See Ya @ the Conclave!

The always excellent Conclave gets underway this coming week here in Minneapolis. I am looking forward to seeing some friends and making some new ones. Hope to see you here!

This year I will be a faculty member...

Saturday June 28th 3:30P THE FORMATICS TRACK: The P&P Of Today’s Rock Radio. Presented by R&R and BitXChange Prep Service (St. Croix 1, 6th Fl)

No matter which form of rock radio you program, you’ll see and hear tangible examples you can take back to your market and improve the sound of your station. Product and Platforms are the two areas that impact every radio station -no matter the format. Attendees will hear multiple suggestions on finding & developing new talent, as well as retraining talent to work with today’s tools in order to help your PRODUCT stand out. Attendees will also see and hear how to utilize multiple PLATFORMS that can make a radio station more than a transmitter and tower. Facilitator: Mike Boyle, Rock editor-R&R. Faculty: Harve Alan (Harve Alan Consulting), Jeff Murphy (DeMers Consulting) and Steve Young (Jones Radio Networks).

40 Years In The Future 1968-2008

Doing a little blog surfing and ran across a very fun site. Interesting article from 1968 about what our lives would be like in 2008. Read on...

40 Years In The Future

The single most important item in 2008 households is the computer. These electronic brains govern everything from meal preparation and waking up the household to assembling shopping lists and keeping track of the bank balance. Sensors in kitchen appliances, climatizing units, communicators, power supply and other household utilities warn the computer when the item is likely to fail. A repairman will show up even before any obvious breakdown occurs.

Computers also handle travel reservations, relay telephone messages, keep track of birthdays and anniversaries, compute taxes and even figure the monthly bills for electricity, water, telephone and other utilities. Not every family has its private computer. Many families reserve time on a city or regional computer to serve their needs. The machine tallies up its own services and submits a bill, just as it does with other utilities.

Money has all but disappeared. Employers deposit salary checks directly into their employees’ accounts. Credit cards are used for paying all bills. Each time you buy something, the card’s number is fed into the store’s computer station. A master computer then deducts the charge from your bank balance.

As 2007 Comes To A Close...

My New Year’s Wishes for the Radio Industry (in no particular order)

• We lift the negative veil hampering the radio industry

• We figure out positive ways to communicate that more than 230 million Americans listen to the radio EVERY week
  

• We discard a few of the “truths” of the radio industry and try some things that may be counter-intuitive

• We have stronger industry leadership step forward and communicate a refreshed vision for our industry

• We stop worrying about new technologies we can’t stop and find ways to use them to our benefit

• We develop and create entertainment programming for those under 25 that is available in real-time on air and anytime everywhere else

• We let the programmers program

• We encourage risk taking and allow some mistakes in order to find a couple of gems out of some valiant efforts

• We remember that this is show business and we must put on a show

• We find some new words and phrases to describe what we do on the air (please!)

• We develop new and creative ways to monetize our programming and services

• We stay safe, remain healthy, and appreciate all of the really important things in our lives

I wish you the happiest of New Years! Can you believe it’s already 2008?

Will 2008 Be a Better Year For Radio?

Radio has many things going for it--here's my top 5:

• Mass distribution
• 93% national weekly usage
• The ability to adjust programming very quickly
• The majority of radio listeners are still satisfied with the medium
• Lots of revenue and cash flow--despite recent negative growth

No one would argue we are in challenging times but I believe out of adversity good things can happen. I don't think consistent financial growth can occur again until some new strategies and innovations take root in our industry.

We have a few things to figure out moving forward.

• How can a mass medium thrive in an on-demand word?
• How can we reinvent our advertising model that would be perceived positively by listeners and advertisers alike?
• What new format structures can we develop that will attract attention and loyalty?
• The hits are the hits are the hits, but what might we do in order to spark new excitement in music radio?
• What's next for talk radio--how might we ensure the next generation of 35-54's latch on to the format?

Seems like there's always more questions than answers, but I believe the answers are out there.

In a previous post I suggested programmers find the time to really listen to their station(s). It is an eye opening experience. Focused, quality time dedicated to the sound of the product will make the station sound better. I also believe greater attention needs to be paid to the output of station streams--too many streams are very sloppy. Lastly, I think interactivity with listeners is vital both in-person and on-line. Yes, in person. It's fine to have promotion staff at events, but there is still something special for a listener meeting someone whose voice they hear on the radio. And what's special about the content on your website? Is there any reason at all for a listener to come back tomorrow after visiting your website today? There better be.

I don't know how 2008 will turn out for radio. But I do know that I am a believer in our industry and believe it can recapture some of its past magic in the new year. What do you think? Can our industry rebound on '08? What are the most important things to be done?

Your comments in this space are always welcome. I realized that comments had been limited to Gmail folks. That problem is now fixed and anyone can be a part of this community.