Hockey is still hockey, you have to put the puck in the net to score. The game has evolved, the game is better, it’s faster and nobody is smoking in the locker room. Radio is still smoking in the locker room. It has to evolve to be relevant in today’s world. Bobby Orr could still play today, but how many of his teammates could? The difference between today’s hockey and radio is there has been almost no evolution in radio. What George and I want to do is to challenge radio to evolve and become relevant again.
Exactly Bob, Could all the folks who got inducted into the numerous Radio Halls of Fame play today? I doubt it, but some sure could, and they’d be the ones who evolved. The content would have to be different and also the way they presented it. Hey, we all love that old youtube aircheck of Jo Jo Kincaid in San Diego, but would that work now, I rather doubt it. However, the philosophy the Hall of Famers used has not changed, it’s still true today. First, you have to be professional, then you need to become interesting. Then and only then do you try to be entertaining.
I’m really looking forward to this Bob because I recently read that Fred Jacobs after doing a research project with a ton of air talent across our nation found out that nobody is doing critique sessions anymore. Ours may be the first critique of their air show that they have had done in years. Geo
George, as you well know, I’ve spent almost 49 years in radio and most of the time I loved it, I loved the business, the people and I loved our listeners.
Me too Bob but unfortunately we were having so much fun that the years went by too quickly for my liking.
I’ve listened to the radio business slide into mediocrity, sure it still has listeners, plenty of them. There are fewer every year and the entry level listener, the kids, the teens aren’t listening anymore, at all. Why should they, there is nothing there for them.
Hell Bob, my daughter Cami is 22 and when she’s back home from college she seldom puts the radio on. My grandson Nathaniel in LA is 13 and unless his Mom has it on in the car, he never listens.
I read the broadcast media, blogs. What I read is excuses, people looking for “one neat trick” or an “amazing hack” to turn things around. What I read most often is from people in a defensive posture, muttering “but, but, but…”
I hear you, it’s all about saving money now like that’s some kind of a righteous cause. As you have said many times, radio is going to die if it doesn’t get some new cume and that new cume can only come from teens. However, radio is so busy saving money it is doing nothing to attract teens so they’re not listening. Nielson even tried their best to help out by adding 6+ to the figures hoping to keep the diminishing cume shored up. Bob, if teens aren’t listening, what do you suppose the odds are that some six-year-old kid is?
I spent (wasted) a couple of hours last week listening to WLTW in New York, it’s the number one rated station, it was terrible. The guy on the air is required to open the mic about 4 times an hour and he couldn’t even sound like he was interested. It was hotter than the hubs of hell in New York last week and he never mentioned it. The only New York thing he talked about was a swarm of bees around a hot dog cart…he read it off the internet. I know he did, I checked. I could go on, but I won’t.
You would think there would be a ton of things to talk about in New York, if not there, where?
Geo, not only is afternoon drive terrible, the entire station is, I listened around the other dayparts the next day. WLTW is being threatened by classic hits WCBS FM, and their reaction to them is to play one LOUD song an hour, think that’ll work on an AC? Maybe that’s their “one neat trick”? Now the defense of WLTW by radio guys is going to be, “gee that’s not fair, you only listened for a couple of hours.” You know what? That’s all you get. If somebody tunes you in for the first time and the station sounds bad like WLTW, That’s your only chance that you get with them, no excuses.
Exactly Bobby. I remember once visiting our old friends the Duffy Twins on Florida’s west coast for the weekend. When Linda picked me up at the airport, she excitedly said, “Hey they have been running some commercials on TV about a new radio station in town, let’s check it out.” It turned out to be an oldies station which she loved until we turned a corner and a little static showed up for a second or two. She immediately turned the radio off saying, “Oh they must be from out of town.”
I remember when we were working together and I was programming our station in Boston and whenever the big guy flew in I had to pick him up. As soon as he got into the car, he’d immediately turn on the radio and if the first break was bad, I knew I’d be getting my ass handed to me. Was he fair? Yes, and it made me a better PD, a lot better. However had my station sounded as light as LITE-FM, he probably would have dumped me in the harbor or wherever Whitey Bolder dumped his bodies? Hey Geo, how about your fun rides with him to work and home every day?
I hated those rides! Every morning he’d pick me up at 8 and we would listen to the AM going in and the FM coming home. The following day we did the reverse and what are the odds do you suppose that anything could go wrong during those fun rides? Did it make me a better programmer? Absolutely.
So is it fair to judge a station by listening to one break or for “only a few hours”, hell yes it is. The audience will give you one shot, you better be ready and make it count. Thanks for the read, now get back into your defensive crouch and keep on searching for that “one neat trick”.
Hey Bob, let’s do a bunch more of this, there’s gotta be a decent station out there somewhere? Let’s also check their websites, I bet they suck too.
I think my buddy Bob Christy (pictured above with me doing what we do best whenever we’re together) has decided to see if he can find a decent radio station in America. A few days ago he heard LITE-FM in New York and decided that they were very light. Today he listened to a station in his hometown of Los Angeles and you can read his take on it by clicking on the link below.
Below is an email from an old songwriting buddy of mine Chris McCarty (pictured on top with Steve Miller) who is looking for some help in finding a country music star to record a new tune that he has written called “Children of America?” (click on the first link below to hear it.)
Chris is one of the most interesting guys that I’ve ever met and his career is all over the place. He’s acted in movies like Sylvester Stallone’s “Over The Top” and Carroll O’Connor’s TC series “In The Heat Of The Night.” He’s also written a ton of hit songs such as Swingtown and Wide River for Steve Miller; A Woman Knows for Martina McBride, and You Baby You for Highway 101. Also, some of his music was used in films like Project X and even The Sopranos on HBO. However, of course, my favorite is the one he wrote along with my daughter Candis called The Wave. (click on the MP3 below her picture to hear it.)
Unfortunately, as I told Chris, “Hey man, I loved your new song right from the get-go and was addicted to by the second listen. However, I’m not very connected in the music world at the moment, but hopefully, someone who reads my Blog may be?”
Hey George, How are you? Great new blog and speaking of you “leaving it all behind to do radio in America” I have an idea I’m kicking around in my head and wanted to ask your opinion. That new song of mine “Children of America” is getting some great responses from a few music friends in Nashville and even Steve Miller and I think it could be a hit if recorded by a current country star. As you know, it’s a tough racket getting songs cut in Nashville although I had a few cuts some years ago and, in this case, I was wondering if you thought it might be a good idea to run the song by Keith Hill.I’m sure you know him, and I know he’s one of the top consultants to country radio and if had a good word on the song it might make a difference to a Nashville record label executive. In fact, I think the song could even be done as a duet with a male and female country artist as the story/song revolves around the life of a young couple. I also think the current Nike controversy and the ‘taking a knee’ issue might even help my very ‘American’ song and get some traction in country radio. I know my production is first rate and a country artist (or artists) could come in and do replacement vocals, and the song could go out right away. And I know it typically takes a while to gear up a promotion campaign around an album and any singles but again, in this case, it could out to radio in time for the holidays with a possible album release soon to follow. Anyway, just wondering if you think I should hit up Keith and, who knows, it might help get something started for the song. Thanks, and my best to Candis.
Chris McCarty
(512) 939-3130
PS – If the track needed to be a bit more country we could add a little steel guitar, etc
Political & Politically Incorrect. Is the term “good economy” based solely on how the rich are doing?
Nike figured out Trump’s trick, do something controversial then stand back and let the free publicity flow.
It appears to me that Cuban people were doing better back in the days when things were so bad that they started a revolution.
I wonder if the Jews who live in New York are strong enough to live in Israel?
When did white males become so powerful that they had to write laws to help others compete with them?
Why do the people who are running for office look so happy, aren’t they trying to get elected because things are bad?
Mars & Venus How is it wives only get to share in the financial upside?
Men only sleep with the women they desire.
All women deserve respect, but only the strong ones demand it.
Do women ever wonder what we think about the women we don’t desire?
Women don’t handle being the breadwinner well.
Women are all about fun until you commit, then it gets serious.
Philosophical. The window of opportunity doesn’t open on its own.
It matters more the direction you’re moving than where you stand.
Without controversy there is no fame, it takes balls to become famous.
Worry is wasted imagination.
We all want to change that which we can’t rather than that which we can.
Doubt is usually followed by failure.
If looking for something that will amuse you, try doing the impossible.
Your appreciation put into words could change someone’s life.
Reality To become successful, you’ve only got two choices, get an excellent education or invent something.
Dinner is never just dinner.
Fame puts a huge target on your back.
Bob Marks wants to know why bartenders prefer talking to each other rather than serving drinks?
One of the many reasons I’m against global economy is because it would be headed up by people we didn’t know and certainly didn’t elect.
Radio. A few years ago when I used to program WRMF in Palm Beach, we also had a beautiful music station called WRLX which was giving WRMF a run for its money. When I asked an advertising executive why he was running cruise spots on WRMF instead of WRLX, he said, “We already have all those people, it’s the folks who don’t cruise that we need to talk to.”
Bob&Geo Write The Radio Wrongs is coming.
Sports Sox win the AL East. Go, Sox!
Browns finally win.
For sneak peeks at some upcoming Geo’s Media Blogs or to read about a new series called Bob&Geo Write Radio’s Wrongs, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. To Subscribe, put your email address in the comment section below.
I spent almost 49 years in radio and most of the time I loved it, I loved the business, the people and I loved our listeners.
I’ve listened to the radio business slide into mediocrity, sure it still has listeners, plenty of them. There are fewer every year and the entry level listener, the kids, the teens aren’t listening anymore, at all. Why should they, there is nothing there for them.
I read the broadcast media, blogs. What I read is excuses, people looking for “one neat trick” or an “amazing hack” to turn things around. What I read most often is from people in a defensive posture, muttering “but, but, but…”
