Pandora Finds A Friend At The FCC

4-27-15

It was back in June of 2013 that Pandora announced it was purchasing KXMZ-FM, in Rapid City, South Dakota from Jeff Warshaw's Connoisseur Media for $600,000. That sale has been stuck at the FCC because Pandora could not prove it was within the FCC's 25 percent foreign ownership limits. Now, with all the talk about loosening up those foreign ownership regulations, Bloomberg is reporting that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler wants his colleagues to grant Pandora a special waiver to close on the station.

The reason Pandora wants to own a radio station is so it can say to companies such as ASCAP and BMI that it should be treated like radio when it comes to the fees it pays. Pandora has been fighting with music licensing companies over rates for years. At the time this was all going on , ASCAP EVP of Licensing Vincent Candilora told Radio Ink, "The RMLC license was designed for terrestrial radio stations and groups which earned the overwhelming share of their revenues from traditional radio, not an online streaming service that buys a radio station that ranks only 255th in the U.S. market as a ploy to undercut songwriters." And ASCAP Senior VP Richard Reimer told Bloomberg Pandora was simply trying to create a loophole.

(4/28/2015 12:38:36 PM)
You are right El Barto. Just so they can be just like radio and not pay a PENNY for the songs they air on radio. At Least Pandora actually pays artist.
(4/28/2015 9:10:43 AM)
Hey Pandora - if you're so much better than terrestrial radio, why do you want in? Oh, just to be slimeballs who rip off artists by trying to create legal loopholes? Hope it blows up in your face and artists pull all rights to stream their music for your slimeball tactics.

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Is Radio A College Student's Friend?

9-5-14

What role do cars play in the lives of today's college students, and what do young people expect from their personal transportation, today and in the future? Many students are accustomed to being constantly connected, and it's clear we can expect those habits to extend to the car as in-car Internet becomes more common (and ultimately ubiquitous). And as that happens, what role will broadcast radio play for millennials on the road? 
Nielsen Audio has been asking the important questions about how college students are using digital, and you need to hear the answers. At the DASH conference, coming up October 15-16 in Detroit, Nielsen Audio VP/Measurement Innovation Ed Cohen will give attendees the first look at a long-term Nielsen study looking at how college students are weaving digital into their lives -- especially in the car.

The future of radio is in the hands of young people -- and in cars, phones, tablets, and laptops. Do you understand how to appeal to millennials, and how to make sure radio stays part of their increasingly active and connected lives? Come to the DASH conference next month, and get the answers you need to know.

DASH 2014
October 15-16
Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport Hotel
Detroit, MI
www.dashconference.com

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Radio Reacts to Losing a Dear Friend

11-18-13

Radio Ink Publisher Eric Rhoads said of his friend Ron Ruth, "I first met Ron in 1975 when I went to work at WQAM. He was passionate about radio and devoted his life to the industry. I have fond memories of being on stage together and bantering like a morning show team during our Radio Wayne awards. Everyone loves Ron and he will be missed." Radio Advertising Bureau President and CEO Erica Farber added this is very difficult for so many people.

Farber said, "Ron had an incredible career and absolutely loved the business and the people in it.  For the last twenty five years he has been an integral part of the senior management team at the RAB and literally up until the day he died was discussing plans for the remainder of the year.  He played a large role in influencing me to join the RAB team. I am honored to have called him a mentor, a colleague and most important a true friend.  Although Ron has physically left us, he has left an indelible impression on all of us in his extended radio family.?

Former Radio Advertising Bureau EVP/Marketing under former RAB CEO Gary Fries, Judy Carlough added, "I am heartsick. When will I ever have a guy in my life again who could insult my golf swing yet help me improve it at the same time?  And make me love him for it? Ron left us last night but is in excellent company today, since I'm certain he sweet-talked his way past St. Peter and is hanging out with so many others who loved him like we do.  That includes his one-time room mate George Carlin whose comedy routine included this gem:  "People who see life as anything more than pure entertainment are missing the point. I don't think Ron EVER missed that point. God Bless our good friend."

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(Sports Talk) PPM Is Your Friend

PPM is Your Friend
by Dan Sileo

With all the years it's taken me to become a pretty decent radio person, I began to wonder just how long I can continue to do a job that's become a great passion. Even with 21 years behind me I'm still looking for ways to improve my product. The number one way we can all improve is to learn the winning ways according to the PPM.

PPM of course has become such an imporant tool in how radio shows are gauged today, it's important for every host that was under the old Arbitrion system to change as quickly as possible. If not, that host will surely be changed as soon as the GM can find someone who does understand it. My advice: If you don't know, go to your PD and ask how the system works. If he doesn't know, he's the wrong PD and the ratings on your station must be low.

Here's a trick I started about a year ago. So far, it seems to be keeping me in the 25-54 Men demo that most radio companies want their host to be in. I've listened to some of the great radio people over the years and the one thing that runs them out of the business the quickest is their reference points. I can tell when I hear a host who's been at the game for some time just by listening to their refenernce points. When a radio host uses reference's like Mickey Mantle or Jackie Robinson, today's listeners have zero clue what the host is talking about.

Here's a great example. Instead of using Joe Montana as a reference point use Robert Griffin III. It will keep you sounding relavent and in the present. Get with your producer and always make sure you are referncing athletes of today, not 50 years ago or, for me, even athletes I played against in the NFL 25 years ago. A good PD and producer always work together on these details. It goes a long way in making the best show you can possiblly put on.

Look at the content of the show you're presenting to your listeners. Does it sound out-dated? Are the athletes you talk about dead? Are you playing old music? If we've learned anything from PPM it's that listeners have crazy habits on how they listen to radio. Learn from the amazing information PPM is now giving us. DONT FORGET: "THE LEAST AMOUNT OF RESISTANCE GIVES US THE BEST FORMULA FOR SUCCESS."

Dan Sileo, also known as "The Bonecrusher," is a sports talk show host who has worked at KGO & KNBR-WDAE and WQAM. He can be reached at Umiam93@yahoo.com and on Twitter at @dansileoshow

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The Industry Remembers A Friend

Radio Ink Publisher Eric Rhoads said, "Dave 'Kidd' Kraddick was a dear friend. We became friends in Salt Lake when I gave him his first morning show. He had been doing nights and I thought his nighttime teen sound would work well on mornings. His ratings soared. When he went to Dallas he told me his goal was to beat longtime Dallas legend Ron Chapman who had the top morning show in Dallas at the time, which he did. Dave was the most driven, most hard working, most creative air personality I ever worked with."

Entercom CEO David Field said, ?The entire Entercom family is shocked and saddened by the tragic death of our friend, Kidd Kraddick. Yesterday the world lost an amazing man and radio lost a tremendous talent. Even as he died, Kidd was doing what he loved and helping those who loved him. Kidd was a shining example to others. He brought joy and hope to thousands of chronically and terminally ill children through his dedicated work with his charitable foundation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and his friends at this very difficult time. Kidd will be missed and always remembered.?

"I lived in Dallas for 12 years and knew Dave 'Kidd' Kraddock when I programmed KVIL. Not only was he an amazing talent but a wonderful person, father, husband. God bless his family and may he rest in peace." -- Tom Watson

"Kidd was like a Formula One driver.  Always moving forward at a breakneck pace for fear of having someone catch up with him.  Losing someone so vital, so seemingly unstoppable, is hard for the radio community and his legion of fans to process. 

"When I was working across the street (at KVIL), I would marvel at the things Kidd could get done in D/FW.  On the day he had volunteers at EVERY 7-11 in the Metroplex (and there are hundreds of them) collecting change to send another planeload of kids to Disney World. I listened. I cheered. Granted, not a very competitive reaction, but a worthy one given the kind of work Kidd performed. His vision and commitment were sterling. 

"Kidd taught us that the art of well-planned and well-executed audio entertainment is alive and well. 

"I am certain that after grieving over the loss of one of the best decision-makers in our industry, we will get back to questioning the value of talent. Are we paying them too much? Do they get in the way of what people really want from radio? Are they a management nightmare? The answers, as Kidd Kraddick demonstrated so well, is NO, NO, and NO, if the talent holds up his or her end of the bargain:  Be smart. Show heart. Study what your audience consumes. Plan with wild abandon. Execute with precision. Be fabulous. 

"Everyone of us who sits (or sat) behind the mike wonders if we will be remembered for our contribution to our listening community. In Kidd's case, he takes the knowledge with him that he was the best at it. Thanks for the inspiration, dear friend. Now it's our job to groom others to follow your lead." -- Smokey Rivers

(7/28/2013 5:07:27 PM)
Kidd and I arrived in Dallas the same week in the early 80s. We worked together for about 8 years.

I was the best man in his wedding and he was in my wedding.

One of my favorite memories of Kidd... He came to my home town in Thief River Falls, Minnesota for my wedding. My bachelor party was held at a cabin in the woods. First time Kidd saw the northern lights and I'm certain it was the first time he ever made a wager on wood tick races. I was visiting same cabin when I got the news.

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(TALENT) Talent -- The Friend Beside Us

4-22-2013

There has been an element in vocal deliveries in both radio and television that has been secure for at least the last 10 years. Today, as often as not, on-air and commercial content is being delivered by those in the talent corps who have much higher and lighter voices than has been traditionally heard. The decisions to use these voices have been made, however, only for compensatory reasons.

Popularly phrased as the voice of ?the guy next door,? these much higher, talent-tonalities have been injected into the broadcasting mix with specific, identified intentions: to suggest that a ?real? person rather than a ?fake? (radio announcer) person is doing the talking. This approach is supposed to increase the speaker?s credibility in the experience of a listener.

What is not discussed is what I believe to be the most important aspect of making these choices. Namely, the proposition of the bigger (?thunder-nut/puker?) voices coming off as antagonistic, authoritarian, and intimidating has not been examined or, in many cases, even acknowledged as a factor. This, I believe, is because such decisions to use lighter voices are based on intuitions and/or gut reactions on the part of writers and producers.

Before continuing, it is significant for me to state ? categorically ? that, at no time, do I urge these voices not to be accessed and exploited. I have friends and colleagues who have just such voices and who are earning fabulous livings both in on-air and V/O applications. These guys have serious skills and extraordinary control over their deliveries. Professionals they are ? in every sense.

My beef is with the abovementioned intuitions. Talent with baritone or basso profundo voices are being shunted off to some degree not because of their tonalities but because of the copy!

It doesn?t take long to figure out that the majority of commercial scripts written for radio are antagonistic and authoritarian in nature. The copy itself contains numerous challenges to the audience and demands-for-behavior from the audience. This is already embedded in the script before any talent walks into the production studios.

I am satisfied that the combination of antagonistic copy and a bigger voice doing the read is, in many cases, perceived as being overwhelmingly pushy or abusive. There is a threshold in play here where the person making the determination comes to a conclusion of ?That seems to be just too much.? Most of these considerations, I repeat, are made at an intuitive, unconscious level. None of this should come as a shock, by the way, as language is accessed, processed, and responded to at an unconscious level. (If we had to process our own language consciously, word by word, it would take us five minutes to order up fries and gravy with extra fries and gravy ? and a Coke.)

Contrary to popular radio-wisdom, audiences are supremely sophisticated when it comes to accessing language. Indeed, I accept the position that ?language? is the most complex and sophisticated technology that has ever been developed by humans. People (listeners) also have an innate ability to calibrate what they are hearing as they are hearing it.

By that, I mean our neurology is wired in such a way that we listen to individual speakers and make internal, unconscious adjustments relative to that speaker?s tonality, speeds, tempos, timbre, volume, and other factors. Listeners also determine the significance of what is being said based on that information. Now, here is the kicker: Listeners make allowances for the relative tonality and range of the speaker?s voice whether the voice is of a high, medium, or lower tonality! While ?content? is important, it is not as singularly important as some might suspect or believe.

While I do appreciate how the concept of ?the guy next door? came to be a significant factor in broadcast presentations, I am still obliged to also point out the obvious: Of all the guys next door I have met over the years, not one of them ever said anything remotely close to what radio?s guys next door are being compelled to say. Nor have they ever said anything in the style, speed, inflection, emphasis, or consistent warbling tonality that professional, radio ?guys next door? say it.

Here is a simple exercise to demonstrate the concept: I invite the reader (man or woman with a naturally higher, medium, or lower tonality to say the following in exactly the way the directions I offer require.

The line is: ?I feel very strongly about this.?
1. A reader can, first, rehearse that line ? out loud ? saying it relatively quickly and in their own higher tonality.
2. Now the individual can repeat the same line ? a little slower this time and in their medium tonality.
3. Lastly, it is time to say the line again, but this time much slower and with the lowest tonality.
The question now is: Which of those deliveries has the most congruency and is the most believable?

Most normally aspirated speakers will intuitively choose #3. This is because the content deals with ?feelings? and people access ?feelings? when listening to or generating language that is lower and slower. This exercise is also a treat when demonstrated with the participation of others. The results are extraordinarily consistent. Plus, the information provided in the exercise transfers easily through all vocal ranges.

A next, logical discussion to be held concerns the inane admonition still foisted by too many PDs on unsuspecting talent to ?speak naturally.? Suffice to say there are few experiences more unnatural than a disembodied voice being delivered through an electronic medium. But, that?s fodder for another cannon to be shot at another time.

While these elements are delivered somewhat deeper into my training, I suspect this article will be worthy of some serious consideration. Mostly, though, I want to bring attention to the first priority of presenting radio messaging: It all starts with the copy!

Ronald T. Robinson has been involved in Canadian Radio since the '60s as a performer, writer and coach and has trained and certified as a personal counsellor. Ron makes the assertion that the most important communicative aspects of broadcasting, as they relate to Talent and Creative, have yet to be addressed. Check out his website www.voicetalentguy.com

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Greenberg Writes Novel After Close Friend Dies

Mike Greenberg of the popular Mike and Mike morning show on ESPN Radio has written a novel called "All You Could Ask For." The book was written as a tribute to a friend of Greenberg and his wife Stacy who died shortly after learning she had breast cancer. All of Greenberg's proceeds will be donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research. You can order a copy of the book HERE. Listen to a short clip of our interview with Greenberg.

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KROQ's Bean to Donate Kidney to Friend

11-1-2012

Gene ?Bean? Baxter of the "Kevin and Bean" morning show heard on CBS's KROQ in Los Angeles announced yesterday he'll be donating a kidney to Director of Engineering Scott Mason (pictured). Mason has been with the company since 1979. This will be his second kidney transplant. His first was in 1999.  On November 13, the two will go to Cedars Sinai, one of four hospitals in the country that have the ability to match Scott?s blood type to Bean?s blood type and give him the much needed organ.

Here's a portion of Bean's blog about the kidney donation. 

"I?m going to be away from the Kevin & Bean show a few days here and there over the next two weeks as I prepare for and recover from a surgery to have one of my kidneys removed. I am donating it to a friend of mine, and maybe one of yours if you are a long time KROQ fan, named Scott Mason. Scott has worked for the station for a very long time, at one time as a DJ and programmer, and in recent years as the head of engineering."
"Scott has had medical issues for much of his adult life, including his kidneys failing, and that led him to have a transplant from a cadaver back in 1999. Well, now that one has failed too and Scott is back on dialysis for many hours a week. The kidney processes waste out of the blood and without one your body is being poisoned all the time. The dialysis helps but is a temporary solution. You only get off the machine if you get a new kidney or you die."

Read the entire blog HERE. You can hear the two men discuss the issue on the air at the bottom of the page.

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MANAGEMENT I'm Your Boss, Not Your Friend

(by Dan McCarthy) Is it ever OK for a manager to be friends with their employees? Believe me, this isn?t just a question brand new managers struggle with (and most of them do). It?s an issue a lot of experienced managers are questioned about as well, and many of them don?t think it?s a problem at all. The issue of ?buddy to boss? might not be as black and white as you might think.

Conventional management and HR 101 wisdom would tell you it?s absolutely not OK. In fact, some companies might even try to outlaw it through ?cronyism? policies.

However, in the real world of work, emotions and relationships can?t be governed by policy. Workplace relationships are can be extremely tricky, just as personal or family relationships can be. Managers are not robots ? they have feelings and emotions. Sometimes you can?t help but like one employee more than another. Sometimes workplace romances blossom between managers and employees (that?s a whole other issue). So how can they be expected to just turn those emotions off when they enter company property?
Maybe it would be helpful to take a look at the definition of ?friend?. According to Merriam-Webster, a friend is ?one attached to another through affection or esteem; one that is not hostile, a favored companion?. Hmmm, I?ve been a manager for a long time, and that would be how I would describe A LOT of my employees. In fact, I would even use stronger words to describe my relationship with some past employees ? words like close, supportive, caring, trusting, warm, fun, and respectful. I really enjoyed spending time with my employees, individually and in a group. We laughed, we cried, and we fought ? just like friends, right?
I?ve said to more than one employee ?You know, if I wasn?t your manager, I bet we could be great friends!? Have I muddied the waters enough or raised a shadow of doubt? Actually, this is one of those issues that as muddy as it may be, it turns out the conventional management and HR 101 wisdom is right on.

No matter how close a manager may feel to an employee, it should never be confused with a real ?friendship?. You might be a ?friendly? boss, and maybe even share some of the characteristics of a true friendship. You might even call it ?a friend with boundaries?. However, the role of a manager transcends friendship and creates a boundary and potential scenarios that would never exist between true friends.

There are at least 10 reasons why it?s a bad idea for a manager and employee to call themselves friends, including:
1. It will create a perception of favoritism. Even if you think you?re being 100% fair and un-biased, you?ll always be subject to being second guessed.
2. You may not even realize it, but other employees are probably letting your ?friends? get away with more, thinking that you?re going to protect them or side with them.
3. If you allow yourself to get emotionally attached to one employee ? for whatever reason ? but not another, those emotions will consciously or unconsciously influence decisions around raises, layoffs, assignments, promotions, etc?.
4. If you see an employee as a ?friend?, you?ll have expectations of that employee that are unrealistic or inappropriate for an employee. ?Well gee, a friend would never do that, or should do that, or should tell me everything, etc??
5. On the other hand, your friend employee may have expectations of you that are unrealistic or unprofessional, such as sharing confidential information, or always giving them advance notice, or doing special little ?friendly? favors for them.
6. As a manager, part of your job is to judge your employees, to give constructive feedback, and sometimes to discipline them, even fire them. Does this sound like something a friend would do to another friend?
7. Although this threat never seems to scare managers, yes, it?s true ? you and company could get sued. You are exposing yourself and your company to the risk of discrimination lawsuits. Don?t think it never happens? it does. That?s why HR people are so crazy about the issue ? they are trying to protect your backside.
8. ALL employees need to complain about their bosses now and then, even the best managers. You?re kidding yourself if you think you?re immune from this. However, if you see your employees as friends, you?re more likely to take it personally.
9. Friends let their hair down outside of work and sometimes do silly things with each other. Managers are supposed to set examples and be role models. So, as a ?manager-friend?, you?re either going to be a boring uptight, friend, or an unprofessional, immature manager. You pick. And oh by the way, your own manager may not appreciate those pictures of you and the gang all over employee Facebook pages. Can you socialize with your employees? Or go out for a drink? Sure, but just make it a habit to stick to one drink and be the first to leave (to give them time to complain about you), or at least not the last to leave.
10. Some employees may find your attempts to be friends as personally intrusive, or inappropriate. They might even find your ?advances? to be creating a hostile work environment, and again, exposing yourself and your company to that old lawsuit thing.

What do you think? Is it ever OK for a manager to be friends with their employees? Send Dan an e-mail or post your comments below.

Dan McCarthy has been in the field of leadership development for over 20 years. He is currently the Director of Executive Development Programs at the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore School of Business and Economics (WSBE). Reach Dan by e-mail at daniel.mccarthy@unhy.edu
Dan's website is www.greatleadershipbydan.com

(1/12/2012 9:24:41 AM)
Great piece!!! I really enjoyed this.
(1/12/2012 8:40:13 AM)
While Dan points out in this articulate piece how these are elements that are pervasive in any work force, the "real life" scenarios still come down to Sometimes, Maybe and Depends.
That there will always be consequences in direct proportion to a manager's choices is a gimme.
A subdued, openly expressed distinction may be helpful - if not necessary.
Thanks, Dan. I enjoyed this.

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Rick Dees Talks About His Friend George Beasley

When you're in one industry for 50 years you make a lot of friends. Some of those friends turn out to be pretty darn good on the air. Rick Dees is one of those people who became a good friend of the Beasley family and remains close with the family to this day. Dees has a lot of memories and stories to tell about George Beasley in the upcoming issue of Radio Ink that highlights George Beasley's 50 year radio ride. Last night we spoke to Dees about his friendship with the Beasley's and here is just a snippet of what you will hear on November 21st from one of radio's superstars.                 

RICK DEES TALKS ABOUT GEORGE BEASLEY

Our November 21st issue is very special. Not only does it feature George Beasley, and highlight the great accomplishment of five decades in radio, it includes a lot of editorial content you can only read in our digital edition. Our Beasley feature, in the edition, includes more audio like what you've just listened to from Rick Dees. It includes audio from Tommy Edward who was the PD at KCBS when they went after KRTH in Los Angeles and it includes an audio interview with Ann Beasley who was right there with George when he started the company in Benson, NC.

We encourage you to pick up a digital subscription for only $49.00 per year so you can enjoy the extended content in the November 21st issue along with all 21 issues we publish. The November 21st issue ALSO has extra content from our Best General Manager's in Radio. Editorial you will not be able to read in our print issue.

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Lets Help A Friend. Emmis Engineer Loses Everything in Texas Fire

Texas is a state in desperate need of rain. In yet another Mother Nature twist of irony, the recent tropical storm that dropped buckets of rain on the gulf coast could be the culprit of the fires in Texas. The back end of the storm was empty of precipitation, however the heavy winds knocked power lines onto the wickedly dry Texas terrain causing fires to flare up in many areas. Communities around Austin were losing homes the fire raged so fiercely. Well over 1,000 houses were taken down by blaze. In the radio family, Emmis broadcast engineer Duncan Black lost his home and a car in the community of Bastrop.

Radio Ink and the Radio Industry can help Duncan as he works through a nightmare none of us would ever want to go through. Radio Ink has set up a secure PayPal account to make donations to Duncan and his family. 100% of what you donate will be given to Duncan. We hope you can help by clicking on the link at the end of this story. No donation is too small. A lot of small donations will add up to a lot of help.

If you have any trouble with the PayPal link below please e-mail me and I can send you a direct link. edryan@radioink.com. And thank you for helping.

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