Joe M500
As someone who’s been involved in the radio business for over 30 years, I can honestly say that the only radio content that seems to inspire me these days is the stuff that’s being produced by non-commercial, or “public” stations. (Full disclosure – I work for one.) Why is this the case? I believe that it comes down to three things: intelligence, passion, and variety.
Intelligence
I do not contend that people who work in commercial radio are stupid. The problem is that commercial radio is about profit, and it’s a lot cheaper to play the same Pink Floyd song over and over than it is find smart people with interesting things to say. You play music that’s been researched, get the best ratings you can, and sell commercials based on those ratings. Public stations don’t have commercials per-se, and there are strict rules regarding underwriting. Add to this the fact that most non-commercial stations cover only a portion of their operating costs from underwriting, and you’ve got built-in incentives to engage listeners in ways that will compel them to become “members” and donate money. This has led to the production of smart (and ultimately successful) programming like All Things Considered and Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me!
Passion
When you’re being paid to play the same Pink Floyd song over and over, it’s hard to summon much passion. I’ve been in commercial radio studios where the talent seems about as engaged as someone who’s flipping burgers. Many commercial jocks have been told, in no uncertain terms, to restrict their “chatter” to the station’s agenda – slogans, sponsors, and the benefits of an upcoming set of “commercial-free music”. (Does anybody else see the irony in this?) When I walk into the newsroom of WNPR (where I’ve been working for 3 years as an independent producer), I see passionate people working on content they believe in. Wonder who’s turning out the more compelling product…
Variety
In a recent conversation, I was speaking with a friend about stereotypes as they apply to public radio. The first thing that comes to mind is the “Schweddy Balls” sketch on SNL. The truth of the matter, however, is that public stations will air just about any kind of programming. You hear college students playing a wide variety of musical genres. You hear LOCAL news. You hear faith-based programming. And you hear two guys from Boston giving automotive advice.
In an era of seemingly limitless media choices, there are still constraints when we get in our cars – we generally end up flipping through the same old stations. If you’re tired of “Comfortably Numb”, public radio might be a good option.
Matthew Glover
I love radio. (There, I said it. Man, that feels good.)
Unfortunately, my “lover” is in deep trouble. Our programming is over-researched and homogenous. “Personalities” are cliches, mocked on Family Guy. Radio has become tiresome and BORING.
As a result, advertisers won’t pay what they used to, and talented people are losing their jobs.
This should be an era of great opportunity. With inexpensive digital editing tools and unlimited distribution, passionate producers could create high quality content for very little money. But we don’t – because no one will pay us.
A New Way of Thinking
It’s time we realized that the old model is dead. We can no longer wait to be hired by benevolent despots willing to pay for the privilege of imposing an intrusive tariff on our listeners. (They won’t have it, anyways.)
We need to bring everyone to the table – talent, producers, sales people, brands – with the shared goal of creating content that informs, entertains, and enables the providers of goods and services to connect with a community of engaged customers – and we need to do it OURSELVES. Was it easy when we could practice our craft without the need to consider the “back end” realities of the stations that hired us? Hell to the yes. Now let’s move on.
This is Not a Bad Thing
Industry changes and a bad economy have presented us with a call to action. It’s time to learn how to use ProTools and Adobe Audition and Soundtrack Pro. It’s time to reach out to our old audiences on Facebook and Twitter. And it’s time to partner with the people who know about “CPMs” and “RFPs”.
We MUST learn these new skills – we owe to our audience, to our advertisers, and most importantly, we owe it to ourselves.
This week I had a problem with an HDMI port on the receiver I use in my home theater setup. I packed up the receiver, found my receipt, and took it back to the store–the one that purports to be the “best” place to “buy” consumer electronics. Unfortunately, even though the unit was less than four months old and is covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, I was told that it would have to be sent out for repairs. I would be without my beloved 5.1 sound for four to six weeks.
I asked a manager if he would be willing to replace the unit in the store and work with Sony on getting a replacement. His answer was no. I left the premises with an elevated stress hormone level and receiver with a non functioning HDMI port. When I got home, I Tweeted about my experience:
Within hours I was being “followed”–not only by Sony, but by an extremely kind employee named Anthony Capobianco. (@TonyAtSony):
That evening, Tony sent me a Direct Message, asked for my contact information, and volunteered to look into the matter. I was, quite simply, blown away.
I’m sure that the store was operating within the framework of a written customer service policy, and that the manager was “just doing his job”. What’s important to note, however, is the fact that the incident represented an opportunity gained for one large consumer facing brand, and a missed opportunity for another.
By reaching out to me, Sony has made a friend for life, regardless of whether or not they fix my HDMI port. As for the “best” place to “buy” consumer electronics–you be the judge.
Jim Mills
I’ve been using Twitter for over a year now, which has given me the proper amount of time to fully understand the little things that piss me off.
So here it is – my list of the “5 Guaranteed Ways to Get Me to Unfollow You”:
- Refer to me as your “Tweep”.
- Tell me how I can use Twitter to increase my personal wealth.
- “Cluster Tweet”. (This is where you tweet repeatedly, causing your Tweets to appear consecutively in my timeline. You are effectively yelling over everyone else who has something to say.)
- Tweet incessantly. (My friend Duo pointed out a fellow Twitterer who, in his estimation, “seems to have tweeting hard wired to their blinking”.)
- Make up words that start with “Tw”. I find this extremely “Twannoying”. (See #1)
How about you – what gets your Twitter goat?
