The 2011 Radio Show Opens In Chicago

Underway Today

The 2011 RADIO SHOW, the combined NAB and RAB convention, opened TODAY (9/14) at the picket-plagued HYATT REGENCY CHICAGO.  The first day's schedule includes sessions all day, an Advertiser's Luncheon, and opening remarks from the NAB's GORDON SMITH and the RAB's JEFF HALEY.

Panel Looks At Localizing Syndication

In an early panel about maintaining a local position while using syndication, COMMONWEALTH BROADCASTING VP DALE THORNHILL recalled the days when syndication was considered "better than dead air, and that's about it," and how the business has grown since then and syndication is now doing "better than most" in local markets. 

NASHVILLE-based BIG D AND BUBBA's BUBBA noted that the show has the capability to break away from the national feed to provide local breaks for affiliates in emergencies, giving the example of a case in TALLAHASSEE in which an affiliate's sister Talk station called them to get information about a plane crash in the affiliate's own market.  BIG D added, "There's different local.  There's local that's ... hyperlocal, I call it 'dumb local' ...  a city council meeting, your mom doesn't care." 

DIAL GLOBAL Pres./Programming KIRK STIRLAND played examples of how his company's satellite-delivered music formats do standardized and also localized breaks.  He advised stations using satellite formats that practically all syndicators will provide localized breaks if asked, and that PDs' jobs have changed so that they now are charged with feeding information to their syndicated hosts for localization purposes.

CITADEL MEDIA SVP/Programming and Distribution CARL ANDERSON said that "it's not local, it's locally relevant" that stations should be shooting for.  The key is embracing what your syndicator offers, and the real key is constant communication back and forth" between the station and the show.  He demonstrated TOM KENT's C.L.A.S.S. customization system, including phoners.

Lori Lewis Heads Social Media Panel

JACOBS MEDIA Dir./Digital and Social Media Strategist (and ALL ACCESS columnist) LORI LEWIS hosted a panel on social media WEDNESDAY morning, with ENTERCOM Rock KISW/SEATTLE morning host BJ SHEA, GREATER MEDIA Rock WMMR/PHILADELPHIA PD BILL WESTON and MIDWEST COMMUNICATIONS Country WNCY (Y100)/GREEN BAY morning host CHARLI MCKENZIE on hand to offer guidance on how to use FACEBOOK and TWITTER to benefit radio shows and stations.  Topics ranged from getting FACEBOOK "likes" and using video to dealing with trolls.

Branding (With A Real Brand)

An afternoon session on branding moderated by BRIAN THOMAS, PD at Classic Hits WCBS-F/NEW YORK and VP of Classic Hits Programming at CBS RADIO, examined case studies

HARPO STUDIONS/OWN (OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK) President and former CBS/INFINITY, CITADEL, and XM RADIO programming executive ERIK LOGAN discussed the launch of OWN, saying that the "single biggest challenge was that OPRAH had a full-time job" at the time of the network's launch, restricting her ability to be on the network.  He played a video promo for the network's new season launch and talked about developing "a reason to come" to the channel, using OPRAH's brand and new daily show for the channel ("OPRAH'S LIFECLASS") along with the new ROSIE O'DONNELL show to draw an audience.  LOGAN also discussed the use of "brand filters" and "brand words" to describe and define a brand, and the launch of "Young Country" at CBS as a rebranding and repositioning against more traditional format incumbents.

CMT President and former SUSQUEHANNA Director of FM Programming in ATLANTA and DALLAS BRIAN PHILIPS outlined how CMT reversed a distribution decline and revamped its image from regional (noting a TV industry perception of Country as limited to Southeastern appeal) to national.   PHILIPS also explained the genesis of the successful rebranding of then-SUSQUEHANNA Country KPLX/DALLAS as "THE WOLF," using actor BARRY CORBIN as the station voice to differentiate the station.  "It was a badge that people were proud to wear as Texans," PHILIPS said of the "WOLF" brand.

Consultant (NUVOOVOO MEDIA) and former CLEAR CHANNEL and TRIBUNE programming executive MARC CHASE illustrated his talk about branding by producing an actual cattle brand and blow torch to demonstrate the origins of the term, then addressed the difference between "behavioral" and "emotional" branding with stories about his frequent flying on DELTA, which, he said, had an opportunity to connect with him on an emotional level (with frequent flyer benefits and preferred treatment) after he established behavioral branding by regularly flying the airline for business.  "Branding is about making a relationship deeper," CHASE said, rather than purely promotion.  CHASE added his perspective on the legendary and aggressive launch of Top 40 WFLZ/TAMPA with "THE POWER PIG" brand against then-rival WRBQ (Q105).

What Is Radio?  It's All About Content, Say Panelists

A panel named "What IS Radio?," moderated by ENTERCOM VP, Digital Strategy TIM MURPHY, posed that question to CBS SVP of Programming CHRIS OLIVIERO, ARBITRON SVP, Digital Media and Analytics PAUL KRASINSKI, and TRITON MEDIA GROUP COO MIKE AGOVINO.  OLIVIERO said that "we're in the enertainment business, we're in the information business, we're in the software business... we're in the content business."  He pointed out that a focus on the hardware -- radio -- loses sight of the content the industry produces, and that the competition isn't just other radio companies, "it's everybody" who competes for the audience's attention.  KRASINSKI agreed, saying "we are in the content creating business and the striking up a conversation with the consumer business."  AGOVINO added that he himself finds his radio time being eaten up by things like talking on his cell phone and other in-car distractions.

The discussion stressed the industry's ability to create content for any new media, which OLIVIERO noted should be considered "a positive."  KRASINSKI noted the importance of knowing what the audience wants and needs before dealing with about the technology delivering that content, and targeting content in the different media for their needs.  AGOVINO noted that the audience is being "dis-anonymized," with radio and other marketers gaining more specific information about listeners.  OLIVIERO added that newer techology has succeeded by investing in content, giving the examples of cable TV with shows like "THE SOPRANOS" and satellite radio with HOWARD STERN, and that consumers do not care about the technology more than the content.

Welcome Remarks: Confidence, Lobbying, And A Teleprompter Malfunction

The RAB's JEFF HALEY and the NAB's GORDON SMITH welcomed attendees with "opening remarks" at the end of the first day of sessions.  HALEY voiced confidence that radio's "glass is half full, not empty."  "Scale matters, live and local content matters, and mobile matters," he asserted, listing radio's advantages in each category; on scale, he noted that measurement of new media needs to compare "apples to apples."  He called for a common interactive platform for radio and for FM chips in cell phones.

NAB President and CEO GORDON SMITH followed with remarks about his first two years with the organization, advising broadcasters to let their elected officials know about their concerns.  A teleprompter malfunction interrupted the speech, resulting in a long pause while a staffer retrieved a paper copy of his address.  SMITH was, like HALEY, enthusiastic about radio's assets, and took the opportunity of the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to assert that radio remained operational through the attacks as well as through the recent earthquake, hurricane, and floods, which he said was not the case for cell phones and the Internet.  He warned that digital competitors are "working to subordinate" broadcast radio on every new car, and said that broadcasters need to get on other devices, like cell phones.

After HALEY and SMITH addressed the gathering, the MENTORING AND INSPIRING WOMEN IN RADIO (MIW) GROUP, as previously announced, bestowed its 3rd annual Trailblazer Award on HUBBARD BROADCASTING Chair VIRGINIA "GINNY" MORRIS.  GREATER MEDIA's HEIDI RAPHAEL made the presentation to MORRIS, who said in brief remarks, "I don't know that I see myself as a trailblazer, but I've been pretty lucky."

Get more info at www.radioshowweb.com.

« see more Net News