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April 3, 2020
Seeking NormalEvery morning, I open the front door at sunrise and stand there for a few minutes looking at the world. The sky is still blue, the trees and grass green, the air heavy with morning dew and pollen. It's the same as always.
But it isn't, and as the day progresses, the quiet of self-isolation becomes jarring. It's not supposed to be like this. There are supposed to be people here. There are supposed to be people in their driveways working on their cars, the kids across the street shooting hoops, cars rolling by on their way to work or shopping or wherever. Planes are supposed to be overhead, making the turn from LAX off to places all over the world. But they're not, and while all of that will someday return in some form, it's going to be a long process. You know all of this, and I know the anxiety that fills my day every day is what you're feeling, too.
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March 27, 2020
Once This Is OverReminder: Someday, we don't know when, this will be over. Another reminder: Someday, when this is over, whatever we do and say right now will be judged, whether by others or by ourselves. What will Future You think about Present You? I'm bringing this up again because ...
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March 20, 2020
Self-DedicationThis isn't going to be about radio. Everyone else is writing columns about radio's response to the coronavirus crisis. I already wrote mine last time. You don't need another one. You know what to do. At least, you know what to do on the air. Right now, my concern is more ...
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March 13, 2020
Too Much MisinformationOkay, you know what to do. There are a lot of articles in the industry trades with advice about what radio should be doing to address the pandemic, and I'm not going to repeat their advice; it's all good and you're on it anyway, right? You're providing accurate and ...
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February 28, 2020
Reckless Abandon(ment)Something was missing as I walked around midtown Manhattan this week. I grew up not far from the city, spent a lot of time as a kid wandering around there, and I've returned to New York fairly frequently since then, but something was different this time... and then it hit ...
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February 21, 2020
Hey, Kids, Let’s Put On A ShowIt occurred to me when the controversy over the new Podcast Academy awards broke out last week that I've never won an award. Not even a participation ribbon. I have friends with Emmy Awards, Marconi Awards, Golden Mike Awards (as in radio, not the Golden Mics that ...
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February 7, 2020
Top Of MindOnce upon a time, radio hosts were given sage advice about the topics they chose. Talk about what's important to the listeners, they were told. Make it eye level -- imagine what your listeners experience in their everyday lives and talk about those things, the things that ...
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January 31, 2020
A Path Forward, MaybeGotta say one thing for talk radio. At least we have an idea where it's going. We can't say that for sure about music radio, at least the part involving people talking into microphones between the songs and commercials. I was thinking about this when the news broke here ...
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January 24, 2020
Picking Your SpotWhat are you gonna talk about now? In an age when it seems that every topic and genre of talk radio or podcasting has been done to death, it's daunting to be plotting out your future and wondering if there's anything you can do that would stand out. The same-old won't ...
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January 17, 2020
It’s Not Personal, Sonny. It’s Strictly BusinessWell, we can't say we didn't see it coming. What happened this week was just another step in the progression that started many years ago. Dayparts began to be automated. Voice tracking replaced live and/or local hosts. Newsrooms shuttered. Those, you noticed. And when ...
