Innholdsfortegnelse for March 19, 2018 i Radio Ink Magazine

Like all younger generations, especially those who come into their parents’ businesses, they can see things their parents don’t see. They see fresh ways of reaching people, they see new opportunities, and they see things differently than their parents. And of course they also understand new things like the latest technology that their parents often have not embraced. It’s a mark of younger generations to want to do things differently from their parents. The parents, on the other hand, may or may not be willing to embrace new things, or may be perceived as set in their ways — when that actually might be far from reality. And though some are set in their ways, they may be clinging to their habits for real, practical reasons. Junior comes along and…

A famous phrase in the American vernacular, especially when it comes to professional sports, is “in the zone.” For example, NBA stars on a hot streak from beyond the three-point line are in the zone. Likewise, baseball players in the midst of a hitting streak might say the ball seems bigger, slower, and impossible not to hit when they are in the zone. In golf, you experience those focused moments when your swing seems effortless, and the putts roll in with ease. You’re in the zone. Michael Jordan has talked about what happens during particularly pressure-packed moments of important games. He said that whether at home or away, when in the zone, he was in a place of almost complete silence. He became so wholly focused on being in that…

When discussing digital strategies with your team, the first and foremost concern is always the amount of time it takes to achieve the end result. Whether it’s creating a video, a blog, a podcast, or anything for the website, everyone involved needs to know it’s worth their time. So what is the most effective content to produce for your station or personal brands, and where is the best place to distribute that content so it has a lasting effect? “My personal rule for my brands is to just to try to be different and stand out. There’s millions of people taking pictures of their food and coffee. I try to put myself in the mind of the person scrolling through their feed, just as I would put myself in the…

Urban One and Reach Media CEO David Kantor says Rickey Smiley is in an elite group of broadcasters. And that’s undeniable. Not only does Smiley have an NAB Marconi Award on his trophy shelf for Syndicated Personality of the Year (2017), he’s also hosted the Marconis twice. And both times, he was an excellent host, dropping timely — and clean — jokes on many of the broadcasters in the room. He was hilarious. The Rickey Smiley Morning Show has been in syndication for a little more than 10 years now, with over 65 radio stations around the country now carrying the program. The first two stations to air the show, back in 2007, were WFXA-AM (Foxie 103 Jamz)/Augusta, Georgia and WHHL (Hot 104.1)/ St. Louis. Both stations continue to…

From the 1940s through 1998, WALL-AM was the “go to” station for New York’s Hudson Valley. Yet for almost 20 years, its original home, Middletown, was without live, local programming. That is, until Bud Williamson of Neversink Media Group resurrected the heritage station. For the last few years, the station transmitted from studios in Poughkeepsie. Now, it’s back home in Middletown. Williamson has an impressive track record of making his stations profitable, even in the face of increasingly competitive challenges. And he’s passionate about keeping them deeply local, even as more radio is nationally programmed. Here’s his take on why hyper-local radio will be the way forward. Gary Krantz: Give us a quick back story on how you brought back WALL. Williamson: When we bought WDLC & WTSX in 2011,…

Beginning on page 26 of this issue, we place a spotlight on radio’s future leaders — specifically, African American leaders. They are professionals who have risen to the head of the class. They bring with them a passion for the industry, growing experience, and their own unique vision of what they fervently believe this medium they so love can, and should, become in the years ahead. Each of their stories is unique, and yet they share some common denominators. These future leaders believe in radio, in the business, and in the creative environment of the medium, as well as its potential to serve and strengthen the communities and audiences it reaches. They recognize the impact they can have on it and are dedicated to fulfilling that mission. Another characteristic in…

Are Facebook’s recent updates the end for radio on social media? The short answer is no! However, the changes do require everyone to rethink their Facebook strategies — lest they suffer the repercussions. Let me paraphrase what Mark Zuckerberg stated back on January 11: Users of Facebook would begin to see more content from their friends and family and less content from business and publisher pages (for example, your radio station page). He went on to say that businesses and publishers would see a decrease in organic reach and a decrease in video views. But he did provide a glimmer of hope by saying pages that produce content that leads to discussion among users would receive preference in a user’s profile. Now let’s pause for a second. Did we really…

What are your hobbies? Boating, football, and listening to classic rock. Who is/was your role model, and why? My granddad Ernest Smiley and uncle Anthony Smiley. They stepped up to the plate when my dad died and raised me to be a man. What are you reading right now? Prepping for the Savannah Book Fair. I’ve been in demand with my recent book release, Stand by Your Truth and Then Run for Your Life. Favorite movie? The Shawshank Redemption and Tombstone. Favorite TV show? Martin and First 48. Twitter handle? @RickeySmiley. Who are the three most interesting people you know (outside your family)? President Barack Obama — intelligent, friendly, a true leader, and change-maker as the first African American president of the United States. Xernona Clayton Brady — a civil…

Over the past year, the radio industry has constructed some amazing new facilities all across the country, and Radio Ink has been lucky enough to get a glimpse at many of them — so many that we need two issues to fit them all in. We will feature these state-of-the-art studios in a two-part series in this issue of Radio Ink and our NAB issue (April 9). In part one we’ve highlighted five new facilities, including Jim Rome’s new home in Orange County, California, designed by Kurt Kerns and his team at V Three Studios. Benztown has a new studio in Los Angeles, and Cumulus in Chicago consolidated several of its stations into one nifty-looking studio. ESPN Baton Rouge modeled its new place after the mothership in Bristol, complete with…

“The data is conclusive,” he told me. “Our close rate is much higher when customers call us on the telephone instead of going to our website. Therefore, you need to write ads that drive customers to the telephone.” “I agree that the data is conclusive,” I told him, “and it says you need to fix your half-assed website.” The research community has embraced a new buzzword. They take great delight in demanding that everything be “evidence-based.” It’s a little like listening to a parrot: “Evidence-based.” “Evidence-based.” “Evidence-based.” “Evidence-based.” By themselves, these two words seem harmless. After all, every new idea is based on evidence. But the smug and devilish side of this trend toward “evidence-based” methodology is that the phrase has come to mean “scientific, conclusive, and therefore above debate.”…

Chesley Maddox-Dorsey is the CEO of Access 1 Communications, which owns and operates SupeRadio Networks and American Urban Radio Networks. Maddox-Dorsey has been part of the broadcast industry since 1984, when she led the Ameritrust Company’s banking initiative into lending to the broadcast industry, and one year later invested in John Oxendine’s TV company, Blackstar Communications. In 1988 she formed CMA, a broadcast investment banking boutique, with Norm Wain and Bob Weiss and served as the CFO of Metroplex Communications. After Maddox-Dorsey directed the sale of Metroplex to Clear Channel in 1992, she spent several more years in investment banking. In 1999 she joined Access 1, which at its peak owned and operated 21 stations in New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Louisiana across a variety of formats. Although Access…

Now in its sixth year, our Future African American Leaders in Radio list, as it has in previous years, includes people from every aspect of the business and from all over the country. On the 2018 list, you’ll read about how several of them backed into radio almost by accident — but discovered they loved it (sounds like we may have a recruiting problem) and made a hugely successful career out of their opportunity. Many of them credit their success to having great mentors, strong faith, and the grit and desire to be the best at what they do. Every member of this list was nominated by a respected peer and voted on by a panel of experienced managers across the industry. Each nominee responded to a long Radio Ink…