As car makers are looking to tune out of the AM dial, media outlets are unifying to save a major part of our industry. “[Removing radio from cars] presents some really significant problems, certainly to the radio industry, but more importantly, to the general public because our entire Emergency Alert System is based on AM radio,” Salem Media Group’s CEO, David Santrella told Barrett Media.
There are 95 stations certified by FEMA, 77 of them broadcast on AM radio. “So, for the general public, AM radio is the backbone of our EAS system. Losing [AM radio] from the vehicle is negligent.” While many mention the effect AM radio has on our country’s emergency system, Santrella noted there are several other niche stations which would be negatively impacted from losing the AM dial.
“There’s just so many formats on the AM band that will never find a home on the FM band. They just don’t make enough money. A lot of African American programing, gospel programing, Latino and Hispanic programing, programing that may be less profitable, but is very much in the lifestyle of certain groups that won’t find a home with AM radio out of the vehicle.”
These specialty AM stations could be placed on an FM-HD station, but Santrella doesn’t believe these simulcasts are effective, especially for outlets like Salem who don’t have an FM cast.
“I don’t have an FM that I could make a decision and say, ‘Instead of putting that music format on the app, I’m just going to simulcast what I’m doing on the AM there.’ I would have to buy an FM radio station. So, I would have to go through tens of millions of dollars of expense to buy an FM radio station just so that it could do what I’m doing on the AM band. So that’s really not a feasible solution.”
For those who prefer the convenience of streaming, Santrella says radio is easier. “Today, I get in my car, and I wanted to listen to something that I started listening to in my home, on my iPhone and I want to listen to it in my car. Well, I got to my car. I go to the infotainment system. I have to find and connect Bluetooth. Now, I pick my car, and five minutes later, finally I’ve got this thing up and running so I can listen to it. But to be honest, it’s kind of a pain in the butt. Radio you just hit the button and it’s there.”
This is not the only legislative challenge Santrella sees for the industry’s future, “The copyright royalty board coming up next year in 2025. That will be the next kind of thing on the agenda that we’ll be dealing with.”
Another issue which the industry fights annually is the Local Radio Freedom Act, “Which has been an ongoing battle for years with every new Congress, we have to go back in and we have to get multiple cosigners of a bill to make sure that there’s no additional fees from publishers, or from labels, to keep terrestrial listening of radio free and at a fair rate, that we pay to those performance rights organizations.”
On the business end, the CEO says there are significant pivots happening today. “As listening habits change there’s great fragmentation that’s going on in our industry because people are listening to more audio than they ever have. People are watching more video than they ever have, but there’s just a lot more places to consume.”
Not to be brought down by a challenge, Santrella’s optimistic outlook foresees endless possibilities. “The flip side of that coin is all of those challenges are also great opportunities right now. And I don’t mean that in a Pollyanna every challenge is an opportunity kind of a way.”
An opportunity which Salem is now taking full advantage of with the Salem News Channel, “What we’re doing is we’re making sure we’re offering our content on all of those different ways that you can watch or listen. We have teams of people that are designed to specifically sell [specific advertising] for us.”
Santrella’s expertise and wisdom took years in the business to learn, with his path starting in Chicago in 1982. Today, for the fourth time in a row, he’s been recognized as one of the most powerful people in radio by Radio Ink. However, Santrella is a big believer in not “believing your own press,” and advises people to “fire themselves” annually and most importantly be “humble.”
“I’m very honored that Radio Ink recognizes me as one of the most powerful people in radio, and that’s great. But my advice is do what you need to do, all the things that you need to do to work really hard, and then don’t stop doing them.
“There are a number of people that work really hard to get to a certain level in their profession and then the minute they get there, they stop working hard. Like somehow, they’re entitled to this.”
Santrella believes if you work hard (and smart) and never stop, people will always want you. “You’ve got to stay hungry. You’ve got to stay really hungry in this job and then you also have to stay humble. That’s why I say, ‘don’t believe you’re all here at your own press because I think humility adds the opportunity for you to really be honest about where you are.’ Here’s where I am good. But where am I bad? What are my weaknesses.”
Santrella doesn’t just suggest this to his managers, he asks this of himself. “When I come back to the office after the 4th of July holiday, I’m going to be the ‘new’ CEO in the door at Salem. But I need you to tell me what the old CEO was doing that drove you crazy. Tell me what that old guy was doing that was not productive and not helpful for you that would be very helpful [for me to know so I can do better].”
To make his team feel even more comfortable submitting suggestions on what he can do better, Santrella had his assistant collect the information and give it to him anonymously. “So, that is me as a leader, recognizing that you have weaknesses and being humble enough to realize you don’t corner the market on wisdom.”
One other thing he continues to push for himself and his team, keep innovating. “We just came off of two days where we did strategy sessions, where we talk about what are the things that we should start doing? What are the things that we should stop doing? What are the things that we’re already doing that we need to double down on and do even more of or better than we’re doing right now. So that’s all part of what we do.”
Krystina Alarcon Carroll is a news media columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
