In The Game (without the play-by-play)

81° - cloudy/overcast at 1pm

Good afternoon from Okemos....

Football season has arrived - and there's a number of Classic Rockers that are flagships or affiliates of NFL and College teams.

The demos and lifestyle are a perfect fit.

And there's some Classic Rock stations using this great match to tie themselves to a local team each week - right up to kickoff - without any play-by-play rights!

In Philadelphia: "Bird" fans can get their dose of classic rock plus "the PERFECT AMOUNT of Birds FOOTBALL ANALYSIS + INSIGHT!" with WMGK's "Classic Kickoff" - live from a sports bar blocks from the stadium.

'MGK is telling listeners and fans to: "Stop by and see us before the game + by all means BLAST MGK IN THE STADIUM LOTS while you're tailgating!" Very cool.

WFBQ/Indianapolis was the flagship station for The Colts until this year. But the station isn't letting the lack of play-by-play rights get in the way this year.

WFBQ promises "the best Colts coverage" - with a pre-game show live from The Marriott in downtown Indy.

Up north - South Bend is home of The Fighting Irish - and WAOR has the "Blue Gold Hour" every Saturday Morning.

A "Notre Dame Pre Game Show with interviews, analysis and special guests!" - and hosted by WAOR's AM drive team.

KSHE/St. Louis is presenting "The Miller Lite Ultimate Tailgate Party" before each Rams home game - broadcasting live 3 hours prior to kickoff.

"Drink the coldest beer around and enjoy our "Taste of Tailgating" featuring the best wings, brats, pulled pork, and Philly cheese steak sandwiches!". Sounds like a real party!

And WZBA/Baltimore is hosting 3-hour pre-game tailgate parties for Ravens fans - raising money for a local charity too!

I'm reminded of a story that Randy Michaels told during a session of Dan O'Day's Radio Grad School more than a decade ago - about his early Taft and Jacor days - and AM radio wars in Cincinnati.

His station didn't have the play-by-play of a local team - but according to Randy you couldn't tell it on the air. They were all over the team the other guys had the rights to - with pre-game and post-game coverage - plus reporting and imaging through the week.

Randy said his station got a lot of diary credit from the competitor's PBP simply because they did a better job of imaging the station with the team!

Go that far with a classic rock station? Maybe yes. Maybe not. But its great inspiration of what could be - especially if the PBP is with an AM station in your market. Idea: "own" the team on FM.

A DVD and audio cassette of that Randy Michaels session "Positioning Your Radio Station" still available through Dan O'Day's website.

Have a great football season - and go Broncos!

Using the Hotline

74° - cloudy - rain at 11am

Make an air talent's day. I like to hotline talent (or stick my head in the studio door) when they're doing something wonderful.

Its not always something big; more often than not its something small that the talent likely wouldn't remember doing five minutes later.

It lets them know they're doing something right. It shares my level of enthusiasm for the on-air product and acknowledges the talent's role and their contribution. It makes my day to make their day.

It makes the rest of the coaching process so much easier.

I'm reminded of this by David Martin this morning. Here. Dave shares some great tips on dealing with and coaching talent, what to listen for, etc. And he's promised more tomorrow. The beauty of blogs. Thanks Dave!

I rarely use the hotline for criticism. Hardly ever the right time. Not during a shift. Use the hotline for emergencies and vital stuff. And to say "that was a great bit".

Listening as I write: via the web - to "2-fer Tuesday" on New York's Q104.3 - and the first of two from REM ("Man On THe Moon"). Too cool. Your mileage will vary.

Spring book: congrats to classic rock WFBQ/Indianapolis. The Bob & Tom flagship finished #1 P25-54, per Anthony Acampora's analysis on All Access.

Kristi Lee Rocks

This past Friday Night, Bob & Tom affiliate KDAG/Farmington, NM hosted a leg of the Bob & Tom All-Star Comedy Tour - with comedians Bob Zany, Tim Wilson, Jimmy Dore and Donnie Baker; plus Bob & Tom Network personality Kristi Lee.

Kristi's ties with KDAG ("Big Dog 96.9") extend beyond the Bob & Tom Show. Aside from the network apprearance each morning, Kristi is also a KDAG on-air personality with her own airshift from 1 to 3pm each weekday - voice-tracked from Bob & Tom flagship WFBQ/Indianapolis.

This comedy tour stop sold out the week prior. With that, KDAG Program Director Randy Burton described the energy level at the show "insane" with comedians Zany, Wilson and Dore - but that the house went totally nuts when Kristi Lee finally hit the stage (arriving mid-show due to travel delays). And she didn't slow down afterwards; Randy adds that she made her way around the venue to visit with listeners; chatting "like she's known them all her life".

Afterwards the KDAG crew - including Kristi hung out with listeners at one local watering hole "until it shut down with a full house at midnight" (go figure); and then onto another club until closing. Hangin' with listeners on their turf. How cool.

Kristi may be syndicated and voice-tracked into the market - but she's every part a personality on that radio station as far as KDAG's listeners are concerned. Wonder how many told someone else the next morning (and at work today) that they hung out with Kristi and the rest of the KDAG airstaff? Kristi rocks.

And if you're wondering how Kristi Lee wound up voice-tracking a daily airshift on KDAG - it started as a "what if" discussion between PD Randy and Kristi on a prior Comedy Tour stop in town.

Kristi on stage Friday Night:
More photos here.

Sidenote: Yours truly put KDAG on the air back in 1994; Randy is only the second Program Director of the station in 13 years - and I'm very proud of the stations continued success. That explains the LONG post.