1-19-2012It?s getting hard to be a purist. We all know them; the vaunted champions of pushing an audio signal out of a tall stick to a limited area. I?ll bet some reading this blog right now remember getting physically excited, adrenaline racing, because they were able to pick up a Detroit AM in Charlotte in the middle of the night.Radio. So ingrained in us. Such a significant part of our lives and who we are as professionals. If someone on the other side of a crowded room utters the word, ?radio,? our ears perk up and we seek out the source. That?s how much radio has meant to us. And for a lot of us, myself included, we knew from a very young age radio is all we ever wanted to do.
So what was your reaction when you heard Clear Channel is dropping the word ?radio? from its name? They will now be ?Clear Channel Media and Entertainment.? Is CC turning its back on our industry? What does it mean when the largest radio company among us, one that still operates around 850 broadcast stations, drops the word ?radio?? And considering that despite all the griping about Clear Channel, radio groups have generally followed where Clear Channel has led (welcome aboard iHeartRadio Cumulus and Greater Media!)?is this the beginning of the end for ?radio??
CEO Bob Pittman said this, ''I've watched as Clear Channel Radio has pushed beyond the traditional boundaries of radio to reach more Americans every month than any other media company. We are taking our brands and content wherever our listeners expect to find it."
How sad am I? Not very. I never got into radio because I was excited by a broadcast tower. I got into radio because I wanted to make people laugh and feel better every day in whatever town I wanted to live in. Radio was the only outlet that let me do that. I?m grateful to it. But like any child who must eventually leave the parent that raised them, entertainers must be willing to build on the medium where they honed their skills and embrace the worlds that lie ahead.
That doesn?t mean I don?t have concerns. I think the concept of local advertisers being able to market on local shows hosted by trusted, local personalities was the root cause of radio?s success. Sadly, it was the first concept radio ditched. But God bless the new mediums, which sets the stage for the return of those personalities and shows. If you?re a morning guy who?s always griping because you only get to talk over ramps, you can have your own talk show on the digital side, promoted via the station?s social streams. If you?re not doing that, why not?
I?ve written often about how talent must explore what outlets in addition to radio are available to them. And I?ve written often about allowing radio to evolve into whatever it?s going to be next. Nothing stays the same, especially nothing dealing in technology. I LIKE replacing radio with ?Media and Entertainment.? It?s bigger. Done right, it offers more opportunities, more innovation, more revenue, more talent, more youth, more energy?all good things.
You are so much more than the limits of your stick. Yes, if your game is playing wall-to-wall music over a broadcast tower that listeners can get anywhere else, and with no quality local talent, you?re staring into an abyss. But for those who truly know how to engage, entertain and inform, radio is now limitless.
Mike Stiles is a writer/producer with the social marketing tech platform, Vitrue, and head of Sketchworks comedy theatre. Check out his monologue blog, The Stiles Files.
Find him on Facebook or on Twitter @mikestiles(1/20/2012 6:45:50 AM)
"I’ll bet some reading this blog right now remember getting physically excited, adrenaline racing, because they were able to pick up a Detroit AM in Charlotte in the middle of the night."
It's much more difficult now, with Bob Struble and his cohorts destroying the nighttime coverage of a number of AM stations. Very sad what they have done to our glorious AM radio. WLW has always been a favorite, but WOR's hash destroys their coverage. So much for the truckers who once enjoyed Trucker Network from WLW around the country. This situation is criminal.
(1/19/2012 6:42:46 PM)I think this is a big ado about nothing. How many radio conglomerates actually have the word "radio" in their official name? And I don't think anybody has ever considered Clear Channel a "purist".
When Eric Rhoads changes the name of his magazine to "Pandora Ink", then we'll have a problem!
There should be no question that watching the direction Clear Channel is choosing to move is very interesting. In fact, watching the differences between Clear Channel and Cumulus is very interesting as well. While these two companies don't represent all of radio, they are making choices for different reasons and have their specific strategy because they feel it will lead to success in the new future.
For rank and file employees, now IS the time to begin looking at additional opportunities or even alternative opportunities where you can grow and have successful ownership careers in forms of content that you create.
We are now entering a new era of change that will reward those personalities and content providers who can think beyond and work beyond the current falling away limits that some might affectionately call "old school media."
Consumers are being met with new choices every day. Your thoughts on what you love about radio should be dead-on for many of us. It is about being able to contribute. It's also about making a good living and getting ahead in the balance of your working years.
I applaud you for saying it. This is the time to review where you are going and make the most of your career. It is time to embrace change and opportunity that change will create.
Add a Comment | View All Comments Send This Story To A Friend
