Radio execs: "We got fat and happy.”

What's happened to radio?

That question consumed the radio suits- the CEO's, the consultants, the media media- gathering in Philadelphia this week.

They were (slightly) less self-congratulatory than usual. As they should be, with their industry in revenue free-fall with no bottom in sight.

There was the navel gazing, the handwringing, etc: GAP Broadcasting's George Laughlin admitted, “We looked at the 50-60% margins, and we stuck it in our pockets. We didn’t try to keep up with the other media.” Charles Warfield of ICBC said “We did not invest in our on-air talent.” Regent’s Bill Stakelin says “We’ve been out-shouted by other media, we’ve been out-promoted by other media. We’ve pulled back on marketing, pulled back on research.”

(The personal meters have helped reveal programming mismanagement, and neglect, but unfortunately, it wasn't until after the business fallen off the cliff).

“The PPM has really exposed our poor talent management over the years.” Clear Channel’s Gene Romano told the assembled radio broadcasters,  “A lot of what we thought was great, we know now, really isn’t working for the listeners. And that might mean some of the talent we had been using. Now (with electronic measurement) we can see what does work, and expand on that.”

Good idea. “Talent brings people to us,” Warfield said. "It seems some people forgot that in recent
years."

BlatherWatch has often noted that in Seattle, there's no bench for talent. nor seemingly much interest in spending the dough to develop one. Weekends and evenings are low-revenue-generating but also the place where hosts once got on-air mileage and and the chance develop as talent. Those hours with few exceptions, are all syndicated, brokered, or info-mercialed for no-risk, quick-cash

A minor exception is KIROFM who has more live and local than anyone, but who recently replaced a unique, non-political live & local evening show (TBTL) with a cheaper, old-style conservative one- Frank Shiers (m-f, 7-11p whom we hear they're paying with TBTL t-shirts and Sounders tickets).

Bonneville also replaced the moderate syndicated Phil Hendrie in the KIROFM late night slot with the irritating, unlistenable, conservative Christian-talker Alan Hunt. (This is as a move away from the longtime mixed lib/con format of KIRO to all-conservative. That's but a lateral grab for a bigger slice of a smaller pie. Seattle now has three conservative talkers- four if you count KKOL (which we don't). None are doing well).  

Bonneville’s D.C. based Jim Farley said, “PPM has exposed us to a true reality of what people actually listen to.”

Introspection finished, the be-suited radio poo-pahs sopped the cocktails, sat down to the rubber chicken and awarded crotchety paste-eater Willy Cunningham (KVI Sundays, 7-10p) the Marconi Award as Large Market Personality of the Year. He made his chops in radio by always referring to the president by his middle name, Hussein, and mentioning his late mother in every show.

(Photo: Willy Cunningham given radio's highest honor)

Comments

[Idaho Spud]

Odd that this would happen on the first day that Marty Riemer gets canned from KMTT. That station is now down to 2 individual personalities - no nights, no mornings ... or I suppose the 2 remaining will STREEEETCH their shifts out through voice tracking.

Shame, I thought "Triple A" was supposed to be about trusted personalities introducing and giving depth on new artists and reminding us about catalogue titles from old favourites.

[patrick]

Anyone with Wifi at home and any sense listens to internet radio. This is about as interesting as a convention of horseshoe manufacturers or home ice delivery services. Yawn.

[Rich]

Why did they can Marty? Money?

[Corporate Suit]

I'm still fat and happy!

[Idaho Spud]

For Rich: It appears they wanted a 'different direction.' They claim a new morning program is hired and will be on-air.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2009944928&zsection_id=2003925728&slug=webmarty26m&date=20090925

[mark]

KIRO-FM: two things:
1. Bring back Goldy on the weekends - hell of a lot better than some canned syn crap or infomercials (who the hell listens to those, people in comas?

2. Tune in at 9am Sunday to listen to Meet The Press; nope, some goofy Seahawk pre-pre-pre-pre-game program. If only there was a sports station that was owned by them they could put that on???

[Lucas Foxx]

I don't know why Gene Romano seems so concerned about ratings now. In the 6 years I worked for Clear Channel he never seemed to make any decisions based on ratings. He was among the geniuses at CC that decided it would be a great idea to voice track people who couldn't get ratings in their own markets into other markets; replacing local people who could get bigger shares for the sake of a few bucks. He was one of the people at the beginning of the deregulation that said "we don't need Arbitron. Sell the share of the pie we target." Didn't seem to matter whether or not they could actually deliver that target.

[Rich]

Kmtt has'nt gone on a new direction since they started. There playlist supports that. They fired Marty for money. The show became too expensive vs income.