by Don Anthony
Erections may last up to 4 hours… consult your physician…. You know the ad, right? And you’ve also seen those print ads in Sunday’s newspaper for the latest wonder drug followed by two more full-pages of possible side-effects and legaleze. I hope these caveats aren’t an omen for future radio contests.
It’s been a few weeks now since the Sacramento tragedy. Like everyone, our hearts went out to the victim’s family. We also thought about the radio show and staff, their predicament, their future. But there were other thoughts, too: Tighter guidelines, stricter policies, pre-approval on everything, some even wondered if radio stunts were doomed forever. Here’s mine: Why not more imagination! Great talent has always had the ability of making things seems bigger than life. Remember Steve Dahl’s “Disco Demolition?” Or, how about Atlanta’s Bert Show who recently joined with a pair of listeners for an Oprah Winfrey “Pay it forward” Challenge. Within days, and a little imagination, they turned $2000 into over $250,000—all going to charity.
Procedures? Guidelines? Of course. We all have speed limits, but it’s the car that gets us where we’re going. Morning shows, or those like them, are our vehicles. And following Sacramento, they’re all on notice to drive safer. I’m sure they will. But driving with one foot on the emergency brake is no way to do a show. Dave Ryan of KDWB/Minneapolis says, “The big lesson here for all of us is twofold:
1. The audience just isn’t going to enjoy “dangerous” stunts for awhile, so don’t sound like an ass by doing them.
2. You can make a stunt sound way more dangerous than it really is. The way the audience perceives it is what’s important.”
Did you ever see the film “Starman.” Jeff Bridges plays an alien who assumes the body of a dead man, who then gets connected with the dead man’s widow, –and I do mean connected. Anyway, one of his lines to the widow, played by Karen Allen, on his observations of humans, “They are at their best, when times are at their worst.” By no means are these the worse times in radio. Perhaps the most challenging, but not the worst. Sacramento was a wake-up call that things can go wrong—terribly wrong. But radio can’t lose sight at what it does best. And if stuntage, parodies or whatever is their strength, they can’t water it down and expect the same results. To do this they have to rely more on creativity, imagination and add more theatre in bringing these creations alive. Not do away with them, not trivialize them, but prepare them in a more responsible and salient manner.
An estimated 93.5 million people watched SuperBowl XLI. I’m guessing 93.49 million thought the ads weren’t as cool as in year’s past. Why? Why would a product like the SuperBowl, or it’s advertisers, known for showcasing the crème de la crème of ads, forego these long anticipated breaks between plays? Were they playin’ it safe, being more economical? Will being overly cautious eventually take them out of their game. Will radio follow the same course?
In the last few years, various media events, not to mention FCC fines, has made everyone connected to a mic or station license a lot more anxious. Rightfully so. But the show–as they say–must go on.
Perhaps author Stephen R. Covey put it best: “Live out of your imagination, not your history.”
Don Anthony is the founder and pres. of Talentmasters. One of broadcasting’s leading recruitment firms since 1985. He’s also is the publisher and editor of the Morning Mouth Magazine and Host of Morning Show Boot Camp. Reach him at (770) 737-2700 or email at themouth@tds.net
