#4 RadioGeo’s Media Blog. (Fairbanks Broadcasting) 4/18/22

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As my brother Reg once told me, “Everybody believes their part is the biggest part.”
Hell, even the switchboard girl at a radio station believes the place would fall apart without her.
 

Case in point, when the John Blair Company purchased WIBC/WNAP in Indianapolis, and KVIL in Dallas, they paid the highest amount of money that had ever been paid to buy radio stations.

Now, what you have to understand about the owner, Richard M Fairbanks, is that he can trace his family back to the Mayflower.
Oh, and Fairbanks, Alaska, was named after his grandfather, who was the Vice President of the United States,

I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that Mr. Fairbanks certainly didn’t need the money.
What he liked, though, was that he was making broadcasting history by just being on the upside of a record-making deal.

However, as part of that record deal, he had to give up his CEO Jim Hilliard.
Even though Jim was responsible for the stations being worth so much, Mr. Fairbanks believed that he’d already done all the heavy lifting when he bought them.

Blair wanted Jim to be the president of their broadcast division which meant that WIBC/WNAP in Indy and KVIL in Dallas would pretty well remain the same.
The only real change would be in Indianapolis, where Mr. Fairbanks would be departing.

So, before the stations transferred, Jim asked Mr. Fairbanks if he would like him to put together a small farewell dinner which would give some of his longtime employees an opportunity to say their goodbyes to him.
Mr. Fairbanks responded as only he could, “Jim, I’ve carried all these people for years and years; surely you don’t expect me to eat with them too?”

With that statement, Mr. Fairbanks proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was a Dick not a Richard.
(Pictured on top is those of us who owned a tiny piece of WIBC/WNAP’s soon-to-be new home in Indianapolis, plus a photo of Mr. Fairbanks below it.)

RADIO GEO’S LIFE-LINERS.

Speaking of Mr. Fairbanks, his best oneliner may have occured while riding in Jim Hilliard’s new Bentley. When Jim asked him if he’d ever ridden in a Bently before, he said, “Never in the front!”

One of the greatest newspaper ads ever showed a newspaper boy staring at a new Cadillac parked in the driveway of a home on his route. read, “Someday, someday!” I wonder who it was that killed that kid’s dream?

Great rewards come from great risks, but then again, you’re not working with a net, so they’re well deserved..

Now that we are all members of the “me too” society when are the gentlemen gonna serve up the names of the ladies who offered up their charms for a little boost up the ladder?

How much of, “Were doing this for your safety” is bullshit, do you suppose?

Whatever happened to gas wars?

If LeBron would have been smart, he’d have stayed in Cleveland and lived free for the rest of his life as King James. However, nobody has ever accused a pro athlete of being smart.

Only when being in the middle of a crisis does one discover who’s a loyal friend?

Fear and regrets are the evil twins who rob you of your happiness.

Being a Centrist, I’m a little liberal about some things and a little Conservative about others, but I’m not much of a Socialist about anything.

For most of my life, political conversations never came up, now they never not come up?

Would you be more likely killed by a cop or a thug? I wonder what the Vegas oddsmakers say?

Why do the celebrities at award shows keep singing to the choir?

I’m very suspicious of all government agencies that use initials instead of their name. CIA, FBI, DEA, DOJ, IRS, DMV, USPS, DOT, EEOC, EPA, FAA, FCC, FDA, FDIC, FEC, FTC, INS, NASA, NIH, NLRB, SEC, and USIA to only mention a few. What do you suppose they’re hiding?

With all the gun controversy going on, you would think the NRA would be smart enough to concede a little something?

I believe that more business is done in America at lunch than at any other time.

I don’t want my kids to have Obama care; I want them to have the same health care Obama has right now.

Implementing music at a radio station is not an art form.

Radio’s best and worst friend is the scan button.

The only thing that counts is what’s on the radio right now.

If you don’t have anything special to say, please don’t say it on the radio.

COMMENTS

Bill Gardner: Regarding your post on Arbitron ratings and morning shows, I’m delighted to see your insight has not slipped even a bit. And I’ve had the pleasure of working for both you and the legendary Jack McCoy at KCBQ San Diego as a morning man.
That PPM device has cost America many a fun morning show and is one reason why I’m an airline captain today instead of doing a morning radio show.
Another tidbit I remember saying when I was comparing Arbitron reports to school report cards back when we dominated ratings is, “Only the A students would purchase their report cards, the others would not or would at least deny their accuracy.”(And Then Along Came PPM)
Geo: Bill, it was the first time that most broadcasters didn’t argue with the results of Arbitron. That sure makes me more than a little suspicious.

Jim Harper: Your description of how Arbitron killed big morning shows with PPM deserves more discussion. It is odd that Radio companies hardly fought that giant change in reported listening.
As far as a “conspiracy” goes between Arbitron and big Radio, just ask yourself this question: Would any other business in the world surrender to a company THEY PAY for research/ratings if that company suddenly announced their main source of success was now a useless drain on their budget? Furthermore, this company was now going to charge you MORE for this information that would soon cripple your business?
The answer is NO.
You’d fight back…make them prove it, and if you weren’t willing to accept that nonsense, you’d stop using that company immediately.
Instead…we saw dozens of great talents phased out, Radio expenses cut, and a dozen big managers retire with a bonus over the next year or two.
And like you said…now everyone is tied in the ratings, give or take.
It deserves more discussion. (And Then Along Came PPM.)
Geo: Well said, Mr. Harper.

Radio Geo’s Media Blog is a politically incorrect inside look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Social Media, Politics, and Life. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Blogs, or to see some that you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio.Sharing and commenting is not only encouraged; it’s appreciated.
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One thought on “#4 RadioGeo’s Media Blog. (Fairbanks Broadcasting) 4/18/22

  1. Bill Gardner: As I mentioned in my email swap with you, I started at 26K per year with Fairbanks in ’74, with an inflation app saying that’s 151K today. Feels better.
    Geo: Knowing you, Bill, you’ve probably still got that 26K.

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