Innholdsfortegnelse for June 19, 2017 i Radio Ink Magazine

PUBLISHER ’S BEAT DEBORAH PARENTI EVP Streamline Publishing parenti@aol.com It’s been almost two years since I assumed the role of publisher at Radio Ink. Over that time, I have had the opportunity to sit down with everyone from leaders of some of the biggest groups to single-station operators. I’ve had conversations with managers, sellers, programmers, and a whole lot of people in between. I have walked the halls of stations, been inspired by “on air” lights flickering down hallways, and privileged to sit in on meetings full of enthusiastic radio pros. And I have seen a lot of women on these tours — more women and in more powerful positions than when I started in the business, when midday was called “housewife time.” Yes, once upon a time, that predominantly…

WAYNE ENS President ENS Media Inc. Wayne Ens is the producer of the SoundADvice radio e-marketing system. He can be reached at wayne@wensmedia.com You’ve probably heard that your customers are more concerned about the value you deliver than they are about rates or ratings. You’ve also no doubt heard about the power of first impressions. You’ve heard the old cliche “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression,” and you know about the importance of the first three seconds when you’re introducing yourself to a prospect. But have you ever thought how important a last impression can be? It’s the last impression you create that dictates whether you’ll get a renewal and whether you’ll get a referral. If you want to succeed as a broadcast account executive,…

I wonder how many broadcasters shy away from podcasting because of self-doubt. Connecting with an audience is kind of like tending to a garden: You need to put in the work before you can reap the benefits and your garden blossoms. In the same way, your talent will realize you feed the things you want to grow — but it’s all for nothing if we first fail to plant the seed. A great coach knows that if we teach talent to be just a clone of something that’s already successful, we’re creating a false, self-defeating atmosphere in which nothing can grow. Maybe the same is true of podcasting. If podcasting is just a clone of our own radio programs, can it really be effective? It’s still our content — but…

OS : STEVEPRUE · TEAM ROCKSTAR IMAGES · COM · 917 · 951 ·1364 Heather Cohen started radio classes in high school, at age 14. Later, at Hofstra University, she joined the radio program as a freshman and quickly realized she didn’t want to be on the air — while she was on the air. “I was afraid,” she says. “I was nervous every single time I would hit that button. I was one of those ‘Please, God, don’t let me screw this shift up’ people. I was very nervous.” Where she wanted to be was behind the scenes in radio, so she took the job as assistant news director, was promoted to news director, then served two full terms as station manager. “That was 40-plus hours a week, and…

1999. It was the closing chapter to the 20th century, a year immortalized by Prince in song, and it marked the birth of the euro. And it was the year Radio Ink’s Most Influential Women in Radio list — the MIWs — made its debut. For 18 years, after beginning with just 10 honorees, Radio Ink has been spotlighting and celebrating women who have poured their spirit and their efforts into making radio stronger, prouder, and more inclusive, irrespective of any qualifier except talent. As more women of influence have carved out success in the industry, their power and prestige have enhanced the potential for more opportunities and more doors available to be opened for others. What a wonderful domino effect that can lead to! And it’s why this year,…

ANGEL ARISTONE SVP/ Communications iHeartMedia Angel Aristone is responsible for the communications strategy and execution for iHeartMedia and its digital platforms. She says, “I continue to strategize and execute high-impact press announcements and developments about the company with key media audiences — entertainment, tech, business and trade press — to help iHeart- Media redefine the meaning of a radio and media company in today’s digital world and continue to showcase the company’s true multiplatform capabilities and impact.” Aristone’s advice to others is to not be afraid of change, but to embrace it. “Work hard, be committed, know how to prioritize, and learn how to be a good listener,” she says. “It’s also important you learn how to better understand everyone’s goals in the company and how we can help each…

It’s starting to get tiring. Since consolidation really began, about 20 years ago, there has been a troop of radio and ex-radio brothers and sisters who have slammed the very idea of consolidation. People clearly don’t like change It’s understandable to want to cling to the way things were because there were lots of things in the past that were more fun, like live and local personalities. Yet no one really knows if our industry could have survived if things had stayed the way they used to be. Things then were not always exactly great. The “good old days” always seem better. I love old cars and the romance of the old days, yet the idea of driving a car with no air conditioning, bad shocks, no seat belts, no…

Have you ever wondered why we’re back at 1980s spot rates? Well, you can thank our friends at the advertising agencies, as well as our own poor negotiating skills. Imagine being present at the scene of the worst negotiation ever … between an advertising agency principle and a television general manager. Agency guy: From now on we’re going to buy you differently. Broadcast guy: What do you mean? Agency guy: From now on, we’re going to buy you based only on this single snapshot of your audience size. But if this audience size shrinks, then you owe us more commercials. Broadcast guy: Gee, OK ... so if our audience actually increases, then you owe us more money, right? Agency guy: No. Absolutely not. Broadcast guy: OK, then we’ll do it!…

Several years ago, I was a Sulzberger Fellow at Columbia University’s Journalism School. The Sulzberger program is run by former McKinsey consultants who coached me on innovation strategy and change management using actual challenges I was confronting in the radio business. Last year, I participated in a program that brought together senior executives across the company to sharpen our leadership skills and improve our creative processes. Programs like these exposed me to world-class thinkers in an environment where I could disconnect from work and focus on the learning that was offered. On a daily basis, I read our industry’s trades and the general business press and talk to our affiliates. It helps that I am surrounded at ABC Radio by a smart team of deeply informed and collaborative people who…

What are your hobbies? Walking around the neighborhood with my daughter in her stroller. She is less than two months old. I am loving every moment! Wine tasting and collecting antique radios. I enjoy my volunteer work immensely. The Alliance for Women in Media keeps me busy as both a board member and co-chair of the Gracie Allen Awards. I am also quite involved with Hofstra University, both with the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication and the overall University Alumni Organization. I am beyond proud of WRHU (Hofstra University’s Marconi-winning radio station) and the incredible audio/ radio students I am fortunate to help mentor. Who is/was your role model, and why? My brother is remarkable. He successfully manages to balance life’s myriad challenges with courage, grace, and a smile. He…

RITA COSBY Political Editor and Host WABC/New York Cumulus Media Rita Cosby is one of few female political editors in any media, and it’s even rarer in radio. “I hope this can inspire other women to pursue their dream jobs and try new roles and experiences,” she says. “Covering the 2016 presidential race was frenetic, fascinating, and exhilarating, and I would not have changed the many assignments I had for anything. To have a front row seat to political history is irreplaceable.” Cosby says, “I may be the host and political editor, but I have a terrific producer and many other great colleagues who all play critical roles in putting on the best shows we can every time. Remember, listeners tune in and get information on you and your shows…

ROY H. WILLIAMS President Wizard of Ads Inc. roy@wizardofads.com According to cognitive neuroscientists, the most important gift of the human race is our ability to attach complex meanings to sounds. The written language was developed only to make the spoken language permanent Think about it. Do babies learn to speak first, or to read first? The written word has no meaning until it has been translated into the spoken word it represents. This is why it takes the average reader 38 percent longer to understand the written word than to understand the same word when spoken. Stay with me. An understanding of this stuff will make your ads musical, memorable, and persuasive even when they’re being read silently off a computer screen or from the printed page. Phonemes are astoundingly…

While the new hot term UX, for “User Experience,” is mostly associated with online engagement on commercial websites, it has just as much relevance to radio — but nobody really thinks about that. Now more than ever, broadcasters must realize that user experience involves far more than just playing the music they think people want to hear. It’s about engaging in multiple ways to provide satisfaction — and more — for the time spent invested in listening. Think about how frustrating it is when you go to a website and it’s not formatted correctly for your smartphone, or every time you click on something you’re fed another pop-up you don’t want. That’s the way we live today. Is that a good user experience? No. Now think about how your station…

KELLY ORCHARD Didn’t make the list of the Most Influential Women in Radio this year? That’s OK, neither did I! So let’s not compare ourselves with all the amazing influential women who did make this year’s list. You can be influential in any role you are in, both professionally and personally. ‘It's Not My Problem ‘ That is a common excuse for not doing something. I come from a life and career where everything was my problem to resolve. When my family’s first radio station went on the air, I was a senior in high school. As the youngest of “the kids” (we all worked there), I was awarded the most thankless jobs in the beginning. I did traffic and billing, recorded and scheduled the public service announcements, ran errands,…

Kay Olin's long and extremely successful radio career started by accident. She had just graduated from Agnes Scott College as a political science major and was working as a receptionist down the hall from RKO TV/Radio Reps in Atlanta. One day she asked what they did because they looked like they were having so much fun. The response was: “Do you want to work here?” She said yes and was hired. Olin would move on to radio, where her first job was at WIVY, where she was selling against The Greaseman on WAPE-AM in Jacksonville. “He was getting $600 a spot,” she says, “and we were begging people to buy WIVY-FM for $16. Years later, as a rep, I sold one of the first $1,000 spots on KIIS-FM/L.A. on the…

Women nielson Mentoring Inspiring in Radio It started in 1999, with Radio Ink’s first publication of the Most Influential Women in Broadcasting. And here we are, 18 years later, celebrating another year of women and their impact on the industry we love. The ladies first honored as MIWs (Most Influential Women) quickly spawned the MIWs: Mentoring and Inspiring Women (MIW Radio Group), an all-volunteer force dedicated to guiding senior women broadcasters on their career path through every aspect of radio management. Each year, the MIW Radio Group welcomes, through the Mildred Carter Mentoring Program, a new class of mentees, who receive advice, education, and coveted access to leaders in radio broadcasting at the very highest level. It is one thing to have a mission, but the MIWs realized the importance…

LIA KNIGHT Syndicated Host Westwood One Lia Knight has been a successful radio host for 30 years and in syndication for 20. For success, she advises, “Pay attention to your environment, and don’t be afraid of change. The world in general is evolving quickly, so naturally radio needs to keep up. Try new things, ask for input, take the risk. Be the first person to volunteer to work the shift, or man the booth at the fair . “When sales approaches you with an advertising opportunity/sponsorship idea, consider all your options on how to make it work and how your audience will benefit. We need to make money, but we also need to remember that the goal in radio is to make people’s lives a little easier. How can a…