Everything Counts

Before we get going with the radio stuff, can I get one more mention in here that this Saturday, May 11th, Fran and I will be walking in the Revlon Run/Walk for Women in Los Angeles, raising money for breast cancer and other women's cancer research and programs? Yes, we can (it's my column, right?). We do this every year, and I'd really like to raise more money for the cause, which is a good one. The walk, for us, is a celebration of Fran's survival -- seven years! -- and a way to help fund research to develop better and less harmful treatment for the disease as well as for services for those who are fighting women's cancer. Come on, radio: PLEASE DONATE! Go to do.eifoundation.org/goto/pmsimon2013 and give what you can. It'll be appreciated, and we'll be carrying your banner (figuratively -- carrying anything on that walk is a pain, to be honest with you. I'll have my phone with me, but that's about it). Anyway, please give, and thank you!

=============================

If there's one thing I heard repeatedly at last week's Worldwide Radio Summit, it was the phrase, "people listen to radio for the music." Even though my stock in trade is the other part of radio programming, I'm not going to say that's flat out incorrect, because it isn't. It's just a partial truth. People listen to radio for music, but they also listen for personality, companionship, noise in the background, convenience... in short, there are several reasons they listen, and assuming that they're primarily here for a single reason is a poor way to operate your business. After all, if people are primarily listening "for the music," they have other choices for it, including customizable options. Why would they choose radio? It's the combination of the other stuff, and more. It's the personality, the production, the sound of everything from the hosts to the imaging to the commercials. That and sheer convenience -- turn it on, there it is -- are radio's strategic advantages. When and if the others can offer the same things, and we're seeing it start to happen now with certain streamers and podcasters sounding as slick and good as any "regular" radio station, that advantage will be gone.

And that's why AM and FM radio stations have to get every single element of their on-air product in order, fast. I was reminded of that while listening to one very big major market station on a stream while driving the other evening. The show I was hearing was good -- on point, lots of passion, funny, relevant, fast-paced... and then came the top of the hour, and news, and it was like the entire station hit a brick wall at high speed. Suddenly, all the energy was gone. The anchor read the stories slowly, deliberately, like a second-grade teacher reading from a textbook. The silence between stories swallowed the signal whole. City and county names were mispronounced. It sounded a) like it was outsourced to outside the market, and b) slow. Dull. An invitation to go find another station, or another option. Yet, there it was, on a big station, bringing momentum to a screeching halt, daring people to go away. And it's far from the only example I've heard lately where elements of a station's programming -- imaging, commercial production, news, weather, whatever -- just didn't make me want to stick around.

Listeners will, when they hear a deadly slow, dull news report, hit the button. Doing news right, and sports and weather and traffic and contests and promos and, yes, music, if you're a music station, is/are part of maintaining a total product that keeps people using it. If the imaging is wrong, it's a turn-off. If the news is dull, it's a turn-off. If the elements don't fit together, it's a turn-off. Everything has to be right. And if you don't get it right, you're inviting someone else who WILL get it right to take your business. It used to be that all you had to worry about was the station down the street; now, you have a lot more competition. You can't afford to bore the audience, and you can't afford to have anything that brings the energy and pace of the station down. Every element counts. I thought that would be obvious. Guess not.

=============================

As for the content of your show itself, you gotta be talking about interesting, relevant things, but how do you dig up stuff like that? Well, you could spend a lot of time looking all over the Net, or you could save some time and go to All Access News-Talk-Sports' show prep column Talk Topics, where there are hundreds of stories and comments compiled with radio in mind, by clicking here for the full column or going to Twitter at @talktopics, where you'll find every story linked to the appropriate item. It's free, you know.

And follow my personal Twitter account at @pmsimon, find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pmsimon, and visit the other site I edit, Nerdist.com. And please watch "The Nerdist" on Saturday night at 10p (ET) on BBC America (or Sunday at 7p (ET) on Space in Canada). This week: the Space episode, with Buzz Aldrin -- Buzz Freakin' Aldrin! -- and Bobak Ferdowsi, who you'll remember as the Mohawk Guy at JPL during the Mars Rover landing, plus stand-up from Maria Bamford.

=============================

Oh, hey, and Happy Mother's Day to all o' you moms out there. If your kids think breakfast and flowers will do the trick, tell 'em you're holding out for an iPad. As long as you're the focus of the day, you might as well aim higher.

Perry Michael Simon
Vice President/Editor, News-Talk-Sports
AllAccess.com
psimon@allaccess.com
www.facebook.com/pmsimon
www.twitter.com/pmsimon