Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Radio Waves Podcast #231

Radio: July 27, 2018

Radio is still among the most popular of all available media, dwarfing the on-line services as far as reach and even beating television for overall reach. So what is causing revenue to stay far below what it should be, considering how far the economy has come since the drop in 2008?

My personal belief is that today’s young-buck programmers and executives don’t have history on their sides ... indeed, they seem to shun history, forgetting that what worked in the past will probably work today, as long as it is updated to match the modern audience. Yet often programmers seem ignorant of the elements of good radio.

You probably have your own ideas, and I’d like to know what you think as well. Here are some examples of what may sound like good ideas, but ultimately are not ... ideas intended to help but actually hurt a station’s success:

• Long music sweeps. This sounds like a great idea: keep a listener looked for 45 minutes and then run the commercials as a block. Ratings soar and advertisers and the station win. The reality: long sweeps of music force a station to group commercials together, so that the typical commercial break ends up as long as 10 minutes ... or more. No one will listen through that, so listeners change stations or tune out completely. Advertisements are thus worth less and stations must give price breaks to advertisers, lowering revenue.

Solution: Limit sweeps to three or four songs, with a maximum of 20 minutes. Commercial breaks should be limited to no more than three (two is better) ads. Listeners won’t tune out, commercials are actually heard, and both stations and advertisers win.

• Music marathons. Music sweeps on steroids. Many stations run 18 minutes of commercials per hour ... you think taking two hours or more of prime time and forcing those potential ads into other hours helps? Really? In the end, stations lose out on revenue, advertisers lose the ability to market products and services, and listeners lose out too.
 
Solution: Only run sweeps when -- and this should never happen if your sales staff is worth anything -- you truly have no ads to run. Ratings mean nothing if you can’t capitalize on potential revenue from advertisers.

• Thinking advertisements are bad. Yes, there are bad advertisements. But advertising in general should be considered a service and a positive part of your programming. I myself had windows installed on my house due to an ad I heard on KFI (640 AM). I had such a positive experience I have recommended the company to others and used them again for another project. I never would have found them without the help of KFI.

Solution: Embrace ads. Consider them a service to your listeners. But don’t abuse them: make sure the quality of the ad is as high -- including its entertainment value -- as is the rest of your programming. Never run more than three at a time. And never run ads for competing products or services in the same set.

• Accepting bad commercials. Yes, revenue is important. But just as the fictional WKRP in Cincinnati ended up dropping a very lucrative campaign for a funeral home, you cannot run ads that are tune-outs. No station should ever run ads from “Kars for Kids,” for example. Guaranteed tune out.

Solution: Your program director should have final say for everything that airs on the station. Don’t let the sales staff dictate what makes it on the air. And make sure your PD is good enough to know the difference between good and bad.

• Running too many commercials. It’s easy to think more ads bring in more revenue, but in fact the opposite is true. In their heydays, both KHJ (930 AM) and KIIS-FM (102.7 FM) set revenue records while limiting ads run per hour. The rule for KHJ in the 1960s was eight minutes maximum per hour and no more than TWO commercials per break. KIIS-FM limited ads as well when they almost single-handedly brought top-40 back from the brink of death in the 1980s ... then set ratings records.

Solution: Just limit the ads. Fewer ads per hour makes each ad worth more. Far more than the loss per spot with  more ads. Advertisers want to be heard. They will pay if you can guarantee it.

• Sponsoring everything. If you follow the above, your revenue has already increased. Having everything sponsored (“traffic brought to you by,” “weather presented by,” etc) just makes you sound cheap. Plus those quick mentions register as normal commercials to listeners.

Solution: Realize you are broadcasting in the public service. Some things should be considered as the cost of running the business. News, traffic and weather are but three.

• Forgetting what makes radio great. It is obvious that just playing music is what will keep listeners tuned in. Problem is, I can find music on my phone. Or on Spotify. Or on SiriusXM. Radio has to give listeners a reason to tune in.

Solution: Stop selling your listeners short. People want to be informed; some of the best, award-winning newscasts came from music radio stations: KHJ, KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM), and even the original KDAY (now KBLA, 1580 AM). Information tailored to listeners is a reason to tune in, not tune out. As long as it is entertaining, they will listen.

• Clutter. Many stations have dropped jingles, as jingles are old fashioned. In their place are highly-produced segments that are so full of clutter that they are actually annoying. 

Solution: Programmers need to listen to their own stations; so often what may sound great in the production room sounds horrendous on the air, especially if it is repeated often. And while jingles may seem old fashioned, one thing they have is they work. Is there anyone who grew up in Los Angeles who cannot sing the jungle for “93-KHJ?” “Kiss-FM?” Or even “A little bit of heaven, 94 point seven, KMET ... tweedle-dee?” 

Even if you shun jingles, your on-air presentation cannot be cluttered. Presentation is everything. Your station needs to be relevant to your listeners; stop giving them a reason to find other entertainment sources.

The preceding programming tips come from the heart.

ReelRadio Returning

The notice at the late-Richard Irwin’s reelradio.com is promising: “Please stand by. Reelradio will return. Thank you for your patience and continuing support.” 

The radio recording museum has been down since just before Irwin’s death, and many had hoped that his legacy would live on. I have no details right now but hope to in the near future.

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Radio Waves Podcast #230

Radio: July 20, 2018

I’ve been listening to KOLA (99.9 FM) since I was in junior high school, about the time I figured out how to tune it on my family’s “Sonic Servant FM” home intercom system.

At the time it was an automated top-40 station; one of my memories of the time is when the automation system got stuck and the station played Paper Lace’s “The Night Chicago Died” something like 16 times in a row. Honestly I don’t know how I was able to listen that long, but I did.

Today the station is a live personality-driven oldies station. Or in modern vernacular, “classic hits” as the term “oldies” is apparently a turn-off. Perhaps more accurately, as rock and roll spans so many years, the term “oldies” connotes the era of the 1950s and ‘60s, something KOLA (and LA competitor KRTH) shuns.

With the current format focussing on ‘80s and ‘90s hits, KOLA certainly found its niche: it has consistently been among the most popular stations in the Riverside/San Bernardino area for years. The latest Nielsen Ratings have it number 2 in the area; prior to that and at least as far back as January, it was the top-rated station in the Inland Empire.

Knowing of and following KOLA for four decades, then, I have no excuse to miss the fact that they, too, carry classic editions of American Top-40 mentioned last week. In this case they carry recordings from the 1980s, every Saturday morning from 5 to 9 a.m. and Sunday nights from 7 to 11 p.m.

And if you can’t get enough of the ‘80s, KOLA features “Absolute ‘80s Weekends” that start Saturday mornings at 9:00 ... immediately following AT40.

Through August 3rd, KOLA is giving away tickets to listeners daily to a weekly featured local theme park as part of their “Summer Ticket Window.” The window opens every weekday at about fifty minutes past the hours of 7:00, 10:00 and 11:00 a.m., and 12:00 and 3:00 p.m. Listen for the window to open; the 19th caller to the station wins the tickets.

Ratings

Not much change in the Los Angeles ratings since last time I reported on them: KBIG (104.3 FM) won the most recent survey released July 10th with a 5.8 share of the audience, followed by KOST’s (103.5 FM) 5.6, KRTH’s (101.1 FM) 5.1, KTWV’s (94.7 FM) 4.5 and KIIS-FM’s (102.7) 4.3. These are roughly the same positions -- and ratings -- the stations held three months ago.

There were a few interesting results. For example, competitors KPWR (105.9 FM) and KRRL (92.3 FM) -- both playing a similar format -- tied in the ratings (along with KNX 1070 AM KLOS 95.5 FM and KXOL 96.3 FM) at 2.6. Alt 98.7 FM beat KROQ (106.7 FM) to take take the alternative crown, but just barely: 2.8 versus 2.5. And KPCC (89.3 FM) found itself in the top-10 -- tied with KAMP (97.1 FM) for 10th place -- with a 2.7 share.

KABC (790 AM) needs to give serious thought to making some major changes. The one-time talk format leader -- the station originated the format in the 1960s -- hasn’t broken a 1 share in quite some time; the June ratings found KABC at the bottom of the English-language talk format ratings at 0.4 ... tied with oldies KSUR (1260 AM), a station that doesn’t even reach much of the city. I think it is time to consider a full-service format similar to the original KMPC (now KSPN, 710 AM). As it is, KABC was beaten by every other English-language general talk and sports-talk station in town.

The full story: Each rating is an estimate of the percentage of listeners aged 6 and over tuned to s station between the hours of 6 a.m. and 12 midnight. 

1. KBIG (5.8) 2. KOST (5.6) 3. KRTH (5.1) 4. KTWV (4.5) 5. KIIS-FM (4.3) 6. KCBS-FM, KFI (4.1) 8. KLVE (3.5) 9. KYSR - Alt 98.7 (2.8) 10. KAMP, KPCC (2.7)

12. KLOS, KNX, KPWR, KRRL, KXOL (2.6) 17. KROQ (2.5) 18. KLAX, KRCD (2.4) 20. KKGO (2.3)

21. KBUE (2.2) 22. KSCA (2.1) 23. KXOS (2.0) 24. KUSC (1.7) 25. KDAY (1.5) 26. KJLH (1.4) 27. KCRW, KSSE (1.3) 29. KRLA, KSPN (1.1)

31. KLAC, KLYY (1.0) 33. KEIB, KKJZ (0.9) 35. KFSH (0.8) 36. KFWB, KKLQ (0.7) 38. KDLD, KWIZ (0.6) 40. KYLA (0.5) 41. KABC, KSUR (0.4) 43. KKLA, KWKW (0.3) 45. KTNQ (0.2)

Ratings are © 2018 Nielsen. May not be quoted or reproduced without prior written permission from Nielsen.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Radio Waves Podcast #229

Radio: July 13, 2018

Alt 98.7 FM (KYSR) will have a new midday personality as Tamo Sein replaces Marty Whitney in the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. slot at the popular alternative music station effective July 16.

Sein moves to Los Angeles from her former home of Charlotte, North Carolina where she had the same shift at co-owned alternative WEND. She is described as “relatable, down to earth” a fan of alternative music and “a food and wine enthusiast ... she will fit right in!” according to Alt programmer Lisa Worden.

While the move means Whitney will not be heard in Los Angeles, he will continue at KIOZ/San Diego (105.3 FM), where he hosts weeknight 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Hopefully, unlike Whitney, Sein will indeed be local.

iHeart Interest

While Liberty Media, a majority owner of SiriusXM Satellite Radio has long expressed an interest in buying at least a portion of bankrupt iHeart Media, word out this week is Silver Lake Partners, a private equity firm, is rumored to be interested as well. 

Any sale would not happen until iHeart emerges from its current bankruptcy in October or so, after which the company will “only” owe $10 billion compared with today’s debt just North of $20 billion. Yes, billion, with a b. The company is valued by some at about $12 billion.

My position, of course, is that neither company should take control. iHeart and the others are THE reason radio is undervalued. The company should go bankrupt and forced to sell stations off under rules that should be adopted by the FCC preventing a company from owning more than 50 stations nationwide ... a compromise, admittedly, as the limit should be closer to 10 or 15.

Bigger Neighborhood

Real 92.3 FM’s (KRRL) syndicated morning show Big Boy’s Neighborhood will be broadcast on cable television’s Fuse Network starting on Monday, July 30th. Broadcast on radio stations across the country through Premiere Radio Networks, the show is based in Los Angeles.

Big Boy -- also known as Kurt Alexander -- has been in Los Angeles since 1997: first at Power 106 and then beginning in 2015 at Real. 

“I can’t believe it’s been three years since I embarked on this incredible journey to bring Big Boy’s Neighborhood to my listeners on iHeart Radio’s Real 92.3 and stations nationwide, Alexander said in a press release. “Words can’t express how excited I am to bring the Neighborhood to millions of viewers through this television partnership with Fuse.”

Fireworks

American Top-40 celebrated its 48th birthday on July 4th.
The program was created by original host Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and legendary programmer Ron Jacobs, who at the time had recently left the programming position at KHJ (930 AM)

It launched on July 4, 1970 with just seven affiliates, but quickly grew to be one of the most popular syndicated programs on radio. You can hear classic 1970s recordings of the program hosted by Kasem on SiriusXM’s Channel 7 Saturdays at 9 a.m., Sundays at 6 a.m. and Sundays at 9 p.m.

KIIS-FM (102.7) morning man Ryan Seacrest hosts the current edition. But apparently no one really cares, not even Seacrest’s own station, as KIIS-FM doesn’t carry it ... the closest local affiliate is KFYV in Ventura. You can hear it on the iHeart Radio app though, which is pretty cool: Both Seacrest’s and Kasem’s ‘70s and ‘80s countdowns can be found there. All day, every day. You can even ask Amazon’s Alexa to “play American Top 40.”

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Radio Waves Podcast #228 - Chuck Martin Interview

Interview with Chuck Martin, the last programmer of KHJ (930 AM) before the popular top-40 station went country in November of 1980.  Also on hand is longtime KHJ engineer/production director Douglas Brown.

Richard's column for this week:

Radio: July 6, 2018

The timing was perfect.

I had been thinking about the fact that it is hard to find “good” new music on the radio. Or anywhere else, it seems. What brought it to a head, ironically, was an ad on SiriusXM’s PopRock channel in which someone said it was their favorite channel because “I know every song.”

I’m not sure why but that struck a nerve in me. As much as I spend my time living in the past -- my wife Jean will attest to that -- sometimes it is not by choice. Perhaps by ignorance, but not always choice. I just have a hard time finding new music I like, and it is easier to go with the tried and true.

Problem is, I don’t want to be “one of those guys” who no longer evolves musically. That guy -- like my Dad -- who only listens to music of my youth. I don’t want to know every song!

So it was akin to the aligning of the planets when I recently attended a reunion of local radio personalities at Fuddruckers. I happened to meet Lee Wade, writer and editor of BoomerMusicUpdate.Com, an internet site dedicated to finding new music that may be of interest to the Baby Boom generation. “We find current songs that are similar on style to songs Boomers grew up with,” Wade explained.

My interest was piqued. Especially when I found out that the curator behind the songs is none other than Dave “The Duke” Sholin, a former personality and programmer of the legendary KFRC/San Francisco. Sholin is considered by many to be a top programmer and music director, able to pick out hits ... and he picked many of the hits played on KFRC, the influential Bay Area version of KHJ (930 AM) here in Los Angeles.

Boomer Music Update is much like a blog -- Wade has been a writer and editor for online blogs as well as newspapers including the Riverside Press Enterprise and the Pasadena Star News -- that also features the songs being compared. Categories include Pop, Top-40, County, Alternative, and “Everything Goes,” which can include, well, anything.

Can a blog get you up to speed on new music? It’s certainly worth a try. Check it out for yourself and let me know your thoughts.

The Chucker Speaks

The interview Michael Stark and I did with Chuck Martin --one of KHJ’s best program directors ever -- was scheduled to hit the netwaves on July 4th. You can hear it at tinyurl.com/RadioChucker.

Martin was the last programmer of KHJ before they went Country in November, 1980. He is the man responsible for bringing Rick Dees to Los Angeles, putting together an amazing staff, and super-serving the KHJ audience by making the station energetic and rhythmic. The result was the fastest increase in ratings the station ever saw and the highest ratings the station had seen in years ... or since.

The passion Martin has for radio is infectious, and he still has the knowledge and enthusiasm of radio programming, marketing and promotions that is unfortunately missing from so many stations today. 

While Martin spends much of the time talking about KHJ, the interview spans his entire career from his earliest days to his time at K-WEST (now KPWR, 105.9 FM) and beyond. It’s long but if you are a fan or top-40, KHJ or radio in general, I think you will like it.

Curtain Call

The interview with Martin was the last we were able to do before the “final broadcast” of the LA Radio Studio, which is located in part of the Ports O Call Village in San Pedro slated for demolition.

The studio itself is a public service of Jayme Wilson, located a short walk from the Ports O Call Restaurant that he owns. Live and recorded podcasts have originated from the studio for the past eight years; popular shows include Phil Hulett and Friends as well as Radio Waves, hosted by me and Stark among others.

June 29th was the last scheduled podcast, and it was an all-day event. Stark described the day:

“Friday was a great celebration of our eight-year history on the waterfront. I was blown away by the friends, supporters and fellow broadcasters who stopped by for our ‘last broadcast’ from this current location. There are many video clips of the event available on the LA Radio Studio YouTube channel (YouTube.Com/LARadioStudio).

“I can't thank Phil Hulett enough for anchoring the seven-hour event, with Ted ‘Thrashpie’ Prichard and ‘Gonzo’ Greg Spillane co-hosting.

“There is a saying that you are only as good as your last gig ... and I'm proud of this studio's ‘last gig.’ We WILL be back soon.”

The last Hulett show and the remaining hours of the “final broadcast” are streaming continually until further notice. Access via LARadioStudio.Com.