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Time to Leave the Bitter Barn

July 24, 2012

The panel I moderated at The Conclave last week in Minneapolis was supposed to be about maximizing local radio: how to make local radio the best in can be. Despite my best efforts it still contained an element of complaining about how syndication and voice-tracking are ruining our industry. I’m so tired of this! First […]

Motivation from Pinterest Co-Founder Ben Silbermann

April 30, 2012

Doing a radio show (or any other job) five or six days a week can be a real grind. I don’t mean just showing up and reading liner cards in between saying what song you just played and what song is coming up next. I mean doing a show with great content, audience interaction, social […]

Maybe You Should Be So Dramatic

April 24, 2012

The next time someone tells you not to be so dramatic let them in on this little statistic; according to a new Nielsen report TV dramas account for 41% of all prime time viewing while reality TV accounts for just 16%. Sports is actually the second most viewed type of programming with 22%, sit-coms get 11% and […]

We Need Radio DJ Barbie

April 20, 2012

I wasn’t looking for this, I swear. I had watched a Wall Street Journal video about the reality of self-driving cars and while I was ruminating on the implications the player rolled over to the next clip about the state of Barbie on her 53rd birthday. What surprised me is how similar Barbie is to […]

Is Your Show First Run or Netflix?

March 27, 2012

I have a friend who recently started watching Battlestar Galactica and, after watching the first season and a half, is considering bailing on the series. While I realize I am geekier than most and loved that series in an arguably unhealthy way, he’s in the meat of the best part and is considering giving up. If he was in […]

Chemistry Lessons with CBS and Charles Barkley

March 20, 2012

Even if you aren’t a college hoops fans I highly recommend watching the CBS/TNT/TBS/TruTV coverage of the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament that picks up again later this week. You don’t even have to watch the games — though you should because they are AWESOME — just tune in at halftime for a great example of how not to build a team show. Last year […]

Rush vs. NPR: Rational Discussion Can Exist on the Radio

March 9, 2012

Earlier this week, talking about the ongoing Rush Limbaugh saga I wrote that outrageous comments drive ratings. Whether you love it or not talent with a flair for being outrageous get results. They stand out from the crowd and tend to develop very loyal followings which are two keys to ratings success. On the other […]

The Power of the Poll

January 18, 2012

Sometimes it easy to overlook the power of the simplest tools we have available. And no, despite the picture of Tim Tebow, I’m not talking about god or faith. In this case I’m talking about good old-fashioned listener polls. I understand that sometimes the idea of putting up and promoting a listener poll can seem pedestrian. […]

Best (and Worst) Week Day 1: Make Your “Best Of” List

January 3, 2012

If my Michigan State communications degree isn’t failing me I believe the definition of a meta-curator would be someone who curates the work of curators. For example, Fast Company recently posted “The Best And Worst Of Everything In 2011: A Mega, Meta Mashup,” which lists the best “Best Of” lists that look back on 2011 and […]

New Year, New Vision: Revisiting Clear Channel’s DeRegulation Dreams

January 2, 2012

This post initially ran on October 27 just after Clear Channel made some pretty sweeping cuts in the programming departments of many smaller market stations. As more centralized programming will undoubtedly be a recurring theme in 2012 I thought it was worth revisiting. New posts will return to Free Estimates: the Talent Mechanic Blog tomorrow. Let’s […]