– Consultant Holland Cooke did an excellent job of reminding talk radio pros that their next gig may not be at a radio station.  Cooke urged attendees to think of themselves as content creators — writers, public speakers, Internet experts – who can help businesses and others deliver their messages in multiple media.  He recommend several books for those facing career transitions (i.e., everyone in radio), including  The Long Tail by former Wired editor Chris Anderson.  I echo that advice.  The Long Tail will change how you think about modern commerce — and your future opportunities.  Anderson summarizes the book’s lessons in this video.   Check out this  funny-because-it’s-true take on The Long Tail.  See the rest of Cooke’s recommendations here.

– A panel on podcasting raised some eyebrows as audience members learned that there are radio and non-radio people making some serious money with Internet and podcast programming.  More on that in an upcoming edition of Talk Frontier.

– The Big Buzz came with Rush Limbaugh’s appearance to accept Talkers’ Freedom of Speech Award.  Aong the other notable hosts in attendance at the event:  ABC/Premiere’s Sean Hannity, ABC’s Mark Levin, TRN’s Laura Ingraham, Air America’s Lionel, Dial Global’s Ed Schultz, and The Wall Street Journal’s Gordon Deal.

– Among the positive things discussed in the hallways: The news/talk format may see dramatic growth as a result of radio’s current struggles.  Syndicators are actively hunting down struggling music FMs and working hand-in-glove with the owners to flip them to talk.  True, the resulting stations tend to be heavily syndicated, but more talk outlets means more local opportunity as times get better.

– Talkers honcho Michael Harrison claims registeration of 400-plus, and the seminar’s key events were indeed packed.  Following the trend at all talk events in recent years, the vast majority of attendees represented syndicators or other suppliers.  There were no more than a dozen local-level PD ’s at the seminar. 

But one must give a huge tip of the headphones to Michael Harrison.  In a year that has seen the demise of R&R and its talk seminar, a hiatus for Al Peterson’s fledgling talk event, and massive revenue and job loss in the radio industry, Harrison went ahead with the New Media Seminar.  In a time of uncertainty and fear, he provided a safe, comfortable place for the news/talk format to huddle together and strategize for the future.  Kudos to you, Michael Harrison.

Flash prognosis?   Properly conceived and executed, the Washington Times programming could be an excellent option for the third talk station in a large market, or the second talker in a mid to small market.  The timing is certainly right for a decent morning show available on barter.

But TRN faces two big challenges.  First, it needs to hire the right host(s).  Even an information-driven program benefits tremendously from a strong personality at the helm.  Witness Scott Slade, host of WSB-AM’s Atlanta’s Morning News, Scott Simon on NPR’s “Weekend Edition“, and Gordon Deal of “The Wall Street Journal This Morning.”  A good host makes the show more appealing by covering the metal-on-metal clank of news and information with a coat of warmth and humanity.

TRN must also rein-in their ink-stained partners.  The program has to be a radio show, not an audio version of the Washington Times. Pardon the generalization, but newspaper people just don’t understand news/talk radio.  The executives look down on it, and their reporters are often terrible on-air – with little interest in getting better.  This was one of many problems with Washington Post Radio, the Bonneville station that struggled for 18 months and died in September, 2008.  WaPo Radio was built around the idea that people would want to hear more from the Post reporters who penned the day’s big stories.  As a result, the station often sounded like an editorial staff meeting, with less-than-articulate scribblers droning on far too long about who-cares-what. 

TRN needs final control over all aspects of this new show, including content and which reporters get showcased.  It must also commit to endless teaching and coaching of the scribblers and their bosses.  If the radio guys can gain and maintain that upper hand, TRN’s  Mark Masters may have another winner.