March 22, 2024

If you were going to moderate a programming panel, what would some key topics be?

Jon Zellner, iHeartMedia: Exploring new revenue opportunities. Attracting young people to our brands and our industry. Motivating and inspiring talent. Recognizing who our competitors are.

Buster, WIOQ: Where are we going? And, how do we get there?

Jammer, WEZB: Spotset load, marketing money, morning shows and music.

R Dub!, Z90/Magic 92.5: I would love to brainstorm new ways to run spots – new and innovative ways to keep revenue, without having to run 15 minutes of commercials an hour. This is something we should’ve been discussing and executing 20 years ago. But yeah, here we are still running 8-minute stopsets.

Big Rob, KKPL/KMAX: The biggest topic I’d want to openly discuss is that the “one size fits all” approach doesn’t work. Each market is unique and has different needs to fully reach their potential. Fort Collins is different than Denver, which is different than Colorado Springs, which is different than New Jersey. etc. We can’t all wear the same pair of shoes and expect nobody’s feet to hurt, ya know? Need to find ways to stand out and cater to our local audience.

Jonathan Shuford, WRVW: How to make revenue without having 10-minute commercial breaks would be first on the agenda. How to remain relevant in our communities with dwindling resources. How to get artists to believe in the power of radio.

Dom Theodore, Radio Animal Media Strategies: Disrupting radio, how to ditch the 1996 model that isn’t working for us, and hasn’t for quite some time, and replace it with an entirely new approach. Creating EXCLUSIVE content that people CRAVE. Wild, radical experiments we can and should be attempting to recapture audience passion. That would be a good start, and maybe, how to rid fear from an industry that has almost nothing left to lose!

Drew Heyman, WHYI: Turning the mic live. Engaging caller usage that makes for compelling content.

Toby Knapp, WASH: Radio days or radio in a daze? Waking up a legacy medium to save the medium. Mental health. Failing forward to win bigger than ever before. Managing creatives correctly in a changing world. How to make Generative AI your friend so you can win. You will not replace us: telling the true story about companionship an Authentically Interactive way.

Danny Ocean, WSBG: Creating Entertaining and original content. Coaching and directing young talent. Finding ways to separate our station from everything else that’s out there these days!

Jeff Hurley, iHeartMedia: Practical uses of AI tools to improve your show. Why a 2008 radio show doesn’t work in 2024. Data is your ally (and when to ignore it).

Rich Davis, KDWB: In light of everything that recently happened with the record labels, I’d like to talk about how important in-person record promotion still is and how it’s going so far the other way. There isn’t any way you can build the same kind of relationship with radio stations and programmers over Zoom than you can by sitting across from them in their offices.

Guy Zapoleon, Zapoleon Consulting: What is your plan to keep radio relevant to a new generation of consumers in a world dominated by streaming platforms and apps? My responses would include, get the dramatic cut in commercial load, 24/7 talent, constant personal and social media listener interaction, one radio platform for all radio, marketing radio once it’s fixed, but you may also get some surprising and effective answers no one else has thought of yet.

Tim Rainey, KKRZ & KXJM: We really need a panel on ‘The Next Generation of War of the Roses’. What type of new angles and relatable content can we invent that is new and fresh?

Mike O’Donnell, WKRZ: How to raise cume on your radio station. That’s my big theme this year.

Chris Michaels, FM100: Developing and coaching up and coming talent.

Rick Vaughn, KENZ: The fundamentals and basics of programming targeted toward younger programmers. They haven’t hung around the radio station and learned from mentors for a while. Seasoned PD’s take it for granite and assumes everyone knows. When you ask around, there’s many who don’t.

Brian Check, iHeartMedia: New talent development: where/how do we search for them, then where/how do we get them started? Community: how to increase our charity/community efforts using digital platforms. Integration of AI: what are the first basic steps for programmers?

Brian Mack, iHeartMedia: 1 BILLION DOLLARS worth of social media ad-spends we’re leaving on the tables.

Valentine, WBHT: The importance of being plugged in AND being involved with your city and audience, something streamers and satellite can’t do. The art of entertainment and storytelling, what does today’s audience want? Branding/Marketing in a social media led world.

Lee Abrams, mediavisions: Music Selection; Production; Culture; Competing against streamers.