THE RADIO TREADMILL...IS IT TIME TO GET OFF?
Recently, there was a 30 year celebration of the release of "Back To The Future". For some reason
that got me to thinking about the direction to where Radio was heading. It seems that most Radio
execs today are missing a most important direction, and that would, could, or should be:
Back To The Future. Radio, like a lot of industries, have always copied what was/is successful.
Scores of stations copied the early McLendon, Storz and Bartell formats. Later arose all those
"Fake Drake" or "Boss" stations. Why? Because they were winners. They were damned good.
They were winners...both in ratings and revenue. Today's "Deregulation Darlings" and their
corporate hierarchy, haven't even contemplated trying what has already worked. There has been
no consideration or thought of listening to tapes or recordings of what ingredients made those
stations of yesteryear so highly successful. Programmers today are afraid to take any creative
chances. The corporate overlords want to "play it safe". The format is one cleansed of any human
connection. Don't play or say anything that hasn't already been "scrubbed" first by research or
focus groups. What this leads to is banality, sterility and predictability. After all, just keep
something on the air that can produce the necessary revenue to pay off the debt service on those
over-priced loans used to purchase that corporate armada of radio properties. It's hard enough to
run ONE radio station...running hundreds is close to insane! There's little thought about the
"product" on the air. There IS a lot of thought...usually the only thought... THE BOTTOM LINE.
These Bottom Line thinkers seldom think of people. Fewer people, less payroll. Less people,
more duties. Quite simple. One person can voice track for dozens of stations, right? Also, a
central music department can put the same music on a myriad of stations in many markets.
Voila! Radio has become a digital automation system, not too unlike the pre-programmed Shafer,
IGM or Shulke systems of the 1960's. Many of us feared then, these machines would someday
lead to our inevitable replacement. In the ensuing 40 years, not that much is different. If those
in control of broadcast operations today are searching for something "new", maybe they should
listen to Peter Allen's song lyrics and be reminded that "Everything Old Is New Again". Try
something! This treadmill radio has been on just isn't very good anymore. Time to get off!
That Fall day back in 1955 when I first hopped on board the Radio treadmill and uttered my first words on the air, I was 17 years old, naive, and full of excitement in joining this magical World
called RADIO. Somewhere along the way, the "magic" left, but the treadmill kept monotonously moving to a new software laden place where humans can be replaced quickly... just hit the "delete" button. That's MY RadiOpinion, what's yours?
No comments:
Post a Comment