At RAB 2009, Broadcast-Future!’s Peter Fuermetz pointed a video camera at me and asked for my honest evaluation of where radio is and where it’s headed.
I’m not sure my response will make me popular. But I’m kind of accustomed to that.
Note: For this clip, Peter faded out the 10-minute interview after just a few minutes. Please do not adjust your set.
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It only “offends” because it’s the truth.
Indeed….
In fact, I think my generation would be the last one to care about the medium and commerical radio specifically as a resource for local news info and entertainment on a habit forming basis, much likw what has kept the newspaper alive for so long.
Note here I say commerical radio, and want to clarify that. Most people in commerical radio say radio, and that isn’t correct. Radio in commerical form is probably the most common and “Professional” in the industries eyes. They look down on the LPFM’s, the college and the internet who are supposedly are doing a poor job of the medium. I would say otherwise. If anything, they are more niche oriented then commerical, not as money driven, but no less worthy of the use of the medium. If anything, unless commerical radio, they are taking risks.
But I digress.
After being in the commerical radio side for 16 years, and out of it for close to 8, I can certainly support Dan’s comments about relevance. People in commerical radio have no real sense of the people that listen to them. The ones who actually comment are hard cores, focus groups are usually people who get asked qualifying questions to get in that room to talk about the station, and talent’s egos are fed by the PD. The industry is very incenstuous and clique focused with a skillset that can be hard to translate to the real world.
Still, I think there’s a strong hope for the medium as a whole, be it all internet/satelite based, or remaining terrestrial. for anyone younger then me (i’m 42) news/weather and sports, local and international can be obtained from the internet, or as text in a cell phone. Internet streams will continue to be more and more mobile now through cell phones and wifi, and music? again through a cell phone or Ipod.
What’s radio’s relevance? are they bet on a techno savvy generation getting lazy? The “too Afraid of change” may kill them eventually.
The time is now to build the loyalty to the younger demo instead of leaving them hi and dry by playing it safe. I don’t doubt some markets are doing that, but not necessarily all.
The elephant in the room is finally addressed!
Hopefully your voice joining the chorus will persuade a few more people to pay attention before our industry follows the milkman or the CD store into obsolescence.
I’m not convinced that every radio executive understands the language in which we’re singing. If only…
What did you say during the rest of the interview, Dan?
Indeed….
In fact, I think my generation would be the last one to care about the medium and commerical radio specifically as a resource for local news info and entertainment on a habit forming basis, much likw what has kept the newspaper alive for so long.
Note here I say commerical radio, and want to clarify that. Most people in commerical radio say radio, and that isn’t correct. Radio in commerical form is probably the most common and “Professional” in the industries eyes. They look down on the LPFM’s, the college and the internet who are supposedly are doing a poor job of the medium. I would say otherwise. If anything, they are more niche oriented then commerical, not as money driven, but no less worthy of the use of the medium. If anything, unless commerical radio, they are taking risks.
But I digress.
After being in the commerical radio side for 16 years, and out of it for close to 8, I can certainly support Dan’s comments about relevance. People in commerical radio have no real sense of the people that listen to them. The ones who actually comment are hard cores, focus groups are usually people who get asked qualifying questions to get in that room to talk about the station, and talent’s egos are fed by the PD. The industry is very incenstuous and clique focused with a skillset that can be hard to translate to the real world.
Still, I think there’s a strong hope for the medium as a whole, be it all internet/satelite based, or remaining terrestrial. for anyone younger then me (i’m 42) news/weather and sports, local and international can be obtained from the internet, or as text in a cell phone. Internet streams will continue to be more and more mobile now through cell phones and wifi, and music? again through a cell phone or Ipod.
What’s radio’s relevance? are they bet on a techno savvy generation getting lazy? The “too Afraid of change” may kill them eventually.
The time is now to build the loyalty to the younger demo instead of leaving them hi and dry by playing it safe. I don’t doubt some markets are doing that, but not necessarily all.
The elephant in the room is finally addressed!
Hopefully your voice joining the chorus will persuade a few more people to pay attention before our industry follows the milkman or the CD store into obsolescence.
I’m not convinced that every radio executive understands the language in which we’re singing. If only…
What did you say during the rest of the interview, Dan?
@ Nancy: I have no idea. Can’t wait to see the rest of it so I’ll find out.
It’s weird to think that I’ve been in this business long enough to have argued against putting tape on the turntable capstan to speed up the music. My position was that our listeners would be pretty pissed at us when they actually bought the music at the store and heard how different it sounded than on the radio. My PDs position was, “Nah, they’ll just listen for it on OUR air because they’ll be used to the way it sounds on our station.”
I agree that the vast majority of “radio folk” have been too close to the forest to see the trees. A prime example of that is the neverending 4 person slapfest on All Access’ radio board.
So many of us came up through a culture that insisted that the audience will believe what WE tell them to believe. The truth was, the audience has always seen through our act. As you said Dan, for so long there were no other options.
Now there are too many.
Will radio ever be dominant again? Most likely not. (See, I can’t let it go completely either)
Can we carve out a niche? As you said, only if we’re smart and make what we have to offer MATTER again.
Remember back in the 1990s when former FCC chairman Reed Hunt SHOCKED – SHOCKED I SAY – the corporate radio gods by proclaiming, “I can speak about the future of media for five hours straight and never once mention radio”.
They didn’t get it then and they still don’t get it now. The state of radio is the state of Denial.
Hi,
for those of you, who want to see the complete interview: here it is…
https://tinyurl.com/df7448
Peter Fuermetz