The Radio Blog

What's Wrong with Radio? YOU.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:20:00 +0000

Just who that applies to and a long explanation of why I do what I do, all right here.

iBiquity serenades the FCC: "How will I make it on my own?"

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 17:44:00 +0000

According to Satellite Radio TechWorld, iBiquity is looking for some help with getting IB(A)C into vehicles, especially seeing the SatRad merger as a major threat. Read all about it here. Here's an excerpt.

As a remedy to the merger, iBiquity recommends that the Commission imposed the following two conditions:

1. Require that HD Radio be included in all satellite radio receivers.

2. Require tha tthe merged entity terminate all exclusive agreeements and to prohibit all such agreements with suppliers, retailers, and the OEMs.

I can just imagine that voicemail message. Let's listen in, shall we?

The Very First Radio Blog Audio Post!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 23:07:00 +0000

In this post: Listen up Josh Strickland! Plus, new news from SAU Radio and advice for the new GM.

What My Generation Wants and Radio Isn't Giving To Them.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:54:00 +0000

Please forgive the long absence. Lots of stuff happening around here, so I've been extremely busy. It's just now slowing down, so I actually have time to post!

The return-to-posting post is a bit of a doozy. I just completed a survey of 250 Facebook users asking the following question: if you owned a radio station, what would you do differently to get teens and young adults to listen to it? The response method was a text field, specifically so that the participants could generate their own answers and not simply click a pre-determined option. This means that A) no options were suggested to the participants, so they came up with these responses entirely on their own; and B) despite that there were 250 participants, each participant may have given as many different ideas in their response as they chose to. If I really wanted to, I could break this list down into several common categories, but you should read through them yourself and come to your own conclusions. No matter what you draw from this, there's one common theme that resounds clearly: play more, better music. Here are the results.

the bizzare
i would sing on it with my dog
mix the music
poop
have celebrity guests
give aways
Contests
sex talks
less bullshit/add..good music, good subjects.
Party
give the listeners more choice of material
smoke dope
not go with the norm..
have no commercials
sponsor lots of free outdoor concerts
Play all different music, and only play songs that had been requested, so like a request line.
louder music
more music
play non stop music
play there music
have lots of requests
Everything and anything cool and not over played
uhh play good songs not gay ones!
have better advertisement
i would get your mom to sponsor it.
?????????????????????????????????????
play good music
commercials
i'm not sure
dont know
blank
you mom
use new songs that don't have explicit lyrics
contests
put actual music on
i dont know
less commercials
dance
promote current events that relate to that age group
Give out money
less rap which promote violence
oldies music
variety is the key
just music
uncensored music
LESS TALK MORE MUSIC
I don't know
offer lots of prizes
better give aways
nothing
cut out all commercials
not repeat songs within the day
play good music and dont repeat it all the time
different ads
call in show
nothing. i think they are doing fine.
put on porn
no requests
JOKES, CALL OUT AND TALK TO THE PEOPLE AND PLAY JOKES ON THEM
play music...
i don't know
id get preston maryland and steve back
be less repeatitive
Have a day where they could pick the programing..
I wouldn't play the same song 5 million times per day
play less commercials
play a wide range
lots of contests
less commercials
Free stuff
Less commercials
have more music and less talk
better music
More giveaways and contests
get younger dj's more in touch with that generation
not have any commercials
make sure it what they like
better music
Have crazy topics with outsider input
play music with no commericials
play more hair metal!
I would have all requests all the time baby!
Less ads..more music
everything
ask them what they want to hear
play "in" music
of course
not play the same 5 songs over, &over&over&over&over&over
no idea
how the heck do I know, I'm a scientist
live feeds fr. various hangouts
More 80's music
would gear to ppl in area not specific age group
play music
i just want my money
play decent music
NOT SURE
more free offeres
play good music
nothing
ksjdkdjsj
play everything they want to hear, nonstop
chocolate
play more jam bands
no talking, just music
JUST PLAY MUSIC NO ADVERTS
I don't Know
ihnc
give out a free car every month...!
kiss 100
i don't think like today's teens, so i don't know
i don't know
advertise in teen magazines
asdf
give them ownership
give out free tickets to concerts constantly
comedy
live sex chat
who cares
less news and comercials
Have a daily "info hour" where I or invited celebrity guests or victims can inform youths about daily depressions we face in life. Eg:AIDS,Domestic Violence,Self Esteem issues etc.
bcmv
understand my demographics
i don't know
A hour program were teens can call in and ask questions,tell strories etc.
jazz
contests
dunno
nothing
no commericals
Play lots of gangster songs
nothing
talk show targetted towards their age group
play more music
no idea
play more music
tshirts
Give away free stuff.
advertise
teens
i dont know
less commercials
dunno
why would I want teens ?
music
play good music
nothing
not play the same song over and over and over
play a better variety of music
I really dont know that is a tough one
dirty porn talks
Play good music
play good music
Have a call in advice hour!
Play popular music
penis
play good music
b myself
put good music on the air
HAve two sessions and a great 80's music
123456699
less commercials
talk less
nothing
nothing
say "khek" more often
dfadfaga
dfadfaga
freebies
its all been done
not sure
offer alcohol as an incentive to call
play good music... less commercials, play a wider range, go out on a limb, have good hosts.
not overplay songs
I don't know
i answered this question like 5 times already
play more music nd less talkin about stuff like that
offer prizes, git certificates, concert tickets etc for calling in
ID PLAY A HUGE ASSORTMENT OF TUNES, NOT JUST ONE GENRE.. ID HAVE LOTS OF COOL CONTESTS AND GIVEAWAYS.. AND ID HAVE COOL DJ'S THAT CAN RELATE TO THE TEENS.. NOT SOME OLD STUFFY ASSHOLE.
i don't know
less advertising
nothing
nothing
dcfj;kafasdfsfsfdfcgsgfg
cut down on the commercials (not financially possible, I know)
give out free beer
less comercials, more contests, request shows, and concert ticket giveaways
yes I would
no commericals
77 dollars
play good music
I'd play good music
awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwgain
host at a different high school every week
POLL TO FIND OUT WHATTHEY LIKE
Lots of hip hop and giveaways
variety
Street Interviews
stop censoring music, and cutting off the end of songs for airplay
Play only 60's & 70's Rock music
i dont know
noting
stop asking me the same question
arrange frre street concerts of top muscial acts
play awesome music
have contest
not talk so damn much
play all requests
play more dance remixes
Nothing
i have no clue
Play good Music
advertise free stuff
i dono?
less talking and more music
play better music
better quality music
hahaha
no.commercials
contests
not play the same songs over & over
let them decide the music
take suggestions from them
have a tv station
less commercials
I would have games that they can play and win prizes like concet tickets, trips, and etc.
none
blow it up then bitch about it for 6 years
no commercials
put some old people on it
bring up topics that teens want to hear
play more music less commercials
Let them help run it.
more guest hosts and fewer commericals
more contests
contests
talk about real issues
no talking
rock an roll
mix up the music
asdf
don't play the same thing over and over
nudity
pay their nkinda music and offer concert tickets
poll the listeners on what music they want
good music
more music we like
Talk about teen issues
offer more free prizes and play what the listner's want...less talk more music
Play good music.
play real music
Play some #@%&* music

The BEST radio station TV spot EVER.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 22:25:00 +0000

Remember Mix 98.3? This one's the SUPERIOR spot.

BIG win.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 23:18:00 +0000

The news seems to be picking up again.

Say goodbye to "indecency". No, not that we'll return to a state of not being able to say the seven dirty words. The FCC has just been given a slap in the face... and P.U.B.E. (People for the Use of Broadcast media Ethically, my name for the collective "decency watchdog" groups) will be the ones to feel it most.

Read and revel in the goodness of a court system that actually upholds the law.

More news to come, including an overdue update on the state of WJIM-FM... and what new PD Josh Strickland has done wrong already.

HAAAAAAAAAAhahahahahahaha!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Thu, 24 May 2007 01:31:00 +0000

I'm not fan of Paul & Young Ron, but this is too funny!

It's causing quite a commotion in the city of Hollywood, too.

``We just felt that it's not appropriate to have that right next to where the kids' area is,'' City Manager Cameron Benson said.
``We just want them to consider removing the billboard.''

EXACTLY the WRONG frame of mind.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Wed, 09 May 2007 05:49:00 +0000

We all knew it was true... apparently TV executives are no better than radio executives when it comes to accepting new technology .

The funny thing is that they think they're going to win. Meanwhile their numbers are dropping like rocks, Internet usage continues to surge, and more and more content is being made available online; more than the traditional media could ever hope to provide.

Welcome to the new world. Who are those people with their heads in the sand? Oh, those are just the old media executives who refuse to adapt to change.

Anyone seen my cheese?

The Horrors of MySpace: WJIM-FM Edition Redux

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 03:36:00 +0000

Why does this not surprise me? Because I figured, "new PD, new policy," perhaps? I mean, if the company is going to decide to take a turn for the worse, why not just go full-bore with it?

What was it that I've said from the day I first heard WJIM had a MySpace page (before the station had even launched their own web site)? Use your own domain name. Don't rely on a separate social network, don't follow the online fads to the extent that your station's following is going anywhere else for the content you provide; USE YOUR OWN DOMAIN NAME. It wasn't long after I brought this up that Dan Kelley contacted and informed me that the page wasn't official and they had no actual connection to it other than the name and a couple of mentions on-air. Not too long after that, the page was gone. Now Dan's gone and the page is back... and we're starting all over again.

In addition, "The" Anne is gone. That disappoints me... she was doing well. I heard her make quite a bit of progress on the air, and I was impressed. Unfortunately, speculation is that she was let go to make room for Josh Strickland, the new PD. I've never heard Strickland, and I'm not saying he's any worse or better than Anne, but she was a local writer-turned-radio personality who had, from what I could tell, gained a good following in the area, and they've apparently bumped her in favor of the new guy.

A new guy, who, by the way, comes from Grand Rapids, which is a cluster that has seen more criticism from radio fans than I've seen come out of a whole group of people for a given group of stations ever before. A new guy who is also the programmer of WHTS, "Hot 105.3" which, according to the vast majority of posters on the Buzzboard, is anything but hot. A new guy who, if my thinking is right, brought back the 97-5 MySpace page.

Incidentally, if you are going to be a radio station that has a MySpace page, is it really a good idea to not only commit "Internet terrorism" but also cause a dueling audio situation with your own audio stream by playing a song through the MySpace Flash player the moment your page loads? Because if someone's listening to something (say, WJIM's stream) and they happen to load the MySpace page, all of a sudden they've got a mix of whatever they're listening to (say, WJIM's stream) and Maroon 5. Nobody likes it when two things play at once like that, and if it's their own stream that an Internaut is listening to at the moment, doesn't having "Makes Me Wonder" all of a sudden blast over it a bit off-putting? Doesn't make me wonder, I simply know the answer: YES, IT'S FREAKIN' ANNOYING!

I made the comment on the Buzzboard when it'd first been announced that Dan Kelley was being let go that I would not be happy if whoever ended up running the station ruined it.

Any Broadcaster's Worst Nightmare

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:48:00 +0000

This is why, after I set up any console, I tell everyone working around it DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING.

WARNING: explicit language. Not (necessarily) safe for work.

BT's Studio Theft

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 02:50:00 +0000

I'd heard the news about Brian Transeau's studio being robbed, but I didn't take the opportunity to visit his web site until now. It's always interesting seeing the positive things that come out of something negative, and this situation is no exception. I like his idea for a non-profit organization to help musicians in two ways. Very cool.

THIS took a pair...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:47:00 +0000

"FM middle-management types are failed radio people. And they're now owned by people who bought them as real estate. That's why 99% of radio you hear is awful. FM radio is managed by failures."
-- Erich "Mancow" Muller

I can't say I necessarily disagree with him, but you gotta admit; that's gutsy talk!

The signature of the man who would kill radio.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 01:59:00 +0000

This could very well go down in history as the day the music died. Literally. Should this ruling and today's decision to not consider appeals stand, today's date will be marked on calendars everywhere as the day the slaughter of the radio medium became unstoppable. This is what we have to thank for that.

What could very well turn out to be the certificate of death can be found here.

The fight for life isn't over yet, but I'm quickly losing my optimism. If this isn't changed NOW, radio as a whole is doomed.

My Letter to the Copyright Royalty Board

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 20:37:00 +0000

I know, I know, if a tree falls in the forest... I did it anyway.

Subject: Internet Radio Rate Ruling

Question/Comment:

Dear Sirs,

Congratulations. You've successfully killed radio outright. No, not Internet radio alone, radio as a whole.

You see, radio cannot survive as-is, and those who have quite obviously paid you off refuse to see that. Listeners are leaving the medium and moving to the Internet. If the RIAA's music doesn't get played there, they will only have traditional radio to turn to. If nobody is listening to traditional radio, nobody involved gets paid and the medium will shrivel up and die. All because you were convinced by some greedy businessmen with a failing business model that you should hike royalty rates on a part of the industry that they don't like.

Again, congratulations. I hope you're happy. The blood of an already wounded industry is now on your hands.

Sincerely,

Josh Colletta,
Producer, Air Personality and writer of "The Radio Blog" (http://theradioblog.blogspot.com)

You can send your own here.

MOBILIZE NOW!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 17:47:00 +0000

If the jackballs on the Copyright Royalty Board (and the RIAA behind them) aren't reigned in soon, the radio industry... ALL OF IT... is doomed.

Today the CRB determined that the arguments Clear Channel, NPR and the webcasters recently brought before them (after the initial webcasting rates ruling that proved just how much the RIAA wanted to screw us all over) didn't present any new evidence and, therefore, determined a re-hearing was unnecessary. Which, as we all know, is complete and total bullshit.

More on the story here, here and here.

Write. Call. Flood your Congresscritters' fax lines and mailboxes with letters telling them in no uncertain terms you want this overturned NOW. This has already gone too far, there's no good reason to let this pass any further without your attention.

Further Proof That I Know What I'm Talking About

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 10:16:00 +0000

A follow up to this post.

Spring Arbor University continues to distance itself from WSAE. While the drop-down menu link from the university's front page has been fixed to redirect to a page devoted to SAU Radio, the page is largely biased against WSAE. Take note of the menu on the left. The items are as follows:

The Vibe & SAU Radio
The Vibe
Program Guide
Events
Cougar Talk
Music Charts
Music News
Listen Live

All links pertain to WJKN-FM. The only mention of WSAE is the section on the program's front page (which really is more of a gateway for the WJKN-FM section of the university's site). Before you say it, no. This has nothing to do with WSAE having it's own, external web site. They could easily integrate the Home.FM pages with the university's section on the radio program. The fact that they haven't says quite a bit.

This just proves to me that SAU is increasingly realizing the insane mistake they made in Home.FM . Meanwhile I'm just sitting back in my chair, laughing my head off because I predicted this before the flip even happened. Don't get me wrong; I'd love to see them fix the problems and turn things around, but I don't see them doing that. I don't see them doing that for a long time to come. Them distancing themselves from the station is a recognition that they screwed themselves over, yes, but it's also a step in the entirely wrong direction, and it's not the first.

Decision Points One and Two: Acquiring WJKN and WJKN-FM.

The Storyline: WJKN, a dark daytimer that had been unable to make it as a local talk station, was donated to the university in 2001. In 2002, the university re-acquired the 89.3 allotment (which had formerly belonged to WSAE before the station moved to 106.9 in 1991) and the WJKN-FM call letters.
The Right Decision Would Have Been To: Determine how to best format both stations, WJKN as soon as possible (doing so before sign-on would have been impossible as the station had to sign on to prevent license revocation due the length of time it had been off the air) and WJKN-FM before it signed on (March of 2005, over a year since the construction permit was granted). The best programming option would have been to put a Christian CHR format on WJKN-FM and a Christian News/Talk format on WJKN.
Spring Arbor University's Very Wrong Decision Was To: Sit back and do nothing, even after the stations signed on. A couple of meetings were held about WJKN-FM while I was there, but the students felt that their input wasn't considered as the university simply sat on the stations, perfectly content to simulcast KTGG on WJKN and WSAE on WJKN-FM.
Where It Got Them: Although the ultimate result was WJKN-FM becoming a Christian CHR as many students had hoped, it came with the taint of rejection due to the fact that the change came as a result of Carl Fletcher's plan. The student staff felt that they had been abandoned when they were pushed out of WSAE (they were right), and getting the format they wanted on WJKN-FM wouldn't have changed that.

Decision Point Three: In late 2004, Carl Fletcher, newly hired SAU Radio general manager, proposes a format flip and the removal of students from WSAE.

The Storyline: Fletcher comes up with a brand-new format called Home.FM, a combination of the secular and Christian AC formats. Taking into consideration that WKHM (across town in one direction) holds a lock on the secular AC audience, while WUFN (across town in the other direction) directly competes with WSAE as the station then stood, the idea was that WSAE would combine the best of both worlds to bridge the gap between the two formats in a family-friendly way. In addition to the format flip, all students would be removed from the station and moved to WJKN-FM, which would become a Christian CHR station (after having simulcast WSAE since it's then-recent sign-on). A new professional staff would be brought onboard to man the station. Financially, the station was to be a monetarily successful non-comm without the use of pledge drives.
The Right Decision Would Have Been To: Tell Fletcher no, flat-out. WSAE exists for and because of the student staff. In addition, the station had just had it's most successful pledge drive ever, proving it had a very large audience all across the southern half of the Lower Peninsula... an audience who would not take kindly to any format change that added secular music to the station's playlist.
Spring Arbor University's Very Wrong Decision Was To: Give Fletcher permission to enact his plan.
Where It Got Them: The station lost the vast majority of it's listenership and many people became disillusioned with the university as a whole. The student staff portion plays into this as well as the next point...

Decision Point Four: The station's programming flounders.

The Storyline: Throughout 2005, Fletcher was unable to come up with a personality lineup that meshed with the new format he had invented. While he manned the morning show with a new co-host that no one had heard of (and no one seems to even know where she came from), he brought on station secretary Rachel Ryder to do middays and voice-tracked Bill DeWees for afternoon drive. The rest of the evening and overnight hours were purely automated. That changed soon, however, as Ryder and DeWees' shows were moved all over the place. At one point Ryder did afternoon drive and DeWees took on middays. That didn't work. At another point DeWees took over afternoon drive again and Ryder did evenings. That didn't work. The John Tesh Show was added to the lineup, but the game of daypart hopscotch continued, with all three voices jumping all over the place. The only daypart at which any listener the station may have had left would have known who would be on the air was the morning show.
The Right Decision Would Have Been To: Tell Fletcher, after the second lineup switch, to get it together. This whole cockamamie format was his idea; if he required more than three attempts to get it right, he should have been shown the door. As Michelle Dawson (the station's previous manager) used to say, "We are not an electronic playground."
Spring Arbor University's Very Wrong Decision Was To: Let him continue to fiddle and toy with the lineup at every whim. It lasted nearly a year, and while the daypart hopscotch has ended, Ryder was moved again recently to Sunday mornings for a show called "Worship at Home," which tells me that Fletcher still has yet to get it right.
Where It Got Them: Very few mentally stable listeners would have put up with all the switching back and forth, which lasted almost a solid year... a very important year as it was the new format's first full 365 days on the air. If they had any listeners left after the format flip, they certainly lost them during 2005's insanity.

Decision Point Five: Share-A-Thon 2006 happens.

The Storyline: Remember how Home.FM was supposed to be a monetarily successful non-comm without pledge drives? Didn't happen. Due to the massive loss of listeners and corporate sponsors who believed in the message WSAE broadcast as a purely Christian station, Fletcher found himself running a group of stations (WSAE and, at that time, four translators) with lack of a way to fund them (which I'm thinking was pretty severe). The fact alone that he had to have a Share-A-Thon was proof that his plan had, ultimately, failed.
The Right Decision Would Have Been To: Part ways. At that point, Fletcher had proven he was not only incapable of programming the station in a reasonable amount of time, but was also unable to make his financial plan for the station work. Those are the two key aspects of a station manager's job description, and he was unable to fulfill them.
Spring Arbor University's Very Wrong Decision Was To: Keep him on.
Where It Got Them: Read below.

Decision Point Six: Share-A-Thon 2006 FLOPS. IMMENSELY.

The Storyline: The pledge drive that, theoretically, never should have occurred to begin with, managed to raise only $18, 458.58. The goal was $50,000. That came after the station had raised well over $100,000 in 2004... which, no doubt, went a long way in helping to keep the station on the air without a pledge drive throughout 2005. In all actuality, the number I have is probably larger than the amount they raised in the duration of the pledge drive, as I took that number from the station's web site the day after the drive ended and later discovered that they were updating the figure as more donations came in. Nevertheless, the drive still failed to meet it's ultimate goal by a very wide margin.
The Right Decision Would Have Been To: Again, part ways. Not only had Fletcher proven himself incapable of programming the station and making it monetarily successful without a pledge drive as he'd planned, his last-ditch effort to raise the finds needed to run the station came up horribly short.
Spring Arbor University's Very Wrong Decision Was To: Keep him on.
Where It Got Them: As it stands, my sources inform me that in his last months as University president (and even for a while before then), Gayle Beebe was not pleased with Fletcher and the direction SAU Radio had headed in (the same direction it's headed in today). From what I've been told, the university's board of directors feel the same way.

Where is the station now? Well, for starters, at least two students are on the air (Marla Sanford as his cohost in the mornings and Katie Grove doing the Retro Remix on Saturday nights) and have been for about a year now, which is an improvement. However, that doesn't tell me that Fletcher has seen the error of his ways... it seems more likely that, after the massive failure that was Share-A-Thon 2006, he probably didn't have the money to further expand the station's professional staff (and likely not enough to keep the staff he had then, which is probably part of why Rachel Ryder was moved to Sundays) and saw students as a less expensive way of running the place. Secondly, while the station has developed a listenership, it's nowhere near what it used to be. The flip in 2004 drove most of the audience to WUFN or other Christian stations available in their area, and any audience they have now have either been gained from WKHM or other stations available around the current five translators the station operates, as well as some who have found the station through iTunes.

Unfortunately, even with the continually growing discontent that just becomes more apparent with the new web site, I haven't heard anything about SAU taking any actions to fix the situation. Meanwhile their two most prominent stations are lackluster and stagnant with little listenership, showing almost no signs of improvement, and the two AM stations not only are set up for failure by continuing to simulcast an Inspo format, they're not even mentioned on the radio program's web page.

They knew there would be room for change when they acquired WJKN-AM. They knew there'd be even more room for change when they re-acquired the 89.3 allotment and a license for WJKN-FM. They had well over a year to figure out what they would do with the stations, and they did nothing. Then they allowed a new station manager to launch a new format that failed to connect with the established and loyal audience (by nature, it couldn't have connected with them). They allowed that same manager to force the students, the main reason why the station exists in the first place, to another, less powerful and smaller signal. They kept that manager through a highly unsuccessful pledge drive, one he thought wouldn't be necessary to begin with. At some point, you'd think the board would take a few steps back and think, "what's going on here?"

Note to Spring Arbor University: you did this to yourselves, and you only have yourselves to blame. You could have avoided all of these problems before they even happened, and yet you did nothing. Now it's up to you to fix them, and if you don't fix them NOW, more will come... and trust me, you'll have much bigger problems on your hands at that point than you do now.

No one believed me while I was a student there. I saw this coming... they could ask any student, past or present, who knows me and be reminded of that. They could ask Rachel Ryder or Dave Benson. They could call Michelle Dawson over at WUFN, she'd tell them I had numerous discussions with her on the topic. I'm not kidding around... this was all easily avoidable. Worse problems yet to come are still avoidable now if they make the effort. The question is: will they?

I have my doubts.

My Second High School May Suck... But My FIRST High School ROCKS!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 23:26:00 +0000

Cooper City High School is doing one of the coolest things ever. Something that I actually thought up ages ago (but, hey, when I was there, I was just a punk kid who didn't know what he was doing... what would I have known?). They're calling it WCHR . I'm guessing that's for " Cooper City High School Radio," though it's apt to reflect the format as well.

Essentially, it's a "radio show" that's pumped over loudspeakers behind the auditorium ("under the red awning" which wasn't there when I was) during lunch. It's a CHR format, but also is Full Service, including school announcements and such. It's similar to what Pioneer Middle, the school that feeds into Cooper, does (or at least used to do... I don't know if it's still running or not) with their Part 15 station before and after school. In fact, if Pioneer still runs their station, students involved at the middle school level probably see WCHR as a natural progression.

One of the biggest questions facing our industry today is this: where will the new talent come from? Back in '96, when we consolidated, we obliterated all our "farm team" stations. Today, voice tracking isn't the wave of the future, it's the present norm, and we now have no smaller markets from which to cull new personalities.

So where do we look? Places like Cooper City High School. Places like Nathan Hale High School in Seattle. Places like the Brandywine School District of Delaware, the three high schools in which share WMPH in Wilmington. If students in those places aren't ready for prime time by the time they're out of high school, encourage and possibly even sponsor them through college at schools where we know they're going to get the education they need to be ready for prime time.

These are our future jocks. This is where we need to be looking.

And let me close by adding that WCHR makes me prouder than ever to be a Cooper City Cowboy!

Hmm...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 02:59:00 +0000

Interesting. I don't see a single mention of SAU Radio, WSAE, WJKN-FM or KTGG/WJKN-AM on Spring Arbor's brand-spankin'-new front page. The old page had a link to the program right at the top of the page.

An oversight? Or disillusionment with the failed gameplan? You decide. I already have, and I think you know my answer.

EDIT: After hunting all through the web site and finding nary a mention of the stations, I managed to find the single link to the broadcasting program in the "Quick Links" drop-down menu. However, it doesn't go anywhere, neither in Internet Explorer nor in Firefox. I realize this is the first day this layout has been online, but something that basic should have been taken care of before launch... which still leads me to believe it wasn't a mistake.

"Listeners of tomorrow are online today."

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:16:00 +0000

I just found this while running through Technorati (I like to keep track of what my readers are looking at in addition to my blog). What can I say? Jerry Del Colliano is one smart man.

Thanks to Ben Roe, whose blog I found Del Colliano's post through.

Listeners DO Care!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 15:04:00 +0000

I'm sick and tired of my fellow radio people saying "listeners don't care."

There's a thread over on Radio-Info's CHR/Mainstream Pop board where we're discussing Kiss Chicago (WKSC 103.5) and their use of produced sweepers over the intros of songs. The users participating in the thread have posted that they can understand dry liners being used, or even somewhat wet sweepers over the intros of certain songs, but that the use of fully-produced sweepers over the intros of any song is just stupid.

Of course the thread, like most message boards on any subject, has to have it's token one-point poster, and the point this thread's token one-point poster tried to make was the one that strikes a nerve with me every time: "Listeners don't care."

Let's make one thing clear, and this goes for everyone who thinks that point is true: listeners do care, people! The fact that you don't think so only proves how blind and ill-equipped to run a radio station you are!

Here's the deal: my generation realizes how bad radio is today, and it's not because they've heard the radio broadcasts of the past. They know it's bad because it simply is. Just because they don't compare the state of radio today to the state of radio in the past doesn't mean they're ignorant. Look at the TSL numbers... they're falling, and they've already fallen so much so that the average 12-34 listener doesn't even stay tuned to one station for a full 15-minute block. That tells me the industry is doing something wrong, because we're failing to compete with other modes of broadcasting ( i.e. Internet-only radio... and Arbitron needs to start taking traditional radio's streams into account when they calculate the numbers, as that's where a lot of listeners are going), we're failing to compete with new technology such as iPods and other portable music players, and we're failing to even compete with ourselves (ratings today for stations across the board simply aren't what they used to be).

So what's the problem? It's that the industry thinks listeners don't care. They let the little things like the wet sweepers on WKSC go out over the air because they think listeners won't notice or, if they do notice, simply don't care.

The fact of the matter is that they do notice, and they think it sounds like crap (and they're right). And yes, it is only a little thing, but as I made the point on the Radio-Info board...

The little things accumulate into a larger problem , and it's that larger problem that becomes the complaint of the average listener.

I think this "listeners don't care" mentality (which is one part of why the industry is in the crapper right now) is currently a mainstream line of thought because those who think they know what they're doing (which, unfortunately, comprises most people in positions of power at the moment) are spending too much energy trying to re-reinvent the wheel (they did it once before during consolidation) and not enough energy to stop and realize, "you know, what we did in the past used to work, and it would probably still work now if we tweaked it to fit today's culture... why aren't we doing that?"

You take a look back at what radio used to be, and you realize that, HEY! That would still work today! It doesn't take a genius to realize that. It just takes someone with common sense. These people who go around claiming that listeners don't care obviously don't have common sense. Unfortunately, they're the ones running the industry. So here's my message to them:

WAKE UP!

At least they're using a tested, proven technology.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 17:04:00 +0000

Australia is starting it's conversion to digital radio. The good news: it's DAB. The better news: it's not IB(A)C. The bad news:

...um, there isn't any, really. They're actually doing it right.

Ah geez, here we go...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:51:00 +0000

I realize this is quickly turning from "The Radio Blog" to "The RIAA Blog," but believe me when I say this will ultimately have an effect on our industry, and you need to know everything about what's going on in this legal battle as you possibly can.

The latest? Apparently the RIAA is taking their message to the streets, and they're starting at Arizona State University . "Carnival of Jeopardy," indeed.

Would that, in the RIAA's eyes, make ASU students the "sad clowns"?

The RIAA: Failing Left and Right

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:36:00 +0000

It just keeps getting better! This time, we have a middle-aged couple who have complete evidence that they didn't illegally download or distribute copyrighted music. Not only does the RIAA decide to go after them anyway, they A) file suit in the wrong district, B) attempt to use evidence that was proven inconclusive in previous cases, and C) have absolutely no evidence to positively back up their claim.

Then, the defendants' lawyer sends the RIAA's law firm this letter, upoen receipt of which the RIAA immediately drops the case!

A little unsure of ourselves now, are we, RIAA?

If I were any person involved in the conglomerate's side of this case, right about now I'd be thinking, "How the heck did we even manage to file this suit in the first place?!"

I'm telling you right now, if these snakes don't slither back into the slimy holes they came from, pretty soon they'll be trampled. Or, worse yet, burned to death. And we all know what snakes look like when they burn. It ain't pretty.

Go, Judge Ashmanskas, Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 02:00:00 +0000

The RIAA just keeps losing this case no matter how hard they try to screw this poor family over.

On the Horizon

noreply@blogger.com (Josh C.) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 01:56:00 +0000

Now here's some cool news: Kevin Martin has decided wireless broadband should be classified as an information service, and the FCC agreed. Therefore, it now is.

What does this have to do with radio? Well, combine this news with the story I linked to below, and you realize that, should the broadband-via-TV device work properly (or should any similar long-range wireless broadband device come into play), wireless broadband will be available everywhere, and once that's the case, Internet radio will be available everywhere.

It's all coming together...