems to miss. Say Entercom creates the ultimate web driven user concept. It delivers 400,000 users per month. Was it tied to their local radio brand? Does it even have to be? If it doesn't then why just employ in their existing radio markets? My point is this, if the very best happened, then in fact, Entercom would no longer be in the radio business! Hogan and CC didn't destroy the radio industry and no one is bring it back (Hogan's observation) Radio is a "buggy whip" Content is King Unfortunately Jim, there is no out-of-the-box solution. The radio industry business model is dying, not dead just yet but dying never the less. What we are seeing presently is the incredibly fast revenue decline that will be followed by incredibly fast user decline (sorry David Fields) and radio’s last breath. Remember, sticks and licenses have no value in the digital world. Current users of radio will continue to peel off due to unlimited choice of distribution platforms, technology and content. By the way, content “is” king and it doesn’t have to be “local” to chew down time spent with local radio.

Newspaper and TV websites already have the local content, news, weather, entertainment and hundreds of thousands of unique monthly users to prove my position. Compared to what, 10, 15, 30 thousand max users of radio websites, spread out over an entire metro? Tell me where the value is to the local advertiser? But here is what everyone seems to miss. Say Entercom creates the ultimate web driven user concept. It delivers 400,000 users per month. Was it tied to their local radio brand? Does it even have to be? If it doesn’t then why just employ in their existing radio markets? My point is this, if the very best happened, then in fact, Entercom would no longer be in the radio business!

Hogan and CC didn’t destroy the radio industry and no one is bring it back (Hogan’s observation)

Radio is a “buggy whip”

Content is King

]]> By: Jim News http://underthebigtopics.com/advertising/radio-day-2009-aka-mourning-radio/comment-page-1#comment-100 Jim News Sun, 01 Mar 2009 02:19:59 +0000 http://underthebigtopics.com/?p=335#comment-100 What's funny is that everyone seems to want someone to tell them it's okay to continue to slash your airstaff, or hire less than stellar ones who know nothing about local markets. It's okay for a station to have the same morning show as 75 other stations and call it local and original. It's okay to have 2 hourly airstaff members and 25 sales reps who are trained to "make the sale, no matter what". It's okay to continue to stip away everything that made radio viable in the first place. The "ride the horse till it's dead" perspective had ruled this medium far too long. Radio people don't kill radio. Organizations that exist soley to lower cost, put on a cheap product and pretend people love it and sell anything a client will buy...that's what is killing radio. Only when, and it, radio is given back it's ability to connect with an audience, to be a pesonal friend to listeners, only then can it ever hope to regain what has been taken away from it. Hey folks, here's some out of the box thinking. What will help you draw traffic to your super cool website? What will lead you, faster than anything, to revenue success beyond your wildest dreams? What will save radio? Good radio stations! Run by good radio programmers and talented staff. In short, a radio station that answers to it's listeners and it's community, not its Market Manager and CFO. Anyone willing to try that? If so, let me know and we'll get started. Or, just keep convincing yourselves that you are just one cost cutting move, one air staff reduction, from greatness. Or, keep giving away IPODS as contest prizes. One more thing for those who may be confused about something. The product is the radio station, not the cool sounding imaging and commercials. What’s funny is that everyone seems to want someone to tell them it’s okay to continue to slash your airstaff, or hire less than stellar ones who know nothing about local markets. It’s okay for a station to have the same morning show as 75 other stations and call it local and original. It’s okay to have 2 hourly airstaff members and 25 sales reps who are trained to “make the sale, no matter what”. It’s okay to continue to stip away everything that made radio viable in the first place. The “ride the horse till it’s dead” perspective had ruled this medium far too long. Radio people don’t kill radio. Organizations that exist soley to lower cost, put on a cheap product and pretend people love it and sell anything a client will buy…that’s what is killing radio. Only when, and it, radio is given back it’s ability to connect with an audience, to be a pesonal friend to listeners, only then can it ever hope to regain what has been taken away from it.
Hey folks, here’s some out of the box thinking. What will help you draw traffic to your super cool website? What will lead you, faster than anything, to revenue success beyond your wildest dreams? What will save radio? Good radio stations! Run by good radio programmers and talented staff. In short, a radio station that answers to it’s listeners and it’s community, not its Market Manager and CFO.
Anyone willing to try that? If so, let me know and we’ll get started.
Or, just keep convincing yourselves that you are just one cost cutting move, one air staff reduction, from greatness. Or, keep giving away IPODS as contest prizes. One more thing for those who may be confused about something. The product is the radio station, not the cool sounding imaging and commercials.

]]> By: Transistor Radio http://underthebigtopics.com/advertising/radio-day-2009-aka-mourning-radio/comment-page-1#comment-99 Transistor Radio Sun, 01 Mar 2009 02:12:47 +0000 http://underthebigtopics.com/?p=335#comment-99 Clear Channel, Citadel and the rest of the idiot clone club had no intentions of running radio stations. They had intentions of buying and selling, making big bucks. Now that radio is free falling and need leaders, the guys at the helm are clueless. John Hogan is burnt out, he's like the car guys and banks who are fearful during this time and afraid they'll lose their lavish lifestyle. Radio has fired everybody! and has stopped grooming new talent for it's future.. Like the newspapers, the Internet is grabbing & holding young listeners. HD the supposed future for radio has been a complete flop, because of the lack of quality programming. John Hogan and his kind created cheapened FM jukebox radio and it's like listening to your friends ipod with heavy commercial stop sets. Clear Channel, Citadel and the rest of the idiot clone club had no intentions of running radio stations. They had intentions of buying and selling, making big bucks. Now that radio is free falling and need leaders, the guys at the helm are clueless. John Hogan is burnt out, he’s like the car guys and banks who are fearful during this time and afraid they’ll lose their lavish lifestyle.
Radio has fired everybody! and has stopped grooming new talent for it’s future.. Like the newspapers, the Internet is grabbing & holding young listeners. HD the supposed future for radio has been a complete flop, because of the lack of quality programming. John Hogan and his kind created cheapened FM jukebox radio and it’s like listening to your friends ipod with heavy commercial stop sets.

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