I woke up this morning with an epiphany: “The math is wrong; Radio chose the wrong equation.”

Recently, my brother Reg and I were discussing where and when the radio industry went south.
My claim is that it happened long before consolidation.

A while back, radio was so powerful that 98% of the population listened, and even though more than 5% of Americans are deaf, some of them were listening.
Back in those days, the radio station with the largest cume was #1, which, of course, made them the top biller.

So what went wrong, you may ask? Well, I think the radio’s demise probably can be traced back to a salesperson.
One of them most likely had a client who asked, “Hey, how many people actually heard my commercial today”?

That’s the moment, I believe, when radio began its downward slide.
Instead of saying, “I don’t know but, probably everybody,” the salesperson said, “I don’t know but, I’ll find out and get back to you.”

What radio did then was mind-boggling! We shrunk this big, beautiful number to a few little digits, called average quarter-hour.
Then, if that wasn’t enough, we shrunk it down to a single-digit rating point. What were we thinking?

Before then, Cume was King, and only a few people knew how to grow it,
Geniuses like Bill Drake, Jim Hilliard, Buzz Bennett Lee Abrams, Jack McCoy, Ron Chapman, and Randy Michaels ruled the airwaves.

But unfortunately, even though most broadcasters were putting 45% to the bottom line, the end was in sight.
(Pictured above, top left, Randy Michaels, Lee Abrams, Jack McCoy. and Jim Hilliard. Bottom left, Buzz Bennett. Chuck Blore, Bill Drake, and Ron Chapman.)

However, I believe what did us in was when a fucking accountant named Sam Zell whispered into Randy Michaels’ ear, “Stop chasing ratings; there ain’t no cheese in that tunnel.”
Shortly thereafter, Randy, who used to be a great product guy, fired the highest-rated morning show in San Diego.

What? C’mon, Man! That makes no sense; you don’t kick Mick out of the Stones, replace Tom Cruise in Top Gun with someone cheaper, or fire the lead in a hit Broadway Musical.
This, in my mind, was the beginning of the end.

Sam may have been right because when Randy fired Jeff and Jer, the radio station’s value increased by 20 million dollars.
However, that same radio station ain’t worth didley squat today.

I don’t know why, but for some reason, radio people think they know how to do everything, like Jeff Smulyn thinking he knew how to run a baseball team.
So even though only a handful of people on our planet have any idea how to make a stock rise, radio went Wall Street anyway. What a fucking disaster!

In the beginning, it all went well because as long as you were buying more radio stations, your stock kept rising.
However, the banks were anxious to hear what your plan was once you reached your ownership limit.

The Broadcasters, of course, didn’t have a plan, so the stock plummeted.
Now, facing huge debt and needing to make interest payments, the best our Radio Czars could come up with was, “Cut it to the bone.”

Unfortunately, that cut-it-to-the-bone attitude prevails today, and except for keeping the senior executives employed, it ain’t working.
So ponder this: what if the value of a radio station was based on a multiple of its gross instead of its net like the rest of the entertainment industry? What do you think radio would be like today?

Even though I’ve never been a big fan of sales folks, I feel sorry for what they must be going through now.
It’s gotta be tough out there trying to sell radio in a digital world.

I think the only way radio can get back in the game is by putting compelling product on the air.
That product not only needs to be local, but it also needs to inspire those it attracts to buy some shit.

As my 10th-grade British History teacher, Mr. Foreman used to say, “Class, the roots of the present lie deep in the past.”
He’s right because some of the stuff I learned back in the day is still relevant.

As my old pal Socrates said, “It’s what’s above the bottom line that causes the bottom line.”
Then, when Jim Hilliard added, “A person is always the answer,” it brought it all together for me.

The product causes an effect called ratings and revenue, and the person who creates that product will also need to figure out how to monetize it.
This programmer of the future should also know how to utilize AI so they can make the product better while cutting even more costs.

As I continue reading the sad saga of “The Guess Who,” I’m kinda surprised by all the hate.
Not only have I known Randy, Burton, Jim, and Garry since I was a kid, but I also played with them when we were just musical pups, which was a happy time for us all.

Winnipeg, mostly because of the brutal weather, is not only a tough town to grow up in, but besides being tough, it also has a huge inferiority complex.
Hell, if Johnny Carson even mentioned the ‘Peg on his late-night TV show, it was the talk of the town for a week.

However, our feeling of inferiority soon grew into a fuck you attitude, so when our old bandmate, Neil Young, claimed that Winnipeg was the Rock & Roll capital of Canada, we all did a fist pump and said, “Fuckin’ Ay, Eh!

Being from Winnipeg, or Winterpeg as some prefer, the weather was what created what became known as the Liverpool of Canada.
There’s not much to do in Winnipeg during those long, long winters except play hockey.

To play hockey, though, you need a place to change into your skates, so if you’re going to build a shed to do that in, you might as well make it big enough so the folks can also use it to play bingo.
However, a funny thing happened: instead of playing Bingo, they started dancing.

Soon, these community clubs were everywhere, so bands now had places to play.
As it’s said, “Build it, and they will come,”  before long, over 250 bands were playing around Winnipeg, and a few of us even released records. (For a peek at Winnipeg, check out the video below as Neil Young, Randy Bachman, and Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies sing “Prairie Town”)

Hell, not only did I play in one of those 250 bands when I was with The Jury, but I also still remember the day the Winnipeg music scene exploded nationally.
It happened the moment  “Shaking All Over” – Guess Who? hit the airways.

However, we Winnipeggers didn’t have to guess; we knew it was Chad Allen and the Expressions.
What I can’t remember, though, is after releasing several follow-up records to “Shaking” as Chad Allen and the Expressions, when did they go back to The Guess Who? (The Guess Who, shown on top with Chad Allen and The Expressions just below.)

As I said, it’s sad that the remarkable Guess Who story is going to finish up in a courtroom instead of at an arena with thousands of people cheering and singing along to American Woman.

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

It usually takes a long time to come up with a quick solution.

To me, the only thing special about a Democracy is that you get to choose those who are gonna fuck you over.

No doubt daughters are worth dying for, but I am not sure about wives or girlfriends.

Recently, I’ve attended two graduations that honored the indigenous people. However, there was no mention of giving them their land back.

Recently, I’ve attended two graduations that honored the indigenous people. However, there was no mention of giving them their land back.

Your race doesn’t make you a better or worse person.

If it weren’t for 4 inches of topsoil and a couple of inches of rain, now and then, nothing on earth would exist.

So, being raised as a teenager in a world that said, “Thou shall not fuck,” I wonder why the same isn’t said to those who can’t afford to have children?

Saying what you mean and meaning what you say takes balls plus a little stupidity, but at least you’ll be happy.

COMMENTS

Jed Duval: A couple of years ago, fed up with Indianapolis-area radio and 22 minutes of commercials every hour between the pods of entertainment, hours-old weather, incomplete traffic, and spotty, biased news, I broke down and took a five-year offer from SiriusXM. (Yes, when WIBC-AM owned the Indianapolis radio market, the station had a heavy spot load, but the spots were evenly distributed in two-minute pods around the hours, even during election seasons.) Between SiriusXM and terrestrial N.P.R.-member stations, I am ALMOST completely informed and musically entertained. WFYI Public Radio, WFIU Public Radio (Bloomington), Indiana Public Radio (Ball State), and 580/WILL-AM (University of Illinois) all have small news departments, so the local news that used to be provided by WIBC-AM and Fred Heckman’s news team is gone, replaced with biased, pro-right-wing propaganda and incomplete news that only serves that political point-of-view. Even WLW-AM, Cincinnati, and WHAS-AM, Louisville, have had their news departments decimated by iHeart budget cuts. There are only a handful of stations, AM or FM, worth saving. What is more telling is that local terrestrial digital television and network television are now having the same sales issues that have plagued radio for the last 20 years. Where are the Dick Yancey’s and Jerry Bobo’s? George, you still have the magic formula for programming balance: Great programming with the best talent on a good signal should still garner big ratings, and a motivated sales effort is the only forward. It may be too late! (AI)
Geo: I think you’re right, Jed; without radical changes, it is too late.

Growing up in Transcona, I heard the word no often, but instead of letting it shut me down, I used no to ignite my creativity.
Overcoming the word, no is very difficult, but once achieved, magical things begin to happen, like releasing four records with my band, The Jury.

Unfortunately, other than a little fame, nothing much financially happened, so I turned to broadcasting.
When you enter the radio business, you get to overhear the word no because our industry is full of “yes men” who can only say no.

Even though overcoming no inspired me to create hit records, a brand-new radio format, and countless promotions such as The Magic Ticket, Fantasy Park, The People’s Choice, and countless others, I still hadn’t learned my lesson.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t figured out how to patent my ideas or, even better, productize them as my brother Reg did when he took his “Rewards Program” Worldwide.
I, now, of course, know exactly what I should have done, but as they say, hindsight is always 20-20.

COMMENTS

Jerry Robert Mason: Always good to hear about the cars, George, as much as the success you have created for all the happy clients, what a Broadcast History you have had, and to think I had a small part, oh Jock suit Captain! (Piss Poor)
Geo: Good to hear from you, Mr. Mason. Unfortunately, those so-called successes had difficulty keeping up with my car payments.

Ray Whitworth: Back in 2000, I worked as an on-air producer at WBAP Ft. Worth, Texas. This young saleswoman walked into the studio and said she needed me to produce this spot before 6 a.m. tomorrow (it was a Friday night). It was on a small reel of tape, so I looked at her and said we can’t do it. She then said, “You mean you won’t do it.” I said no, the station can’t do it because we do not and have, nor have had for quite some time now, a tape reel machine. She paused and then said, “Can’t you convert it?” (Sales Savages)
Geo: and the beat goes on, Ray.

Doug Thompson: George wrote: “Is it true that Bill Drake, Buzz Bennet, and Jack McCoy are not in the Radio Hall of Fame? How is that possible?”
Neither are Chuck Blore nor Ron Jacobs, the REAL architect of KHJ’s initial success. (Sales Savages)
Geo: Unbelievable, Doug. It’s like in Indy, where WIBC and WNAP dominated the ratings for more than a decade, but few from either station are in the Indiana Hall of Fame, whereas 19 of KVIL’s are in The Texas Hall of Fame. Boo on ya, Indy!

Jed Duval: Although I have never met Mr. Zlot, he and his staff represent what community broadcasting is all about in the eyes of the public. He created his own success and deserves national recognition. Congratulations! (Gordon Zlot)
Geo, Gordon was and still is one of the best owners ever, Jed.

Wendy Holmes: How refreshing it is to understand that you are an epic Daddy. All fathers can be a dad, but it takes a special one to be a daddy!! Congratulations to you, and happy birthday to your lovely daughter. (Cami Turns 28)
Geo: My first time as a father was mostly scary, but when I did it again 20 years later, it was exhilarating. Oh, and she still calls me Daddy.

Nat Humphreys: George, I’ll bet this has happened to all of us here…more than once.

While luxuriating over Sunday Brunch this morning at one of my favorite eateries, I quickly became aware that emanating from the ceiling was 100% WIBC’s playlist from the ‘70s.

Better, all around me, the wait staff was either humming along or whispering the lyrics.

I’m not sure Glenn Miller or even Frank enjoyed such an afterlife.

Rightly or wrongly, at that moment, I hit upon the thought that some part of your success should be laid at the feet of an extraordinarily creative and palatable musical era that coincided with your masterful instinct to know what to do with it. No sucking up here, just a truth.
So this morning was beyond comforting, sitting there over eggs in the waning days of 2023 while basking in the soundtrack of a Golden Age many of us here got to be a part of. (Miss Kay Ville)
Geo: Now you’ve gone and done it, Nat, ya got me blushing! Yep, we kind of kicked Frank and his pack aside to let Bread, The Carpenters, and a lot of Sunshine in. Fun times, Nat, and they came with a 19.3 share.

Billy Bob: Beautiful memories of a loving family. (28 Today)
Geo: I’m so glad I can relive all the special moments, Billy Bob, because I have all the photos.

Radio Geo’s Media Blog is a politically incorrect inside look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, Religion, and Life, primarily written with men in mind.
For a peek at upcoming Blogs or to see some you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.
If you’d like to subscribe, email your address to radiogeo@gmail.com.

Recently, my daughter, Cami, who is presently studying for her master’s in psychology, turned twenty-eight.
Hopefully, her studies will result in her having some “Good Times,”  which she richly deserves. (Cami and I are shown above at my recent birthday party.)

As usual, Cami’s birthday party took place at my condo here in West Palm Beach, where, as I sat there watching them play drinking games, I couldn’t help but think about how different the times were when I was twenty-eight.

When I was her age, not only was I married to my High School sweetheart but I also had a daughter and we were already living in our second new home.
However that was 1968, and it’s 2024 now and one can only wonder when the “Good Times” ran dry.

I’m presently living in my eighth new home, but sadly, I realize that my kids have very little chance of even living in their first.
Where and when did the American Dream go wrong? It must have happened a long time ago because there hasn’t been any “Good Times” for some time now.

We’ve now got more rich people living in spectacular mansions and homeless folks living in the streets than ever before.
Oh, and have you noticed that the middle class is shrinking? How can this be good?

Hey, even though the government, along with a million-and-a-half charity organizations, claim they’re helping all the poor minorities, the only minorities they’ve helped so far are the wealthy.
Shame on you, America, and I’m talkin’ to you too, Canada.

COMMENTS

Ron Below: Does anybody remember Beta Max? Yep, me. Bought a Sony Beta Max combo in a beautiful cabinet. Extra nice Sony TV picture, only one problem… 1-hour playback limit and worse yet… very few tapes. I had a Paul McCarthy and one other I can’t remember (there might be other reasons for that). I often wonder who ended up with this boat anchor. (Miss Kaye Ville)
Geo: I heard that Beta Max had better quality, but I feel your pain, Mr. Below; most porn is longer than an hour.

Jed Duval: George: I have heard variations of the “Last Contest” compilations over the years and never fail to hear details that still amaze me. After Kent Burkhart fired me as P.D. at WHBQ-AM, Memphis, in the great R.K.O. Radio purge of September-October 1980, Larry Knight (Stein) called me out to interview at KCBQ-AM in early October 1980 to be morning show producer and Assistant P.D. for the upcoming format switch to country and “Charlie and Harrigan (Whoever was to be Jack Woods’ Irv Harrigan at that time.)” mornings. During my trip to KCBQ’s studios, I was amazed at how unsophisticated the “Q”‘s studios were, including the windowless closet news booth and the production studio where Jack McCoy created magic: Four Ampex 352s, a pair of microphones (not Neumanns), an Invosonics variable capstan control and a Gates mixer. (Bartell’s capital budgets must have resembled Fairbanks’ before 1968.) The production library was old 1950s-1960s M.O.R., easy-listening, and movie soundtrack records. Only Charlie Tuna in this composite is of Chuck Riley caliber (Good Top-40 jocks, but not great production voices, in my opinion, which does not count as the best my voice was then and now is for telegraphy.) Jack McCoy was and is a genius. He did so much more with less. I am still blown away by the prize package that offered a W.A.T.S.-line in 1972. WIBC and WNAP had many great production minds, hands, and voices, but in my years there between 1973 and 1990 (and afterward, as well), the stations never quite achieved the production greatness of Jack McCoy at KCBQ. Poor Willet Brown: KGB never had a chance with first Buzz Bennett and then Jack McCoy. (The Last Contest)
Geo: Jed, I was also amazed that The Last Contest Came out of that studio. When I was there to do promos for CFTR in Toronto, Jack had to put an old station jacket over the cart machines so you couldn’t hear them clunk as he was recording.

Radio Geo’s Media Blog is a politically incorrect inside look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, and Religion, but mostly about Life, primarily written with men in mind.
For a peek at upcoming Blogs or to see some you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.
If you’d like to subscribe, email your address to radiogeo@gmail.com.