Posted by Randall Bloomquist on February 8, 2010
Dems need to get in there and fight
Boston Phoenix blogger Adam Reilly offers an insightful post-mortem on talk radio’s role in Scott Brown’s election to the U.S. Senate. The bottom-line: Relationships and engagement matter — a lot.
True, most Beantown talkers were ideologically pre-disposed to support the Republican Brown. But Brown also benefited tremendously from his long-time courtship of the radio crowd. Even before the U.S. Senate campaign, then-State Senator Brown would often call local shows unannounced just to share an opinion or bit of news. Conversely, Democrat Martha Coakley’s campaign typically didn’t even bother to return calls from shows they deemed hostile. The result: hosts who were inclined to disagree with Coakley came to dislike her. (Coakley is not unique in this attitude. I’ve seen it many times, including at WMAL/Washington, where we were never able to get Democratic candidate/Congressman Chris Van Hollen (MD-8) on the air — not even with our easy-going morning guys.
The lesson Reilly offers is the same one we learned in the climactic scene of Top Gun: You can’t win the dogfight unless you overcome your anxiety and engage your opponent. Of course, you need the skills necessary to mix it up with a professional talker, but most hosts aren’t that daunting.
While a liberal politician may not “win” every talk radio encounter, their very appearance can help blunt the harshness of future criticism. As WTKK-FM/Boston personality and former political activist Jim Braude observes in the Phoenix post: “Democrats should start dialing. Most if not all conservative talk-show hosts are paper tigers. It’s also hard for any human to completely eviscerate someone who talks to them, and most talk-show hosts are human. And in my experience, after I called a show, I’d get e-mails saying, ‘You know, I hate everything you stand for — but I gotta give you credit for having the courage to come on.’
Categories: Talk Radio Strategy |
Tags: Adam Reilly, Boston Phoenix, Chris Van Hollen, Jim Braude, Martha Coakley, Scott Brown, talk radio, WMAL, WTKK | 
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Posted by Randall Bloomquist on February 1, 2010
Lady Gaga
Pop superstar Lady Gaga’s successful navigation of the tumultuous music industry is the subject of a recent Wall Street Journal article. The challenges faced by the 23-year-old Gaga are similar to those confronting an ambitious talk media host, including an industry move towards supporting a narrowing roster of talents who have the potential to generate big returns. About halfway through the article it hit me: Glenn Beck is the Lady Gaga of radio! According to the WSJ, Gaga’s success stems from the following traits, all of which she shares with Beck:
1. Gaga is truly talented. She can sing and writes most of her songs. This, as Alice Cooper notes in the article, makes everything else possible. Beck is an excellent broadcaster; a spectacular storyteller.
2. Lady Gaga is unique. From her sound to her penchant for wild costumes and masks, there’s nothing like Lady Gaga on the market. Beck’s worldview also one-of-a-kind.
3. Gaga is more than a singer; she’s an entertainer. Beck is also a fantastic showman.
Beck
4. Lady Gaga understands, accepts and thrives in the new business model of the music industry. That system requires her to work harder than her pop music ancestors, but also offers the key to lasting fame and riches. Same with Beck, who puts in long hours working a new multi-media model that generates wealth on a scale previously unimaginable to a radio talker.
Choose your teacher. The lessons are the same.
Categories: Programming Advice |
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Posted by Randall Bloomquist on January 27, 2010
Denny Schaffer
When veteran personality Denny Schaffer was released from WGST/Atlanta in late 2006 he figured it was just another turn of the radio career wheel. Sooner or later, he thought, he’d be back on the radio. And he was right. Schaffer is currently the evening host on Salem talker WGKA/Atlanta. But his path back to terrestrial radio was anything but typical.
A few months after his exit from WGST, Schaffer began to grow frustrated with the lack of job opportunities. His former producer, Crystal Lake Johnson, suggested that he start an Internet radio show. Schaffer rejected the idea as defeatist.
“It felt like giving up,” he says.
But in June 2007, after much prodding and assistance from Johnson, Schaffer launched “Denny Radio” on the Live365.com streaming platform using the home studio he built to accommodate his occasional fill-in work. Schaffer says it cost him about $500 a month to host Denny Radio on Live 365. In retrospect, he says, he probably should have simply done the show as a podcast on his DennyRadio website.
While Denny Radio didn’t attract a huge audience, doing the show every weekday paid many dividends for Schaffer. ”I got better on the Internet,” he says. “It was just me. No calls, no commercials. It kept me sharp for when an opportunity opened.” It also gave him the freedom to talk openly about his deep religious faith, a subject his WGST bosses (including me) had asked him to downplay. And, Denny Radio kept Denny Schaffer visible in the radio community, which ultimately lead to his hiring at WGKA; first to do short-form commentary, and then as host of a 9p-11p show focusing heavily on local issues. (Yep. It’s a full-time job — with benefits!)
Schaffer is realistic but grateful about his current place in the radio food chain. ”It’s a small voice, but I have a voice again in [Atlanta],” he says. As for Denny Radio, it continues to serve Schaffer well, streaming his WGKA show and providing a platform for live listener feedback. According to Schaffer, the site attracts about 1500 unique visitors a month and brings WGKA listeners from across the country.
Categories: Internet Broadcasting, Technology |
Tags: Crystal Lake Johnson, Denny Schaffer, Internet radio, Live365.com, WGKA, WGST | Comments Off
Posted by Randall Bloomquist on January 22, 2010
WMAL's Grandy and Andy
How do you keep in touch with your station’s loyal listeners? The occasional text email or static HTML piece touting an upcoming contest? Check out WMAL/Washington’s answer to that question. The “Grandy and Andy Rewind” is a fantastic e-letter that promotes the station’s morning show by highlight the week’s best moments with audio, text and the occasional video. Grandy and Andy producer Ann Wog admits it took a lot of effort to get the “Rewind” up and running but says she can now put out an issue in about 30 minutes. That’s time well spent.
Categories: Uncategorized |
Tags: Ann Wog, Grandy and Andy, WMAL | Comments Off
Posted by Randall Bloomquist on January 11, 2010
A recent column in Toronto’s Globe and Mail reports that Canadian sports-talk stations have developed a serious bias against callers, with some shows banning them all together, and others limiting listener participation to special “hot-button topic” segments or post-game shows.
The most eyebrow-raising observation in the column comes from Bob McCown, host of an afternoon drive show on Toronto’s The Fan590. McCown, who recently reduced the number of calls in what used to be his only caller-driven hour, says he will use PPM data to determine whether or not to continue taking with his listeners.
While I’m not aware of any significant PPM research on caller segments, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that they score poorly. Too many bad calls still get on the air at talk stations — meandering, repetitive, boring, static-plagued calls that make listeners punch-out long before the call is over. That said, it would be a big mistake for programmers or hosts to issue broad “no-caller” dictates. When properly managed, callers are a powerful show element that can help a host shine and bring a program to life. Here are some things to remember about calls:
Shows get the calls they deserve. An informed, entertaining host gets informed entertaining calls. And vice versa.
Call screeners are crucial. An assertive, well-trained call screener is like an offensive line for the host. She opens holes to advance the show and keeps the host from getting sacked by a bad caller. That’s why it’s a tragedy that so many stations have combined the board operator and call screener jobs.
Ignore your mother. Too many hosts treat callers with the telephone etiquette they learned as kids — exchanging pleasantries, listening without interrupting, and offering every caller a fond farewell. Most of this is an unnecessary disservice to the listeners. Hit it and quit it.
An aside: Based on nothing but personal observation, I believe sports-talk gets better calls than news-talk. I suspect this is because sports is the Toy Department of life; the callers are passionate, but they are ultimately talking about entertainment. Conversely, too many news-talk callers seem to think their call makes them part of a life-and-death Battle for America’s Future. Plus, sports-talk guys seem to get more calls from listeners who disagree with them, which adds a new dimension to the conversation, especially when the host actually engages with the caller instead of blowing them off.
More on that later.
Categories: Programming Advice |
Tags: Bob McCown, callers, PPM, sports radio, Sports talk radio, talk radio, TheFan590 | Comments Off
Posted by Randall Bloomquist on January 5, 2010
James Cameron’s film Avatar has now grossed more than $1 billion, making Cameron the first director to helm two billion-dollar movies — Titanic being the other. Cameron’s success is largely attributable to two things, personal vision and unparalleled passion.
Cameron’s films are unique works of art covered in his fingerprints. He dreamed up Avatar before he was even a film-maker, and spent years fleshing it out in his mind. Is the story unique? Nope. It’s a pretty standard story of imperialism and its costs. But, wow, how Cameron tells that story! Same thing with Titanic. Not the first telling of the tale, but probably the most powerful. The Abyss, a more original story, grew from Cameron’s love of diving.
All of Cameron’s films benefit from Cameron’s passionate commitment to excellence and refusal to accept the status quo. He has supported new technologies, driven studio executives and financiers to the brink, and taken ridiculous (but smart) risks to make his visions come to life. Through it all, he makes it clear that it’s his vision going on film. Cameron has been been known to wear a hat on-set that says “HMFIC” and his tirades against less-than-outstanding performance are legendary. Cameron once told a lighting crew that watching them try to light a set was “like watching two monkeys try to f*ck a football.”
Are you bringing a personal vision and deep passion to your show? Do you take true ownership of the program? Do you offer unique, must-hear observations or opinions? When is the last time you came up with an entertaining new way to make your point? Do you demand and reward killer performance from your staff? Do you sweat every single detail of your show, including what happens during the commercial breaks and newscasts? Do you fight for your show and team in the building?
In my experience, the answers to the above will determine whether you become a radio version of James Cameron or spend your career doing our medium’s equivalent of made-for-cable movies.
Make a resolution this year to Be Like Jim.
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Posted by Randall Bloomquist on December 20, 2009
To paraphrase popular dog-training wisdom, There is no such thing as a bad topic, just bad hosts. Well, that’s a little harsh. But just about any topic can be compelling if the host truly cares and has something insightful/amusing/informative to say about it. Christmas tree — real or artificial? That topic has the potential to be audio Sominex. But in the hands of TRN’s always acerbic Laura Ingraham this past week, it was pure gold. Ingraham has a VERY strong opinion on the issue (can you guess where she comes down on it?), an articulate producer who disagreed with her, and great callers, including the former CEO of an artificial tree manufacturer. While the conversation had the light-hearted tone of a break-room chat, Ingraham did manage to inject her political view, noting the irony of Americans celebrating the love of Christmas with fake trees made in a repressive country like China.
Categories: Programming Advice |
Tags: Laura Ingraham, topics, TRN | Comments Off
Posted by Randall Bloomquist on December 15, 2009
The technology blog Blorge.com recently posted its list of the “top ten” iPhone apps for talk radio. Not sure how they defined best (we asked, but got no response). Still, the list is interesting, not least because of some of the stations who made it, including WCFO-AM/Atlanta, a disadvantaged signal with an all-syndicated line-up and sports talker KABZ-FM/Little Rock.
Categories: New Media, Technology |
Tags: Blorge.com, iPhone, KABZ, WCFO | Comments Off
Posted by Randall Bloomquist on December 10, 2009
Still looking for holiday fill-in help? Talk Frontier Media can help. We represent several up-and-coming talents who are ready, willing and able to cover any shift. Email or give us a call at 404-551-2340.
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Posted by Randall Bloomquist on December 7, 2009
Road Kill Creative is once again offering FREE custom video troop greetings for News/Talk and Sports station websites. These holiday messages are from military personnel from your market. Hurry — requests must be received by Wednesday, December 9. For details and a sample greeting click HERE
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