Radio Ink Magazine August 17, 2020

It was supposed to be a year of reflection and anticipation. Reflection, as we are inclined to do at historic moments, on the 100th anniversary of radio. Anticipation, as to what its future holds. And it truly is a milestone. Radio was the first electronic medium to communicate and connect with the masses, beginning with KDKA’s first commercial broadcast, the Harding-Cox election returns on November 2, 1920. Its power to create “theater of the mind” was never more apparent than Orson Welles’ infamous 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast, reported by a print press much intimidated by this new competitor to have caused great panic among listeners. In the 100 years since those mics opened, however, predictions of radio’s demise have never been in short supply. While thought to be “doomed” by…

When James Madison drafted the First Amendment, “the press” referred to the newspapers of our nation, such as the Pennsylvania Gazette owned by Benjamin Franklin, the most popular paper in the 13 colonies. Things rocked along swimmingly for about 200 years. Then one day we walked outside to get the newspaper, sat down to read it, and realized it was yesterday’s news. Welcome to the 21st century, where your telephone is also your newspaper, TV, encyclopedia, magazine, restaurant menu, instruction manual, shopping mall, worldwide map, and phone book. The computer chip gave us the Internet, an unregulated realm where irresponsible people are free to spray false reports, fabricated data, and doctored photos across our society like a flamethrower washing over a field of dry grass. Presto, the world is on fire. I believe that people…

There are similarities found among highly successful radio stations. Given that this issue salutes the 40 Most Powerful People in Radio, here are the 40 most powerful tips to program a great radio station. 1. Be responsible, as the PD, for everything that comes out of the speakers. 2. Identify the station with name and frequency often — in both PPM and diary markets. 3. Be sure your online Nielsen Station Information Profile is up to date. 4. PPM markets, check your audio enhancement unit (CBET) daily to see that it’s active. 5. Play the biggest hit songs over and over — repetition builds time spent listening. 6. Look for “spice” songs to play unexpectedly and occasionally. It gives the illusion of variety. 7. Respect the music; don’t talk over cold-end songs or over vocals. 8. Learn to…

Dynamic, engaging, unique, creative, entertaining, intimate, purposeful, resilient. As radio heads towards its centennial celebration, those are just a few of the words to describe the business fans adore, advertisers respect, and we all love. Our resolve as an industry is being tested in ways we never expected with a pandemic, a recession, and disruptive forces all around us. As we prepare to blow out the candles on the birthday cake, I decided to ask various folks associated with the industry this question: “What will make radio stronger for the next 100 years?” I approached a diverse group, ranging from programmers to CEOs, owners to sales leaders, consultants to marketers, market managers to engineers, brokers to futurists. We ran the gamut. We also allowed for anonymity so they could push the envelope. As…

It can take years to build a solid-performing radio station — and only a few bad moves to ruin it. So today I’ll share my thoughts about that, as well as ideas contributed by many of my social media radio friends. So, in no particular order, here are 40 programming pitfalls to avoid so you can keep stellar ratings. 1. Your music library is too large. 2. Your music software is not optimized properly with song coding, priorities, etc. 3. From Country consultant Joel Raab: “Switching to a format you like or are good at even though there is no hole in the market. Thinking that your past success will transfer without doing the proper research and analysis.” 4. You’re guessing when it comes to building a library, not doing music research or using…

1. Go R.E.D.: Rest, Exercise, and Diet. Take care of your health. If you don’t, you won’t have the brainpower to come up with good ideas or the physical stamina to execute them. 2. Take care of your appearance. Reevaluate and upgrade your grooming and mode of dress. First impressions count, and people do judge a book by its cover, so to speak. 3. Take care of your mind. Keep feeding it the good stuff. Listen to positive motivational CDs, podcasts, etc. It will help you raise your AQ (Attitude Quotient). 4. Keep learning your craft. Take RAB courses. Learn from the most experienced on your team. 5. Get organized. Manual or digital, have a good system. The time you save will help you become more productive. 6. Serve your community. Get involved; become visible.…