Here's a question for you salespeople out there: If you're told you have to sell something that you know isn't going to work for a client, how's that going to go? Even if you sell the product, you know you'll leave an unhappy customer. And that's why you won't do that ...

I'm at another convention, this one the "New Media Seminar," which is, naturally, a talk radio conference, because "new media" means what you want it to mean. (I want it to mean "free beer.") As I write this, it hasn't started yet, so I was looking over the agenda. ...

Talk radio generally doesn't take requests. Not that music radio traditionally did, either. You know the drill: take the request, tell them it's coming right up, then play whatever's already in the log. Chances are they're only requesting stuff you play all the time ...

Once again, we come to the eve of a three-day weekend and I have to write a column even though I'm guessing your brain's out barbecuing or enjoying the beach. So we'll keep it short, because that's your attention span at the moment and because my brain's in the other ...

We often speak of "making good talk radio." We discuss who's doing "good talk radio." I've asked interview subjects what they think goes into a "good talk radio" show. But it struck me the other day that nobody ever actually defines "good talk radio." Maybe that's ...

The other day, I was listening to a podcast that a couple of friends of mine do, and it reminded me of the problem of determining what's funny for radio and... well, let me digress here for a minute. It has been my privilege over the years to work with some very ...

Before we get started, here's one last plug for Saturday's Revlon Run/Walk for Women in Los Angeles, in which my wife and I walk to raise money for research and treatment of women's cancer. This is our fifth time doing the walk, and it also marks Fran's fifth year of ...

I was sitting here Thursday night, as usual having no idea for a topic, when I noticed an e-mail from the NAB about broadcasters' community service initiatives, and I had a flashback to years of going to NAB conventions and countless Crystal Awards shows and charity ...

Are you necessary? I thought about that question as it pertains to radio while considering all the stuff about FM tuners in cell phones for the last couple of weeks, and I won't belabor that point (I belabored it plenty last week) except to note that the industry is ...