Discomfort Zone

For me, at least, the recurring theme of the 2022 All Access Audio Summit was something that came up a few times from people whose track records on the matter are pretty solid. Guy Zapoleon, for one, and Elvis Duran, and Gene Sandbloom, and there may have been others; after reporting on two day's worth of sessions, my memory might not be in perfect working order. Regardless, what resonated for me was said about music radio but applies to all formats and the entire industry:

We're programming radio in 2022 using playbooks that were devised 20 or even 40 years ago.

Really, what else do you need to know?

Things have changed. Things always change. Tried and true can become untrue in an instant. When the competition is different and public tastes are different and consumers' behavior is different, sticking to the playbook you came up with decades ago is probably not the winning formula you think it is. And so, while industry people tout radio's reach as remaining high, actual listening is not what it once was and advertising dollars are moving to where it IS growing. It's no accident that Caroline Beasley talked about her company as focused on digital and Esports, and David Field was bullish on podcasting. There's growth in those, lots of growth, and if they're not yet at the revenue level of broadcasting, it's hardly a bulletin-worthy piece of information that things are moving in that direction.

Yet this isn't to say that radio can't have a place in the new media mix. It's still ubiquitous for now, and the lack of actual radios in people's houses discounts two truths: one, that a lot of people have smart speakers and mobile phones that stream "radio," and, two, that actual human beings haven't used the radios they DID have in their homes for decades. Okay, maybe the alarm clock for a few seconds, but that's it. The memories of my mom cooking dinner with WOR or WCAU coming out of a little plastic tabletop radio on the kitchen counter are just memories. I've been in the business for a half century (!), I do own actual radios, and I generally don't listen that way. There are plenty of other ways to listen. It's not an issue.

We are in an era, as some panelists noted, when there are generations that really don't know what "radio" is, or define it as whatever audio entertainment they prefer. Spotify is "radio." Radio is "radio." YouTube can be "radio." The terms don't matter, even on a marketing level, because they don't matter to the end user. It's all one thing. And competing as if things have not changed since FM surpassed AM in the Arbitron books (diary surveys, of course) doesn't make sense. Sure, there are some precepts that might survive intact -- be relatable, keep the pace up, give the people what they want -- but so much of what radio does is rooted in a bygone era. Music radio sounds the same as it did years ago. Talk radio hasn't changed a bit since, let's be honest, even before Rush (unless you want to disregard the Joe Pynes and Alan Burkes and Bob Grants of the format). Everyone producing audio content needs to innovate, because the playing field isn't the same. There's more and different competition for people's attention. What worked in 1985 isn't going to work as well in 2022.

You can go one of two ways when things change. You can stay in your comfort zone, keep doing what you're doing, and hope for the best, or you can adapt and try doing different and even risky things. Okay, three ways: You can also give up. I don't feel like giving up. Do you?

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Next week, my schedule and the Talk Topics stuff might be a little off, for good reason: I'll be on the road for the first time in a long, long time, covering the NAB Show for All Access. I'm not sure if there'll be a column next Friday, but there will be coverage in Net News and the usual commentary on Twitter, so follow me at @pmsimon for that. And if you're also making the trip to Vegas, look for me in the back of the room as always.

Perry Michael Simon
Senior Vice President/Editor-in-Chief and News-Talk-Sports-Podcasting Editor
AllAccess.com
psimon@allaccess.com
Twitter @pmsimon