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October 23, 2018
A Focus Group Of Twelve ThousandWhat if time had a stop? We could cast back to recapture something that might have been lost ... but wasn't. A few days ago the latest generation of Fleetwood Mac filled Grand Rapids' Van Andel Arena playing non-stop for two hours and for me, part entertainment and part research.
2018 continues to strengthen the enigma of the Classic Rock format's enduring and unending national acceptance spanning a seemingly impossible demographic spectrum. And if this frenzied concert audience was a behavioral indicator, it didn't require Einstein to discover nearly half the capacious auditorium included a 40-and-under group. Side by side with 60-plus fans the euphoric 12,000 were on their feet for most of the 26-song set; lush tracks like "Big Love" and "Hypnotized"mixed with Mac epics "Rhiannon" and "Say You Love Me," even including songs from the group's underrated period of the early '70s.
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October 16, 2018
Raiding Your Competitor's Talent
As a result of the recent turmoil surrounding station sales and radio company bankruptcies, your competitor may have asked star players to accept salary cuts, to take on additional duties, or work with fewer players and resources. They may also see others being ...
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October 9, 2018
Try These Five Improvisation Games
There are not many scripts for a drive-time entertainment radio show or podcast. Usually, one person leads and a partner or partners react to move the conversation forward, much like improvisational theatre. Inexperienced players sometimes shut down the conversation ...
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October 2, 2018
Covenants
A great leader has the knack of making people believe they're better than they think they are. At an early stage of NBA championship coach Pat Riley's march to greatness, he accepted the vacant Los Angeles Lakers head coaching position, which in truth no one seemed to ...
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September 26, 2018
The Music Cycle - The Extremes Are Here As Doldrums Approach - Part 2
In Part 2, Guy's Music Cycle update continues with a deep look at the Music Cycle over the past decade-- examining the rise of Hip-Hop and R&B and the decline of Pop on the popularity charts, all signs that the Doldrums are on the way When you look at the Top 100 ...
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September 18, 2018
The Music Cycle: The Extremes Are Here As Doldrums Approach - Part 1
So, where are we in the Music Cycle, I'm often asked ... Well, in September 2018 we're solidly in The Extremes with the beginning of the Doldrums appearing, as Top 40's ratings are slowing. In the Extremes/Doldrums phase, Top 40 radio has always depended on the winning ...
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September 11, 2018
Coaching The Coaches
PDs and OMs spend most of their time interpreting ratings and research, scheduling music, marketing/promotion and other administrative duties. There is little time left for coaching talent. This underdeveloped skillset can be a source of frustration to both management ...
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September 4, 2018
Five Radio Myths That Kill Success
When I was a 20-year-old novice deejay at WMTY-A in tiny Greenwood, SC, they said, "Never play two female artists back-to-back. It causes tune out." Of course, that is not true and it never was. Surprising superstitions like that still persist in radio. Here are the ...
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August 28, 2018
Radio's Resilience: It's Not Just In Your Head
According to the National Science Foundation, the average person has up to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those, 80% are negative and 95% are the same repetitive thoughts as the day before. Self-doubt, critiques, negativity up to 50,000 times per day. Of those, 45,000 ...
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August 21, 2018
How Do I Get Listener Calls?
It really doesn't matter which daypart you anchor; mornings are the focus. Unless your on-air culture and staff-coaching discourage listener calls, done well they contribute a lot of color and show depth across most formats. We're continually amazed at how little ...
