Innholdsfortegnelse for January 29, 2018 i Radio Ink Magazine

The Amazon Echo with Alexa stood prominently on the table in the living room beside my dad’s chair. We were visiting for Christmas, and the novelty of this new device was instantly embraced by my kids and my wife. “Alexa, play Christmas music,” said my wife. Suddenly it started to play something traditional. “No, Alexa, play ‘Cake by the Ocean,’” said one of the kids. It began to play. “I don’t like that song. Alexa, play some ‘Jingle Bell Rock,’” said my daughter. This dialogue of starting and stopping happened about 20 times, changing tunes about every 10 seconds. I had been considering getting Alexa for our own home, but after that instant disagreement, I told the family I didn’t want to go through a constant battle. But like it…

Tom Elliott is the founder of Grabien, a service that's streamlining news production. He has a journalism background (The New York Sun, New York Post), but moved into radio as an executive producer for its bigger platform. We had a conversation about the inspiration behind the service, and staying on top of fast-evolving media platforms. Find him on Twitter @tomselliott. Krantz: So, Tom, what is Grabien? Elliott: Grabien is a news-clipping service, where we do a lot of the work producers hate. I usually say, "We clip the news so you don't have to." We save producers time so they can focus on higher-skilled activity. We've also added tools to enable them to supplement our content by creating their own clips. Krantz: Who are some of the most notable or…

“She was one of the most passionate and devoted associates I have ever had. She leaves a legacy and example that will be difficult to follow.” Don Curtis, CEO Curtis Media Group “Lisa had a tremendous and positive impact on so many people’s lives and careers, and will be greatly missed by all of us.” Trip Savery, President/COO Curtis Media Group Entercom Market Manager Phil Zachary hired Lisa McKay at Curtis Media Group when he worked for Curtis. “Lisa was fiercely competitive, yet her kindness was without limit. She took special pleasure in grooming the next generation of air talent and never met a human — or an animal — she wouldn’t help. A remarkable woman and a devastating loss to all who knew her.” “We have unexpectedly lost one…

How To Spot Your Next Great Manager How many times have you been told it's your responsibility to train and hire or promote the person who replaces you? That's the ticket if you want to continue to advance in this business. However, it's not really that simple. Not everyone wants to be a manager, and those who do need to either possess or be taught certain skills if you want them to succeed in your chair. Radio Ink reached out to a handful of managers who made our Best Managers in Radio list in 2017 and asked them this question: When do you know you have a great employee who has the potential to become a manager? When an employee has potential to become a manager, you see them firing…

We've been hearing a lot about "telling radio's story" this year. About reaching beyond the metrics and analytics to decipher and define just who those numbers and clicks represent. As a researcher at Eastman Radio once told me, "You have to make the numbers dance. Give them life. You don't see people by citing '20 percent.' People start to come to life when they are 'one out of five,' because one out of five becomes stick figures. It's that basic." Basic to telling the radio story is sharing those stories. Throughout 2018, Radio Ink will be spreading the news in a series called "Advertiser Success Stories," every Monday on RadioInk.com and in every issue of Radio Ink magazine. These success stories will be from local businesses all around the country…

The most common misconception among your prospects and clients: "All my customers read, watch, and listen to what I do." Wrong! Does your client or prospect hate hip hop? Jazz? Talk? He or she may, but his or her customers may love it. Clients need to understand that their own tastes simply do not matter. It's all about their customers. If they ever want to sell anything, they need to learn exactly who their potential customer base really is —not who they think it is. And yes, it’s your job to help them figure it out. How, you ask? Help your prospects and clients design a survey, a contest, an onsite event — whatever it takes to get the answers. Educate them on the shifting population demographics in your broadcast…

About a decade ago, when AutoTune was starting to become popular, I was interviewing a musician about the trend. To me, the technique seemed deceptive, like a way to legitimize untalented musicians. He told me something I wasn't expecting to hear: he pointed out that throughout the history of music, instruments and techniques have drawn criticism simply because they are new. He asked, "Would you feel the same way about hearing an electric guitar for the first time? It's how you use it that defines it as music." That idea stuck with me. In our history as broadcasters, we've seen many new devices emerge in the tech world, Some have been embraced, others dismissed. Some personalities have embraced the digital components of radio and done well, but not everyone has…

Country remains the only format in radio where the artists are on a first-name basis with the program directors. It's the only format whose stars mingle with the radio industry every year, in February at the Country Radio Seminar, and perform there free of charge. No matter how successful or how new to the business, these artists make it a point to be part of CRS, to perform, mingle, and even party with our industry. Country radio program directors are probably the most powerful PDs in our industry when it comes to making stars, and those stars know it. A handful of these programmers can decide they love a new song and run it up the chart quickly, giving it a ton of spins on their station and making it…

2018 is looking to be a good year for small business. My personal definition of a "small business" is an owner-operator doing between $1 million and $75 million a year. The following are the small-business trends that seem to be emerging in 2018: 1. Small businesses are falling out of love with social media and with SEO (search engine optimization). 2. Broadcast radio and broadcast television are regaining their previous stature within ad budgets. 3. Business owners are beginning to learn the power of having a memorable personality. (The typical company spokesperson is "polished and professional." Which is just another way of saying "bland, vanilla-neutral. Unremarkable. Interchangeable. Easy to ignore." Criticism is the price of personality. Which is why so few company spokespersons have any.) 4. Experiments with ads in…

The new year is here, and some clients are doing business with the competition instead of you. Do you know why? The sales teams that consistently exceed expectations tend to be more aware of what is keeping them from earning business. This makes them ready for any objection potential clients may present to them. They're then able to find a way to build trust with their clients and shift their thinking. They ask clients to have an open mind to the information, as they feel confident they can help their customer. Most people buy on emotion and back it up with logic, and our clients are no different. The most successful team members are those who give their clients the emotional benefits of doing business with them and their company.…

Frustrated brand managers are often heard saying, "I can't find anyone," or "The same candidates keep applying," or "As an industry, we have done this to ourselves." While it's true that the pool of available air talent has shrunk (and that's another article), there are creative ways to discover the best talent. Here are eight ways to breathe new life into your search. Possessing talent is more important than possessing experience. You can teach people how to do radio, but you can't teach them to be talented. Find people who are outgoing, love the lifestyle, have a great sense of humor, know the music, and can well represent your station. Who at the radio station who is not on the air has the best personality? I once asked this question…

Steve Swick is all about local. He's about local when he's running his eight radio stations. He's about local when he's dealing with his clients at Local Radio Networks. And he's not a happy man when roadblocks are put in his way when he's trying to execute great local radio. Swick owns stations in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. He is also the founder, president, and CEO of Local Radio Networks. He launched the company two years ago, when his frustration with working with existing networks reached a boiling point. He felt they weren't providing adequate customer service, and they had an attitude of "Where else are you going to, go little guy?" Local Radio Networks is located in Michigan and provides 24/7 radio programming to small- and medium-market stations, helping…