I think that our fundamental belief is that for us growth is a way of life and we have to grow at all times.~Muskesh Ambani
If you aint growing, evolving, expanding or improving, you're dead.
~Me
And this my friends, is my assessment of the state of radio. Radio has actually been on life support for the past 10 years...and I have finally come to the realization that radio is dead. This reality check may very well change my life.
I will NEVER forget the anger that I felt when I heard Alfred Liggins say (with my own two ears) that he didn't think that radio stations should waste money on building or maintaining websites. This was back in 1995. I sat in that conference room in complete and total awe. No one understood why I sat there with my mouth wide open in a no-his-dumb-ass-did-not-just-say that kind of way. Perhaps I'm just an overly-sensitive type of chick...but I was livid. I hate closed minded individuals. I really do. I remember being infatuated with the internet back then..and although I never had formal training, I loved surfing, discovering new websites and I even tried to self educate myself on HTML so that I could eventually attempt to build a website. It was fascinating to be able to instantly access information within seconds. I saw HUGE opportunity for a medium such as radio to capitialize. But here I am, with my $9.00 an hour makin' azz, listening to this self made millionaire COO say out loud that it's a waste of time and money to invest in a internet presence for the station that I was working for.
It's hard to explain...but I've been frustrated my entire career. I love radio…but the people who are in charge have made me hate radio. I've never been the type of radio personality simply to do my shift..and simply go home. I always, always attempted to come up with ways to make my show more successful, more compelling, more interesting and more relatable. I have been faced with more opposition than not. At my last job, I was adamant about doing an interactive hour with my listeners once a week via webcam. That was my way of attempting to connect with my audience. Deep down inside, I felt that I could actually change the way radio was being done. The station could have monetized the opportunity as well. I got into a HUGE argument with management because they refused to allow me to do it. Their reasoning for not allowing me to do it was RIDICULOUS. I fought and fought...and eventually lost. That argument created a stressful relationship between me and 'them' from that day forward. Like I said earlier, I hate closed minded people...and my hate erupted like Mount St Helens that day.
Unfortunately, Al isn't the only idiot out here who failed to comprehend that in order to keep radio as a relevant medium for music, information and entertainment – you must evolve it. Radio has REFUSED to respond to a wide variety of demands that have been put in place for the past 10 years. They refused to grow during the internet explosion. They wouldn’t listen. And now the consequence is death. Perhaps radio won’t become extinct, but it will certainly become irrelevant. I’ve read at least a dozen different articles last week about internet radio listening. The numbers are amazing. They had a 10 year headstart to figure it out…but they chose to sit back. And now they’re all blaming the diminishing radio revenues on the economy…but it’s bullshit. Don’t believe the hype. Radio is dead. And they killed it. So now they struggle to stay afloat by cheapening it by hiring kids off the street with no experience and by syndicating every daypart imaginable.
And so, here lies radio. He lived an amazing life…but got sick, refused to grow and eventually gave up the will to live. May God rest his poor soul.
Maybe God hasn’t allowed me to obtain my next radio job because terrestrial radio isn’t where I belong anymore. I am talented and the world is about to become my oyster. I need to define where my opportunities are and then I must learn how to exploit them. I know it’s going to be frustrating…especially when I need money so badly..but today I am making the choice not to give up because when you give up…you can’t grow. And when you don’t grow, you die. I’m not dead yet bitches.
I will NEVER forget the anger that I felt when I heard Alfred Liggins say (with my own two ears) that he didn't think that radio stations should waste money on building or maintaining websites. This was back in 1995. I sat in that conference room in complete and total awe. No one understood why I sat there with my mouth wide open in a no-his-dumb-ass-did-not-just-say that kind of way. Perhaps I'm just an overly-sensitive type of chick...but I was livid. I hate closed minded individuals. I really do. I remember being infatuated with the internet back then..and although I never had formal training, I loved surfing, discovering new websites and I even tried to self educate myself on HTML so that I could eventually attempt to build a website. It was fascinating to be able to instantly access information within seconds. I saw HUGE opportunity for a medium such as radio to capitialize. But here I am, with my $9.00 an hour makin' azz, listening to this self made millionaire COO say out loud that it's a waste of time and money to invest in a internet presence for the station that I was working for.
It's hard to explain...but I've been frustrated my entire career. I love radio…but the people who are in charge have made me hate radio. I've never been the type of radio personality simply to do my shift..and simply go home. I always, always attempted to come up with ways to make my show more successful, more compelling, more interesting and more relatable. I have been faced with more opposition than not. At my last job, I was adamant about doing an interactive hour with my listeners once a week via webcam. That was my way of attempting to connect with my audience. Deep down inside, I felt that I could actually change the way radio was being done. The station could have monetized the opportunity as well. I got into a HUGE argument with management because they refused to allow me to do it. Their reasoning for not allowing me to do it was RIDICULOUS. I fought and fought...and eventually lost. That argument created a stressful relationship between me and 'them' from that day forward. Like I said earlier, I hate closed minded people...and my hate erupted like Mount St Helens that day.
Unfortunately, Al isn't the only idiot out here who failed to comprehend that in order to keep radio as a relevant medium for music, information and entertainment – you must evolve it. Radio has REFUSED to respond to a wide variety of demands that have been put in place for the past 10 years. They refused to grow during the internet explosion. They wouldn’t listen. And now the consequence is death. Perhaps radio won’t become extinct, but it will certainly become irrelevant. I’ve read at least a dozen different articles last week about internet radio listening. The numbers are amazing. They had a 10 year headstart to figure it out…but they chose to sit back. And now they’re all blaming the diminishing radio revenues on the economy…but it’s bullshit. Don’t believe the hype. Radio is dead. And they killed it. So now they struggle to stay afloat by cheapening it by hiring kids off the street with no experience and by syndicating every daypart imaginable.
And so, here lies radio. He lived an amazing life…but got sick, refused to grow and eventually gave up the will to live. May God rest his poor soul.
Maybe God hasn’t allowed me to obtain my next radio job because terrestrial radio isn’t where I belong anymore. I am talented and the world is about to become my oyster. I need to define where my opportunities are and then I must learn how to exploit them. I know it’s going to be frustrating…especially when I need money so badly..but today I am making the choice not to give up because when you give up…you can’t grow. And when you don’t grow, you die. I’m not dead yet bitches.
Posts
As they say...SPOT ON!The incredible arrogance of people at the top of the radio group food chain has allowed the industry to be left virtually on life support,(yeah I guess it is dead as we knew it)before acknowledging new media and it's role in eroding radio's natural listener base. The medium is scrambling now,look at the deals and new media alliances that are being announced at the NAB as we speak. Maybe the 3rd immutable law of marketing will ring true for radio, it is better to be first in the mind of the consumer than 1st in the marketplace. They still have incredible brand equity. As for syndication, it was only a matter of time before local radio re-adopted the network television model.
ReplyDeleteRadio Syndication Talk - Nothing makes me happier than when someone understands what I'm trying to say. Bless you.
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love the Immutable Law of Marketing reference. You made me dig up out my copy. I feel like reading it again. Check out law # 18 - Success often leads to arrogance..and arrogance to failure.