The New Broadcast Partners’ Mike Bettelli takes a trip down memory lane and compares his days in the ‘80s at KOMO/Seattle to the PPM world of radio in 2010. How has the business evolved? How have research and technology changed what makes it on the air? And what lessons can we learn from the way things used to be vs. how we operate now?
By: Mike Bettelli, Partner/Consultant, The New Broadcast Partners
Mike Bettelli
A surprise phone call from an old friend and colleague got me thinking about the reality of radio in 2010 and the challenge facing all programmers. A wave of new technology, new rating measurements, a sick economy and owners who just want to cut costs – no matter what the consequences have made this a very trying time for success in this industry.
A Look Back
1985 may have been one of the best years ever for radio. I was fortunate to be working in Seattle at one of the great full service AM stations in America, KOMO. In the years leading up to ’85 the station had spent a great deal of money to research the Seattle market and its radio listeners. In study after study (and many music tests) they kept telling us that they wanted to hear the music they liked, be entertained by friendly air personalities, be informed with frequent news and weather updates and have some fun when they tuned to AM 1000. We followed the plan carefully and spent most of the ‘80s as a top 3 station in the tough Seattle market.
The Fun Part
Between 1984 and 1990 KOMO took to the road for broadcasts from all over the world. Here’s a partial list: Freemantle, Australia for the America’s Cup, Geneva, Switzerland for the Reagan/Gorbachev summit, Olympic Games in Canada & South Korea, a pub in Wimbledon during the tennis matches, the Eiffel Tower in Paris during the international air show, the Berlin wall as it came down in December of 1989, and Moscow in 1990. We also frequently travelled to Disneyland, Sea World and even spent a couple of weeks in Jamaica. We contested during all rating periods. We spent considerable amounts of money on television campaigns that sold the “image” of the station and not just contesting or personalities. To paraphrase my colleague and Promotion Manager Judi Sladky, “We rocked!”
The Boring Part
Sticking to format and research results can sometimes be a little difficult. When you are doing a morning show from the Eiffel Tower and want to spend an extra couple of minutes talking about the amazing dinner you had last night – it might seem to be more entertaining than playing a song or giving listeners the weather forecast for Seattle, but that isn’t the case. The balance still was necessary to keep listeners tuned in. We maintained our format structure through all of the fun events. It meant that the talk segments and pre-produced elements had to be as entertaining as any other element on the station. It meant limiting interviews and conversations that didn’t pass the “who cares” test. Our sponsors loved the dynamics and made these broadcasts profitable for both ratings and revenue. What does all this have to do with radio in 2010?
The PPM Lesson
If the people meters have taught us anything it’s that the old success formula for radio still works. Play the music they like, entertain them, put friendly personalities on the air and have some fun. Formats that worked well by appealing to a small, but loyal audience are failing in the PPM markets. Smooth Jazz, News Talk, Sports, Triple A & Alternative are struggling or gone. Countless radio shows that years ago gave up playing any music and just talked their way through morning and afternoon drive are seeing diminished ratings or are not getting inflated contracts renewed when the PPM ratings keep spiraling downward.
Embrace Technology
In the radio world of 1985 very few GM’s or CEO’s had a computer on their desk. Nobody even imagined what iPod’s, smart phones and 4G would do to our industry. The competition back then was a cassette deck in cars or a Sony Walkman. “Texting” had a different meaning. If your station doesn’t have a killer website, offer podcasts, stream live, or work social networking sites you could end up as today’s creaky old Walkman (no longer available at your local Best Buy). Will the cars of tomorrow even bother with radio? How many portable music players offer a radio option? How many HD radios even exist?
What Still Works
If you had the luxury of spending money on research in 2010 you might be surprised at the results. For music intensive formats it isn’t about the new music it’s about the songs your audience considers their favorites. Radio personalities should almost always cut the content by 50% and fine tune material that gets on the air. Local content may be the most precious commodity radio is lacking. Even if you must voice track, there are still ways to keep it local. Direct listeners to your website, make sure your air talent has a web presence. Look for new ways to reach out to your audience.
Radio In 2035
It sure is hard to predict what radio will look and sound like in 2035. I’m hoping that radio will still be a viable medium and not disappear as new ways of listening to music, getting information and being entertained by an incredible amount of new technology appears. Radio may have a brighter future than any number of other enterprises. Record labels, daily newspapers, TV networks, magazines, book publishers and even computer companies have some real challenges ahead. The best we can do is deal with today’s reality and try to get ready for tomorrow.
I’d love to hear from you!
Mike Bettelli is a Partner and Radio Consultant with The New Broadcast Partners. He can be reached at: 206-849-2456, mike@thenewbp.com or www.thenewbp.com.
