Is It Enough?

If the need for change at radio is great, the need for change at newspapers is greater.

One of the most high profile makeovers in the newspaper business has been at The Chicago Tribune. Obviously, a storied newspaper but also a familiar management team to us radio folk makes this story a little bit more interesting.

Watch this video and check out the graphically striking new look and see what you think.
Is it different enough to capture the interest of people who gave up newspapers or hardly ever read a newspaper? What would be the radio equivalent of what Randy and Co. accomplished in Chicago? Is it enough or too little too late?

Thoughts?

X and Y Tech Differences Simplified

It's not as if X'ers are not into technology but as Charles Golvin, principal analyst at Forrester Research explained in Business Week magazine, "the key distinction between Generation X and Y is that Generation X uses technology when it supports a "lifestyle need" whereas tech is "embedded into everything Gen Yers do" making them the first "native online population".

Among Millennials there is a strong chance that tech usage will continue to edge higher given the DNA of the group. Here are a few current stats:

• More than 80%: mobile phone usage
• Online time: more hours than it spends watching TV
• Text messaging: 72% by mobile phone owners
• About 20% access the mobile Internet at least monthly

Forrester Research's Golvin also said "Generation Y is the audience companies are most struggling to understand—a key issue due to their importance for future revenue growth". Clearly a huge challenge facing all industries, not just radio and media.

Let me suggest that applying shades of gray changes to how we program our content--on-air, on-line, and mobile will most likely not yield the results we are hoping for. Simply transferring the same old-same old to mobile apps will not only disappoint the end users but will disappoint those who care about the revenue figures.

The hit's will still be the hits. How they are presented is what needs to change. It is my opinion that we as an industry need to lose the "more music-less talk" mantra. If we have any hope of capturing the hearts and minds of Millennials we are going to have to employ people who can effectively TALK with and to this very influential group.

Oh, and You Can Stop Calling Everything "Viral" - That's Lame

Think you've got a handle of what's happening with Gen Y's? Not so fast--unless you happen to be a GenY'er. A thought provoking article in Read Write Web rightfully claims Gen Y is taking over.

Their attitudes about everything from social issues to work, to even the web is different than previous generations. I don't think it's a rebellious movement like has been seen in the past--just different. In fact, it seems that Gen Y's tend to have closer relationships with their parents and seem to be quite comfortable with that arrangement.

I have written many times over the past few months how critical it is that we educate ourselves on the significant differences between Gen Y's and all other generations. The writer of the article concludes the same thing:

Ignoring the voices of Gen Y is something you should do at your own peril, especially if you're a business looking to hire, a company selling a product, or an advertising firm trying to reach them.

Please read that sentence at least 3 times. It's that important.

In the radio business, we have two subsets of Gen Y's we have to be concerned about...employees and listeners. Expectations, aspirations, and goals have changed.

How we develop our on-air product, create our websites and how we help our clients reach consumers will be changing:

Marketing Has To Change: Because Gen Y is media savvy and conscious of being marketed to, brands that succeed in the future will be those that open a dialog with their customers, admit their mistakes, and essentially become more transparent (save one notable exception, apparently). Companies' web sites that want to attract GenY'ers will become more like today's Web 2.0 sites. Social networking will be just a feature. Blogs will be standard ways for companies to reach their customers. Customer service won't just be a phone call away, it will be available via non-traditional means, too. Today, savvy companies might be using Twitter, but that could change at any time if Gen Y moves on. Companies will have to keep up with Gen Y and not get too comfortable using any one format. (Oh, and you can stop calling everything "viral" - that's lame.)

Thinking of hiring a new employee? That too requires a new understanding.

Work Tools Need to Mirror Web Tools: Gen Y will drive adoption of "Enterprise 2.0" products and services. Gen Y in the workplace will not just want, but expect their company to provide them with tools that mirror those they use in their personal lives. If socializing on Facebook helps them get a sale, then they're not going to understand why they can't use it at work. For more buckled down companies, if workers aren't provided with the tools they want, they're going to be savvy enough to go around I.T.'s back and get their own.

Work Isn't Their Whole World: Sure, they're going to go to work, but it had better be fun. For Gen Y, work isn't their identity. It's just a place. Gen Y sees no reason why a company can't be more accommodating, offering benefits like the ability to work from anywhere, flex-time, a culture that supports team communication, and a "fun" work environment. They're also not going to blindly follow orders just because you're the boss. Sometimes dubbed "Generation Why?" they need to "buy in" as to why something is being done. Old school bosses may find their questioning insubordinate behavior, but they would be best to just change their management techniques and adapt. Gen Y hasn't known much unemployment and they're not going to put up with being treated poorly just for sake of a paycheck. (Bosses, your survival guide is here).

The future of radio hinges on Gen Y's discovering something connected to radio they can be passionate about. Passionate is a very strong word and might be unattainable. Let's try this: The future of radio hinges on Gen Y's discovering something connected to radio they can be interested in.

It won't be easy.

New Media...from a TV Exec's Perspecitve

Jeff Zucker of NBC Universal went on Charlie Rose earlier this week and discussed everything from digital platform profitability to fixing NBC Primetime to Conan taking over from Leno and lots more. Of course, TV is dealing with many of the same challenges as we are in the radio business; so it is interesting to watch and listen to his answers on how he is dealing with then.

Let me boil it down to 3 key words that I think best describe his central themes: time, talent, and change.

It's a long interview, but if you are a media junkie like me it was time well spent.

Technology Is Forcing Change

May 10th, 1982 was the date that technology forced change...

26 years ago the technology was FM radio and it was an AM radio station forced to change. That station was WABC in New York. Music on AM was dieing and moving over to FM.

WABC's ratings had seen better days but it was still a big deal. Just like people all over the New York area I remember stopping whatever I was doing to tune in to hear the change. I had moved on (working in radio) and was listening to other stations; but this was the station that I grew up with--the station that I have credited more than a few times as being my inspiration that made me want to go into radio.

Here's a WCBS-TV news report from that day. The report says a lot.



Even back in the "dark ages," 1982, technology was a problem...

• There's a whole lot of media out there, wired and wireless--it's getting tougher and tougher to compete
• AM stereo launching to better compete with FM. AM what?
• More stations, more choices, no giants. How quant.
  

Maybe a little slow to make the right moves, but AM did get it right. Interesting that AM's savior was human voices--you know the long list of talk radio stars that made that happen.

The music died on AM when the public had free and easy access to FM. Will the music die on FM when the public has free and easy access to music on ~~insert new medium here~~? I think you know what my answer would be. I will leave it at that.

Please give some thought to history since it has a nasty habit of repeating itself.

***photo credit: from a wonderful website called Forgotten NY

Change

That's the big buzz word this political season. We've heard it before and this year is no different. When one reads the polls or sees "man on the street" interviews on TV that's the central theme time and time again.

Of course we need change...the world is fluid and requires constant change just to keep pace. Change is inevitable. Of course, positive change isn't always so easy to achieve.

Now, let's put that in the context of radio. Radio is certainly changing as we all have experienced or witnessed over the last number of years. What has this change yielded our industry?

• Lower revenue
• Less risk taking
• Fewer people
• Shorter time horizons to achieve success
• Fewer stations deliberately targeting listeners that are the future of our industry (12-24)
• Chasing future PPM riches with more Oldies stations
• Public market rejection
• Individual radio stations as a commodity among clusters
• Belief that the "music machine" concept will save us

There's more, but you get the idea. Please understand, I am not suggesting that the industry itself caused all of these issues--we are experiencing a change in the natural order of things. My questions center around our reactions and actions.

When is the good stuff going to start to happen? Is it going to happen at all? If it does, will it start at the top or will it happen from the bottom? Who will have the courage to be the "agent of positive change?"

I just hope it happens. I have my doubts, but yet remain optimistic that out of the fog a resilient and growing radio industry will emerge on my cell phone, computer, dashboard, and yes through that big stick in the sky.

Recently, I was having a conversation with a friend (also in radio) and I was laying out the schematic for a new format that I believe would have a good chance for success. In fact, I have three new formats developed that I believe could work. My friend told me I was naive to believe that creative, fresh, new, and UNPROVEN would have any chance in today's environment. Of course, he was 100% correct.

I am undeterred. I am in the business of creative, fresh, and new. There's still plenty of success to be had with the tried and true...all I am saying is let's take some of those less successful commodities and give something new a chance to work.

Before you say it, yes, there have been new formats launched that have been successes. How many of those new formats were based in the current day and not a new version of oldies or talk the way its always been done? Right.

innovation + creativity + time + funding = a new chapter of success for radio?

I believe so.