I was recently on a cruise, and as I have done on virtually all the cruises we have been on, I went to the art auction and purchased some paintings. I only purchase art that I love versus treating it as an investment.
What I have learned is that it’s only an investment for those who want to sell it one day. I’ll never sell what I purchased. To me, the work’s value rests in my heart. My dad was a wonderful painter and sculptor, and he taught me that value should never lie in price alone.
I’ve always looked at radio talent and all the creative it encompasses as a form of art. Radio can also be appreciated for what it offers. Even commercials are often a work of art (although not often enough), yet they are rarely viewed that way by anyone other than those who created them.
Art, in general, has long been a part of our common experience – expressing some sort of emotion, creativity, and exploration. I have never known anyone who isn’t captured by at least one form of art. While many simply love it, the question of value goes well beyond that. Value comes in various forms: culturally, emotionally, and intellectually.
Loving art is personal and subjective. Loving it can be as simple as enjoying a piece on a wall, the melody of a song, or the personality on the radio. It might evoke nostalgia, comfort, or joy, which enriches life.
The beauty of any art, including radio, is accessible to anyone, regardless of background or education. The pure act of enjoyment can be an incredibly fulfilling experience, one that connects individuals with the aesthetic or emotional elements of the work.
When I was growing up, more people appreciated our industry as an art form. Nowadays, we tend to dismiss the value of the art from both the listener’s and advertiser’s perspective.
I believe that there is a distinction between appreciating art and truly understanding its value. Appreciating its value goes deeper than just the initial enjoyment or affection it provokes.
Great morning shows and personalities are able to carry historical and cultural significance. Like many forms of art, they serve as a mirror to society, reflecting thoughts, struggles, hopes, and aspirations. Is that not what makes a show or personality “great?”
It’s odd that we look at musicians as artists, but we don’t attach the same honor to radio talent. The best air talent, podcasters, and social media influencers truly create abstract masterpieces of the modern era and communicate ideas, beliefs, and emotions across multiple platforms.
That’s what I believe the coaches of today must be able to instill in today’s talent: to be artists… to create works of art when the microphone opens. Just look at paintings, sculptures, and songs of past civilizations that offer insight into their world. In this sense, we have the same opportunity.
I have learned that the best radio talent can also challenge, provoke, and inspire. Whether painters, musicians, or media personalities, they use their work to offer perspective on everyday life.
The value of what we do, like other art forms, can be based on intellectual value that goes far beyond their visual appeal; they compel us to think, reflect, and even change.
Do we fully appreciate the value of what we do as an art form? Do we encourage and empower talent to create something that our advertisers can easily see has true value?
If you’re a fan of Ted Lasso on Apple TV, you know how he inspires his players to worry less about winning and focus more on being the best person they can be and use their talents to stimulate and excite.
If art galleries, theaters, and music festivals attract tourism and bring economic benefits to cities and countries, then we should encourage our radio stations to do the same and attract advertisers who appreciate their value – and pay a premium for it. Wouldn’t it be great if we touted radio as the necessary part of the community and social fabric that we know it should be – and it was valued as such?
Understanding the value of any art, including radio, requires looking at it as more than a pleasurable object to be admired from afar. We, as an industry, represent a powerful vehicle for expression, communication, and economic growth, and we hold historical, cultural, emotional, and economic value.
We would be best served by looking at our talent in this way and attaching that type of value to them rather than placing all the monetary value on the spots that surround them – and, in the end, making everything, including the spots, more valuable.
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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”.
