New Years Eve

31° - overcast at 9:47pm

A quiet New Year's Eve - pretty typical for us. I can't recall the last year we went out on New Year's Eve. Sometime before children.

Watching "Wag The Dog" on TV right now with my wife and 12-year old.

I've struggled with writing here all day; finding the right words to sum up the past year. Its been one of change for yours truly - and related to that - another year of continued downsizing for our industry.

Last week - after presenting some new stats from Arbitron - Fred Jacobs offered a question on his blog. Fred's entire post:

Arbitron's preliminary release from RADAR 95 will make you think. All told, 233 million Americans listen to radio weekly. And 95% of Adults 18-49 with a college degree and a yearly household income of $50,000+ still tune in.

So how can a medium with this kind of reach be struggling so mightily? Just asking.

Radio ain't like it used to be. But its far from dead. It just needs a new attitude.

That said - with coffee this morning - I did my usual perusal of blogs and industry sites - and came across a poll on Larry Shannon's Radio Daily News - seeking nominations for RDN's Radio Person Of The Year.

I couldn't get too excited by the usual list of suspects - but one candidate stood out:

"All those Laid Off Employees of Clear Channel, CBS Radio, et al, who devoted their immense talents to an industry that has forgotten how to appreciate them."

My vote went in. There's too many great people - from air talent to program directors to GMs - and others in-between who've been downsized.

Only dreaming - but what if 2008 became the year of "sizing up" with the talent pool thats become available. And that's assuming the laid-off talent will consider having the industry back.

Here's a toast that 2008 will bring the leadership necessary to get radio out of its apparent inferiority complex - and will once again realize the importance of investing in the product - including the people and personalities that make radio unique among media choices.

And may the next year be one of your best too.