Monday, April 22, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
If You Haven't Already Visited Talkers.com Today, Here's Some of What You're Missing...
FCC Defuses F-Bomb.
In giving all the broadcast outlets that inadvertently ran Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz a "fleeting expletive" pass for carrying his uttering the so called "F-Bomb" during his impassioned speech at  Fenway Park Saturday, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski has significantly defused the power of America's favorite dirty word. According to TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison, "Regardless of the highly subjective 'fleeting expletive' criteria, Genachowski has changed the nature of 'fuck' forever as a forbidden word through the legal power of precedents. I can remember when words like 'hell,' 'damn,' 'bitch,' 'piss' and even 'suck' were broadcast no-no's. Now you hear them regularly and very few even raise an eyebrow. The English language, as we all know, is an organic, changing system of communication...as is the concept of 'community standards.' So, we have witnessed the wheel turn another click in this regard with the chairman's pronouncement. The big daddy of dirty words has been demoted to secondary status on the filth chart - sort of like 'shit' - and can be used under the right subjective circumstances to express politically correct outrage. Whatever are we going to do now? We need a new forbidden word to take its place!"
Boston's Radio Stations to Go Silent at 2:50 Today.
The Boston radio stations owned by CBS Radio, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, Entercom and Greater Media will observe a minute of silence at 2:50 today to honor the victims of last week's Boston Marathon bombing. National Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Gordon Smith says, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who were impacted by the horrific act that took place in Boston. This moment of silence will serve as a time of reflection, honoring those lost and injured in this tragic event, and recognizing the countless acts of heroism and kindness that we saw on Monday and which continue today. As first informers in times of crisis, broadcasters want to take this opportunity to salute the first responders and the many unsung heroes who do so much during emergency situations."
Former Seattle Seahawks Coach Mike Holmgren Takes Regular Role with KJR, Seattle.
 Longtime NFL coach and general manager Mike Holmgren is signing on with Clear Channel's sports talk KJR, Seattle for a regular contributor role. The Super Bowl winning coach (with Green Bay) and Seahawks coach and GM from 1999 through 2008 will go on-air with "Mitch in the Morning" from 9:00 to 9:30 on Mondays, "Elise and Jerry" at 11:00 am on Tuesdays, "Ian Furness and Jason Puckett" at 2:00 pm on Wednesdays and "Softy" from 4:00 to 4:30 pm on Thursdays. KJR program director Rich Moore states, "We are so excited to have Mike Holmgren join our team at Sports Radio KJR. As a former coach he has a great connection with the fans here in Seattle and his football mind and personality will really enhance our comprehensive football coverage."
Chris Miller: Media Isn't the Issue - Content Is.
According to noted digital radio consultant and TALKERS columnist Chris Miller, when it comes to understanding our role in the new  digital world and application of its new and exciting tools, we broadcasters tend to become preoccupied with the means and lose sight of the all-important ends. In a new article posted today (4/22) he suggests we use the term "social content" as opposed to "social media." He sees radio as having a significant advantage over many other forms of communication in this new environment and believes we have done a disservice to program directors by beginning to label them as "brand managers." To read Chris Miller's entire column, click here.
OPINION: The Death of Al Neuharth and Talk Radio's Future.
 Radio consultant Holland Cooke writes about the state of talk radio's image set against the dual backdrops of the Boston Marathon bombing and the death of former Gannett chairman Al Neuharth. Cooke writes, "Especially after last week, talk radio should heed the words of a media giant we now mourn: 'They want to trust whatever voices they're listening to.'" Read his piece here.
CBS Sports Radio Network Adds Weekend Baseball and Basketball Programs.
The two shows debuted this past weekend on the new sports talk radio network. "Eye on Baseball" with host Damon Bruce, airs from  10:00 am to 12:00 noon ET on Saturdays. Bruce, who serves as early afternoon host at Cumulus Media's KNBR, San Francisco, is joined by a rotating group of expert co-hosts for the program. The network is also adding "Eye on Basketball" Saturdays from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm ET co-hosted by Jody McDonald and CBSSports.com's NBA insider, Ken Berger.
Dave Ramsey Visits OK City and Houston.
 
Nationally syndicated talk radio sensation Dave Ramsey (pictured here at Grace Community Church in Houston) brought two of his live events to Oklahoma and Texas last week. Ramsey presented his "EntreLeadership 1 Day Event" in Oklahoma City on Friday, April 19 to a packed house at Cox Convention Center. Ramsey, along with speakers Jon Acuff and Chris Hogan, spoke about how to run a business using the same common-sense principles that Ramsey practices in his own company of more than 300 team members. Ty Tyler, president/general manager of Tyler Media in Oklahoma City, says, "Having Dave Ramsey in Oklahoma City is always a special occasion. The loyal KOKC AM 1520 listeners were thrilled with the opportunity to learn and interact with Dave and our advertising partners were pleased with the outstanding results of telling their message to the exclusive Dave Ramsey audience." Ramsey also delivered his Total Money Makeover Live -- his common-sense debt reduction and wealth-building strategies -- to a crowd of more than 5,000 people in Houston. Local affiliate KSEV general manager Marc McCoy states, "A gathering of Dave Ramsey fans in Houston is truly an event! When Dave comes to town, the excitement begins. KSEV listeners line up for each Dave Ramsey appearance and turn out by the thousands."
Odds & Sods.
Former Boston talk radio personality Jeff Katz got a lot of talk radio exposure in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. In  addition to constant updates on his Facebook pages and his Twitter feed, Katz appeared multiple times on national outlets like Fox News Radio, The Ace & TJ Show, The Todd Schnitt Show and the regional Arkansas State Radio Network. He also appeared on local stations including: KMJ, Fresno; KFBK, Sacramento; KKSF, San Francisco; KOA, Denver; WFLA, Tampa; WGUF, Naples; WHO, Des Moines; WJBO, Baton Rouge; WCCO, Minneapolis; WWNC, Asheville; WBT, Charlotte; WWIQ, Philadelphia; WPHT, Philadelphia; KSKY, Dallas; WHAM, Rochester; and WSYR, Syracuse. The week was capped with a two-hour special live from Boston which aired on Clear Channel stations KKSF, San Francisco and KFBK,  Sacramento…..CBS Radio and Spanish Beisbol Productions are airing play-by-play of Phillies baseball in Spanish on CBS Radio's "Phillies 24/7" as heard on 98.1 WOGL HD4 beginning Friday, May 3. Broadcasts will include pregame and postgame coverage. The Spanish broadcast team consists of Bill Kulik, Rickie Ricardo and Angel Castillo. "Phillies 24/7" is the first-ever HD Radio multicast station exclusively dedicated to a Major League Baseball team and airs continuously throughout the year and features live play-by-play of every regular season Phillies game on-air at 98.1 WOGL HD4, plus game re-broadcasts the following morning at 9:00 am…..SiriusXM will add a limited-run "Cheech & Chong" channel to the service beginning this week. The satcaster calls it a "celebration of their hilarious career, featuring their classic comedy albums and more" that will take over "Raw Dog Comedy" and continue as a nightly special through the following week, leading up to "SiriusXM's Town Hall with Cheech & Chong," moderated by Artie Lange.
The New Look Mike & Mike.
ESPN Audio's Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic are pictured here in the Bristol, Connecticut studios where they broadcast their program that airs on ESPN Radio and ESPN 2 on cable TV. The new logo, according to the company, coincides "with the start of the NBA Playoffs and this week's NFL Draft. ESPN Audio's 'Mike & Mike' brings a fresh look to its logo beginning today. Designed by ESPN's Creative Services team, the re-designed logo serves as a nod to Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic being available for listeners not just 'in the Morning,' but any time."
The 2013 Heavy Hundred
 The editors of TALKERS magazine, with input from industry leaders, present the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America –– a popular annual feature that has come to be known as the "Heavy Hundred." This is one of the most challenging tasks that TALKERS undertakes each year considering that there are thousands of talk show hosts across the country, ranging from national icons to those laboring in relative obscurity. Aside from the hosts whose sheer numbers and fame demand their inclusion on this list, the selection process is subjective with the goal being to create a list reflective of the industry's diversity and total flavor as well as giving credit where credit is due. The TALKERS magazine editors who painstakingly compile this super-list draw upon a combination of hard and soft factors when evaluating candidates. These include (in alphabetical order): courage, effort, impact, longevity, potential, ratings, recognition, revenue, service, talent and uniqueness. We acknowledge that it is as much art as science and that the results are arguable. There is one concrete qualification for inclusion. Hosts must be working at the time TALKERS magazine initially posts the list in order to be considered. They must have a regularly scheduled professional show on the air at a minimum of one terrestrial or satellite radio station at "press time." The list remains intact from that point forward until the next year's edition. In past years, TALKERS magazine has included sports talk hosts in the Heavy Hundred. Last year, due to the massive growth in the sports talk genre, sports talk radio has earned a Heavy Hundred of its own, the 2013 installment of which will be published by TALKERS in the coming months. TALKERS magazine salutes the fine broadcasters who made this year's list. To view it click here.
A Serious Loss for Howard Stern
By Steven J.J. Weisman
TALKERS
Legal Editor
 BOSTON — Sometimes it is, as Mel Brooks commented in his movie "The History of the World, Part One," good to be the king. But other times it is not. Howard Stern, the self-proclaimed (and not too far off) "King of All Media" took a hit last week when the dismissal of his lawsuit against Sirius XM Radio, Inc. in which he sought more than $300 million in stock awards was upheld by the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court.
In order to understand Stern's lawsuit, which he filed in 2011, it is important to review the history of Stern's relationship with Sirius. Satellite radio was in its infancy in 2004 when Stern signed with Sirius after being courted by both Sirius and its then sole satellite radio competitor XM Satellite Radio. In the year prior to Stern joining Sirius, its subscribers numbered less than 700,000 while XM had 2.5 million subscribers. Upon the announcement in October of 2004 that Stern would be broadcasting on Sirius beginning in 2006, Sirius' stock went up a whopping 15%. After a year of trumpeting his journey to Sirius radio, Howard Stern had his initial broadcast on Sirius in January of 2006. By this time the number of subscribers to Sirius had risen to well over 3 million." Read this entire story here.
True Believers
By Chris Miller
Miller Digital
 SHAKER HEIGHTS, Oh. — "I ran into to another couple of True Believers this past week.
True Believers are the radio folks I talk to who just know deep in their heart of hearts that the brilliant use of our digital tools could help radio be the best it could possibly be. When I talk with them, they often just see so clearly how to fit all our different platforms together and how to use them. Most of them seem to feel a level of frustration, too. I suspect that's because they are often the one person at work who is both knowledgeable and passionate about the potential of these tools.
If you think that describes you, here are a couple of ideas on how to lessen your frustration level. I think these might help you in other ways, too. Ideally, they'll help position you as the radio/digital expert in your workplace, and help accomplish what you want to, as well. Read the complete story here.
Radio Should Learn About Hyperlocal Marketing
By Walter Sabo
Sabo Media
 NEW YORK — "A vital revenue and programming trend to understand is "hyperlocal" marketing. It is easy to assume that live, local radio is hyperlocal but in marketing terms it is not. Hyperlocal to a brand marketer is content, technology and commerce that is one step in front of the target customer. Hyperlocal marketing influences the buying decision at the moment of decision and purchase.
For example, if your station offers an app with hyper-local commerce capabilities, a listener carrying that app could pass by a Dunkin' Donuts, and through GPS, the app could signal the listener that they can walk into DD and receive a free donut. That's hyper-local marketing at its simplest.
The levels of usage are profound. Advertisers can now separate customer leads from page views of ads on your website. According to Tech Crunch, Yelp is announcing a new feature intended to highlight and quantify the value that the listing and review site provides for small businesses. The feature separates customer leads from page views — those leads can include things like bookmarking a Yelp business listing, mapping directions to the business, placing a phone call from the Yelp app, or purchasing a Yelp deal. Read the complete story here.
Stranger Than Fiction
By Thomas R. Ray, III CPBE, AMD, DRB
Tom Ray Consulting
 NEW YORK — "March was a bizarre month. I don't know if it was the full moon last week, the expectation of a spring that wasn't quite here yet or what. Here are two examples: I would have asked that this be published on April 1, but too many people would think this was an April Fools gag. I swear, I couldn't make this one up!
Where's the Proof?
I have a client station that I'm working for on a submission to the FCC. It involves a directional AM antenna, and we need to submit the results of a Partial Proof of Performance on the antenna system – one done before a modification, one done after. Only problem is, the station cannot locate the full Proof of Performance of record on the antenna system. Read the complete story here.
Interview Your Dentist
By Hollland Cooke
Radio Consultant
 BLOCK ISLAND, R.I.— "Assume that, in meetings you're not invited to, tough decisions are on the table. And as cutbacks continue, it's real smart for on-air personalities to seem real valuable to the sales department. If your endorsement spots move product, bean counters view you as "revenue," not just expense.
Savvy hosts are pro-active, not just reactive. They THINK sales, spotting prospects everywhere, and tipping-off the sales department.
Next time you slide-into the dental chair, you might chat-up your doc…at least until he or she numbs you.
Though laser eye surgeons are still using radio, the category has cooled, as the market saturated, and with demand being met. Prediction: Dentists will be worth even more to radio than laser eye surgeons have been, for five reasons:
1. They need new patients. In the two generations since Baby Boomers squirmed into the chair, dentistry has evolved. Amalgam fillings were profitable work in the 1960s. As fluoride and better care have reduced cavities, dentists' new opportunities are… Read the complete story here..
Keeping it Local is KSCO's Key to Success
By Jeff McKay
TALKERS
 SANTA CRUZ, CA— "The news/talk radio station in question is not owned by a hedge fund or multi-billion dollar conglomerate. Their ownership group doesn't occupy the top floors of a big-city skyscraper. You will not see the morning or afternoon show brandishing seven-figure contracts, nor the corporate PD flying into town on the company Lear jet, or the "brand manager" moving from market to market implementing new strategies to grow the market cluster.
The fact of the matter is none of the above elements – which have become somewhat commonplace in today's radio industry – at this station exist.
10k KSCO (1080 AM) is located in Santa Cruz, California, in a neat stand-alone building (that also houses its smaller sister station KOMY 1340 AM – a facility that owner Michael Zwerling uses as a developmental farm club) on a piece of land that overlooks the Pacific Ocean that would be the envy of any real estate developer in this town known for its college, beach and boardwalk, liberalism, and state park land and forests. It is an 80-minute drive from San Francisco. Read the complete story here.
Endorsements Should Be Interesting
By Michael Berry
Talk Radio Host
 HOUSTON— "All I ever hear radio industry execs talk about is ratings and revenues, as if the two go hand in hand. With music stations, that may be true. But talk radio's future will be determined by our ability to get results for our advertisers. That includes, but is not limited to, ratings, and it probably has more to do with ratings in categories currently seen as less, or altogether un-, important; namely, 55 and up, or 35-64.
Ratings are not an end in themselves, but rather a pricing mechanism by which advertisers determine the rates they will pay. In an industry which measures itself primarily, indeed almost exclusively, on the 25-54 demo, it's good to remember how many people are active consumers who don't fit into those niches. Twenty-five-year-olds don't buy houses, or improve them. Their bodies aren't breaking down, so they don't need all the medical advancements of companies willing to advertise those services. They are not investing, banking, exercising, losing weight, restoring vision, or maintaining a house that needs everything from new pipes to electrical to roofing to driveway pavers to a pool. In short, radio can still be very profitable as our society ages by appealing to direct-buy advertisers. But only if radio can yield results for the client. Think about it: listeners tune to music radio to zone out to music, and when someone talks it's a distraction. Listeners tune to talk radio to be engaged, and the talk by the host is what they sought. If the host's endorsement of a product could be as compelling as his discussion of Obama's hypocrisy, imagine the boon to advertisers. Winning the ratings war for most listeners under 54 does not necessarily yield financial returns to the people who pay for advertising. It is not the size of the audience, but rather the size of the response for the advertiser, that will build loyalty in clients. So how do we get results for clients, especially live, direct clients? Read the complete story here..
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