Radio Ink Magazine November 9, 2020

One hundred years. Wherever or whoever was first, radio’s been around for at least 100 years, offering both progress and promise. And it’s fun to reflect on moments that have made the medium such a force. The breaking news that gathers crowds during grave crisis and grand celebration; entertainment bringing smiles, laughter, and water cooler talk; music heard a first time or memories brought back when it’s heard again, introduced by a familiar personality. It’s what made radio special from the start, a uniquely intimate relationship with listeners. Even in its earliest network days, radio nurtured a personal connection. When television threatened to annihilate that relationship, radio found another niche in listeners’ lives, with localism that carved out a fond and familiar identity up and down Main Street, U.S.A. So here we sit…

These are the basic principles of Chaotic Parable Ad Writing: 1. Approach your subject from an unexpected angle. 2. Tell two stories at once, using the relationship between two things as a pattern to reveal the relationship between two other things. 3. Allow the listener to arrive at their own conclusion. In the New Testament, stories like these are known as parables. This is the challenge we outlined in the previous issue of Radio Ink (10/19/20): STEP ONE: I have chosen the word “Molokai” to be our unexpected beginning. STEP TWO: Send Indy@WizardOfAds. com a link to the website of a product or service for which an ad could not possibly begin with the word “Molokai.” STEP THREE: I will randomly select five of these products or services and write a fascinating ad for each of them beginning…

Winning brands have tremendous depth that allows them to conquer the marketplace on a consistent basis. That triumph does not happen automatically. It takes months and sometimes years for them to reach their pinnacle of success. Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz, and Disney were not hatched overnight. As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of radio, we have so many incredible brands in our business to cherish. I think it’s useful to bring our industry together to consider the winning traits of great radio stations. To set the table, I turned to one of the most respected programmers in the business, my friend and former boss Mark Chernoff. Mark has programmed some of the most legendary radio stations in the business including, currently, WFAN in New York. His storied past includes WDHA in New Jersey and WNEW-FM and…

Radio has thrived and survived for the last 100 years. Allow me to count the ways: • Radio is a flexible medium. It requires only the ear’s attention to be fully appreciated. • The technology is ubiquitous, can be contained in a small environment, and can be transported anywhere — in a car, in a headset, or near a swimming pool. • Radio is everywhere — it is virtually omnipresent in the United States, with over 15,000 radio stations. Free over-the-air radio has wider consumer reach than any other medium, with 92% of American adults listening every week, according to Nielsen. • Radio cannot be eclipsed entirely by other audio services because of its portability, convenience, and price. • Radio is a distinctly “user-friendly” medium that gives advertisers the speed, flexibility, and immediacy needed to…

Radio just turned 100 years old on November 2, commemorating that first broadcast on KDKA in Pittsburgh. (We are not going to discuss who was “first” because KDKA and WWJ in Detroit are now both owned by Entercom, so that argument is moot.) Rather than indulging in “good old days” reminiscing about the last 100 years, we prefer to gaze ahead and find out what the future holds for the rare medium that is sometimes well-done. (OK, enough with the steak references.) I contacted nearly a dozen people I have known for many of the 60 years I’ve been in the radio business, and their answers provided a plethora of attitudes and predictions regarding where we’ve been and where we’re headed over the next 10 years. Let’s begin with KFI/L.A.’s accomplished PD,…

When considering the future, it’s important to start with the past. So let’s begin by realizing that radio is not turning 100 this year. KDKA didn’t broadcast election returns on November 2, 1920. Its predecessor, 8ZZ, did. The recording of the “KDKA” broadcast is a re-creation. The myth that KDKA was the first radio station was invented by the Westinghouse publicity department years later. 8ZZ was one of many stations organized by the Amateur Radio Relay League to broadcast the returns of 1920, relaying results across the country to each other and the public. The predecessor to WGR/ Buffalo, as well as WMH/Cincinnati (later acquired by WLW) and WWJ were among the many stations airing results that day along with 8ZZ. KDKA’s commercial license wasn’t granted for broadcasting, but rather for communication…