Radio Ink Magazine August 8, 2022

DEBORAH PARENTI PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER STREAMLINE PUBLISHING DPARENTI@STREAMLINEPUBLISHING.COM It’s a sad commentary on the times in which we live that a community’s being assaulted by horrific violence or destructive acts of nature is, if not inevitable, increasingly likely. For all of the national press that descends, an attack is personal to a community. It’s local. And radio is local. At least that’s what we like to tell listeners, advertisers, the FCC, and Congress as we fight for a more even playing ground against a host of non-local competition that is not subject to license requirements. Localism is what distinguishes broadcasters from the others - something we frequently reiterate for those who would seek to impose more financial obligations on an already heavily burdened industry. And there are multiple examples of radio’s service to its markets that are frequently…

ROY H. WILLIAMS PRESIDENT WIZARD OF ADS INC. ROY@WIZARDOFADS.COM The long-ago Greeks had two words for time: kronos and kairos. Kronos time is quantitative and accurate. Kairos time is qualitative and important. Kronos is chronological time, sequential time, the metered time of the regimented left hemisphere of the brain. Kairos is an inflection point, a time window of indeterminate length during which something consequential happens. I point out these different concepts of time to sharpen your senses when you’re writing ad copy. There is a difference between a statement of kairos: “The day is here. The time is now. The time has come,” and a statement of kronos: “8 p.m.” More important to your ad copy than kronos (chronological time) and kairos (time of consequence,) are logos (logic), ethos (status/character,) and pathos (emotion). Aristotle called these the three artistic proofs. Logos appeals…

Stingray Chevrolet calls Plant City, Florida, home. Steve Hurley is the dealer principal of the business in a city of about 40,000 people located between Tampa to the west and Lakeland to the east. Since he bought the dealership in 2008, his store has typically tracked in the top 1% of the best-producing Chevy stores in the country. “We are on the periphery of Tampa, but we are not a Tampa store,” Hurley says. “You know people want to shop close to where they live, but we knew we had to cast a broad net to bring in business from all these areas surrounding us. We knew we needed a little bit broader reach, and we knew that we needed to brand the store.” Steve Hurley believes in radio. He partners with…

Fresh off her Gracie win earlier this year, Dana Cortez is ready to take over radio with a fresh sound, a relatable life story for a young generation of listeners, a work ethic that defies the “Great Resignation” crowd of today, and a syndication company ready to make her radio's next big star. Dana Cortez is a second-generation Mexican-American who grew up poor in West Texas, and she brings her own experience and the perspective of many disenfranchised Americans to her show every day. She is also a rarity in radio: a female lead voice in a multi-member cast. She’s fluent in social media, where she stays connected to her audience, and Cortez knows exactly what it takes to make a syndicated program sound local - and she’s willing to do…

What are your hobbies? I love to cook. We eat at home 90% of the time. I read and I work out; it clears my mind. And I used to be 60 pounds heavier, so it’s a self-disciplinary act I committed to years ago. Who is/was your role model, and why? My two role models are my Grandmother Lupe, who raised me - she lost her own mom at age 4, yet understood what a mother’s unconditional love means to a child. And my mom, Sandra, who worked since age 14 and showed me you have to work toward success - it doesn’t come knocking at your door. What are you reading right now? Besides Nielsen? A book about Mesoamerica called American Holocaust by David Stannard. What is your favorite movie? I can’t pick one movie, but…

The competition has never been greater for the ear time of the consumer. Audio is experiencing a resurgence in America. Technology has made audio consumption easier than it’s ever been. Concerts and events are back in full swing. Podcast listening is climbing. The battle is on, and content is king! Program directors and brand managers at radio stations across the country are in the thick of the fight. With their ears glued to their stations, they pick the perfect music, listen to every liner, pay attention to what their communities are saying, and deliver the highest-quality product to their audiences. Putting together this list every year starts with a nomination, typically from someone who ranks higher in the company than the nominated PD - maybe even the CEO. We go from there, with…