We were blessed with spectacular weather in Ocean City, Maryland — enjoying every single minute.
Now, we’re headed back home, and next Sunday I’ve invited a life-long Australian broadcaster to write a guest article for this blog on the topic of “Reviving Radio: Embracing Change for a Brighter Future.”
I know it’s a thought piece you won’t want to miss.
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For Sue’s birthday, I’ve taken her to the beach — her Happy Place.
Back in two weeks.
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I originally wrote about this subject over four years ago. Since that time, I have noticed that when I publish a new article about radio, people seem to fall into one of two different camps. There are those who say radio’s days are numbered — or over, and those who think going back to the way it was will solve everything.
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking
we used when we created them.”
-Albert Einstein
Lots of Change
When I think back to the days when AM radio rocked my world, to today, where Alexa serves up whatever my mood desires, much has changed.
“The key to failure is to hang on to the belief that things have to be
‘the way they ought to be.’
The key to success is to be able to deal with things
as they really are.”
-Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads
Which brings me back to taking another look at the question:
“Are we the solution, or the problem?”
…when it comes to the future of radio?
Radio’s Big 3 Areas of Dysfunction?
I’m sure that you have your own thoughts on this, but the sense I have from reading articles about today’s radio industry from all over the world, along with reader comments, are that these three things are very important to the future of radio:
The original benchmarks of radio like weather, breaking news, and school cancellations, for example, are often much more efficiently handled by other platforms. Radio needs to re-think what it can do that others can’t, and then do it. Radio needs to compliment today’s other forms media, as it no longer is the sole source of information.
What Are Your Most Prized Possessions?
Recently, a British online magazine asked men and women about their 20 most prized possessions. What you will see when you look at these lists are, that men gravitate to expensive tangible things and women covet items that hold emotional value. As you view the lists for both genders, take note of the one thing that is missing on both.
Women Men
Family Photos Home
Home Family Photos
Wedding Ring Car
Engagement Ring Wedding Ring
Family Pet Photographs of deceased relatives
Photographs of deceased relatives Family Pet
Jewelry Laptop
Car Photographs of significant other
Childhood Pictures Smartphone
Laptop Books
Photographs of significant other Vinyl Records
Children’s artwork CD Collection
Photographs of deceased friends Tablet
Clothes Television
Books Photographs of deceased friends
Tablet Golf/Fishing Equipmnt/Bicycle
Baby Clothes Childhood Pictures
A favorite book Internet
Parent’s wedding rings Jewelry
Missing from both lists is RADIO.
Radio Reaches a Mass Audience
The Council on Foreign Relations tells the story of radio’s impact on the world this way:
“Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi received a U.S. patent for radio technology in 1904, three years after he claimed to have sent the first transatlantic radio signal. Radio was the first technology that could instantaneously communicate to a mass audience. Because it allowed continuous, up-to-date news and entertainment for people regardless of their income or literacy levels, it became immensely popular. In many parts of the world today, radio remains a dominant source of news and entertainment; it is considered to be the most important means of mass communication in Africa, where literacy rates are relatively low and electricity access is inconsistent. In 2010, an estimated 44,000 radio stations operated around the globe.”
How did we squander such a dominating position in people’s lives, so that we are no longer considered a “prized possession?”
Out Damn Spot
It was seven years ago I wrote a blog titled “Out, damn’d spot!” Yet, here we are in 2023 and radio station commercial loads have increased.
I’m sure you have noticed that YouTube offers viewers a chance to “Skip Ads” when you are looking to play a video; that should be a hint that massive commercial breaks are over!
Likewise, ads that are out-of-place on targeted radio formats should be banned. Creativity in radio spot creation is virtually non-existent. Remember when program directors had the final say about EVERYTHING that went on-the-air? We need those kinds of gatekeepers back.
And if all of this is important for our AM/FM radio signals, it becomes even more critical for our radio streams over the internet.
Community & Companionship
Radio has the power to own the communities that it operates in, and provide real companionship for the listener. Pureplay streamers can’t, and won’t be able to do this, as they also lack personality. Alexa and Siri will never enter the Radio Hall of Fame, with the likes of:
I rest my case.
We’re off again…this time is to Cedartown, Georgia for a family wedding.
Be back next week with a new article about the one thing radio listeners despise and the radio industry ignores.
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One of this year’s highlights at the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters Granite Mike Awards was seeing Chris “Doc” Garrett be named “Broadcaster of the Year 2023.” Tracy Caruso, Executive Director of the NHAB, actually picked Doc to do this year’s introduction of this award, with Doc not realizing the person he would be introducing as the winner, would be himself.
Since He Was 5 Years Old
When Chris realized he was the person who had been named to win this coveted award, his enthusiasm for radio broadcasting exploded on the stage. He shared with the audience that he wanted to be in radio since he was five years old. That resonated with me, because like Chris, I also knew at a very young age what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. But, I can’t help but wonder if five year old’s today have the same burning desire.
A Radio Life Well-Lived
Chris Garrett would begin his radio journey at WKXL in Concord, New Hampshire in 1981. Over the years, Chris would adopt the nickname “Doc” as in “Doctor of Rock.”
Chris’s career spans WGIR in Manchester, WHEB in Portsmouth and Clear Channel Broadcasting where he served for over twenty-four years as a company Program Director.
Like most broadcasters our age, Doc has done every job in a radio station, saying “you can never be satisfied with where you are, you need to always be looking down the road and embracing new technologies, giving listeners what they want, and where they want to receive it.”
42 Years in Radio
After over four decades in radio, Doc is still full of enthusiasm for the business saying: “I’ve always wanted to be in radio, so I have a hard time thinking of something else I’d want to do. The reason I got into radio is because I wanted to be a jock. That’s why we all love doing this.”
Fellow broadcasters are quick to point out that Doc always brings light of enthusiasm wherever he goes, and an uncanny ability to see the big picture, focusing on the small stuff to reach company goals. “Doc is one of those people you want to work with, and are willing to make a change to do just that,” said Angela Anderson-Connolly, a journalism instructor at Emerson College in Boston.
General Manager Stripes
Chris “Doc” Garrett wrote on his LinkedIn page in February of 2013, “I am now the General Manager for 106.3 Frank-FM in Nashua as part of the Binnie Media Regional team. I am thrilled to be part of this great group as we continue to grow and become the largest regional media outlet north of Boston.”
Doc has been fortunate to have lived his radio dream for over 40 years, and lived all of it in his home state of New Hampshire – an impressive feat for any radio broadcaster.
“Hats off to the Doctor of Rock!
Nobody is more deserving, you’re always an inspiration.”
-Heath Cole, VP-Programming, Binnie Media
Wednesday night, October 4, 2023, the WMEX Good Guys took to the stage in Concord, to accept the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters award for “Best LPFM Radio Station in the Granite State for 2023.”
WMEX-LP 105.9 FM was assigned the call sign WMVI-LP by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on May 20, 2014, but eight days later changed its call sign to WMEX-LP and began broadcasting “The Most Amazing Oldies”, providing local radio service to the city of Rochester, New Hampshire for the past nine years.
The Station’s History
WMEX-LP 105.9 FM plays the best classic rock and roll hits from the 1950s through the 1980s. WMEX-AM was the authority for the hit songs we all loved, back when New Englanders wore bobby sox and poodle skirts, . Today, WMEX-LP broadcasts in FM stereo and sounds even better. The voice of the station’s most popular air personality, and one of the most popular in New England, Arnie “Woo Woo” Ginsburg, can still be heard on 105.9 FM WMEX-LP.
The Shows
WEEKDAYS:
Gary James 6-10 am USA Radio News at the top of the hour
and Gerry Gilbert with Sports reports between 7 and 10 am.
Dick Taylor 10 am-3 pm
Tim Richmond 3-7 pm with USA Radio News at the top of the hour
Sal “The Hitman” Pacino 7 pm-Midnight
All Night Jukebox Midnight to 6 am
SATURDAY
Gerry Gilbert 6-10 am with USA Radio News at the top of the hour
Sal “The Hitman” Pacino 10 am-3 pm
Solid Gold Saturday with Jim, Chris, Mike and Nancy 3 pm-7 pm.
Brian Battles 7 pm-Midnight
All Night Jukebox Midnight-6am
Sunday
Steve West with Early Rock and Roll on the Time Machine 6-10 am
Nothing But Old 45s with Larry Kratka 10 am-Noon
Dick Taylor Noon-3 pm
Tim Richmond 3 pm-7 pm
The Mop Tops and The King 7 pm-8pm
Steve West 8pm-Midnight
All Night Jukebox Midnight-6 am
WMEX-LP is a Non-Profit Radio Station
Everyone of the station’s air personalities is a volunteer, having retired from decades of working in professional radio. We are a local non-profit organization that is here for the purpose of keeping “The Heritage of WMEX” alive by playing the most amazing oldies, while staying focused on all things local to Rochester, New Hampshire.
WMEX-LP is a huge supporter of the Rochester Rotary, as well as everything happening in the Lilac City.
The station is financially supported by underwriting from local businesses and donations from its listeners.
For more information, visit the station’s website: http://www.1059WMEX.com
Today, Sue & I will be departing for New Hampshire to attend the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters GRANITE MIKE AWARDS on Wednesday, October 4th.
The LPFM radio station I volunteer on is hoping to win the NHAB Granite Mike Award for “LPFM Radio Station of the Year.”
Wish us luck!
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Last week I asked the question “Is There a Future for Radio Personalities?” That blog was my analysis of the latest research done by Jacob Media Strategies for Don Anthony’s annual Morning Show Boot Camp. I wasn’t surprised by the volume of comments about the blog, however it was sad to find that most people feel the days of making RADIO a career are over.
A.I. (Artificial Intelligence)
The part of Fred Jacob’s research I didn’t include in last week’s blog was the impact that air personalities thought A.I. would make on their future. 76% of the people in the survey agreed with the question: “I’m personally concerned that A.I. technology will lead to many more on-air radio jobs being lost.”
It’s Worse Than You Think
Our universe is estimated to be 26.7 billion years old. Humans on planet earth have only been around 6,000 years, but look at all we’ve accomplished in such a short period of time.
Now, what maybe mankind’s greatest invention might also be responsible for our demise: A.I. or Artificial Intelligence.
This technology has the potential to take away
30% OF ALL JOBS within 10 years.
Think of all the jobs that A.I. can do better (and maybe do even better than you or I).
It would be easier to make a list of the jobs that cannot be impacted by A.I., than a list of those that will.
To get a better idea of how scary this technology is, listen to either of these links:
The proliferation of these kind of A.I. creations can abundantly be found on YouTube.
Today’s A.I. voice software can listen to a few seconds of anyone’s voice and completely re-create a replica that is almost indistinguishable from the original. I don’t know what is most troubling, that it can be done, that it can be done so quickly or that it’s so easy that anyone can do it.
Call Centers
Call centers are big business around the world, making up 8% of India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product), 6.3% of Brazil’s GDP and while America outsources the majority of this type of work, the U.S. still employs 3.4 million people who work in call centers.
A.I. has the ability to completely replace everyone
working in call centers around the world.
You don’t have to be a political scientist to predict what would happen if 8% of a country’s GDP is suddenly wiped away. You’ll see more people carrying pitchforks and torches than stormed the castle in “Beauty & The Beast.”
I have radio friends that have used their incredible voices to produce audio books, and earned a good living in the process. A.I. will replace these talented people as well.
Actors & Writers Strike
It’s not just the radio industry that is finding itself in unknown territory.
Actors fear they will lose control of their lucrative likeness and writers fear they will have to share credit with a machine. Watch this situation closely, because writers and actors are the proverbial “canary in the coal mine” for what’s to come for the rest of us in media.
A.I. is at the very heart of the current actors and writers strike, it’s ahead of pay models, benefits and job protections.
Federal A.I. Commission
Senator Chris Murphy is one of the most outspoken members of Congress on artificial intelligence. “When you start to outsource the bulk of human creativity to machines, there comes with that a human rot,” says Senator Murphy. He estimates that humans being replaced for creativity by computers will happen at a staggering scale within the next two to three years, and it scares the hell out of him.
Senator Murphy believes that it is time to create a new regulatory body, like the creation of the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) that came into existence with the advent of broadcast radio.
“There are really deep spiritual questions at hand here. I don’t think policymakers should be shy about talking about that,” Senator Murphy believes.
Putting Things In Perspective
While humans may have inhabited this planet for 6,000 years, look at what has happened in just the last 50 years:
Of all the many calamities the human race faces in the years ahead — a full-scale nuclear war, climate change or artificial intelligence – it’s A.I. that poses the greatest risk. One highly researched economist report on A.I. noted that “there’s more than a 50-50 chance A.I. will wipe out all of humanity by the middle of the century.”
“Open the pod bay doors please Hal.
I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
-from the movie “2001 – A Space Odyssey”
Google co-founder, Larry Page, believes that once computers are smarter than humans, they will find no use for us humans, and they will simply get rid of us. He sees this as the next step in the evolutionary process.
If we don’t understand the risks, along with the benefits A.I. brings to us, we might all end up like Dave.
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Note: For a deep dive on this subject, read the article by Nick Bolton from the September 13, 2023 edition of Vanity Fair. It was this article that provided many of the facts and quotes used in this week’s blog: Artificial Intelligence May Be Humanity’s Most Ingenious Invention—And Its Last? Silicon Valley is barreling ahead with AI technology that could unlock novel forms of creativity, art, and medicine, and potentially, wipe out all mankind. As one AI engineer warns, “We’re creating God.”
This past week, Fred Jacobs shared the latest research about radio air personalities and how they view the future of this profession. Here’s what struck me about the presentation.
The Radio Talent Pool is Shrinking
Jacobs Media Strategies has been producing this research for Don Anthony’s Morning Show Boot Camp since 2018, and during COVID, no research was done in 2020. So, from the first survey in 2018 to the latest one in 2023, the number of participants shrank 62%; from 1,168 to 442 people.
COVID, with the resulting Work From Home (WFH) operating model, has greatly impacted radio station cultures and has not returned to anything like pre-pandemic days.
Less People, More Hats to Wear
Not surprising, with fewer people working on the content side of radio, those that remain “wear more hats” than ever; 54% of radio personalities now say they are responsible for more than four different areas.
No Talent Farm
When I began my radio career, it was board operating Sunday morning church programs. That first radio job would give me the opportunity to land a nights/weekend part-time air shift. This was pretty much the norm for baby boomers in broadcasting. In fact, Jacobs research shows that 78% of us started in radio this way.
Today, those entry level radio positions are gone, with only 14% of today’s up and coming air talent having those same opportunities.
Talent Development
One of the concerns expressed by today’s air personalities is believing their radio station and/or their company is not working to discover or develop new air talent. Radio’s biggest companies are blamed most, with medium and small companies being exceptions.
Would You Recommend Radio as a Career?
When today’s air personalities were asked how they would respond to the statement:
“I would absolutely recommend [that] a high school student pursue radio as a career,”
Possible reasons for this negative attitude might be:
Welcome to Consumer Choice
Gone are the days of the gate keepers of music; those people being the radio program directors, record store owners and record companies. Consumers are now in charge and define the characteristics of the media world we live in.
Any solution to the problems we confront must understand our audience’s needs, wants and desires, and put those first.
“People don’t by what you do, they buy why you do it.”
-Simon Sinek
One my life goals has been to learn something new every day. What you find if you pursue this path is, the more you learn, the more you don’t know.
So, what are some of the things I’ve learned in my life, that might benefit you in yours.
Living Is How You Gain Wisdom
In my life, the things that went wrong were the greatest teacher. No one ever learns from things going right. It’s through the difficult times, when our mettle gets tested, and we build our internal strength for the years ahead.
Wisdom Is Meant To Be Shared
The reason I write this blog is to share the things I’ve learned in my life. Sharing helps others to grow, and you might be surprised to find how much your knowledge grows in the process.
Wisdom Is Not The Same As Being Smart
You don’t become wise from reading a book or attending a class. You become wise through living your life, through personal experiences.
Great radio air personalities, great media salespeople, great broadcast engineers, and yes, their managers, become great through putting in the hours of effort to hone their craft.
When they make it look easy, you know they own it.
Always Be Curious
I’m one of Roy H. Williams wizards. Wizards are curious people and life-long learners.
Look at a picture of a wizard’s room, and you will find a room that’s cluttered and at the same time you will realize that here lives a person whose mind cannot be focused on a singular subject. It’s this diversity of learning that provides the foundation for future problem solving skills.
As we accumulate knowledge our minds begin the process of distilling what we learn into wisdom.
Connect The Dots
It’s through wisdom, that a person learns how to connect the dots and plot the path forward in life. Because of uncontrollable curiosity, and our desire to explore all areas of our world, we are predisposed to seeing the big picture.
Surround Yourself With Wise People
If you want to be better at something, go and find the people who do it best, and immerse yourself in their wisdom.
I remember when I was learning to play tennis, I started off playing with someone who was as bad at the sport as I was. When I moved on and played with a more skilled tennis player, I never won against this person, but my game improved immensely.
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)
A.I. may be superior at many things, but when it comes to the very human quality we call wisdom, I believe that is where people will always dominate. Unlike artificial intelligence, human wisdom mentors and inspires people to become their personal best.
“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
-Steve Prefontaine, Handley High School Class of 2011
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