Mark Ramsey's New Book

Please allow me to recommend Mark Ramsey's new book "Making Waves."

I have known Mark for many years and worked with him at hear2 and Mercury and I can tell you he is one of our industry's brightest minds. This book will be a quick and easy read but I can't think of a more important book for radio people than this one.



Dana Hall at Radio-Info just posted a brief interview with Mark. Here is the link.

An Optimistic Tone

After attending the NAB and R&R Conventions in Austin this past week, I felt a little different leaving these gatherings than I had in recent years--optimistic.

It was a pleasant surprise.

Sure, there was the normal (and usually empty) rah rah speeches and a certain amount of grousing one would expect from these meetings. However, for the first time in quite a long time I got the feeling something good could be brewing. I listened to and talked to a lot of people and I detected a more determined spirit.

How could this be? August revenue down another 11%. Good people are still losing their jobs. The banking and credit situation is still shaking foundations loose. Radio stocks still at record low levels. Station multiples have declined. Under 25's haven't magically developed a new found passion for radio. HD Radio is still flailing. And "Radio Heard Here" is no more an effective slogan, pitch or campaign than it was last year when it was introduced.

Any one of these things could dampen anyone's spirit. I think what has changed is everything has changed and a certain sense of reality has set in. Act now or your time to act may be very short. And there is lots of action. My fear, while many of the actions being taken (PPM navigation, social networking, etc) are certainly positive for the industry, there is still a crater-sized hole for some forward and dare I say visionary thinking.

Yeah, yeah, easy for me to say...blah blah blah....You might be asking what am I doing to help?

Here are a few things I am involved with:

• Coaching a fresh new radio show launched on-line by way of podcasts already with thousands of downloads--next will be adding a traditional radio show.
• Launched a new local Alternative station that is more than 70% current-recurrent 24/7 designed for Millennials.
• Developing a new commercial strategy designed for both PPM and diaries that defies conventional wisdom and does everything WRONG! So crazy it just might work.
• A ready-to-launch concept--a talk/entertainment/music hybrid targeted at young adult women 18-44.

There's just a few examples of some things spinning around my brain these days. I bet you have some very good ideas of your own--and that's what we need. Lot's of good ideas. Not all of them will work, but if we try enough new and truly different things we will be a better industry.

Bottom line: it will be new long-term strategies that will win (maybe even attract younger listeners) and not a series of short-term tactics.

Chrysler Motoring Forward

Chrysler has announced it will be bringing in-dash internet to Chrysler products...fast.

Initially the user will need a wireless phone subscription to access the Internet, because the system relies on the signal from cellular towers. The company hopes to provide full coverage without a separate mobile phone line in future, however.

But there is more to this story. It's not a radio story, but one of how a troubled company in a troubled industry is changing how it operates and deploys new ideas and technologies.

Working and thinking like a small company is how Chrysler hopes to weather the current economic storm. We told you just last week about Chrysler’s plan to implement new technologies and product updates on-demand rather than waiting for product refresh cycles, and now it looks like one of the first implementations of the fast-moving method with be the addition of in-car web access to its lineup.

Chrysler hopes to be the first maker to sell vehicles equipped with on-the-go access. BMW announced its own in-car Internet access plan in late February this year, but will only be rolling web-enabled cars off its assembly line at the end of 2008, and even then only in Europe. Rather than wait for its factories to gear up for the production, Chrysler will be sending the units straight to the dealers to be installed. Once the factory installation is ramped up, they will take over for the dealers, according to the Washington Post.

The move is not just focused on bringing extra features to Chrysler cars, but also to Chrysler dealerships. Robert Nardelli, Chrysler CEO, said “We’re aggressively moving to capture more of the customer service and parts business by focusing on what dealers need to increase their profitability.”

Bravo!

Chrysler is the first US automaker to jump into what will be a rapidly growing segment of standard equipment--in dash internet. And while that's a story by itself; I think it is noteworthy that this old line company, under new management, is adjusting its operational mentality to try to be nimble and responsive. A move that could change the company's fortunes going forward.

It takes courage and vision to make these moves...the same two words that need to fuel the radio industry in the months and years to come.

You can read this and other motoring stories at Motor Authority