Tag: "occasions of listening"
Monday, July 12, 2021
TALKERS 2021 Conference Video Posted – Panel Discussion, “What Radio Must Do to Survive and Thrive.” The eighth video, under the direction of Art Vuolo, from the TALKERS 2021 Conference that took place at Hofstra University on June 11, is posted. This installment features the panel discussion, “What Radio Must Do to Survive and Thrive.” Moderated by TALKERS founder Michael Harrison, introduced by Dr. Ira Nash, senior VP/executive director, Northwell Heath Physician Partners, and sponsored by The Ramsey Show, the panel featured (in alphabetical order): Bruce Avery, GM, WRHU Radio, Hofstra University; Vince Benedetto, CEO, Bold Gold Media Group; Gary Krantz, CEO, Krantz Media Group; Chris Oliviero, senior VP/market manager, Audacy, New York; Walter Sterling, talk show host, Sterling on Sunday; and Julie Talbott, president, Premiere Networks. TALKERS will be posting a new video from TALKERS 2021 each business day until all 10 are archived and available for on-demand viewing.
Monday Memo: But what IF…? Consultant Holland Cooke reckons that “there’s too much argument and too little assessment for political talk radio to remain habit-forming.” He says that as radio programmers and performers we have a specific goal: to repeat occasions-of-listening, same-time-tomorrow (what the ratings people call “horizontal recycling”). If today sounds like yesterday, would they feel they’re missing something by not coming back tomorrow. Calling it “a grim Groundhog Day,” his column this week suggests a simple pivot. You can read it here.
Pending Business: Old Habits. Sales pro Steve Lapa asks if your sales department’s old habits are preventing it from working efficiently? “My marketing work requires working with sellers and managers in 50 to 60 markets annually. No matter what market size, when a proposed schedule is finally delivered, nine out of 10 times we see CPP presented, not CPM as specifically outlined, requested, maybe ignored. Too much work to change that overused template? The selling and buying dialogue is brought to a cold standstill as we correct schedule parameters two, maybe three times before a submission is possible. Momentum swings from positive to frustrated, because that’s the way we’ve always submitted: CPP not CPM. What you’re transmitting to the advertiser is, ‘I’m not listening, and my habits are in control.’” Read more here.
Radio Hall of Fame 2021 Nominees Announced. The nominees for the Radio Hall of Fame class of 2021 have been announced. Twenty-four people and shows in six categories have been selected by the Radio Hall of Fame nominating committee, with input from the radio industry and listeners. A panel of 600 industry professionals will
begin voting today in four of six categories – Longstanding Local/Regional (20 years or more), Active Local/Regional (10 years or more), Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more), and Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more). On July 26, listeners nationwide will vote on the other two categories, Music Format On-Air Personality and Spoken Word On-Air Personality. The winners in those categories will be determined by the public and the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. The outcome of the listener vote will count as one vote among the committee votes. Listeners may vote once beginning Monday, July 26 at: www.radiovote.com. 2021 Radio Hall of Fame inductees will be announced Monday, August 16, and honored in-person at the 2021 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, October 28, 2021, at Chicago’s Wintrust Grand Banking Hall. The nominees are:
Longstanding Local/Regional (20 years or more)
John & Ken – KFI-AM, Los Angeles
Melvin Lindsey -Washington “The Quiet Storm”
Matt Siegel – WXKS-FM, Boston
Brother Wease – WAIO-FM, Rochester
Active Local/Regional (10 years or more)
Laurie De Young – WPOC-FM, Baltimore
Mercedes Martinez – KMXB-FM, Las Vegas
Elliot Segal – WWDC-FM, Washington
Bob Stroud – WDRV-FM, Chicago
Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more)
Dr. Bobby Jones – “The Bobby Jones Radio Show”
Dan Patrick – “The Dan Patrick Show”
“Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” – NPR
Suzyn Waldman – New York Yankees Network
Active Network/Syndication (10 years or more)
Bob & Sheri – “The Bob & Sheri Show”
Kim Komando – “The Kim Komando Show”
Sid Mark – “Sounds of Sinatra”
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo – SiriusXM
Music Format On-Air Personality
Russ Parr – “The Russ Parr Show”
Javier Romero – WAMR-FM, Miami
Alex Sensation – Spanish Broadcasting System
Steven Van Zandt – “Little Steven’s Underground Garage”
Spoken Word On-Air Personality
Alex Bennett
Larry Elder – “The Larry Elder Show,” Salem Radio Network
Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison – WMMR, Philadelphia
Sally Jessy Raphael
TALKERS News Notes. Longtime “Better Lawns & Gardens” host Tom MacCubbin is retiring from the Florida radio show at the end of this month after 33 years. The show
that he hosts along with his wife Joan is heard on more than 20 affiliates, including: WFLF-AM, Orlando, WSKY-FM, Gainesville, WNDB-AM/FM, Daytona Beach, WHNZ-AM, Tampa. The new host of the program will be Teresa Watkins, a veteran gardening show radio broadcaster, horticulturist, 
and UF/IFAS Master Gardener for more than two decades. Jim Poling is director of operations for Florida News Network and he says, “‘Better Lawns & Gardens’ is a heritage name in Florida gardening and the show will continue with Teresa at the helm. The show name will continue and the basic premise of serving Florida gardeners will continue but that’s where the similarity will end. It will be Teresa’s show. We hate to lose a legend like Tom MacCubbin, but with Teresa, the program won’t miss a beat.”…..Beasley Media Group has expanded the signals for its sports talk “ESPN Southwest Florida” emanating from WBCN-AM, Fort Myers. The station is now also heard on WRXK-HD2 (96.1 FM), as well as translators W282BY at 104.3 FM and W251AL at 98.1 FM…..The Society of Broadcast Engineers announces the results of its sixth annual compensation survey to determine salary levels and benefits among broadcast and media technology engineers. The SBE says the survey provides a wealth of useful information, and it adds to the baseline being developed for subsequent surveys to establish compensation trends. SBE president Wayne Pecena says, “The SBE Compensation Survey garners interest from SBE members and non-members. We provide this information as a service not only to our members, but the industry. We appreciate the support of those who participated in providing data.” The complete results of the survey are available at no charge to SBE members as a benefit of membership. The survey is available here…..Pictured below is Salem Radio News’ Lori Tradup interviewing U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) at the CPAC 2021 conference in Dallas this weekend. Gaetz called Donald Trump “our best candidate for president in 2024. I do not believe there’s even a close second.” Other talk radio show hosts addressing the attendees at the three-day conference included: Todd Starnes, Jason Rantz, and Glenn Beck.
COVID-19 Hot Spots, Extreme Heat and Wildfires in the Western U.S., Trump CPAC Speech, Inflation, the Economy and Employee Shortages, Branson Goes into Space, Cuban Protests, and South China Sea Tensions Among Top News/Talk Stories Over the Weekend. Rising rates of COVID-19 cases in hot spots in Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and Nevada; the extreme heat affecting much of the Western U.S. and the outbreak of wildfires; former President Donald Trump’s Sunday speech at CPAC in which he reiterated his claims of a stolen election; inflation’s effect on consumer prices; the soaring U.S. economy and employers’ difficulties hiring enough staff; billionaire Richard Branson makes history as first private individual to launch a space vehicle; the protests in Cuba over the communist country’s shortage of food; and U.S.-China tensions over China’s domination of the South China Sea were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio over the weekend, according to ongoing research fromTALKERS magazine.
Monday Memo: But, What If…?
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
BLOCK ISLAND, RI — My most recent column seems to have hit a nerve. I do appreciate hearing from station owners and radio’s remaining programmers and local hosts who were irked that I’ve called-out political talk radio as a daily downer.
Remember focus groups?
The research radio used to fund is now sorely needed to explain how we sound.
Monday Memo: Boozy Bartenders
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
BLOCK ISLAND, RI — Say “talk radio” to someone not in the business, and they conjure a caricature: Soreheads reciting catch-phrases, now seeking to dampen the patriotic zeal they themselves cheerlead in such an unqualified way for four years.
Undaunted by polls demonstrating widespread optimism as the American comeback unfolds – and TSL erosion – their daily doom-N-gloom show still accounts for most of the format’s source material.
Say WHAT? Arbitron and advertisers will punish you if you don’t choose your words carefully
By Holland Cooke
Radio Consultant
BLOCK ISLAND, RI — At the risk of validating the worst consultant stereotype, here’s a whole list of don’t-say-this-don’t-say-that. And the first one’s big…
Please don’t say “PISSED OFF.”
Why? Picture the listeners your advertisers want to meet the most: parents with children living at home, retail super-consumers. Sure, soccer mom and her mister might talk to each other differently when the children aren’t listening. But when kiddos are in the car, potty mouth like “PISSED-OFF” is an AQH-killer. Instant tune-out, stimulus-response.
As for potty mouth generally, you’ll never get hurt erring on the side of prudence. Why say “ASS,” when “KEESTER” or “BEE-HIND” makes the same point, and sounds more memorable? If you’re in a diary market, ratings are a memory test. If you’re in a PPM market, awareness drives use. So, either way, being thought-of as R-rated will cost you what Arbitron calls Occasions of Listening and Time Spent Listening.
21st Century Swap Shop
By Holland Cooke
Radio Consultant
BLOCK ISLAND, RI — You can tell a lot about a news/talk station from its weekend programming…or lack thereof.
If you’re affiliated with a couple of the biggest syndicated shows, you’ve already relinquished 6 hours of beach-front real estate to crammed-down re-runs that radio is naive enough to call “Best of…”
Arbitron diary comments I read and focus group comments I wince-through affirm that “Best of” fools nobody; and sends the dangerous message that nobody’s home. But you may have no choice. So at least make-the-most-of weekend hours you CAN control.
