Wednesday Blogs

30° - scattered clouds at 7:20am

It is what it is. XM/Sirius merger approved by DOJ. FCC can't be far behind. As Dave Martin points out here:

"Mel and pay radio will end up needing more than a good deal with the commission, they're going to need a radically different business model. Firing the majority of staff, outsourcing to the lowest bidders and restructuring deals won't even begin to get it done. The last published account of their combined ad billings was less than the annualized billings of one successful FM station. As written here previously, in the very best possible case, pay radio will be to audio what HBO is to video. A modest niche business, nothing more."

In his blog this morning, Fred Jacobs observes:

"...while satellite radio is an irritant, it has been losing momentum for a couple years now. We've seen evidence of this in our Tech Polls, conducted among 25,000+ rockers each year - just the kind of consumers that XM and Sirius have been targeting. In our newest poll, we're already seeing that when XM or Sirius ends up in the new car or truck you buy or lease, one's propensity to renew the service is much lower than average. And overall, we're only seeing about a 56% absolute commitment to retain XM or Sirius among current subscribers - not exactly the numbers they want to see, merger or no."

Lastly, Fred adds:

"There's a future out there for AM/FM radio, and while satellite radio just got a second wind, the true forces that will most clearly impact traditional broadcasters are far more ominous. But radio has the opportunity to play in the new media sandbox, if it focuses - once again - on creating great content, while providing multiple distribution outlets for that content."

And speaking of content - consultant Alan Mason writes here:

"...what does your radio station do so well that it will cause listeners to come back again, and bring some friends? Every station has to decide on it’s own what it does best, but I can tell you one thing. It’s not creating share holder value."

My take: long-term shareholder value is created when great products are created that attract consumers. The need for quick short-term results for the next quarter is whats killing us.

Added: Saw this from Seth Godin over my second cup of coffee:

"A career putting out fires never leads to the goal you had in mind all along. I guess the trick is to make the long term items even more urgent than today's emergencies."

Seth's entire piece here.

The Weekend Classic Rock FM

31° - overcast at 9:30pm

Welcome to the weekend. Lots of great writing this past week from lots of great minds; most of which I'm finally catching up with tonight.

Morning drive radio. During my hiatus from the "traditional" workforce, I barely heard any morning drive radio. But I'm back to it - part of a 15 to 20 minute commute each morning from suburban Okemos to downtown Lansing.

Monday through Wednesday: despite being on the fringe of their coverage area, I was listening to a great local radio station licensed to nearby Howell, Michigan.

WHMI is a small market station with a wide variety classic hits/classic rock format and full service local radio; complete with a local news staff and plenty of local everything. Give a listen to WHMI online here.

Thursday and Friday I listened to syndicated Bob & Tom on WJXQ here in Lansing. First time I've really listened since leaving Colorado (where they ran on my station) in 2005.

Bob & Tom still and one of the best AM drive shows for rock radio.

Big events. Fred Jacobs writes about another radio failure to launch:

"Another day, and another "big" satellite radio announcement. This time, it's XM Led, a channel devoted to Zeppelin that will be on the air through the beginning of May. The press release sounds tasty, as the channel will contain many cool Led Zeppelin features."

"So why does broadcast radio simply stand by and allow satellite radio to once again one-up everyone else by setting up these dedicated channels?"

Read Fred's piece here.

Meanwhile: WCSX/Detroit AM drivers JJ & Lynne broadcast live from London both Monday and Tuesday to cover the Led Zeppelin reunion shows.

JJ & Lynne have a great guest lineup in London according to listener email blast received this afternoon. Ann Wilson, Mick Jones, Jimmy Page and others. Very cool. More here.

Contesting. How many are really playing your tenth caller (or more) contests? Mark Ramsey might open some eyes with this piece. Be sure to read the comments from Mark's readers at the end.

Dan Mason. On Tuesday the CBS Radio head told the financial community about radio's healthy future. A very fresh and much needed outlook.

Congrats to the CBS staffers under Dan's leadership. Read more from Mediaweek here.

More over the weekend. Thanks again for stopping by.

Sunday Morning Odds & Sods

43° - overcast at 1pm

Listening this morning - to the music of Neil Young being featured on WDRV's Rock & Roll Roots. Walk On. Like A Hurricane. All good stuff.

Christmas. I've seen a lots of stations testing their holiday music; and I've come to believe that the audience expects to hear it.

There's nothing wrong with Classic Rock and Classic Hits embracing selected holiday music - although I didn't always feel that way.

Thanksgiving weekend isn't that far away and a great time to kickoff. My wife was in Target yesterday and said it was apparent the shopping season has begun.

The Buzzard Book. It didn't come out in time for my birthday - but if anyone is looking for a Christmas present for me it might be John Gorman's new book: "The Buzzard: Inside the Glory Days of WMMS and Cleveland Rock Radio.

John Gorman was Program Director of WMMS (The Buzzard) from 1973 to 1986.

From Amazon:

This rock and roll radio memoir takes you behind the scenes at the nation's hottest station during FM's heyday, from 1973 to 1986. Sex and drugs, music and merchandising--it was a wild time when the FM airwaves were wide open for innovation.

John Gorman led a small band of true believers who built Cleveland's WMMS from a neglected stepchild into an influential powerhouse. The station earned high praise from musicians and even higher ratings from listeners.

Gorman tells how WMMS remade rock radio while Cleveland staked its claim as the "Rock and Roll Capital" by breaking many major international music acts. The fun may have died when FM went corporate in the late 1980s, but it was a hell of a ride while it lasted.

Filled with juicy insider details, this fast-paced story will entertain anyone who listened in during those glory days when FM delivered excitement and the Buzzard ruled the airwaves.

Looks fantastic - and available through Amazon here. Perhaps I'll just get myself an early Christmas present.

Mel. Will sue the FCC if the Sirius/XM merger isn't approved. Read here.

I can only think that others interested in one of the two satellite radio licenses might sue too if the merger is approved. I could be wrong.

While there is plenty of competition under of the broad definition of "audio entertainment", I do feel that satellite radio is a unique distribution platform that deserves two competitors. Every other distribution platform is open to competition.

Let them merge - but force a surrender of one license and award it to another.

Afternoon Update

"Overnight we have scores of PPM experts offering station and group folks assistance. Some of these same experts would have us believe they are qualified to confront Arbitron and take the lead in what amounts to an ongoing ratings police action. My opinion is most of these so-called experts are not qualified to discuss the subject matter at any serious depth." - David Martin.

Read Dave's post here.

All Access reports: "the cumes for an in-tab based on the partial sample that was improperly processed was just about the same as the full properly processed sample."

Meanwhile: Paragon Media has been updating readers on the Arbitron Consultant Fly-In with its new blog. A recap of yesterday posted this morning; I'd expect another one soon. Read here.

Other notes of interest:

You Tube: Using embedded You Tube videos on your station site? Google's new You Tube ad strategy is now kicking in.

Do you mind their ad inventory on your website? Something to ponder. Your mileage may vary. Jaye Albright on that topic here.

btw: kudos to Google for monetizing its You Tube investment in a user-friendly way. More from Mark Ramsey here.

Satellite merger update: All Access reporting (Wednesday) that Entravision has told the FCC that if the Sirius/XM merger were to happen "the agency should allow existing terrestrial licenses to form a consortium and proceed to establish and operate a qualified competitor".

The company also "asks the FCC to require SIRIUS and XM to relinquish their spectrum so that competition can resume".

Giving up half of the combined spectrum entered my mind early into this merger talk. (this last piece reposted from yesterday; it wound up on my "bumped" list. I was "oversold". Poor inventory management on my part...oops...LOL)

Monday Monday

70° - cloudy - 97% humidity at 9:33am
Drippin' in Mid-Michigan

Free name tag generator here.

Good Morning.

Radio Station Names. What makes a strong one? Mark Ramsey takes notes here from a book by author Marty Neumeier.

Added: More ARBs: Just read Anthony Acampora's latest demo breakouts on All Access. In Denver: Persons 25-54 is ruled by Clear Channel's AAA KBCO followed a half point behind by sister Classic Rocker KRFX. Not a bad place to be - congrats to KRFX/Fox PD Garner Goin.

In Seattle: KZOK is #1 P25-54. And in Portland: KGON is a solid #2 P25-54.

XM's Lee Abrams: "Heard a Deep Tracks promo. Great example of NOT using “lazy words”. They used the line “handcrafted sets” (as has the Loft for a long time) to describe the music programming on the channel. They COULD have used “All your Deep Classic Rock Favorites” or something silly like that."

Lee's blog is here.

Lee Arnold. Last Thursday his internet station WORJ.COM streamed a 1975 radio concert from Gary Wright. From the "Dream Weaver" era - and wonderful.

Thanks again Lee.

Kudos. To Cox Radio head Bob Neil for telling it like it is: "The reality is that if radio doesn’t play their music they’re not gonna sell their recordings."

This in reaction to proposed artist airplay royalties - and last week's testimony in Washington.

Nearly every successful recording artist can thank radio for their careers - including Sam Moore and Judy Collins.

Wednesday Blogs

Sunny & 65° at 11am

Good Morning...random notes from my blogosphere:

Are you boring? No, not you - your station. Dave Lange of McVay Media has some great ideas to help get something going on - here.

Station fashion. Back on Monday, Fred Jacobs writes here about the evolution of radio station logo-wear - or rather the lack thereof. Mentions HBO's Entourage (one of my few television priorities each week) and the line of clothing created from the show.

This morning, Jacobs Media debuts their new website. Congrats to Fred and their in-house specialist Tim Davis.

Road Trip. Nine years ago last Friday, Lee Abrams drove from Dallas for the start-up of XM Radio. In this blog post, Lee remembers brainstorming, notes on napkins, camping out in a conference room and more.

There's nothing like a start-up and I've been fortunate enough as a programmer to do as many start-ups as I have fingers; a few more as just an air talent. Each one provided a rush that could never be duplicated by any other means. And there's that moment when the first book comes in...

Keeping up with indecency. Last Friday - after almost a year since legislation was passed - the FCC issued its order to increase fines for indecency....the dreaded $325,000 per occurance.

Then on Monday, the US Court of Appeals threw out the FCC indecency fines as "arbitrary and capricious" - and rightfully so. Broadcast attorney David Oxenford offers more on the Broadcast Law Blog here.

Sidenote: David has played a role in some of my start-ups in the past!

Have a great Wednesday.

A Case Of The Mondays...

...no! Its the start of a great week!

This morning Keith Cunningham of Jacobs Media writes about radio's ability to react fast - but suggests it could be slow to get into the game. Read Keith's comments here.

Last Friday: We noted here that Cincinnati's WOFX (92.5 The Fox) is repeating the 6am hour of Bob & Tom middays 10-11am. Now Miami's WBGG (Big 105.9) is extending morning drivers Paul & Young Ron until noon.

Lee Abrams: Over the weekend Lee blogged about Washington, DC's new 94.7/The Globe - and wrote in depth about his XM Radio "check list" for a great station. Some more great thoughts from Lee on how to think about your radio station.

Added: Dallas loses classic rock KZPS - and with the change - Clear Channel gets rid of....commercials. Read here.

More: Fred Jacobs on KZPS - as quoted on All Access: "In a major market, for a classic rock station to change formats is really an anomaly"..."You could make a nice, long, healthy list of top five stations that are classic rock, and several would be No. 1 or No. 2 in their markets". Me thinks the door just opened for a new classic rock convert in Dallas; or adjustments at 93.3 The Bone.

Yet More: Dave Lange on the launch of the new KZPS "Lone Star 92.5" - here.

Tony Soprano rocks. If you saw last night's episode of The Sopranos, you heard another great classic rock moment.

Tony and Paulie hit the road with the radio cranked to Fredricksburg, VA's WWUZ/Classic Rock 96.9. That's too cool! Congrats to their staff.

Later this week:

Tuesday (4/24) - Iggy Pop/The Stooges on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel.
Wednesday (4/25) is Administrative Professional's Day
Thursday (4/26) is "Take Your Daughter (Or Son) To Work Day"

Wednesday Blogs

Welcome to Wednesday. Yesterday in mid-Michigan we had great spring weather; hitting 73°. This morning its light snow and 34°.

Blogs and more:

FM IPOD. The feature most IPOD owners would like to see on their IPODs are an FM tuner. That from the latest Jacobs Media Tech Survey of 25,000 rock radio listeners. Read more from Fred Jacobs here.

Survey sez: Classic Rock listeners are least likely to own or purchase an MP3 player among all rock listeners surveyed.

More IPOD. Mark Ramsey discusses the IPOD and why Apple only offers FM as an add-on. Read here. Alan Mason of Goodratings Strategic Services offers his thoughts here.

Intelligent Radio. Music industry veteran Steve Meyer writes about creating a radio station that focuses on the quality of music. Read here. Actually, I can think of a few Classic Rock stations that focus on the quality of the music they play.

Imaging Inspiration. What imaging did your station do around St. Patrick's Day or for the start of the baseball season? Get some motivation from this post from Lee Abrams on what XM does - and think how you can turn those ideas into short imaging pieces on your station.

Son Of The Year Award. I'm sure your morning show was talking about it - but if you missed this little tidbit from Rolling Stone Keith Richards yesterday here it is. Keith does the job to get his name in the news. Can Britney top this?

REO Speedwagon. We wrote a few weeks back about the Bob & Tom appearance by the band. Thursday Morning, members of REO joins WKLH/Milwaukee's Dave & Carole during morning drive (Central Time Zone). Listen here.

And speaking of WKLH's Dave & Carole - they've released their new TV spot for the spring book...enjoy:

Have a great Wednesday.

Wednesday Blogs

Wednesday already. From my blogosphere:

Satellite Radio interest appears to be slowing - at least with listeners of rock radio. This morning Fred Jacobs discusses findings from the latest Jacobs Media Tech Survey on his blog. See graphs from the satellite portion of the survey on the Jacobs website here.

Meanwhile...in Our Nation's Capitol: Yesterday, Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin made another apperance in Washington to answer more questions about the proposed Sirius/XM merger. David Martin reviews his performance here.

Streaming. Appeals have been filed against the new royalty rates announced by the Copyright Royalty Board. Kurt Hanson's RAIN has been providing excellent coverage on this issue. Read the latest here.

The Secret To Making Them Smile. Some thoughts on how its getting more difficult to shock an audience without crossing the line - and how "simply delighting them with effective service" might be the better path.

Lessons for radio programming here from ChaosScenario.

E-Diary. While much has been written about Arbitron's PPM rollout; the new E-Diary affects almost everyone right now. McVay Media's Dave Lange discusses on his blog here.

Latest Favorite Quote: "I would have made this shorter but I didn't have the time." - David Martin. Have a great Wednesday.

The Weekend Classic Rock FM

Happy weekend. Caught some great writing this past week:

Dave Lange of McVay Media - a wonderful mind who helped me in a competitive battle years ago - writes about about Anna Nicole, Britney and XM/Sirius here.

Alan Mason - of Good Ratings - who I don't know but wish I did - quotes Mark Ramsey and writes about your station's community here.

Lee Arnold on two of radio's best here.

Radio Wars in Denver. Its country, not classic rock. But there's always something to be learned from watching any format battle. Jaye Albright has it here.

FMQB reports that Van Halen is apparently not getting back together (for now). And The Police sold out Madison Square Garden twice in 15 minutes; now doing another show at Giants Stadium on August 5th. Tickets for that show go on sale Monday.

Heard from old friend Jay Blackburn this past week. Jay was the mind behind the original WLUP/Chicago (pre-Heftel/Lee Abrams) and his work there was a big influence on my career (although he didn't know it until years later). Jay has written an autographical-based novel on "radio wars of the '70s as seen through the eyes of a couple of midlevel consultants. It's the whole story, from '70 to '79."

Knowing Jay's history, this should be a great read. Jay says it will be out mid-summer; once a firm release date is set, we'll pass it along.

Serious: XM and Sirius to become one

A merger. Reduced staffing. I can only imagine lots of nervous folks at both companies. We're going to be watching Lee Abram's blog.

Read the release from XM here.

Tuesday Morning update: Observations from Paul Jacobs and Mark Ramsey. Remarks of radio CEOs at Inside Radio.