Industry Views

Monday Memo: The Local Radio Advantage, Part 3

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imIt’s not your imagination. The world has gone daffy. The USA is all-but boots-on-the-ground in rough neighborhoods around the world. Weather is getting even wackier. The next gun nut could open fire, at any moment, anywhere. 2024 campaign? It’s a long way to November. And even in this rebounding economy, supermarket prices still hit-home… if you can get there.

Here in Southern New England that could take up to an hour longer, as tens of thousands are inconvenienced every day, and will be for months – possibly two years we’re told – after an abrupt bridge closure along Interstate 195. Your daily commute is torture if you live here; and an unpleasant surprise awaits when you head to Cape Cod this summer, or if you’re just passing through this intersection where I-195 joins Maine-to-Miami I-95, the main artery through the most densely populated parts of the USA.

The good news for listeners is that serious structural defects were spotted BEFORE a deadly bridge collapse like we’ve seen in Minnesota and Pennsylvania and elsewhere in recent years. The good news for local media is that information changes throughout the day, and day-to-day, as the Department of Transportation continuously modifies lane merges and detours to cope. If you’re driving, you can’t NOT listen.

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Presume that listeners are wondering “What NEXT???” If your station is known-for-knowing, listeners will keep coming back for more. Last week and the week before here, we demonstrated simple tweaks that make local news copy instantly more and helpful and relevant and understandable. This week: setting an expectation and delivering. Two tips:

Invite overtly. Try this imaging statement that has proven effective for setting a listening appointment to on-hour newscasts: “SO much is changing, SO quickly now. Stay close to the news.” Example: If you’re an affiliate, call it “a quick FOX News update, every half hour, throughout your busy day.” Doing so empowers the customers our local advertisers want pulling into the parking lot.

Then, make it sound different than last hour. Advance the story.

Example: news that “The New York Times is buying Wordle” broke in afternoon drive.

Next morning, same copy, word-for-word.

Better next-morning lead: “Wordle will remain free… for now.”

Avoid the listener thinking, “You already told me that,” by leading with a different aspect than last time. Every effort you make to sound fresh is well worth it.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up,” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Features

Remembering Charles Osgood

By Mike Kinosian
TALKERS magazine
Managing Editor

imDespite his seemingly nonchalant, bad boy on-air persona, David Letterman is exceptionally respectful of broadcasting and its history.

An easily discernable gleam could be seen in the late-night talk host’s eyes when – in 1993 – he formally announced he was jumping to CBS-TV.

One would be naïve not to think that the astonishingly lucrative payday played a significant part in his exhilaration, but Letterman was genuinely enthusiastic about joining the “Tiffany Network.” The entertainment division helped sculpt that vaulted reputation, but the Eye Network’s image was also greatly enhanced by its stellar news department.

Names of those who’ve graced CBS news broadcasts read like a veritable “Who’s Who” of the industry, with the incomparable Walter Cronkite at the very top.

Additionally, there’s Murrow. Sevareid. Collingwood. Rather. Reasoner. Wallace. Edwards. Kuralt. Safer. Mudd. Bradley. Schieffer. Stahl. Rooney. Burdett. Pauley. Hottelet. Chung. Threlkeld. O’Donnell. That just scratches the surface.

Perhaps no one on that – or any similar – list is more erudite, witty and thought provoking than Charles Osgood (Wood).

In a special April 18, 2005 NAB presentation in Las Vegas, the man who did as much for boosting bowtie sales (far pre-dating Tucker Carlson) received the Paul White Award from the RTNDA.

Established in 1956, the recognition carries on the name of CBS’ first news director.

Illustrious company

Past Paul White Award recipients have included Edward R. Murrow, Dan Rather, Bob Schieffer, Ed Bradley, Tom Brokaw, Ted Koppel, Peter Jennings, and Jane Pauley, who succeeded Osgood on CBS-TV’s “Sunday Morning” in 2016. Osgood humbly noted, “I’ve known about the Paul White Award for a long time and have been there to see others get it. It’s obviously a very distinguished company I join. I was there when [former CBS News Division President] Richard Salant [received] it and certainly regard it with a lot of respect. If you hang around long enough, it finally gets to be your turn.”

There’s a parallel with this recognition and Osgood’s 1990 induction to the NAB Hall of Fame. “[Neither] one is the kind of thing you campaign for,” he remarked. “The first I heard about it is when they called and told me it happened. There’s no tension about it and no disappointment that you didn’t get it.”    

Mistaken identity

Rich, God-given voice with which Osgood was blessed became evident at an early age. “My dad was a textile salesman and executive. His name was Charles Osgood Wood – I’m actually Charles Osgood Wood, the third. I’d answer the phone and the person on the other end would [automatically assume they were talking to my father]. He and I talked almost exactly alike.” 

Somewhat of a built-in schizophrenia existed in the famed broadcaster. A friend with whom he’d frequently play tennis noticed that when the multiple Peabody and Emmy Award winner screwed up he’d say, “Come on Osgood.” As a result, “I’d be harder on ‘Osgood’ than I would be on ‘Wood.’ You don’t talk to yourself when you do something right – you just sort of smile.”

Distinctive difference

Understandably, the natural tendency was to automatically link the instantly likable Osgood to CBS for his impeccable long-running role as voice/writer of CBS Radio’s “The Osgood File” and for hosting duties of CBS-TV’s “Sunday Morning.” In addition, he spent six years (1981-1987) as anchor of “The CBS Sunday Night News.”

Many, however, forget that predating those résumé credits, he toiled for ABC.

When he began there, ABC – as luck would have it – already had an announcer named Charles Woods. “In those days, some staff announcers did newscasts,” Osgood explained. “They hired me, but said they didn’t want to have a Charles Woods and a Charles Wood. When they told me to pick a name, I used my middle name as my last name. It’s worked out well and is a little more distinctive and professional.”

Safe haven

Selection of another type made a great impact on his life, as the broadcaster with the industry’s most stylish writing style was an Economics major at New York’s Fordham University. “I never really had an idea that this is what I was cut out to do,” Osgood candidly stated. “As a result, I never took any writing or editing courses. When I started [in broadcasting], I really hung on by my fingernails and just did it the best way I could think of. It took more than a couple of years to get a sense of what I could do. If I’d started the kinds of things in journalism school that I do now, they would have said, ‘No – that’s not how you do it.’ I would have had it drummed out of me early on.” 

Thankfully though, someone realized a broadcaster existed within Osgood and the New York native became actively involved at Fordham’s campus radio station. “That was my locker – the place I’d go between classes,” he pointed out. “At least in those days, regardless of your [declared major], you really majored in Philosophy. You learned things like ethics, logic and cosmology. That really turned out to be pretty useful for what I’m doing.”

Never was there a moment’s regret for the father of five that he didn’t pursue a career in economics. “I’m not even sure I understood what economics was when I decided to make it my major,” Osgood sheepishly admitted. “I knew it had something to do with money and I thought it would be good to know something about that.” 

Sailing with Uncle Walter

As things eventuated, it was immaterial that Osgood never took any college journalism courses. “I went to the best school of broadcast journalism that you could go to, [because] I got to work with Walter Cronkite and a pretty potent lineup of [other] people,” Osgood asserted. “I was often in the same room and could see how Walter’s mind worked and his idea of telling a story. He’s the most centered guy you’re ever going to meet and is very tough.”

Fabled anchorman Cronkite was also managing editor of “The CBS Evening News,” a responsibility he took very seriously. “He was a newsman and kept asking questions of everybody; I have all the respect in the world for him,” Osgood reverently recalled of Cronkite, who was 92 when he died in 2009. “Within a year after I went to work in the CBS newsroom, I found myself sailing in a boat with Walter Cronkite. I felt like I died and went to heaven.” 

Mid-1950s on-air job at Washington, DC classical outlet WGMS enabled Osgood to display his familiarity with – and dexterity to handle –  names like Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakoff. “I really did like that kind of music,” the long time ASCAP member emphasized. “They [eventually] gave me a job that was like the assistant to the GM. It paid all of about $25 a week, but I learned a little bit about station management. WGMS was sold to RKO General and I ended up being program director and, for a time, co-manager.”

Ahead of its time

Also dotting Osgood’s notable vitae is a 1963 stint as general manager of Hartford’s WHCT, the country’s first pay television station. “It was an over-the-air station that CBS owned at one time. It had a mechanism that would encode both picture and sound.”

Subscribers paid $125 for a decoder that needed to be attached to their television set; however, Osgood readily conceded it wasn’t exactly the ideal system. “Color was starting to come on strong, but this only worked in black and white, [so] we had a few strikes against us going in. We were, however, able to play ‘subsequent first-run’ movies – [films] that hadn’t yet been seen in local theaters.”

A tape inside the decoder recorded what a subscriber watched and customers were sent a bill once a month. “The system as an experiment failed, but it was not a bad idea,” Osgood maintained. “Now, of course, we have pay-per-view television, which is essentially the same thing.” 

Shared versus singular responsibilities

Each Osgood-fronted “Sunday Morning” broadcast concluded with the affable host reminding viewers that he would, “See you on the radio,” which was his way of reinforcing that radio is a visual medium. “You create pictures in your own mind and those are much richer than the ones that can be shown on television,” Osgood contended. “On television, what you see is what you get and [that medium] is very pre-occupied with the picture. There’s often wonderful writing there, but television people don’t tend to think about that or the sound at all.”

Images are their main focus and having had vast experience in each medium, Osgood opined that radio is a much more individual effort. “You decide what you’re going to do; you write it; and you do it. You can take all the credit or blame for whatever you do on radio. Television is a collaborative process. There are producers, writers and photographers. One person really can’t take any bows.”

Demanding schedule

One hour separated each of his four daily “Osgood File” features. The general rule was that Osgood didn’t start writing the next one until he finished delivering the last. “If it takes more than an hour, I’m in a lot of trouble,” he deadpanned. “I have to write it in somewhat less than an hour.”

Preparation for that Monday through Friday workday ritual began at the petrifying time of 2:30 am. “It somehow always feels like a horrible mistake when the alarm goes off then,” Osgood declared in his perfectly inflected trademark delivery. “I’m usually in the office at 4:30 am. I have to get my ducks in a row before [doing the first piece] so I know what I’m going to do the rest of the morning. You spend part of that time reading to see what’s there in the way of tape and to see what news stories are of interest that morning.” 

Newspapers, wire sources and the internet provided plenty of possibilities, so Osgood didn’t start worrying about what he was going to put on paper until he arrived at the office. “The news is a constantly refreshing source of material,” he commented. “If you’re doing something that has to last for a long time, you have a different problem. It’s just a question of what you can get your teeth into.”

Road to Sunday Morning

Four-year tour of duty (1967 – 1971) as morning anchor/reporter at New York City’s all-news WCBS-AM got Osgood accustomed to getting up early; he had the luxury of sleeping in until 4:30 am each Sunday. “You have no idea how much later 4:30 am is than 2:30 am,” he convincingly put forth. “I don’t have to get up early on Saturdays. There are [‘Osgood File’] shows, but they’re repeats of things that were done during the week. It’s a great delight to wake up on a Saturday and then realize I can go back to sleep, but it’s still never that late. I get up by 7:00 am.”

Energetic Osgood actually preferred a slow news day when it came to doing his 90-minute Sunday television broadcast. “I’m certain I’m the only network TV anchor who hopes there’s no news. We’ve worked on the show all week and want to do the broadcast that was planned. Some of our shows have themes or, at least, have connections between the pieces. If there’s a big story, you might have to throw something out and that may – or may not – hold up the following week.”                                                    

Succeeding Charles Kuralt as host of “Sunday Morning” nearly 30 years ago (4/10/1994) was a tough act for Osgood to follow, especially since he viewed “On The Road” legend Kuralt as a great personal hero. “He was one of the best who ever came along,” Osgood succinctly stressed. “Charles was a country boy with that wonderful North Carolina accent and had a way of using the language. I thought he was simply terrific. He taught me a lot, [including] not to imitate or copy what you hear. He was in control of every sentence he put down and had an idea of how he wanted to come across to the audience; he was really brilliant.”

Admiration for his predecessor

No advance notice was given to Osgood that his colleague – who would die of complications from lupus in 1997 at just 62 – was planning to leave the Sunday morning show. “I remember getting up one day at the usual hour and putting on my socks in a dark room,” Osgood recollected. “I had the radio on and heard Charlie had announced his retirement. That was terrible news and it never even occurred to me that CBS might ask me to replace him. For one thing, I was older than Charles [by approximately 20 months]. You don’t replace a person who retires with someone older, but that’s what happened. The real reason I got the job was they needed someone whose first name is Charles.”       

Sunday’s audience was conditioned to expect a high-level broadcast, and Osgood acknowledged that made the transition much easier. “As long as I didn’t try to be Charles and try to do an imitation of him, I thought I’d be okay [provided] the audience would put up with me long enough to get used to me.”

Certain things about the CBS-TV show were the same every week. “When we change something, the audience usually doesn’t like it at first,” Osgood contended. “It was especially daunting for me at the beginning because [Kuralt] was so terrific.” 

All tied up

Play a visual word association game about Osgood and “bowtie” will invariably be the first response, but he viewed that fashion statement as a relatively new choice. “I’ve only been doing it for 20 years,” he quipped tongue-in-cheek.

It all began when he wore a clip-on bowtie to work one day. CBS-TV “Evening News” writer John Mosedale admonished Osgood to never wear a clip-on. “He actually walked me into the men’s room and taught me how to tie a bowtie. When you teach an old dog a new trick, he wants to keep doing it. I wear a bowtie when I do speaking dates or television. The excuse I use for my attire is that I get dressed in the dark.”

Write stuff

This author of six books (the last one, 2004’s “Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack”) also formerly wrote a “USA Weekend” column and a King Features’ syndicated column. Moreover, he had a full plate with four daily CBS Radio shows (via Westwood One) and a weekly morning television show. “I always have a book that I’m either thinking about or actually in the process of writing,” CBS’ “Poet In Residence’ disclosed. “I’ve been talking with publishers about several book ideas, but they’re not far enough along to really [discuss] at this point. The [leisure time] thing I do more than anything else is fooling around at the piano; I like doing that.”

Unexpected situations like receiving the Paul White Award; being inducted into the NAB Hall Of Fame; and replacing Charles Kuralt as host of CBS Sunday Morning seemed to be the norm for the 1999 International Radio & Television Society Foundation award winner for Significant Achievement.

Long-range plans

With that as a backdrop, it was noteworthy that Osgood never considered himself to be a permanent replacement for Dan Rather on the “CBS Evening News” – a job that would eventually go to Katie Couric in 2006. “I’m not a candidate for anything,” Osgood vehemently insisted to me in our conversation, “[although] I do think it’s important that the ‘CBS Evening News’ be our flagship show. When they asked Bob Schieffer what he thought about doing ‘The Evening News,’ he said it was something to keep him busy until he was old enough to be on ‘60 Minutes.’”   

More than satisfied to have carried on with his radio and television assignments, Osgood – who had a summer residence in France – didn’t look forward to retirement. “I like vacations, but I like them because they are vacations. It’s nice to get away from work, but that’s only if you’re working. I hope they realize I intend to continue to do this for a long time. If it stops being fun, that’s when it’s time to hang it up.”

Mike Kinosian can be emailed at Mike.Kinosian@gmail.com

Features

“The Greatest Game Ever Played”

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Baltimore’s Alan Ameche plunges over the goal line for the winning touchdown!(courtesy YouTube/NFL Films)

On the field? Maybe. In its impact on pro football and sports broadcasting? Absolutely!

By Mark Wainwright

imIt was one of those indelible moments in sports history: The 1958 NFL Championship, played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York. The Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants 23-17 in sudden death overtime. 65 years later, the events of that Sunday afternoon still resonate throughout pro sports and sports media.

In 1958, the National Football League was far from the huge phenomenon we see today. Americans generally had much more interest in baseball, and during the Fall, college football captured the attention of sports fans on Saturday afternoons. The annual Army/Navy and Harvard/Yale clashes were national news stories, and fans followed the exploits of powerhouses like Notre Dame and Michigan. For most fans, pro football was an afterthought. Even in cities with pro franchises, the NFL clubs often played runner-up to the local baseball teams.

Baltimore and New York were two exceptions. The Colts were upstarts — Baltimore didn’t get an NFL team until 1953 — and the city quickly fell in love with the Colts; on game days, Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium was described as “the world’s largest outdoor insane asylum.” Meanwhile, the Giants had been part of the NFL since 1925, and they were considered the league’s most glamorous team, located in the world’s media capital. Two very different teams, both with passionate fan bases, playing a nationally-televised title game in New York City… indeed, America was destined to notice pro football that day.

Seventeen Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees were in the stadium that afternoon, along with a Heisman Trophy winner (Baltimore running back Alan Ameche). The Colts were led by quarterback Johnny Unitas and defensive end Gino Marchetti. The New York offense revolved around halfback Frank Gifford, while linebacker Sam Huff anchored the defense.

There were all-stars in the broadcast booths, as well. NBC’s national telecast was assigned to Chris Schenkel and Chuck Thompson; both of these gentlemen are now legends of their industry. Joe Bolan and Bill McColgan called the game for NBC’s national radio feed, while Les Keiter did the play-by-play for WCBS Radio in New York. And Bob Wolff did the radio call for Baltimore’s WBAL. Wolff was assisted by an eager teenager who worked as his spotter… a young man named Maury Povich (yes, that guy).

The first half, frankly, wasn’t anywhere near “greatest game” territory. While both defenses played fairly well, the offenses looked sloppy and disorganized, and the two teams combined for six turnovers in the first thirty minutes. The Giants managed only a Pat Summerall field goal, while the Colts — almost in spite of themselves — took a 14-3 lead into halftime. It could have easily been 17-3, but Sam Huff blocked a Baltimore field goal attempt.

So, what was the halftime entertainment? Over the years, Super Bowl halftimes have featured performers like Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson. What 1950’s superstars would perform in the “super bowl” of 1958? Elvis Presley? Brenda Lee, maybe? Nope. It was the Baltimore Colts Marching Band, with their prancing majorettes looking quite fetching in their red leotards and reindeer antlers…

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The Baltimore Colts Marching Band majorettes, in “reindeer” mode!  (courtesy YouTube/NFL Films)

Baltimore’s offensive woes continued into the second half. Early on, the Colts drove the ball to New York’s 1-yard line, but Alan Ameche was stopped for no gain on third down, then Ameche was tackled for a loss when he attempted to run wide on fourth down. In an interview decades later, Baltimore’s Lenny Moore revealed that Ameche botched the play; it was supposed to be an option pass, but Ameche didn’t hear Johnny Unitas’ signals correctly, and he ran instead of throwing a short pass to a wide open Colts receiver.

That goal-line stand awakened New York’s offense, and they needed only four plays to score their first touchdown to make it 14-10. The Giants then took a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter on a Frank Gifford touchdown reception, and while the Colts responded with two effective drives, they came up empty on both possessions; one ended with a missed field goal, the other ended when Unitas was sacked twice, taking the Colts out of scoring range. The Giants’ offense only needed a first down or two to ice the game, but Frank Gifford was stopped on a critical third down run. For decades, Gifford insisted he made the first down; Baltimore’s Gino Marchetti suffered a badly broken ankle in the pileup, and Gifford often said that amidst the chaos and confusion of tending to Marchetti’s injury, the officials did not spot the ball properly. However, when ESPN restored the footage for a 50th anniversary broadcast in 2008, an accident reconstruction expert analyzed the images and determined that Gifford was, indeed, just short of the first down (more about that ESPN program in our Epilogue). The Giants chose to punt the ball, and the Colts took over on their own 14-yard line.

This was the moment when Johnny Unitas began his ascent to legendary status. With just two minutes left, he moved the Colts downfield quickly. While there were several misfires, he made four critical completions, including three straight passes to his star receiver Raymond Berry. Those last three plays moved the ball 62 yards to the Giants’ 13-yard line, and with just seconds remaining, the Colts rushed Steve Myhra out to attempt a tying field goal. Myhra had struggled with field goal attempts all season, and Baltimore fans held their collective breath until the ball went through the uprights. The fourth quarter ended tied 17-17.

So… what happens next? Many of the players and coaches weren’t sure. It was not unusual for football games to end in a tie, but this game was for the NFL title. Would the teams be declared co-champions? Fortunately, the NFL had recently instituted an overtime rule for championships, and it would be decided on the field. The teams would play pure “sudden death.” The first team to score in any manner would win, and they would play for as long as it took.

The Giants won the toss and chose to receive, but they were not able to mount any kind of drive, and they punted the ball back to the Colts. Unitas now had all the time in the world, and Johnny U methodically moved the Baltimore offense to the New York 8-yard line. It was first-and-goal, and then, suddenly… the NBC Television feed disappeared! Nothing but snow on the screen!

This caused immediate panic in NBC’s control room, not to mention in homes across the nation, as viewers — particularly in Baltimore — bolted from their living rooms and scrambled to find the nearest radio. It was one of the worst possible moments to lose the live feed of a TV broadcast. And then…

A fan ran onto the field! Play was halted for nearly a full minute before New York’s Finest chased him down and escorted him to the sideline. Over the years, there has been endless rumor and speculation about this incident. Photographs show the fan was well-dressed and appeared very cooperative when the cops took him away; he certainly didn’t look like a drunken lout. Who was this guy?

Whoever he was, he is now the stuff of sports broadcasting legend. More than six decades later, it is widely believed that he was an NBC employee who realized the broadcast was interrupted and ran onto the field — or perhaps was told to run onto the field — to delay the game long enough to give the TV crew enough time to find a loose cable and fix the connection. As far as I know, he was never identified and the story has never been confirmed. One hopes the fellow received a bonus and a promotion for his quick thinking!

When the game resumed, the Colts ran two plays to reach third-and-goal from just over a yard away. A field goal attempt might have been the obvious choice, but Baltimore coach Weeb Ewbank was leery of sending a struggling Steve Myhra in to kick. Meanwhile, the coach trusted Unitas completely, and he left Johnny U and the offense on the field. A routine handoff to Alan Ameche secured a 23-17 Baltimore victory.

The game was breaking news nationwide. It was a big topic of Sunday afternoon dinner conversations, and it was headline news on front pages and in sports sections the following day. NFL and television executives soon realized that professional football could become a very valuable property, and they started making plans for increasing television coverage and boosting marketing exposure for the teams, the star players, and the sport overall. And down in Dallas, Lamar Hunt — a son of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt — started thinking about owning his own football team. Those dreams eventually led to his role in establishing the rival American Football League, which merged with the NFL just over a decade later. Historians and sportswriters have studied the 1958 title game, and they generally agree that event was the start of professional football growing into the colossus it has since become. It was the aftermath and the impact  — as much as the drama of the game itself — that led them to calling it “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

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EPILOGUE

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, television did not put a high priority on archiving sports events back then. There is no known videotape of the game; videotape was in its infancy, and while NBC presumably had one or two of the early machines available, it seems nobody bothered racking them up. There is no known kinescope film recording of the television broadcast, either. Fortunately, there was plenty of film footage of the game, both from overhead and from sideline views. This footage was shot by NFL Films, as well as various newsreel cameramen working for different organizations.

On the 50th anniversary of the game in 2008, ESPN produced a special documentary that used the old footage to re-create much of the action. The historic clips were colorized for broadcast, and the action was interspersed with comments and memories from players, fans, and broadcasters who were there. (Sadly, many of these gentlemen have passed away in the fifteen years since.) Most of Bob Wolff’s Baltimore radio broadcast was saved, and the NBC national radio call was saved almost in entirety. This historic audio was used in conjunction with the preserved video. Several versions of the ESPN special can be found on YouTube; here is a link to one of those.

Others have collaborated on an almost-complete reconstruction of the game, using the original newsreel and NFL footage, some of the colorized ESPN content, stock footage, and still photos. The audio portion uses the NBC national radio call by Joe Bolan and Bill McColgan (complete with vintage commercials!). There are several uploads of this project on YouTube, and there is also a version on the Internet Archive, available here. If you’ve never seen any of “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” punch it up on your laptop and enjoy!

Mark Wainwright is a long-time radio personality and voiceover performer. He was most recently the morning host at WSYR in Syracuse; he is also a Baltimore native and life-long Baltimore Colts fan (and he still hasn’t gotten over the Colts leaving town and moving to Indianapolis decades ago!). He can be reached at: markwainwright@earthlink.net

Job Opportunity

Zimmer Marketing Seeks PD for KZRG, Joplin, Missouri

Zimmer Marketing has a rare opening for program director for news/talk KZRG-AM, Joplin, Missouri. The company says, “KZRG has facilities typically found only in Top 30 markets, a strong staff, and location in an affordable, growing, mid-sized market. You’ll have a huge voice in programming as well asim flexibility rarely found in corporate-structured environments.” Duties include: Managing the station’s audio image via branding, focusing on timely and frequent updates; overseeing social media and creating content that relates to the station’s brand and target audience; hosting a daily on-air shift; proficiency with Google’s G Suite, Selector, and Wide Orbit Automation system; and coaching staff. Learn more at https://zimmermarketing.com/. Send your resume and audio to Mark Zimmer at: mark@zrimarketing.com

Features

Ladd Have Mercy

imLOS ANGELES – As students, enthusiasts and caretakers of this wonderful medium, we’re keenly aware that radio’s “Golden Age” boasted an incredible array of entertainers and broadcasters.

With lifestyles, technology and society being what they are today, it’s almost inconceivable to imagine that families would actually gather around the radio and attentively listen – and indeed hang onto – each and every word that emanated from that mysterious entertainment-laden box sitting in the living room.

Fundamentally important back then, of course, was a concept known as “Theater Of The Mind.”

No one embodied and personified it better than one of the bigger-than-life talents of that era: Orson Welles.

Most are familiar with his epic “War Of The Worlds.”

Pictures Set In Songs

The list of other outstanding “Mercury Theater” presentations Welles was responsible for is much too lengthy to cite here, but his legendary “Theater Of The Mind” mystique lived on nightly in Los Angeles, where Jim Ladd was a welcome guest for Southern California listeners dating back to 1969 and hosted a regular show on SiriusXM’s Deep Tracks channel the past 11 years.

Theater Of The Mind so perfectly describes what Ladd tried to do, although it’s not radio drama in the pure sense. “What I [attempt] at night is to show you pictures and do that by playing sets of songs,” the (then) highly popular KLOS-FM, Los Angeles 10:00 pm – 2:00 am personality remarked to me. “If you follow the lyric content of each song, as well as the song’s emotional feel, it should tell you a story with a beginning, middle and end. Thus, it’s theater.”

Throwback To Creativity

In addition to providing his special spin to Theater Of The Mind, Ladd was also responsible for keeping another bit of radio history on life-support.

Most air personalities are required to adhere to strictly enforced music lists, but Ladd’s nightly, four-hour, Los Angeles air-shift was a throwback to the days of “free-form” radio.

The result was similar to what existed in April 1967, when a new phenomenon started taking shape. “That was the beginning of FM and this multi-billion dollar industry,” Ladd recalled. “[Free-form] started on a station [KMPX, San Francisco] where the phone was literally disconnected, because they couldn’t pay the bill. [Tom Donahue] had an idea; he went there and it took off. For a while before deregulation, that’s what all FM radio did in any market. Free-form worked great, until they killed the golden goose.”

Right Place, Right Time

Southern California native Ladd was extremely fortunate to have been able to launch his radio career in the country’s second-largest market. “Part of it was timing,” he admitted. “I was at a little station in Long Beach [KNAC-FM] that decided it was going to try this new, hippie, underground thing. They didn’t know what it was, but [the feeling was to] hire some hippies and see if they could make some money with it. I happened to be right there at that time.”

A frustrated musician, who wanted to be a songwriter, Ladd recounted a life-altering conversation he and a buddy had in a car. “My friend said that I should be in radio. I was 19 or 20 at the time and your friends at that age seldom notice anything but themselves. For some reason, that stuck with me. Thank God, FM was in its infancy and they’d take complete novices like me off the street and give us shows. Owners didn’t know anything about the Grateful Dead or The Who, but we did.”

Check Mate

Instead of walking into a studio and following a computer-generated music log, Ladd was given freedom to use his imagination. His only preparation was what was happening in life.

Resulting sharp, clever music sets he composed weren’t written out in advance. “The way I work is to turn the music up loud and get the song working on me,” he commented. “Once [that happens], it keys in my mind what will fit next.”

Such an intricate process included a mental checklist. “I’ve figured out the lyrics will work, but I need to know how the song I’m playing ends and how the next song begins,” he explained. “If I’m playing a balls-out rocker, I can’t go into some acoustic piece. In that way, it’s really like a chess game. I have to plan these things to start every single segue as I’m doing it. That’s the way that works best for me.”

There were nights, however, that Ladd knew that he “[didn’t] have it,” but as he maintained, “I’ve been doing it long enough to put on a good professional show. Sometimes, I don’t have what I’m striving for, which is to make a connection with the audience. Without having to prompt them or explain anything, my audience lights up the phones. They call because they get what I’m doing. Once that connection is made, then look out, because the rocket is taking off.”

Gracefully Handling The Tragedy

Recalling the horrific September 11, 2001 “Attack On America,” Ladd noted that although it was one of the country’s greatest tragedies, “It was easy to immerse myself into something like that. It so moved me that I had no problem thinking of songs to play or what I wanted to say.”

Judy Collins’ version of “Amazing Grace” was the first song he played when he went on the air that night. “Believe it or not, it set the tone for what I did for … the next two weeks.”

As it usually did, the audience – even or perhaps especially in this painful period – stepped up to the plate. “This is the thing about free-form radio that’s so precious to me,” Ladd emphasized. “Nobody called me on 9/11 with an idiot request. When I played sets of 9/11 songs, everybody was calling in with [appropriate] suggestions. Second only to dealing with the tragedy, the hardest part was to know when I could play groups like AC/DC again. I found that very difficult; you can only feel your way through it.”

 Loyal Listeners

In his third tour of duty at (then ABC-owned) classic rocker KLOS, Ladd was a legitimate cult figure in the Southland for his work at legendary cross-town rocker KMET.

Southern California listeners were stunned on Valentine’s Day 1987 when the “The Mighty Met” (now Audacy smooth AC KTWV) – became smooth jazz “The Wave.”

Also on Ladd’s impressive resume were stints at Los Angeles outlets KLSX and KEDG.

The notion of an air personality “connecting” with the audience is both elementary and elusive. Ladd was a rare case of a non-drive time music personality who amassed a loyal, vocal following.

Grateful for such audience allegiance, Ladd didn’t take it for granted. “My audience has been that loyal from KMET to KLOS and all the [other] stations in between. My part of the bargain is that I won’t lie to them or let them down by doing a format. I was off the air twice in my career for two years each. That was very difficult, but because I did that, I’ve earned the right to do this and I think the audience responds to that.”

Offered jobs by stations that wanted the “Jim Ladd” name, he opined, “They didn’t understand what that meant. They thought they could just plug in my name, not let me do what I did and it would be the same thing.”

Your Attention Please

Evenings and nights were Ladd’s domain throughout his career. “I wouldn’t want to do middays or afternoon drive,” pointed out the personality known for his “Lord have mercy” exclamations. “Listening habits are such that you can’t sit and listen like you can at night. People are working, picking up the kids and doing life.”

Much like Welles’ Mercury Theater, Ladd’s show required attention. Otherwise, it was just like playing one song after another, without making that all-important connection. “The audience’s side of the bargain is that they have to bring their attention to the show,” he insisted. “I’ve done [6:00 pm – 10:00 pm] in my career and that worked out very well. The show is a bit different, in that, it’s not quite as eclectic. I don’t know if I’d be playing Judy Collins and Johnny Cash in [that time]; maybe – but maybe not.”

Convinced his free-form style could be utilized elsewhere, Ladd, nevertheless, pondered that to his knowledge, “I’m the Alamo – the last guy standing. That’s certainly the case in a major market. The big tragedy is that there are so many talented [personalities] who, although they wouldn’t do the same show that I do, could do free-form radio. We’re losing all that talent. I’m not the only guy in the world who can do it. I’m the one who was stubborn enough to say that I won’t follow a list – I just won’t do it.”

Powerful Trinity

Among those who influenced Ladd’s on-air style were former MTV personality and ex-KEDG program director J.J. Jackson; veteran Los Angeles air talent Raechel Donahue, who went on to do 7:00 pm -12:00 midnight in Denver at KQMT “The Mountain”; longtime KMET personality the late B. Mitchel Reed; KMET’s Pat Kelley; Cynthia Fox; Jack Snyder; and the late, underrated Mary Turner. “The wonderful, beautiful part of free-form radio – and most importantly – at KMET was that it wasn’t about being a star,” Ladd asserted. “What we were doing was our part of the ‘social revolution’ at the time. It was like a triad: The people on the street, the music, and us. We took the message of Dr. [Martin Luther] King and combined it with the music of Bob Dylan.”

One highly significant aspect in noting those former KMET staffers was that they’d each listen to everyone else’s show and it elevated their own game. “I’d hear Cynthia do a great segue, or Mary would do a great segment and that would inspire me,” Ladd enthused. “What I miss most is that kind of camaraderie – it’s just me now. I can’t tune in to hear someone else’s great segue. When I heard one of my colleagues do something that touched me, the first thing I wanted to do was to call them and tell them it was great. The second thing was that – from their subject matter – I got 15 different ideas to use when I got to work that night. That was the beauty of it.”

Role Model

National audiences became aware of the iconic Los Angeles talent through shows such as “Innerview,” “Headsets,” and “Jim Ladd’s Living Room.”

Considerably more than someone who voiced a script for a syndicated show, Ladd spent a great deal of time scrutinizing the fine art of interviewing. “I ripped off just about everything I know about interviewing people from Elliot Mintz,” he confided to me. “Elliott was my role model. He’d interview the Shah of Iran one week and John Lennon & Yoko Ono the following week. He’d talk with everyone in a warm, low-key and intelligent manner. It was completely unlike anything [else] I’d heard at the time and that really impressed me.”

The “Innerview” show had an 11-year run and was carried by 160 stations. “It was the first of its kind,” boasted Ladd, whose other syndication work involved voiceovers for an overseas television show. “I’m very proud of the work we did [on ‘Innerview’]. I did 99% of the interviews in the front room of my house in an artistic community in Laurel Canyon. People would immediately be put in a very comfortable place. It’s not a studio – it’s my home.”

The Work Is The Key

Another reason why people felt at ease was that, instead of focusing on a person’s life, Ladd addressed their work. “They loved that. Rather than talking about how many girls they had, what kind of drugs they did and life backstage, I studied every word of every lyric of the new album they wanted to talk about and grilled them about their songs on the environment. It would require six to eight hours of preparation. Then there was another 20 – 25 hours to write the one-hour show; it was a lot of work.”

Writing became such a worthwhile experience that, in 1991, he penned “Radio Waves: Life And Revolution On The FM Dial.”

As a result of these syndicated projects, this immensely respected rock personality diversified himself; the book became a big hit. “I guess I’m a radio guy who learned how to become a writer,” Ladd mused. “In order to get up enough courage to write my book, I read authors I like. I was required to do a great deal of writing for ‘Innerview’ and would write out what I’d say – which is something I never do [on my live show]. You’d also end up with two hours of tape and pick out what the person was going to say, how I was going to introduce it and what song would follow it.”

A Distant Second

Whenever anyone asked Ladd to name his favorite band, he qualified his answer by separating the Beatles.

The quartet, he stressed, had to be placed in a completely different category.

After that’s been done, he named the Doors as his favorite.

The same applied to his most memorable radio experiences, with KMET being the Beatles’ equivalent. “We were at the right place at the right time with the right people. We loved each other and there’s never been anything else like it.”

Nonetheless, he quickly stated that his favorite time is the next time he was able to sit behind a microphone. “The reason for that is [KLOS’-then program director] Rita Wilde,” he proclaimed. “I don’t know how I got so lucky to have a boss who was [such a great on-air personality] and so supportive. If it weren’t for Rita Wilde, I wouldn’t be on the air – that’s just a fact. I want to keep free-form radio alive for the audience, but I also owe her to make this happen. She’s under a lot of pressure [when it comes to my show]. When I go in at 10:00 pm, the format literally stops. I can’t think of another boss in the world who would understand that.”

Numbers Game

His multi-decade Los Angeles track record and loyal following notwithstanding, Ladd still realized that ratings played a role in dictating his employment; however, as he declared, “Rita is one of the first people I’ve ever worked for in this business I trust when she says the numbers are up or down.  Sometimes in my career I’ve found out from people who didn’t work at the station that my show was doing great. When there’s a down book, [management is usually] right there.”

Ultimate People Skills

Certain managers and programmers, he claimed, kept good books a secret from him; however, “Rita calls immediately when I have an up book. If I have a down book, I don’t hear from her; I have to call her. That says volumes to me. We’ll deal with a problem, but she doesn’t want to get me upset. She might tell me that I’m playing too much of this or not enough of that, but she never says anything [threatening]. It’s always from a helpful and suggestive [stance]. When the numbers are good, she leaves me totally alone. From my perspective, you can’t ask for more than that. Her people skills are unbelievable.”

In addition to have wanted to keep free-form radio alive as long as possible, Ladd disclosed that he wanted “to walk away before I can no longer do my job. I don’t know when it will happen, but the next stage in my life will probably be to write fulltime – I’m working on it.”

Contact TALKERS Managing Editor Mike Kinosian at Mike.Kinosian@gmail.com

Industry News

Yesterday’s (12/4) Top News/Talk Media Stories

Israel resumes fight against Hamas as UN warns of “apocalyptic” humanitarian crisis in Gaza; the 2024 presidential race and Wednesday’s GOP debate in Alabama; Liz Cheney considering third party run for president; former President Donald Trump’s legal battles; Senate Republicans demand U.S. border policy changes in exchange for approving Ukraine and Israel funding; and the SCOTUS to hear tax case on what is income were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories Over the Weekend

Israel resumes war against Hamas; the 2024 presidential race; the U.S. economy and dissatisfaction with Bidenomics; the NewsomDeSantis debate aftermath; Trump legal battles; George Santos expelled from Congress; US shoots down Iran-backed drones over Red Sea; and SCOTUS to hear Sackler opioid case were some of the most-talked-about stories in news/talk media over the weekend, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.

Industry News

Ramsey Solutions Presents Livestream to Combat Student Debt

Next Tuesday (9/12), Ramsey Solutions presents a free livestream program titled, “Student Loan Debt in America: How We Got Here and How We Get Out” at 8:00 pm ET. Nationally syndicated radio host and bestselling author Dave Ramsey and “The Ramsey Show” co-hosts Rachel Cruze and Jade Warshaw will offer insights to make student loan repayments easier and more manageable. Ramsey says, “We want everyone in America who is scared and feeling the burden of student loan debt payments to know there’s hope. You can get through this. Making a plan now, and preparing for these payments to resume, will help you feel less anxious and more confident. And we’re here to walk you through it. In the process, you’ll learn how to better handle your finances now and in the future.” You can register for and watch the livestream here.

Industry News

Scott Stanford Named Morning Anchor at WINS, New York

New York City news pro Scott Stanford is named morning drive co-anchor at Audacy’s all-news WINS-AM/FM, alongside Susan Richard. WINS brand manager Ivan Lee says, “As we continue to reshape mornings on WINS, we’re delighted to welcome Scott Stanford into the mix. His impressive resume and wealth of experienceim in this market will undoubtedly enhance our commitment to delivering top-notch news coverage and engaging content to our listeners every morning.” Stanford, who is currently co-hosting “The Suki & Scott Show” on Gannett’s USA Today Network, begins his new role on September 5. He comments, “Like most life-long New Yorkers, my Dad was always listening to 1010 WINS in the car when I was a kid. As an adult, WINS has been my go-to station for news, traffic and weather. As a New York broadcaster, it’s an honor to now be one of the morning voices on this legendary station.” Stanford served as PIX11 morning show co-host from 2013 to 2019. He’s also served as sports anchor at NBC4-NY, UPN9-NY, WCBS 880, CBS Sports HQ and Boxing30 on YES.

Industry Views

Sabo Sez: Consolidation Has Been Radio’s Savior

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, Sterling On Sunday
Talk Media Network

imHALF of all radio stations in the United States lose money – at least they did back in 1991. The NAB used to put out an annual report revealing how many radio stations were profitable. Usually half the stations in America lost money. Since consolidation, the NAB stopped putting out that report. It is reasonable to believe that far, far fewer stations lose money today.  Shared costs, real estate, technical economies due to digital equipment versus analog all indicate that there must be fewer money-losing properties.

The business of radio is very strong and appealing to investors. Apollo Advisers was the first money-in Sirius. The Apollo fund recently bought Cox radio. Marc Rowan, Apollo’s CEO is the smartest guy in any room. Rowan doesn’t invest in hunches; he buys businesses that grow return on investment.

In 1970, 7% of all ad dollars went to radio. Today, 7% of all ad dollars go to radio.  In 1970, Procter & Gamble spent almost zero dollars in radio. Thanks to consolidation and the vision of Randy Michaels, radio has shifted from a “frequency” ad buy to a “reach”  buy. Reach commands higher rates and more sophisticated advertisers. The RAB’s Erica Farber and Sound Mind’s Kraig Kitchin focused on winning P&G dollars. Today, Procter & Gamble is a top-five radio advertiser.

Are you sick and tired of “experts” saying that radio is slow to digital?  Radio is not slow, radio was first-in. Mark Cuban put thousands of stations on Broadcast.com in the 1990s. Today radio leads the list of most downloaded podcasts. NPR has been the leader in podcasting since Alex Bennett started the industry. Under Bob Pittman and Jarl MohniHeart and NPR dominate downloads.

Why the pessimism and anxiety in the hallways?  It started with the management of consolidation. There are major consulting firms to help employees go through mergers. Consolidating an industry and its workforce is both an art and science. No radio company sought or engaged experienced expertise to manage consolidation. Instead, when a quarter’s revenue was missed, people were fired. Your friends in the next office were suddenly out of work. Layoffs should have happened all at once, based on a strategic plan. There is no plan. Firings are executed on random dates, with no notice; a horrible practice that continues. That’s why you’re miserable. No plan.

Radio stations in Canada, Europe, Australia and the UK are having excellent years. Canadian Music Week conventions, Commercial Broadcasters of Australia and European conferences are bursting with optimism and good news about radio. Why? Consider this possibility: Most radio companies outside the US are owned and managed by executives with a programming background. To do their jobs, programmers must be optimistic about the future. A salesperson’s job requires them to spend their days listening to media buyers’ objections to advertising on radio – negotiators! It sucks.

Consumers like or love radio. The reason SiriusXM Satellite Radio has 34 million listeners PAYING for radio is that listeners want MORE stations. Much, perhaps most, “music discovery” comes from radio listening. 53% of Americans will listen to radio today. In 1970, 53% of Americans listened to radio daily.

Walter Sabo was the youngest executive vice president in the history of NBC. The youngest VP in the history of ABC. He was a consultant to RKO General longer than Bill Drake. Walter was the in-house consultant to Sirius for eight years. He has never written a resume. Contact him at walter@sabomedia.com. or mobile 646-678-1110. Hear Walter Sterling at www.waltersterlingshow.com.

Industry Views

Don’t Leave Cash on the Nightstand

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, Sterling On Sunday
Talk Media Network

imAmazing fact: In ancient times, from 1962-1972, the highest-paid on-air talent in New York City was “an overnight guy.” He was paid salary plus sales response. I’m talking about Long John Nebel on WOR, WNBC, then WMCA. Long John’s live reads moved product because his audience was captive. One-to-one his listeners were attached to their radios in the truck cab, night watchman’s building lobby, parents pacing with their babies, students cramming. His background was not in radio; he was a skilled auctioneer. Obviously, the same listeners exist today – and are anxious for someone to talk to them. Check out this old clip of Nebel in action: https://youtu.be/wYMCkpYFtbk

One of today’s bizarre misconceptions is that overnights/late nights are not important for sales or audience share. Totally and completely wrong!

— As an executive, when launching a new format, any new format, the first time period I staffed was overnights. Late-night, overnight is the doorway to a station. Listening patterns to AM drive are habitual, hard to change. Late night listening is discretionary. Audiences will sample new radio offerings when they seek pure entertainment rather than essential utility elements.

— Late-night cume feeds morning drive. Study the flow of audience from late-night to morning drive, you will be surprised how much of the AM drive cume depends on the last station heard before turning off the radio.

— No distractions. It is easier to sell any product or idea to a person who is giving you 100% of their attention rather than rushing to work, calming the kids and remembering to avoid road construction. As George Noory’s success confirms, the percent of listeners who act on a commercial message is higher overnights than at any other time period.

— Every format has a default hour – one hour of the day when it will have its largest audience share. For all-news, for example, it’s always 5:00 am – 6:00 am. Lite FM’s, 1:00 pm. Live, local talk: 11:00 pm.  Listeners seek companionship, sympathy and empathy from talk shows.  If a station offers a “best of” at 11:00 pm, it is ignoring the built-in strategic advantage of the talk format. 11:00 pm is primetime.

— Rate integrity. A station may charge top dollar for morning drive. Upon further study those high rates usually come with nighttime bonus spots.  Bonus spots cut the rate in half. The nighttime results story can stand on its own and command premium pricing without bonusing.

Walter Sabo was the youngest executive vice president in the history of NBC. The youngest VP in the history of ABC. He was a consultant to RKO General longer than Bill Drake. Walter was the in-house consultant to Sirius for eight years. He has never written a resume. Contact him at walter@sabomedia.com. or mobile 646-678-1110. Hear Walter Sterling at www.waltersterlingshow.com.

Industry Views

Speaking the Conversation of the Listener

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, Sterling On Sunday
Talk Media Network

In the strum and dirge of daily radio life, it is easy to forget the mad skills required to do what we do. Consider the TV sitcom. 22 minutes of content, 22 times a year. The cast ad libs – nothing! Between eight and 11 writers scribe every word. Hair, makeup… handled by others! A donut run? No, there’s the crafts services table that will make you, the star, whatever you want any time you want it. Hot? A production assistant sprays mint scented water on you.

How’s your day? You or your on-air talent create a three- or four- or perhaps even five-hour show out of thin – or should I say rarefied – air! Writers? You mean that kid who has to go to class at 11? Production? Sure, as soon as the spots for the weekend are cut. Food? Ya got quarters?

You are a miracle of creativity, ambition and sheer talent. Reward? The company wants to cut your live read fees and could you help out in sales? As a point of reference, when Dr. Ruth Westheimer killed in the ratings at WYNY, we gave her a Seville.

GOOD NEWS. You can fix this. Talk radio is the last frontier of free form radio. Fact is you can do whatever you want.

Most talk shows and stations peaked about six years ago. The audience is not growing, it’s not attracted to talk radio’s offerings of endless political theory. So, stop.

What works? Take a look at the ratings of KMBZ-FM Kansas City; KFGO, Fargo; KFBK, Sacramento; WABC, New York’s Frank Morano; WTAM, Cleveland’s Bill Wills; WLW, Cincinnati; KFI, Los Angeles; KDKA, Pittsburgh’s midday. (I will now be flooded with other examples but listen to those stations.) Hosting a network radio show, “Sterling On Sunday,” I have learned what those audio outlets exemplify works!

Talk about your day. Talk about what two best friends would discuss over a quick lunch. The topics that generate ratings are not always the “hot talk radio topics.” The list that works reads like this, try it:

— Trouble with the in-laws.

— Is “Storage Wars” fake?

— Tip at the drive-thru?

— Cell phone for a 10-year-old?

— Married? Is texting cheating?

— How can I do less and earn more?

— Yes, it was a controlled demolition.

— Taylor Swift bi? Harry Styles bi?

— Are you kidding? Women ARE in charge!

— Turn on the AC, shut the damn window.

The power of the mirror. When the radio speaks the conversation of the listener, the ratings go up. Guaranteed.

Walter Sabo was the youngest executive vice president in the history of NBC. The youngest VP in the history of ABC. He was a consultant to RKO General longer than Bill Drake. Walter was the in-house consultant to Sirius for eight years. He has never written a resume. Contact him at walter@sabomedia.com. or mobile 646-678-1110. Hear Walter Sterling at www.waltersterlingshow.com.

Industry Views

Lessons from Rush

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, Sterling on Sunday

Rush Limbaugh’s initial success spawned a nation of imitators.  Throughout the country hosts and executives heard Rush and concluded that the key to success was bashing liberals for three hour – or all day!

Oddly that wasn’t Rush’s mission.  When Ed McLaughlin launched Rush’s show an article appeared quoting Rush and his role.

Rush said, “I’m here to inform, inform, inform.”  Ed was the founding GM of KGO, he ran the ABC Radio Networks for about 20 years. He knew how to make great radio because that’s all he knew how to do.  I was in his office the day the article quoting Rush appeared.

Ed said to me, “I will have to talk to Rush about that. His job is to entertain.”  Following Ed’s conversation with him, Rush carried out his mission, he entertained.

Rush did not get ratings and cash for espousing conservative views. There were other spokespeople who did that very well such as William F Buckley – an erudite conservative who never got ratings.

Listening hard to Rush airchecks, he was mostly entertaining. How did he do that?  First, he never offered duplicate arguments for his opinions. Every single day he presented brand new evidence and facts and stories to support his point of view. Secondly, he riffed. There were long periods featuring funny, human stories. Cat stories!  Third, Rush understood radio to a pristine point of science. When he had nothing to say, he used the medium’s most powerful tool… silence!

He understood the essential bond with the listener and therefore we never heard his producer on talkback, rarely, rarely, rarely a guest interview.  Phone calls were extremely well screened, coached and ready for air. Sharp produced bits were designed to drive the conversation.  The show was a show not a lecture.

Rush understood that the biggest mistake he could make would be to change his position on anything. Regardless of a caller’s absolute facts, Rush would say, “So what of it sir, I’m right.”  His battle against facts made the show work. Radio wrestling.

Today’s winning hosts don’t waste time forming political opinions, they invest their time in building an entertaining show.

Walter Sabo was the youngest Executive Vice President in the history of NBC. The youngest VP in the history of ABC. He was a consultant to RKO General longer than Bill Drake. Walter was the in-house consultant to Sirius for eight years. He has never written a resume. Contact him at walter@sabomedia.com. or mobile 646-678-1110. Hear Walter Sterling at www.waltersterlingshow.com.

Job Opportunity

Connoisseur Seeks Part-Time Talk Host

Connoisseur Media Connecticut has an opening for a part-time, fill-in swing talk show host to substitute weekdays on WICC-AM/FM, Bridgeport. This position will work unique weekday hours filling in for our talk showim hosts. The ideal candidate will be able to execute either two- or four-hour air-shifts on WICC, along with booking guests, creating compelling local content, fielding listener phone calls, and pivoting subject matter as the news cycle dictates.  This position will have different hours based on need. Find out more about the position here. Please send your resume and 3-minute demo to allan.lamberti@connoisseurct.com with “SWING TALK SHOW HOST” in the subject line.

Industry Views

Talk Radio’s $4 Billion Mistake

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, Sterling on Sunday

imIn the early 1980s, talk radio made a $4 billion mistake. Prior to then, there were approximately 50 full-time talk stations in America. They were predominantly found in major markets and had been in the format since Marconi. The original talk stations had two key traits: They were dominant in ratings and much of their popularity was driven by women hosts.

Mary Margaret McBride hosted an NBC, then ABC Network show based from WOR, New York at 12:00 noon.  From 1938-1957 she led midday radio listening. Nope, not a cooking show. She featured the most powerful, newsworthy guests and grilled them. She prepped for 23 hours a day and sweated every minute. Her popularity was so great that she required five secretaries just to answer her mail. Her 10th anniversary was held at Yankee Stadium. McBride’s 15th  anniversary filled Madison Square Garden, hosted by Eleanor Roosevelt. Correct, Mary Margaret and her listeners were honored by Mrs. Roosevelt.

How about the money? During many early years, it was believed that no advertiser would buy daytime radio.im Then Mary Margaret read live copy. OR Mary Margaret had her guests read live copy. Sales for advertisers exploded. (Source: It’s One O’ Clock, Time for Mary Margaret McBride by Susan Ware https://a.co/d/iHShiad)

The historic galaxy of remarkable women talk show hosts is vast: WOR (Always number one through most of its history) Martha DeaneDora McCannPatsy McCannMary HealyPegeen FitzgeraldArlene FrancisSherrye HenryJoan Hamburg — yes, all at the same time. Throughout the country the stars include: Sally Jessy Raphael (20+ years on major market radio), Dr. Ruth WestheimerDr. Tony GrantAnnie AielloMimi BenzellDorothy KilgallenJohnnie Putman and the most powerful broadcaster in Ireland, Marian Finucane. (Worth the listen: https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/21683976/)

The audience for the content featured by those hosts is thriving and watching daytime TV. Before 1982, daytime TV was the happy land of soap operas and game shows. Then, as content delivered by women hosts left radio, it was embraced by TV. Sally! Dr. Ruth! Oprah! Ellen! The View, The Chat, The Chew, Jenny JonesJoan RiversQueen LatifahKelly ClarksonRicki Lake.

Today daytime talk TV is a $4 billion business. I take credit for… a lot. I am proudest of the fact that few execs have hired as many women managers and women hosts.

Question to talk radio chieftains, where are the women hosts?

Walter Sabo was the youngest Executive Vice President in the history of NBC. The youngest VP in the history of ABC. He was a consultant to RKO General longer than Bill Drake. Walter was the in-house consultant to Sirius for eight years. He has never written a resume. Contact him at walter@sabomedia.com. or mobile 646-678-1110. Hear Walter Sterling at www.waltersterlingshow.com.

Industry Views

Pending Business: Recruitment 3.0

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

imIt’s that time of year. College graduates are pushing out resumes. Are you open for entry level sellers? Any turnover on your sales team this year?

In April, we reviewed new data impacting today’s college graduate entry-level sellers. 97% are open to jobs unrelated to their new degrees. 56% of Americans, as in their parents, do not believe a college degree is worth it anymore.

There’s more. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, a survey by college healthcare provider Timelycare, shows 53% of (2023) graduates want a full work-from-the-office environment, while only 21% are good with total remote. Are we saying entry-level sellers WANT to work from the office? These young people want the commute, politics, and distractions of the office workplace environment. Are you kidding me? The good old days?

The survey results do make some sense when you stop to realize most of the new grads spent a good part of their COVID-impacted college lives logging into classes, missing several semesters of lecture hall instruction and dorm life.

Now comes the closer: these isolation years caused these new grads a lack of “soft skills” or what we used to call social skills. Recruiters, colleges and universities are now coaching these new grads in everything from “How to Start a Conversation,” to proper in-office dress, to eating at the same pace as your business lunchmate.

Not kidding here, all you 50- and 60-something sellers and managers. This round of recruiting entry-level sellers is totally about “How To…” and you may want to consider video and an eBook once hired.

Let’s face it, with AI coming fast, the future is here and like everything else in sales, there is no clear “How To…” handbook. But recruit we must as nothing happens without a seller. Loyalty is quickly fading as new, younger sellers want a different experience.

Let’s prepare a starter list for recruiting entry-level sellers in today’s world. Here are 10 suggested questions and concepts to cover the basics:

— Why do you want to join our sales team?

— What do you think is the most important quality a seller must have?

— How would you define a sale?

— When was the last time you experienced rejection? What did you do?

— Give me an example of a recent success in a competitive situation.

— If you could do anything professionally, what would it be?

— I am going to hand you my pen. Sell it to me.

— What is the difference between a Winner and a Champion?

— What do you think the most important thing an advertiser wants to hear from a seller?

— Tell me what specifically brings you to sell for _______?

I’m sure you have your own recruitment strategy/profile. Is it current? For the seller, that younger team member may be different from what you expect. The best seller I coached was an Art History major.

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com.

Industry Views

Passion Versus AI

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, Sterling on Sunday

imLast week I had the privilege of moderating a panel at the TALKERS conference. Confession: I listen to speech patterns and tones more than words.

The prestigious panel featured Dan Mandis, program director and host, WTN-FM, Nashville; Ross Kaminsky, host KOA, Denver; Phil Boyce, SVP, spoken word format, Salem Media Group/ops VP, New York region/WMCA/AM 970; Josh Leng, CEO, Talk Media Network; and Matt Meany, program director, WABC, New York/Red Apple Media.

Yes, their collective knowledge and experience is unbeatable. They answered questions of great interest: How does iHeart measure social media accomplishments? Should one be fired for social media or podcast content or just for their air work? Establishing a syndication base, how does that happen? Where are the women – kudos to Salem’s Phil Boyce for celebrating their women hosts. What do programmers really look for in hosts? All valuable answers.  See the video of this session here.

Their words aren’t the “win.” The win is the fact that each of these pros has passion, passion and more passion. Their knowledge results in caring, heartfelt, supportive shares. They care about the future; they care about their craft. Programmers have to be optimistic about radio’s positive impact in order for them to do their jobs. Their descriptive tones make radio appealing.

The panel represents radio’s caretakers, gardeners, guides. The executives on the stage reveal qualities and qualifications that become overwhelmingly apparent in their demeanor and speech patterns. That’s what I hear.

Radio does not have to compete or fret over AI.  AI coders have to fret over their inevitable failure to capture or even coldly mimic the depth of emotion and confidence expressed by Matt, Josh, Phil, Ross and Dan. Good luck with that algorithm …losers.

Walter Sabo was the youngest Executive Vice President in the history of NBC. The youngest VP in the history of ABC. He was a consultant to RKO General longer than Bill Drake. Walter was the in-house consultant to Sirius for eight years. He has never written a resume. Contact him at walter@sabomedia.com. or mobile 646-678-1110. Hear Walter Sterling at www.waltersterlingshow.com.

Industry Views

A Carefully Planned Moment of Spontaneous Magic

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, Sterling on Sunday

imMichael Harrison, founder and publisher of TALKERS, and the man who invented the term AOR – let’s not forget – strongly requested that I share this story about a remarkable event we experienced. Michael describes it as the “greatest promotion” he ever witnessed at a non-commercial function involving broadcasters… so I really have no choice but to accommodate him.

Deep background: My wife Katie and I amazed each other that for all the zillions of hours of TV we watched, we agreed that this scene from X-Files (see the still below) was the best ever: https://youtu.be/wUL7y8AMeU8. This single realization rushed us to a marrying minister. Really, who falls in love over a common passion for a scene like that?

Married six years, I wanted to create a memorable event that would “promote” our marriage. I know! My mania dropped this idea in my brain-on-fire: Recreate that scene with the actual actors – LIVE! I had time. Six months to our anniversary.

William B. Davis, who plays “cancer man” on the series, owned an acting school in Oregon – it says so in hisim biography. I wrote him a letter inviting him to fly to New York to perform the scene live at our anniversary lunch at the National Arts Club. Two appealing prospects: Manhattan and the famous Club on Gramercy Park. Shockingly, he actually called and said if I would also fly his girlfriend in, he would do it! HE WOULD DO IT. Crap, now I had to do everything else. Invite all 200 wedding guests, stage a show, and not tell anyone that it was going to happen. Katie did not know.

But contacting the alien, Roy Thinnes, was harder. I didn’t want to call his listed agent because his listed agent would quote me a real performance price. But Roy was in a soap opera. From my days at ABC, I became friends with several stars of “General Hospital,” including the kindest person who ever Lived, Jackie Zeman. I called her and asked if she knows how to contact the alien. Miraculously, she said, “Oh I know Roy. I’ll tell him you’re going to call.”

One month out, I called Roy who thankfully lives in Westchester, New York. Roy answered the phone in a 20-ball voice… terrifying.  Skittishly, I told him my plan. LONG, PAINFUL PAUSE. Painful. Mr. Thinnes answered, “It would be good to see Bill [Davis] again.” He wanted nothing, neither a limo nor car fare.

Every guest from our wedding showed up including TV reporter Sandy KenyonBob Weinstein of Miramax (the good brother), Kurt and Terry Johnson of

Townsquare fame, Bob McAllan – partner in Press BroadcastingMichael Ewing and Jay Clark who saved my butt on several occasions, the most powerful people in the room, the owner and staff of The Bagel restaurant in Greenwich Village, TV whiz Edward Hersh and his wife Hillary and, of course, Michael Harrison. That’s a lot of pressure.

Working with a video savant, we found the “X-Files” scene, put it on a DVD and pretended to be ready to show it to the audience as a tribute to our happy marriage. Moments after it started, we made it look like it was skipping. Appearing disappointed and frazzled, I apologized to the crowd and stammered that, we would just have to perform it LIVE.  The two stars came from behind a curtain to gasps from the crowd and performed the scene. Wife was thrilled, guests were amazed. I was grateful.  It all worked.

Magic. Unexpected. Those are the ingredients of great radio. Unexpected comes from show prep content that stands out, doesn’t fit in. The difference between a person on the radio and a star on the radio is unexpected, surprising content. The stars showed up to the lunch because I asked them. I did not know them nor them me. I asked for what I wanted. And Magic. That’s your talent.

Walter Sabo was the youngest Executive Vice President in the history of NBC. The youngest VP in the history of ABC. He was a consultant to RKO General longer than Bill Drake. Walter was the in-house consultant to Sirius for eight years. He has never written a resume. Contact him at walter@sabomedia.com. or mobile 646-678-1110. Hear Walter Sterling at www.waltersterlingshow.comMeet Walter Sabo at TALKERS 2023 on Friday, June 2.

Industry Views

The Birth of the Car Radio

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, Sterling on Sunday

imA beautiful night. Paul Galvin and William Lear took their girlfriends to a romantic look-out view. Paul asked, “Isn’t this great?” His girlfriend replied, “It would better if we could hear music.”

That set Galvin and Lear on a mission to get entertainment into the car. A car radio. They were tinkerers. Galvin owned a failed battery manufacturing company. Lear and Galvin were smart but broke.

They ultimately invented a prototype radio for the car, but it was massive and complicated. No car battery could power it, the radio required its own big battery which was stored under the seat. The antenna was netting covering the roof. Their biggest challenge was static generated by the car’s starter, transmission, battery, lights – you name it. Galvin and Lear traced each source to correct the trouble-making components one by one. Parts of the radio had to be placed in different locations throughout the car. For example, the receiver was mounted on the engine, the controls on the dash.

Finally, still broke, they drove their Studebaker loaded with radio to the bank to apply for a loan to back the venture. The banker agreed to test drive the car for a night. Unfortunately, it caught fire in his garage and no loan was granted. Next Galvin traveled 800 hundred miles to a radio manufacturer convention. He sat outside the convention hall, played the radio loud and attracted enough orders for the radio to continue his quest.

The trouble continued. It was an expensive install: $600 for a $3,000 car. Many people thought it was dangerous to listen to the radio in the car – a distraction. Municipalities tried to ban it fearing it was a driver attention hazard. Supporters of the ban argued that many types of radio programming could put drivers to sleep. Surveys showed most Americans believed car radios were dangerous.

Oh, and the name they gave the device was horrible: 7FT1. Galvin came up with a new name that was both descriptive and synched with the times, Motorola. Partner William Lear went on the invent the Lear Jet.

Chevrolet installed the first reasonably priced Motorola radios in the early 1920s.

The objections were overcome by an initiative of the Radio Manufacturers Association: They argued that car radios actually helped people become better drivers. They pointed out that radios informed drivers about hazardous road conditions that lie ahead and weather conditions that may disrupt their travel. Supporters of car radios also said that radios actually helped to keep drivers awake when they became drowsy.

Conclusion: Are they nuts? A car can park itself but can’t handle an AM radio, those tech challenges were solved in 1920 – by the inventors of the Lear Jet and of your cell phone. Are manufacturers looking for a “display allowance?” Satellite radio was launched by paying zillions for a slot in the dash. Do carmakers want that for AM radios? Forget the EAS which nobody has ever heard and wasn’t activated during 9/11 in New York City. Weather, traffic, gospel, more gospel, compelling talk shows. (One Cleveland AM station runs the SAME Al Sharpton show from dusk Fridays till dawn Monday.) The better the shows, well, the better.

Sure, write your Member of Congress but you will find more vigilant allies among the preachers. You may recall that in the 1990s there was great debate about the proper deployment of the UHF spectrum. Allegedly, at his inauguration President Bill Clinton shook the hand of UHF TV icon, Billy Graham, who looked the president in the eye and said, “Don’t take away my TV stations.”

Walter Sabo was the youngest Executive Vice President in the history of NBC. The youngest VP in the history of ABC. He was a consultant to RKO General longer than Bill Drake. Walter was the in-house consultant to Sirius for eight years. He has never written a resume. Contact him at walter@sabomedia.com. or mobile 646-678-1110. Hear Walter Sterling at www.waltersterlingshow.comMeet Walter Sabo at TALKERS 2023 on Friday, June 2.

Job Opportunity

Townsquare Media Has Opportunities for News and Talk Pros

Townsquare Media has open opportunities for news/talkers with exceptional leadership and digital content skills to join a few key markets across the nation. If you’re the total package with a compelling on-air presence, exceptional writing skills, and a desire to super-serve the local community, you’ll be set up for success at TSM.

96.5 KPEL needs a morning show host to wake up Acadiana and serve the community of Lafayette, Louisiana.im You’d be joining a dynamic and high-achieving team that likes to play as much as they win. Read the full listing here.

In Lubbock, Texas, KFYO “News/Talk 95.1 & 790” needs a strong media leader with AM programming skills to oversee the station and its growing newsroom. The ideal candidate is looking for a fun, vibrant community to dig their heels into and win over the listeners of Lubbock. Check out the listing here.

If the heat isn’t your thing, consider joining the 98-year-old WIBX, Utica, New York. This station is a major fixture in the market, having served generations of central New Yorkers and is not looking to slow down anytime soon. With a big birthday right around the corner, the ideal candidate will be able to jump in and use their programming and community-building skills to keep the station fresh, friendly, and full of life. That listing can be found here.

Interested talkers can email their resume and aircheck to TSM’s content recruiter at savannah.bullard@townsquaremedia.com or apply directly. Don’t forget to mention you saw the listing in TALKERS magazine.