It’s hard to watch even more RIFs in the industry over the past couple of weeks. If you’ve been in the industry for any length of time, over the years, you know people who have been sidelined, or you have experienced it yourself. It’s difficult to scroll through social media and see the heartfelt posts from those who are victims of the most recent rounds. It’s not easy watching friends and colleagues go through it – sometimes twice.
It is almost as difficult to see some in the industry tear at the very fabric of what we do every day. There is no doubt that things have changed – some of which is for the better and some, admittedly, for the worse. The problem is that young talent also sees what we say about our own industry. Many complain about the changes but fail to realize the impact on those still considering entry into the business.
When I was growing up, my folks would say the only things guaranteed in life are “death and taxes.” Today, we all recognize that “change” is an inevitable truth we all must either accept or simply throw in the towel. I have come to realize that we are all responsible for much of this change. We have done a rather poor job at marketing radio and letting listeners know what we can actually add to the lives of our consumers and advertisers. We all know that the world of OnDemand has created a sense of immediate gratification, especially among young demos. After all, why wait to hear a favorite song on the radio when you can just ask Siri or Google to play whatever you want at the moment? There is little argument which can be made to combat that issue when fighting a music battle. While music remains a worthy element of content on the radio, the advantage radio offers over pure play, and DSP is the unique, compelling, local content no one else can provide.
Very few question this valuable advantage we hold. Sadly, as an industry, we are not very good at marketing these true points of differentiation. Young people still think of “radio” as a dinosaur desktop/bedside device from their parent’s or grandparent’s generation. We have never really marketed our relevant, new forms of radio. Have promoted our streams within the confines of Apple and Google devices, yet you rarely hear talk of the industry’s need for talent who creates video, audio, podcasting, and social media content. We need talent on all levels, including sales, marketing, and management. The argument from many was that there’s no revenue in these areas. To some degree, we have let our level of importance in the minds of the consumer be usurped. We need to create opportunities that go beyond what radio has traditionally offered over the past 100+ years.
Many companies have avoided the word “radio” and made the switch to “media” or “audio,” but the content has had a difficult time keeping up with the demand created by GenZs and Millennials. The competition in today’s arena is fierce, and many have not been proactive in local talent development. In fact, many continue to eliminate talent. This, in turn, has led many talented people to simply “throw in the towel” and leave the industry.
What can each of us do? For starters, I would certainly recommend a positive industry outlook in public and on social media. It’s troubling to see legendary talent complain about the state of the industry and do little to affect change and educate young people. That is something we can all do. We must all make a concerted effort to inspire, educate, and empower young people who possess a variety of talent and let them know this is still a fun, exciting business with many wonderful opportunities. They’re just not the same opportunities offered to us all those years ago.
Plan job fairs, go to universities, speak to high school students, invite groups to visit your facilities, do high school contests to keep students interested in the medium, and keep us relevant. Work with your state broadcast association outreach programs. The number one thing we should all do is be positive about what we do. Someone you come in contact with could represent exciting, positive change for the future.
Bob Lawrence serves as a Market Manager for Seven Mountains Media, overseeing the company’s Parkersburg, WV/Marietta, OH cluster. He has held virtually every position in the business over his 40+ year career, from being on-air in Philadelphia, San Diego, and San Francisco as well as programming legendary stations including KHTR St. Louis, KITS Hot Hits and KIOI (K101) San Francisco.
Bob also honed his research skills over ten years as Senior VP of Operations at Broadcast Architecture, eventually launching his own research company and serving as President/CEO of Pinnacle Media Worldwide for 15 years. Bob spent five years as VP of Programming for Saga Communications before joining New South Radio in Jackson, Mississippi as GM/Market Manager. Prior to joining Seven Mountains Media, Bob served as General Manager for the Radio Advertising Bureau, overseeing its “National Radio Talent System”.
