Last Call For 2010

For the last column of the year, I thought I'd write about...

...well, we've pretty much exhausted every radio topic, haven't we? The issues facing the radio industry at the end of 2010 are the same ones it faced a year ago. I suppose you could look at that as a positive thing; If we're still around to talk about, say, performance royalties, the business isn't dead yet. It doesn't mean that things are significantly better, but there's still a pulse.

And there have been encouraging signs. There were more FM talk conversions, and sports on FM as well. Some stations brought back more local talk. And despite the predictions and trends, listening remained strong.

But we're still bogged down with things like the performance royalty surrender and HD Radio -- hey, here's an idea, push a radio with all sorts of new features like album art, then sell it before most stations are delivering the content! That'll develop GREAT word of mouth! -- and there's still more competition for advertising dollars while everyone tries to come up with other ways to monetize the content. Revenues have been up, but from a low point, and there won't be a big election next year, so there's some urgency in developing non-traditional revenue. I suggest selling blood. They won't let you sell your kidneys on Craigslist yet.

With all of that, I'm still optimistic. For all the problems, despite the "old media" taint and the general feeling that the good times are gone forever, I'm looking forward to 2011. I think we'll see more podcasts start to generate revenue. I think we'll see more AM talkers move to FM and more FM talkers starting from scratch. Maybe more all-News or News-Talk stations will develop into multimedia news operations like WTOP, agnostic as to platform and dominant in each. I'm hopeful for more sports on FM, too, and for some new syndicated blood to break out. Maybe we'll see a resurgance of non-political talk. And maybe we'll start to see news and talk on public radio as the force it is; certainly, the ratings are proving that. Video is another area for growth, not just sticking a camera in the studio but actually producing material meant for the visual medium. Soon, perhaps, we'll redefine "talk radio" to include more than just talking into a microphone on a radio station.

Or maybe not. Maybe in December 2011, we'll be right here still arguing over the same things as always. But I'd like to think we'll see progress, that there'll be more opportunity for talented people to make a living doing what they do best. We might as well end 2010 thinking positive things.

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

Now for some administrative housekeeping: While "The Letter" is on vacation until the second week of January, All Access will still be up and running throughout the month and into the new year. You'll be getting the latest headlines at Net News right up to Christmas, and I'll be doing more Talk Topics through sometime next week. There'll be ratings updates, too, and we have a couple of "10 Questions" interviews you'll want to read, this week with none other than Pat O'Brien, now co-host of "The Loose Cannons" on Fox Sports Radio, who offers some candid discussion of his career and resurgence, and next week with KDWN/Las Vegas and syndicated host Dr. Daliah Wachs.

After New Year's Day, I'll be heading to Las Vegas to cover the Consumer Electronics Show, so "The Letter" will start up the following week. You'll find my CES observations in Net News, and I'm pretty sure they'll find their way into that next column as well. If you're going to be at CES, feel free to say hello if you should see me. I'll be the grouchy, tired guy lugging a laptop in a backpack all over the place. Actually, that describes most of the people there.

As always, you'll be able to keep up with everything on our Twitter feeds, too, including Talk Topics at twitter.com/talktopics and Net News at twitter.com/allaccess. And you can get the All Access app for iPhone here or for Android here, both developed by jacAPPS.

Wait, there's more. I'm now contributing posts to Nerdist.com, which, in case you're unfamiliar with it, is a popular site about everything from sci-fi to cell phones, comedy to coffee, and everything else in pop culture, presided over by comedian and TV personality Chris Hardwick. If you're into music, TV, food, movies, and/or tech, you might just feel at home there. Click here to drop by. (Disclaimer: All Access isn't involved with that. This is just a shameless plug for another project with which I'm involved)

Meanwhile, I'm still doing my blog at pmsimon.com and I'm on Twitter at twitter.com/pmsimon. These are also not All Access' fault or responsibility. I have nobody to blame but myself.

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

Oh, and one more thing: Thank you for making 2010 another great year for All Access, and for me as well. May the holidays bring you everything you want and need.

See you in January.

Perry Michael Simon
Editor
All Access News-Talk-Sports
psimon@allaccess.com
www.facebook.com/pmsimon
www.twitter.com/pmsimon