A VERY SPECIAL "Radio Waves": Join Richard and Mike for an interview with two of Emmis Communications' top execs - CEO and founder Jeff Smulyan and President of Programming Rick Cummings. In the full podcast, we discuss a variety of "radio" topics, Jeff's new book titled "Never Ride A Roller Coaster Upside Down: The Ups, Downs and Reinvention of an Entrepreneur" and they give us their thoughts on the future of the radio business.
Radio Waves: March 10, 2023
Austin’s SXSW Radio Day Concert on The SoCal Sound
There is a huge music, film and television festival happening March 10 through the 19th in Austin, Texas: SXSW 2023. Festival organizers describe it as “an essential destination for global professionals,” featuring “conference sessions, film and TV festival screenings, music festival showcases … and much more.”
Music festivals are held with various themes Monday through Saturday; Thursday March 16th is dedicated as Radio Day, and our own “So Cal Sound” (88.5 FM) will carry that day’s concerts live beginning at 10 a.m.
Each artist will perform for an hour, beginning with Bailen at 10:00, followed by Blondshell, Sunny War, Ron Gallo, Girl Scout, and Katie Toupin.
Can’t get the station clearly on your radio? It’s on smart speakers, all the smartphone apps as well as online, at thesocalsound.org.
Fighting Back
Radio in the dashboard of cars has become a battle ground between auto manufacturers and radio station owners. Not just for AM, which is being pushed out due supposedly to interference from electric car internal electronics, but potentially FM as well as carmakers look to push subscription services that allow radio apps receiving stations over the internet rather than the traditional airwaves. The thinking is that if AM can easily be pushed out and replaced by apps, then by extension FM can be removed easily as the same apps can receive FM station streams as easily as they receive AM streams.
The problem for radio stations is two-fold: people may not bother getting the apps, especially if they are difficult to use or the access to use them costs extra, and there are extra costs to stations running streams, including music licensing fees.
So some station owners are beginning to fight back. A recent article in industry engineering newspaper Radio World highlighted the perspectives of Tom King, of Kintronics Labs — an expert on AM transmission and noise interference, Saul Levine, owner of K-Mozart (1260 AM) and Go Country (105.1 FM), Don Elliot, owner of Schwab Multimedia.
Essentially the consensus among the three is that interference concerns are overblown, that there are easy fixes including special antenna setups, and that many electric cars do indeed have reliable AM radio reception without issue. Who benefits from the removal of AM from cars, Elliot asks? Certainly not listeners.
In a related move, broadcaster Neal Ardman has announced an initiative to force electric vehicle manufacturers to stop causing interference to the AM band, a problem I eluded to in a previous column. In a nutshell, if EVs cause enough interference to cause in-car reception problems, they are potentially creating interference outside the car as well … which is illegal.
Broadcasting stations, including radio and television, is a protected medium in part because of its use in emergency situations. And AM stations in particular are often the hub of the emergency alert system. And that brings up an important issue, as Ardman stated in a press release announcing his initiative: “EVs don’t just cause noise to the radios built into the EV they also cause harmful interference to the cars that are nearby.”
Adrian told Radio World that he hopes to work out an agreement without going to court, but that if a lawsuit is needed to protect the AM band from this interference, “we will do just that.”
Mail Bag
“I liked your article today where you mention ‘The Woody Show.’
“Another fun morning show is on KRTH 101 with Gary Bryan, Lisa Stanley and
Brandon. They have listeners call in for various things and is so fun to hear. I’ve even called in a few times and have been on the radio with Gary Bryan! They do such a fun show and crack me up a lot!
“Always enjoy your column – especially when you talk about old-time radio from the 60s and 70s – my fun era of radio!” — Michele
Absolutely! There are actually a few who still take advantage of phones when allowed, including those and afternoon drive hosts such as Kevin and Sluggo on KLOS (95.5 FM) and Booker and Stryker on Alt 98.7. It seems that some stations have finally rediscovered that entertainment between the records is often what makes a station win.
“I look forward to your Friday columns in the Daily Breeze and today’s was a good one. I’m a longtime listener of KPFK and enjoy The Car Show while running errands on Saturdays.
“If I wake up and don’t want to get out of bed I listen to the radio with headphones and check in to The Woody Show. It’s so much better than the (competition)” — Richard Graling, Redondo Beach
Here’s a little trivia regarding The Car Show … did you know that host Mark Vaughn graduated from San Pedro High? Yes, he is a local boy!
Radio Waves: March 3, 2023
Car Show celebrates a half century on the air
My first car — and the car I learned to drive in — was a 1974 Chevrolet Vega GT Hatchback, bought new by my sister’s college roommate, Roxanne. Roxanne taught me to drive it when I was 12, in the back parking lot of Food King in San Pedro. In 1979, she gave it to me, and it became my cherished first car to drive in high school, while my Dad and I worked on rebuilding his 1967 Camaro RS that would eventually be my second car.
The Vega got passed over to my Mom, sold to my friend, then another friend. Eventually I saw it in one of one of junkyards where you pull parts off of cars yourself … it still had the back window sticker I had put on it years before. I have to admit, it was a bit sad seeing my old car there… I learned a lot about cars from it and had fond memories of it.
I use that story for perspective … the Vega would have been 49 years old now, and it long ago bit the dust. (The Camaro was stolen, so keep an eye out for it). On the other hand, a radio program about cars the year before is still on the air: KPFK’s (90.7 FM) The Car Show just celebrated its 50th birthday in February.
It all started in the Fall of 1972 when John Retsek and Jack Kirkpatrick were asked to talk about cars on KPFK’s Helpful Hints consumer-oriented program. The two had so much fun with their occasional appearances that then-station programmer Ruth Hirschmann proposed that Retsek host a car-oriented show weekly. So, in February of 1973, The Car Show was born.
Much has changed since then … Hirschmann became Ruth Seymour, moving on to become general manager of KCRW (89.9 FM) in 1978 and creating one of the most prestigious public radio stations in the country. Carburetors became obsolete, replaced by fuel injection of various forms. Steel belted radials replaced bias ply tires. Unleaded gas became the norm. FM radios started showing up more and more, as did in-dash tape players, then CDs, then smart phone connections and bluetooth. Fuel mileage increased. Maintenance needs decreased. Safety and cost went way up.
But the Car Show has held on, and is now the longest-running automotive program in history, predating National Public Radio’s Car Talk by four years “and obviously outlasting it,” says current co-host Dave Kunz. Now, in addition to hearing it live over the KPFK airwaves Saturdays from 1-2 p.m., you can also find it in podcast form on various apps and sites including Spotify and TuneIn.
Described as “everything about the automotive world including listener call-ins, event calender, industry news, racing news, new products, vehicle road tests, classic and collector vehicles, in-studio and call-in guests on all automotive and related subjects,” the program is now hosted by Kunz and Autoweek magazine journalist Mark Vaughn.
Explains Kunz: “The show has been through numerous hosts over the years. Retsek was at the helm until 2010, when he retired. Art Gould took over with me moving from fill-in to regular co-host. When Gould passed away in 2019, I sort of inherited the program, and that is when I was joined by Vaughn.”
Through the years the program has remained true to its purpose: talking about cars, the technology involved , new and exciting trends in the industry … and fun. That translates to some long time listeners, according to Kunz. “I have heard from listeners who’ve been fans for decades,” he says. “One listener recently called to tell he he’s been listening since the beginning!” That’s dedication.
So raise a glass to the show that originated on a station that, when the show first debuted, couldn’t even be heard in most of the cars on the road due to the then-dominance of AM radio. Happy birthday, The Car Show!
Old Tech
As I was driving into work this week — due to the rain I couldn’t ride my bike — and listening to Alt 98.7’s The Woody Show as I usually do, it struck me: Here is a show that embraces old technology, at least to an extent. Many of the contests, bits, and listener participation segments on the popular program involved listeners calling in on the telephone.
Yes, the telephone, something that so many seem to have forgotten exists in the era of text messaging and Instagram posts. Yet that banter with listeners is one of thew things that makes The Woody Show so entertaining.
It also creates a conduit for personalization, as callers who participate and win contests can be promoted on the air, unlike generic “text this number to win” contests that not only don’t really do anything to drive listenership, they don’t give the rest of us a chance to hear someone else win.
Something to think about … maybe Woody proves the past is the future. Perhaps these are the Days of Future Passed. Or like sand through an hourglass, these are the Days of Our Lives. Showing my age again …
Radio Waves: February 24, 2023
Riding the Emmis rollercoaster
Never ride a roller coaster upside down. Good advice, and also the title of a new book by Emmis Broadcasting founder and CEO Jeff Smulyan. The subtitle perhaps better describes the technical content: “the ups, downs and reinvention of an entrepreneur,” but the roller coaster imagery is fitting, as I am sure many entrepreneurs will attest.
It’s certainly not always smooth sailing.
This is not a radio book in the traditional sense, nor is it a book on broadcasting. It definitely stays true to its title and focusses on the trials and tribulations experienced by Smulyan as he built his radio empire, branched into professional athletics team ownership, and in many ways tried to help keep an industry he loves on track and profitable … unfortunately to no avail.
In its pages, the book explores all aspects of his multi-faceted career, and at times is brutally honest toward himself and others. He gives accolades when appropriate; derision when necessary. And while it is not a tough read, it is a long read solely due to the details presented and the passion behind his words.
Not that I always agree fully with him … As you know, I have long held that AM station owners and programmers pushed listeners to FM through bad programming — and other — decisions. Yes, FM can sound better, but doesn’t have to, and had programmers presented something people value, they would have stayed with the band. Smulyan actually proves my point with the initial failure of WFAN — a formerly successful country music station before he changed it to all-sports, which took years to catch on and like conservative talk radio became a popular format to present — if not listen —on the AM band … to the band’s ultimate demise.
Also demonstrated by Smulyan, the current decline of FM is due to the same type of forces … content not appealing to listeners, and a commercial load approaching 25 minutes per hour on some stations. But I digress.
In reading the book you get a feeling that you are there. In. My case, in one example, I was there … I was an intern at Magic 106 (now Power 106, 105.9 FM), working with on-air personalities such as Sonny Melendrez, Brian Roberts, Laurie Allen, and the great Robert W. Morgan. Emmis had spent a lot of money on Magic, but it was never the force they had hoped for … mainly due, in my opinion (and something I sensed even as a college intern) … a music mix that was too limiting. Magic never wanted to break songs, and instead relied on KIIS-FM (102.7) to do so … to its ultimate decline.
Smulyan and his executives including Rick Cummings, who I believe at the time oversaw programming for the entire company, let me listen in and even take part on some of their evening strategy meetings, which was a tremendous opportunity for a radio nut like me. I never forgot the experience, and it helped me not only understand the inner workings of radio, but develop a periphery understanding of Emmis itself. Indeed, my experience with Emmis matches what Smulyan describes as the corporate attitude within the company – a company that values people; they treated me — unpaid intern radio nut — as a valuable employee. No wonder the same executives I sat with in the mid 1980s are for the most part still with the company.
So I was there when the decision to drop the adult contemporary music and move to a rhythmic top-40/dance format was announced. At the time I remember thinking that it would be a tough move; KIIS-FM was firmly entrenched as the top-rated music station in the United States, setting records for listenership and revenues. Emmis executives came up with a format designed to appeal to young, hip listeners cutting across cultural barriers (sound familiar? Chuck Martin did the same at KHJ 930 AM). Ultimately, Power was the only station ever able to knock unstoppable KIIS-FM out of the top spot, at least for a while.
Smulyan later describes the purchase of the Seattle Mariners … what went right and what went terribly wrong, including a reflective analysis of how he totally misread the market for professional baseball in Seattle. That chapter in the book may change a few opinions on Smulyan being a “terrible owner” of the team, even though that is not the intent.
He speaks of his competitors both good and bad, talks about initiatives he was part of that may have indeed helped extend the reach of radio, and discusses the problems — including in particular one short-sighted competitor — that led to Emmis ultimately becoming less of a “radio” company and more of a media company … a move that you correctly sense makes him somewhat sad. Smulyan is, indeed, a radio guy, and it is his first love.
As I mentioned, one thing I found interesting in reading the book was that the attitude of Smulyan and the corporate culture he claims to have encouraged at Emmis matches that of my limited experience way back in my intern days, which were only a few years after Emmis was founded. Over time I watched the company’s successes and declines, and was impressed when — unlike so many other companies — Emmis actually worked to pay down debt by selling stations, including one that Smulyan loved, Power 106.
As I said, it’s not truly a radio book, but well worth the read for both radio fans as well as anyone interested in starting a business. Smulyan imparts knowledge that successful business owners learn by experience; perhaps his experience will help others avoid mistakes … or at least help others understand what entrepreneurs often go through …
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