Innholdsfortegnelse for May 22, 2017 i Radio Ink Magazine

As the world is more than happy to demonstrate these days, change comes at us fast, and often from unexpected — sometimes even shocking – directions. Hardly a day passes that some new scandal or revelation doesn’t come roaring at us, reported by what sometimes seems an increasingly panic-prone media. In the midst of so much drama, you have to know who you can trust. And in the midst of it all, radio is endlessly calling for unity within the industry, and for all of us to face our challenges together. But that requires trust too. So that’s why I’m asking the question, just as some food for thought: Who do you trust? People at big radio corporations: Do you trust that company leadership has your interest and the best…

“A leader must set healthy boundaries and recognize what happens when we go beyond them, especially in trying to juggle the work and personal life balance. No job — regardless of position — is worth sacrificing a healthy and enjoyable personal life. Little things go far in accomplishing this, such as limiting weekend and evening e-mails to only time-sensitive requests and gently prodding colleagues to make sure they maximize all their vacation days. “A well timed — and delivered with a smile — phrase, ‘Go home early,’ on slower-thannormal days, especially around long weekends, can make a world of difference. As financial pressures might at times limit a company’s ability to reward staff with traditional bonuses as often as they’d like, sometimes additional vacation days to spend with family are…

When the editor of Radio Ink asked me to write an article about the subject of death, grief, and loss, it took me by surprise. Who in radio would want to read about this topic? I have my own personal experience with grief and loss, and conversations with my friends in the business revealed that I was not the only one. This is a tough topic to write about, and I do so with unconditional compassion for those who have suffered the greatest loss anyone can imagine. I’m a second-generation radio broadcaster. My dad was an engineer for RKO in Los Angeles for 21 years before he set out to build his first radio station in 1980. At a family-owned radio station in a small market, my older brothers and…

In 2017, not only is Radio Ink celebrating its 25th birthday, our Radio Wayne Awards are turning 25. Over the years these awards have recognized many of the greatest broadcasters in the business, some of whom continue to make a positive impact on the industry today. One of those people is Jay Meyers, who was the Radio Wayne America’s Best Broadcaster in 2012. Jay has been in the business for 40 years, dating back to his afternoon hosting job at WCHE-AM in Westchester, PA. He was called the “chief announcer” back then, which, he says, really meant he had to do everything at the station: “My desk was stacked about two feet high with duties like checking yesterday’s logs, dubbing commercials and PSAs, recording commercials, putting letters into the public…

We hear so much news about the public radio companies that sometimes we forget the industry is also made up of many great-sounding and well run small- and medium-market stations. These are independent operators who have nobody to answer to but their advertisers and listeners. They are all making great radio around the country and playing by their own rules. It’s time we gave them some love. For our annual issue featuring independent operators, we’ve located five more great radio professionals and picked their brains on how they succeed, what advertisers are saying about radio, how they find and keep great employees, and how they overcome their challenges. Here is our 2017 panel of independent experts. RANDY D. GRAVLEY is the president and CEO of Tri-State Communications. With corporate offices…

President Wizard of Ads Inc. roy@wizardofads.com Our nation is changing, of course. Things aren’t like they used to be. Major retailers are closing hundreds of stores and famous clothing brands are at historic lows. But we’re not in a recession. According to an April 10 article by Derek Thompson in The Atlantic: “America’s GDP has been growing for 8 straight years, gas prices are low, unemployment is under 5 percent, and the last 18 months have been quietly excellent years for wage growth, particularly for middle- and lower-income Americans.” Yes, Amazon.com and the other online players are partially responsible for the decline of retail in America, but not nearly to the degree you might think. In 2016, only 6 percent of retail purchases were made online. But retailers are down…

EVP Streamline Publishing parenti@aol.com Over the years, David Benjamin has launched, operated, and sold two successful radio groups. Today, he presides over Benjamin Media Investments, which is focused on investing in radio deals. What criteria do investors look for in placing their money? How is the radio investments market this year? At the recent NAB, most brokers claimed that their available inventory of stations remained very thin. Even discounting for the restructurings that may take place, my guess is that there will be more mid- and small-market clusters available this year than in 2016. Among other reasons, there exist a number of mid-market companies controlled by private equity firms where investments are already well past their “sell by” dates, and, at least in my discussions, most of these firms do…

Managing Member AdLab Media Communications Your prospect is afraid to go on the air because his or her competition has deeper pockets and can outspend them. You, as the consummate expert, will show them how to out-advertise their filthy rich competitors. Listen up. Lesson 1: Use media your competition is not using. Rather than go head-to-head with their major competitor, guide your client to an untapped audience where they can become the dominant voice — and that just might mean one or more of your stations. In the 1990s, New Jersey-based trucking and warehouse firm Cargo Logistics proved it. They ran on Soft AC WPAT-FM, which had heavy in-office listenership. They were the only one in their industry to tap into that 1 million weekly audience. Keep in mind the…

Brad Kelly says he’s on your side. Kelly is a former radio guy with a very important position at Nielsen, the company that controls your currency. And he’s a second-generation radio brat. As a little boy, he spent his days at remotes, handing out T-shirts and Frisbees while his lifelong broadcaster dad, Don Kelly, skipped around the country looking for his next big break. Don Kelly started on the air, went into programming, sales, sales management, and general management before putting together a small group of stations. Brad went to seven different elementary schools as he grew up in the world of radio, which he says was the center of his family’s lives. “I learned this business simply by being there all the time, for my whole life, the formative…

PAUL WEYLAND Local direct broadcast business consultant. His books can be found at paul@ paulweyland.com . You can reach Paul at 512 236 1222. As I travel across the country working with broadcast stations, I see a lot of long-term local direct business on the table — business that should be on the books by now but is not. Because it’s still on the table. Money, just sitting there on the table. So why won’t these decisionmakers close? For a variety of reasons, many of which can be traced back to one party: you. Let’s examine how we get so close, yet it seems we’re still light years away from the reward, a signed annual contract. It’s a fact that people will usually buy only after they are finally convinced…

Show prep rule of thumb: It’s a fact — the more planned your next show is, the more casual, conversational, and spontaneous it will sound. Obviously, when there’s a one-time event in your market, you’ll talk about it (concert, flood, local bank robbery, etc.), but what do you do on the days when there’s not much going on? How do you plan what to talk about when it’s a plain ol’ average day? There’s nothing worse on the radio than a music show with no customized content. So make some up! It’s easy. But where can you get ideas, day after day, week after week? Here’s where (and how). Top Topics: Customize These Now! Hashtags: But not used the way you might think. Search topics that might be used anywhere,…

In our continuing search around the industry for millennials who love working in radio, it came as no surprise when we found one on the digital side of the business. Erin Nutter, 27, is the director of digital strategy for Max Media of Hampton Roads in Virginia Beach. She started with the company at age 21. Erin graduated from college in Ohio in 2011, moved to Virginia, and began working for Max Media two months later. As director of digital strategy, Erin is involved in both programming and sales, and that, she says, keeps her job interesting. Among her other responsibilities, she maintains the websites, apps, and streaming players. On the sales side, she’s in charge of helping reps bring in revenue for all digital assets. She trains the salespeople…

What are your hobbies? Frustrated artist (large-scale chainsaw wood carving). Remote-control pilot. Motocross rider. Anything that puts me out on the water — especially sailing our little Hobie Cat catamaran with my beautiful wife, Jennifer. It’s a small glimpse of what I imagine Heaven might be like. I hope. Who is/was your role model, and why? Pierre Bouvard, the radio industry’s top advocate. He is razor-sharp, and has endless energy and enthusiasm and an unsinkable optimistic nature. A good person right down to the core. Pierre has been a mentor, friend, and source of guidance since I was just a pup. What are you reading right now? How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp. An absolute must-read for any radio broadcaster who ever hopes to engage in a meaningful conversation with the…