It's Day Two Of The Conclave

Happening In Minneapolis

The 2012 CONCLAVE LEARNING CONFERENCE kicks into day two TODAY (7/19) at The DOUBLETREE PARK PLACE in MINNEAPOLIS, with LEARNING CONFERENCE badges presented by ALL ACCESS.

Conclave Hearts Huckabee

THURSDAY's program was led off by CUMULUS MEDIA NETWORKS host and former ARKANSAS Governor MIKE HUCKABEE in conversation with HUBBARD ABC affiliate KSTP-TV/MINNEAPOLIS' TOM HAUSER.  The discussion covered HUCKABEE's career and his move into the media ("a perfect fit," he said, for someone who "played the game") as well as politics.  HUCKABEE told HAUSER that when politicians say they never listen to talk shows, "it's a lie," adding that he tried to listen to and read the best and worst about himself, with the idea that the truth would be somewhere in the middle. He credited conservative Talk radio's success to the passion hosts demonstrate, although he said that he, himself, feels no need to "scream and shout," preferring to allow liberals to talk without interruption while they "self-destruct."

Battle Of The Syndicated Hosts

A "Syndication Super Session" featured PREMIERE "COAST-TO-COAST AM" host GEORGE NOORY and "AMERICA NOW" host ANDY DEAN, COMPASS MEDIA NETWORKS talker TODD SCHNITT, and CUMULUS MEDIA NETWORKS host and musician JIM BRICKMAN, with ALL ACCESS VP/Editor News-Talk-Sports PERRY MICHAEL SIMON moderating.  The entertaining discussion included fireworks between the brash DEAN and veteran SCHNITT, with testy exchanges over experience and relative success.

Geller: Great Talent Has Hunger To Do It

The most common trait of successful radio talent is "a desire and hunger to do it," consultant VALERIE GELLER said at her presentation on talent development.  She said a "true star" has the ability to "dance while no one's watching," being unafraid to perform.  "Great artists take risks," GELLER asserted in a discussion of star quality and how to get it; she also noted the importance of being funny and compelling over the "six testicle voice."

Alan Burns Webinar Looks At Women's Use Of Digital Media

Consultant ALAN BURNS, via a webinar projected onto a screen at the conference and associate JEFF JOHNSON on-site at the CONCLAVE, offered the results of a study of women's use of digital media, showing increases in online listening to radio station streams attributed in large part to iHEARTRADIO, which has seen usage more than doubling in the past year.  Over half stream an AM or FM station using the iHEARTRADIO app, mostly at home, and TSL has jumped as well.  Apps in general have exploded in use among women, and radio station apps are no exception (nor are Pandora users, half of whom have also downloaded a radio station app).  Meanwhile, listening on a regular radio has declined, but the aggregate of regular and online/mobile streaming shows listening to radio stations is up (or at least flat, with the margin of error taken into consideration).  "You just invented radio again," JOHNSON told the audience.  BURNS added information about listening in cars and women's reasons for not using streams in cars right now (the top reasons being lack of Net access in the car and liking to listen to radio instead).  Read more details about the study in NET NEWS TODAY (7/19).

Doug Harris Offers Sales Promotion Tips

DOUG HARRIS offered promotion ideas to satisfy both sales and programming in a presentation hosted by ENTERCOM/MADISON OM DAVID MOORE.  HARRIS said that there are only four basic promotions: gift-with-purchase, consumer registration (register to win), special events, and special pricing.  He counseled attendees to plan in advance and "put it in writing," and suggested that promotions be written down in one-sheet form (the "DOUG HARRIS Gets Hit by a Bus" promotion, designed to answer all questions if HARRIS were to be hit by a bus).  "Promotion is the exploitation of opportunity," HARRIS added.

Top Air Talents, Programmers Talk PPM

A panel on "PPM Success" included air talents DAVE RYAN of CLEAR CHANNEL Top 40 KDWB/MINNEAPOLIS and ERIC FERGUSON of HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (MIX 101.9)/CHICAGO, PD JIM MCGUINN of MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO Triple A KCMP (THE CURRENT)/MINNEAPOLIS, CUMULUS SVP-Programming MIKE MCVAY, and P1 RESEARCH President KEN BENSON discussing how the PPM has changed programming (or not).  MCGUINN joked that he missed the old "If anyone asks" promos, but the panel agreed that dropping imaging that had been targeted at recall (for the diary system) was not a good idea for overall branding.  FERGUSON stressed the need to keep listeners engaged to build brand loyalty.  RYAN noted that jocks had become complacent from years of diary-based success and that "two guys and a woman sitting in a room talking about themselves" was not enough to succeed in a metered world.  Moderator JOHN BOYNE of COLEMAN INSIGHTS raised the issue of how the PPM had been perceived to favor music over talk and asked whether opinions on that have changed, but even MCGUINN, whose station is built on its reputation for eclectic music, said that his station cannot succeed in ratings or revenue if it relies on "that was/this is" instead of personality.  MCVAY, saying that he does not like the word "brevity," nevertheless touted "efficiency" as preferable to keep talent from going too long with material.

The day's activity is concluding with a "MINNESOTA Music Cocktail Party" sponsored by COLEMAN INSIGHTS in the MUSICMASTER Ballroom, featuring local bands TWO HARBORS and BETHANY LARSON AND THE BEE'S KNEES (5-7:30p).

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