Greater Media VP of Program Development Buzz Knight

3-29-2013

How I Got Into Radio is Sponsored By Local Focus

The wonderful advantage of being in the radio business is the incredible access we all have to rock concerts. Like many of you, I have enjoyed all formats of music, but the difference in going to a rock concert is a nefarious substance wafting through the air causing a cloud that hangs still and causes many of use to relax and enjoy the concert at a different level. It is that contact with the atmosphere that have caused many of us to forget much of what happened in the 70s, 80s and 90s. This loss of memory leads me to explain how it is that I can?t remember when or how I met Buzz Knight. It might have been in Chicago in the early 80s at the NAB or when I spent many hours trying to place a morning talent at WZLX. Either way, we have known each other forever.

There is not much about the radio business that Buzz doesn?t know. He is an encyclopedia of radio history and applies what he knows brilliantly. But, most importantly, Buzz is one of those wonderful people whom you look forward to seeing and sharing time and conversation with. He is smart, clever, fresh, interesting, and never boring; gosh I wish there were more of him in the world.

Now let me hand it over to Vice President of Program Development for Greater Media Buzz Knight...

My earliest memories of listening to radio had a transformative impact on my relationship with the medium that I still love today.

While growing up in Stamford, Connecticut, I had New York radio in the background on a regular basis as a part of my life. The fabulous energy of WABC was constantly abuzz wherever you went in the community.

I?ll never forget the instantly recognizable news sounder that WNEW-FM ran at the top of every hour. With my head on my pillow I?d sneak a listen to Jean Shepard on WOR radio while he brilliantly communicated his neurotic life.

All of these feelings and emotions instilled a curious love for this business of talking into a microphone. I applied for an internship at our local station WSTC-AM and went to see Program Director Don Russell to try and sell myself into his station.

Mr. Russell had zero interest in taking on the burden of an intern and he passed. But I wouldn?t give up.

As a major sports fan I was fond of the Len Gambino sports call-in show on that same station and I quickly weaseled my way into the ?chief schlepper? role during his program.

Len would eventually give me my first shot on the radio as a guest on his show, heartily proving the adage that, for hosts of shows, sometimes no guest is better than throwing the dopy high school kid in! That point would be made completely clear when Len quizzed me (a diehard baseball fan!) on the nuances of hockey and I essentially clammed up saying "Sorry Len, I'm a baseball fan."

This moment would give me the bug as I somehow had to prove that I could be on the radio for a living. I still remember the moment I was driving by my high school and my inner voice said ?Go for it! Choose radio as a profession!?

From Stamford, Connecticut, I migrated to the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, to pursue a communications degree.

UD had many things going for it (including the parties) but among the biggest draws was the commercial station they owned, WVUD-FM, and my sights were set very specifically on getting hired to be a part of the operation.

I would ultimately work weekends, overnights, and eventually the signature 6-10 p.m. show called ?The Wax Museum.? The bond with radio was locked forever.

Lisa Miller is the President of Miller Broadcast Management in Chicago. She's also one of Radio Ink's Most Influential Women in Radio. Miller can be reached at Lisa@millerbroadcast.com or 312-454-1111. So, how did you get into radio? We'd love to hear the story about why you're passionate about radio. Read how Dan Mason, Don Benson, Scott Herman, Ed Christian and many others got into radio HERE

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(AUDIO) A True Inspiration

3-25-13

Paul Lane's original choice for a career was not radio. Today he thrives at it. Lane is morning show host on Fred Lundgren's KCAA in San Bernardino, California. He's been with KCAA since 2007 when he was hired as an overnight board op after a stint with KFWB. Today, in addition to the morning show, Lane has major responsibilities at the station, according to Lundgren. "We hired Paul in 2007 and he has been a tremendous asset since his first day on the job. He has great people skills and a self-effacing sense of humor." When you speak to Paul Lane, you immediately pick up on his positive attitude, the love he has for life, and his desire to make great radio. What brought Paul Lane to radio was tragedy. In 1993 he was involved in an automobile accident that left him a quadraplegic.

LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW WITH PAUL LANE HERE

In 1993 at the age of 22, Paul Lane was involved in a multi-car collision that put him in the hospital for eight months. Lane went from being told he had 72 hours to live to nearly 20 years later living a happy, thriving life. In 1996 he married Rae, his fiancee at the time of the accident, who has been by his side since. A series of events led him to the Academy of Radio and Television Broadcasting in 2006 where he graduated with honors. In 2007, Lane found a home at KCAA 1050 AM in Southern California's Inland Empire, a home where he can express himsel freely, including a wacky sense of humor. It is this humor and positive outlook towards life that not only makes him shine as a radio personality but has enabled him to thrive physically.

Below Lane is pictured with his co-hosts Aaron Sanchez, Bret Malak & Erin Brinker

KCAA CEO Fred Lundgren spoke to Radio Ink about how much Paul means to his radio station. "Paul's life is filled with daily problems that few of us will ever face. The positive way he handles his challanges has become the loadstar of KCAA. In a real way, Paul reflects the can-do spirit of our radio station. Bill Bruns is KCAA's Director of Operations and Paul is next in command. The three of us make decisions together and, hopefully, we get it right most of the time. I give Paul much of the credit. Sometimes Bill tends to be too tough with people and I tend to give away the farm. Paul helps us reach good business decisions that are tempered with empathy and compassion."      
"Paul refers to me as 'Admiral'. He refers to Bill as 'Captain' and we refer to him as 'Number One'. Although our studios at the Carousel Mall are a far cry from The Bridge on the Enterprise, sometimes our programmers resemble the diversity of a gathering on 'Ten Forward' and Paul is equally comfortable with every one of them as they are comfortable with him. When I have a bad day, I will talk with Paul. He will say 'What's up Admiral? How are things going.' I will make some off-the-wall comment like 'life sucks and then we live.' We'll have a good laugh and then decide to get Bill on the line and figure everything out."
"When there is a special guest to be interviewed, I can always depend on Paul to handle it. When an important remote comes up, Paul can handle it. When KCAA needs a promoter and salesman to do some gentle arm twisting, we depend on Paul. When some bad news needs to be delivered, Paul can deliver it without hurting any feelings."

Reach out to Paul by e-mail paulkcaa@gmail.com
Follow Paul on Facebook HERE
On Twitter @Amadeus2k

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Is Crow Blaming Radio for Warwick Bankruptcy

3-29-13

In a series of Tweets Thursday, Sheryl Crow took aim at radio after the news that Dionne Warwick filed for bankruptcy for mismanaging her money. Crow tweeted, "Dionne Warwick does not get paid for her beautiful recordings when they are played on the radio. She had to file for bankruptcy today."

Warwick says she is $10 million in debt after "gross financial mismanagement" according to her publicist. Crow also tweeted, "Sad - US doesn't pay artist/musicians for their performances on radio. Only writers are paid. US, china, and Iran. We need to change that."

(3/29/2013 6:07:00 AM)
And we should have to bail her out because of bad management decisions?
The radio industry pays enough in licensing fees for the writers. We should not be paying artists when their songs are played. It's called FREE PROMOTION!
(3/28/2013 9:07:04 PM)
Sheryl Crow needs to "Shut Up & Sing"!
(3/28/2013 8:49:06 PM)
She's right, of course. And yet music radio whines and snivels about the minimal fees they pay now.

This is particularly the case when factored in is the reality that music radio claims the tunes are their main product.

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Former Katz President Joins Spotify

3-29-13

Brian Benedik has joined Spotify as Vice President of North America Ad Sales. Benedik left Katz 360, where he was president, in September of 2012. He spent a good part of his career within the Clear Channel Radio family on the radio station and media representation sides. He will be based in NYC.

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Vanessa Hale Joins AMP in Boston

3-29-13 
Vanessa Hale has been named midday host on Boston?s 103.3 AMP Radio (WODS-FM). Hale starts Wednesday, April 3, and will be heard weekdays from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. She joins AMP from KHTH-FM ?Hot 101.7? in Santa Rosa, CA, where she hosted afternoon drive for a year and a half.  Before that, she worked for six years as weekend host on ?98.7 LA?s Rock Alternative? (KYSR-FM).

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Unique Radio Deal in Cleveland Confirmed

3-29-13

With the sports radio format so popular with listeners and the NFL so popular with consumers could this new arrangement be the wave of the future for radio? In Cleveland, exclusivity is out the door. The Cleveland Browns have confirmed they have struck a deal with two different radio companies for broadcast rights to the upcoming NFL season.

The Browns will wind up getting over 1,000 hours of programming and nine shows on the stations proving how vital play-by-play is to radio operators. The stations include 850-AM WKNR, owned by Good Karma Broadcasting and 92.3-FM WNCX, a CBS affiliate. Clear Channel loses the Browns on WTAM-AM, which they had since 1999.

CBS Market Manager Tom Herschel said, ?We couldn?t be happier that 92.3 The Fan and 98.5, WNCX will help bring the excitement of Cleveland Browns football to fans across Northeast Ohio for many years to come. 92.3 The Fan is committed to delivering the highest quality programming and putting fans in the center of the action both on and off the field.  Our stations are looking forward to carrying on that tradition with the Cleveland Browns.?

Good Karma Broadcasting CEO Craig marmazin said, ?The uniqueness of this deal just comes back to the fans of Cleveland because the Browns? passion is so unlike anywhere that we?ve ever seen. It leads you to do things you wouldn?t expect to do. It only goes to show that the only team in North America in the history of sports that could bring two separate companies in the same format together and could bring three different stations together on gameday is the Cleveland Browns. It was a no-brainer for us to do it. To be able to work with this organization and be able to serve these fans in this way, it was unique, but it was a no-brainer.?

The new agreement means that Browns games will not be carried on Clear Channel's WTAM-AM for the first time since the expansion era began in 1999.

To learn how to make money from this exciting format join Radio Ink in Miami on May 14 and 15 at The Biltmore Hotel for our 2013 Sports Radio Conference

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(DIGITAL) How Digital Changes The Lives Of Talent

3-27-2013

I thought the world became a better place with e-mail. It was fantastic; I?d write something at my desk and within a minute or two, I?d get a response. No Telex, no Twix, no fax ? nothing with an ?x,? just e-mail. But then I saw what happened when people didn?t edit their comments, and thoughts that would never have left their mouths were leaving their fingers. So, after some embarrassing sharing with the universe, talent in particular became more cautious.

Still, e-mail was a wonderful addition to their lives. Everything was easier. Content was instantly accessible, with news and topical information just a few clicks away, and contact with the audience could be made instant and personal with little effort.

?Before e-mail, you relied on request lines for instant feedback,? says Tom Griswold, co-host of the syndicated Bob & Tom Show. ?You had to weed through phone calls to get callers with interesting comments. With e-mail, you were suddenly hearing from a much broader audience. We started hearing from groups of listeners who never would have waited for request lines to be answered. So the brainless, up-all-night headbanger with a lot of time on his hands calling to request Ozzy for the 40th time was replaced by a brain surgeon writing us a short e-mail to add some substance to a news story about the brain.?

E-mail was great. But when my clients began asking my opinion about blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and the rest, I can?t begin to tell you the panic that set in. Nothing good could come of people who speak for a living expressing their opinions, thoughts, and feelings in writing. I could see lawsuits flying through the air and defamation case being filed hourly.

The chance of someone having a recording of any inappropriate spoken words was slim to none, but I don?t think everyone understands that the written word doesn?t disappear. Once it?s on the Internet, it?s there forever. No good could come of social media. But even after I?d tried to acquire liability policies for each of my clients and begged them not to write anything, all hell broke loose. Everyone was writing to everybody, in every format known and about-to-be-known, and everything they wrote was being transmitted everywhere.

They were posting pictures to Facebook (ugh). On Twitter, people were sharing their daily habits and ?TMI? (too much information) became an everyday acronym. And the best part was that none of the broadcast companies were willing to indemnify the talent. In fact, station owners told talent that social media was part of the job, but if they made a mistake, they were on their own.

It?s only recently ? after a decade of cautioning my clients and warning them to be careful like they were still teenagers ? that I?ve become somewhat comfortable with social media. And it?s a good thing, because the warnings weren?t making much difference: Social media blew through the world, and our industry, like a tornado. For talent, it?s become the lifeblood of their shows. On the air, after the show, social media is 24/7.

Nationally syndicated personality Phil Hendrie says, ?Digital has allowed a new level of freedom for radio talent. In my case, I now own my material, which I can air, market, and share as I see fit. I also produce a five-day-aweek podcast for free that airs only on digital platforms like iTunes. Videocasting is also much in demand, so we have PhilTV, where I talk to my subscribers in character, go through show prep, work on sketches, etc., and it?s all done uncensored. All of that generates revenue, and is strictly digital.?

But as enthusiastic as talent may be, social media has added enormously to their workload. Although some of the work is handled by sidekicks, sports guys, or producers, it?s the talent?s name in the byline or in the copy.

Kevin Roston, co-host of WLDI (Wild 95.5)/West Palm Beach?s Kevin, Virginia, and Jason, observes, ?Our show has changed radically with the rise of social media. No longer is our connection to the audience defined by a 6-to-10 a.m. time frame ? our communication and connection is now constant. We are always top-of-mind. This has created an added demand for content and an even greater challenge, as it feels like we are now living every second of our lives in front of our audience. Though it has added new challenges, we are finding that advertisers are now looking for personalities who are not only connecting with an audience on air, but who are also connecting with an audience through social media.?

Social media is the primary promotional tool for your show, with subscribers in the thousands, friends who follow your every move, and readers who want to know as much about you as possible. You have the opportunity to reach, reinforce and remind your audience why they need to listen to your show. But keep in mind: If the stations and broadcast companies won?t stand behind these messages, there?s potential trouble for talent in every word.

Lisa Miller is president of Miller Broadcast Management
in Chicago and can be reached at lisa@millerbroadcast.com or 312-454-1111.

(3/27/2013 12:50:00 AM)
would urge talent to read any feedback through social media at their own risk.
Plus, relying on the blatherings of people who used to be the ones who phoned radio stations as a source for anything other than satire and ridicule is equally dangerous.

If listeners are to be allowed, never mind invited to program the radio station - it's time to move on. If it is the case that talent is fostering this listener behavior to replace actual show-prep, then it's time for the talent to go into Customer Service at a retail store - a place where it is the customer's right to dish out abuse.

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