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Buck Sexton served as a panelist on Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday, and detailed the experience to his followers on social media.
Sexton was joined on the show by CNN and SiriusXM host Laura Coates, as well as The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta alongside Maher for the weekly program.
“The libs are shouting at me after Real Time tonight that I was ‘like an A-hole version of JD Vance,’ ‘with hair that has to be fake,’ and the ‘smug crooked smile’ of a ‘CIA operative looking to overthrow democratic regimes’,” Sexton wrote. “I thought it was a fun show, but I didn’t know I was *that good*. Cry more, libs. Victory is sweet. (Also, they curse at me a lot).”
When a follower responded to Buck Sexton by stating it was clearly three panelists against one, as well as the crowed against him, the nationally syndicated radio host said it was a unique situation.
“It’s a very challenging environment for the person in my position,” he shared. “But you are clearly perceptive, picked up exactly what was going on. You see their tactics. Well done.”
During the program, Sexton frequently clashed with Coates about a variety of topics. In the Overtime segment, which airs as a standalone program on CNN on Friday evenings, Sexton said it was “fiery, but mostly peaceful” between he, Coates, Alberta, and Bill Maher.
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After Vice President Kamala Harris made the rounds for guest appearances on popular podcasts, Republican nominee Donald Trump appears to be doing the same. Except Trump is scheduled to appear on the world’s most popular show, The Joe Rogan Experience.
During an interview with the Nelk Boys podcast, Trump was asked about his podcast tour. When the host said he’d like to see the former President sit down with Joe Rogan, Trump said it’s happening.
“I think I’m doing it, actually,” Trump said before calling Rogan a “good guy.”
When questioned if he was indeed telling the truth, Trump replied “Yeah, I am.”
That revelation comes on the heels of Elon Musk previously saying that Trump would appear on The Joe Rogan Experience. However, neither Rogan nor Spotify have confirmed that he will indeed be on the show. The X account for the podcast did ask followers if they would like to see Trump appear on the podcast after the former President revealed he would be on the show.
Earlier this year, Trump called out Rogan on his Truth Social account by asking how loudly the podcast host would be booed the next time he went to a UFC event after the host was critical of the political candidate.
In 2022, Joe Rogan said he had previously turned down the opportunity to have Trump on the podcast several times.
“I’m not a Trump supporter in any way, shape or form. I’ve had the opportunity to have him on my show more than once, I’ve said no every time,” said Joe Rogan. “I don’t want to help him, I’m not interested in helping him.”
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Wanda Smith, longtime V-103Atlanta morning personality and comedian, passed away at the age of 58, just one day after her birthday.
According to multiple reports, Smith succumbed to long-standing health issues.
Audacy Atlanta SVP/Market Manager Rick Caffey stated, “Our hearts are weighing heavier today as we grieve the loss of our beloved Wanda Smith, someone who always made us smile and who was a big part of V-103 for years. We extend our deepest prayers and condolences to her family.
Woke up to news of the passing of Wanda Smith. Wanda was exactly the person Atlanta radio fans knew her to be: hilarious, vivacious and entertaining. But I’ll mostly remember how she loved people back. How she’d pull them in w/ a Wanda hug and show compassion and kindness to…
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Audacy announced 1250 AM The Fan in Milwaukee has returned to the FM dial and will once again be heard on 105.7 FM beginning today. The station will continue to be heard on 1250 AM.
With the move back to FM, the station is also introducing two new local weekday shows. Green Bay Packers insider Andy Herman will host The Pack-A-Day Radio Show which will air weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. CT. And former Super Bowl champion kicker Mason Crosby will host The Mason Crosby Show weekdays from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. CT. The show will also feature Mitch ‘Thunder’ Nelles as co-host and veteran producer Tommy Wortz.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring The Fan back to FM and expand the reach of the best sports talk in Milwaukee,” said Jason Bjorson, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy Madison and Milwaukee in a release. “Milwaukee has long been a premier market for football coverage, and through the addition of The Pack-A-Day Radio Show and The Mason Crosby Show, coupled with our existing must-listen programming, we’re elevating the listening experience and keeping fans connected to their favorite teams.”
The Fan airs The Jim Rome Show from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT and Wisconsin Sports Daily with Assistant Program Director Steve “Sparky” Fifer from 2:00 CT to 5:00 p.m. CT.
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Matt Neverett literally grew up in broadcast booths. He and his two brothers, Kyle and Drew, could often be found roaming around where their dad was working. Their dad is Tim Neverett who has been a Los Angeles Dodgers announcer since 2019 and before that called games for the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates. Tim came up doing minor league baseball and has called many games in baseball, basketball, football and more over the years, including a stint as the play-by-play announcer at UNLV.
Today, Matt Neverett is the current radio voice for UNLV. He was named the voice of the football team on radio in July and calls games with former UNLV quarterback Caleb Herring. Just recently, it was also announced Matt would be the voice of the UNLV men’s basketball team as well as he takes over for Jon Sandler who had been in the role the last 20 years.
Neverett has been involved with UNLV’s broadcasts the last few seasons, calling football and baseball along with men’s and women’s basketball games for the Silver States Sports & Entertainment Network. Neverett would be on the television call when there wasn’t otherwise a national broadcast. He has also been calling games for the Las Vegas Aviators, the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland A’s.
Matt is the oldest of Tim Neverett’s three sons, and said he sees a picture in his dad’s living room of him as a youngster sitting on his dad’s lap while he is getting ready to call a basketball game at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center. Young Matt has a headset on and a mouthful of popcorn and pretty much since that time, his focus has been on following in dad’s footsteps calling games. His brothers are both in the sports industry as well with the youngest recently dabbling in broadcasting, but Matt leaned into broadcasting from the get-go and hasn’t looked back.
The family moved away from Las Vegas when Tim Neverett joined the Pittsburgh Pirates broadcast team in 2004. Matt Neverett said it just so happened the high school he would later attend in Pittsburgh had broadcasting opportunities for students. “When we moved to Pittsburgh when dad got hired by the Pirates…the high school had a local cable TV station, so I got started doing women’s basketball as a sophomore in high school. That experience at that age was really cool.”
Neverett said it was definitely a big help to have the opportunity to just be around his dad and the people he would be working with from the other broadcasters to all of the staff helping with the broadcasts. “It helped to have the exposure to a lot of the behind-the-scenes areas of broadcasting which you may not be exposed to as much if you are not around it,” Matt said.
Matt played baseball in college at Bethany College in West Virginia and then went on to graduate from Appalachian State. In 2020, he moved back to Las Vegas – a much different Las Vegas than he had left as two professional franchises have made their way to the city since that time, with the possibility of more on the way. “It started with the Golden Knights in 2017 and just has exploded from there, and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon.”
From A-level minor league baseball to Big West Conference men’s and women’s basketball, to UNLV and Triple-A level baseball, radio and television, Matt Neverett has done it all. As for what his future may hold, Neverett keeps his eyes on the prize and that prize is eventually doing what dad does, he would love to call Major League Baseball games on television someday. Neverett said ideally, he would end up with a career similar to that of Dave O’Brien, the Boston Red Sox announcer he got to know when his dad was part of the Red Sox broadcasting team. O’Brien not only does the Red Sox games, but also college football and basketball games in the offseason.
As for how often he and his dad talk about his broadcasting, Matt said, “As much as you can imagine, and then some…Nowadays we talk before, sometimes during and always after every game that I call. He is my biggest supporter, he listens to every game that he can, and he offers as much advice and/or criticism as you can imagine. I really do appreciate it. There’s only one way to get better and that is taking other people’s opinions, especially those in the industry…I am super fortunate for that, and I definitely don’t take it for granted.”
Neverett, 30, said having his dad critiquing his games is an even bigger help now as he is aware of what those that hire for major broadcasting positions are looking for. “I’m at the stage of my career where I’m working on little things that make a big difference as you get up to the higher levels and some of the things that hiring managers and Directors of Broadcasting are listening for,” Matt said. “Those are the little things that set one announcer apart from another. That’s what he is listening for, and it’s not all criticism, sometimes it’s him telling me I did something better than I had done before, something he thought I should work on. But he is always encouraging me.”
“Matt has been working hard and continues to develop his skills,” Tim Neverett said. “I am very proud of what he has been able to accomplish so far in his career and see him doing well on his current path.”
In Las Vegas there are no sure things, but wagering on Matt Neverett’s career continuing to succeed, seems like as good a bet as any.
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As radio celebrated its industry’s best last week in New York City, one national talent reminded us that the perception of our business is not very good. Paul Finebaum appeared on a podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated. When asked about the state of radio, the ESPN host and commentator remarked ‘I think it’s pretty bad, and the art of radio is gone. I got to ESPN Radio in 2013, and I don’t need to tell you how many times the hosts have changed. That’s an indicator. It’s why I really love what I do. I’m in a television studio. It’s simulcast on radio, and you do have to be concerned about that.’
Finebaum has never been shy about calling out the medium for inconsistency, complacency or paying poorly. It’s part of what makes him unique as a talent. I asked him whether he’d recommend pursuing the industry to young people at the 2020 BSM Summit, and he said ‘no.’ Owners and market managers may not like hearing that but his points about low wages, being overworked, and the industry being unstable are hard to argue against.
I was at the NAB Show at the Javits Center last week when Finebaum made his comments. A few texts and DM’s followed, as many expect me to defend the industry against anyone who calls it out. I love the business, and believe in spoken word audio’s present and future, but Paul’s perspective warrants our attention. I think he only scratched the surface though.
For instance, there were thousands in attendance last week for NAB Show in New York City. But unless you attended the Marconi Awards on Wednesday night, you likely didn’t see many radio industry leaders during the day. Some took part in sessions, on-site meetings, and roamed the convention floor, but there was less of a presence compared to prior years. Maybe that’s not a big deal. Attending conferences isn’t how we evaluate industry success, but I do wonder what benefit radio leaders get from not being out in full force at key events. The NAB supports radio year round. Don’t they deserve to have every top executive returning the favor beyond the Marconi’s?
If the NAB wasn’t a priority because leaders were at Advertising Week in New York City, that’d be understandable. I asked six different executives in person, and a few more via text and email if they were attending, and all said no. I know a few CMO’s and President’s did drop in, but similar to NAB attendance, this should be a no brainer. The biggest decision makers in advertising are there. If supporting them isn’t vital, and neither is attending the NAB, what is?
We often hear the term ‘perception is reality’ used to define things in life. Radio as a medium is frequently positioned as outdated, stale, less valuable, etc.. Yet in the rooms where we can change that narrative, we’re less present. I’ve heard leaders talk many times about needing to do a better job marketing, but few follow through. If we’re not investing in promoting our business to grow audiences and advertisers, and we’re not in attendance where the conversations matter, how can we expect anything to change?
Within the past month, the Radio Advertising Bureau reported that radio was expected to finish 2024 with 13.6 billion in revenue. Some celebrated that news, but here’s the flip side. Kagan Research reported 2023 radio revenue at 15 billion. Other firms show comparable figures to 2024. If Kagan’s data is closer to being correct, that’d signal a 1.4 billion drop in 12 months. Projections for 2025 call for the industry to generate 12.9 billion. If accurate, that’d be a decline of 2.1 billion dollars in two years.
Ask yourself, if I were a radio CEO and my industry lost 2 billion in 2 years, would I be excited about the future? Why should those on the outside looking in feel encouraged about our business when the headlines they read show Audacy, Cumulus, iHeart, Beasley, and others connected to bankruptcies? If your son or daughter went to college, accrued two hundred thousand dollars in student loan debt, and wanted to pursue working in the industry, and their first job offered 30K or under, would you want them to take it?
Examples like these are difficult to ignore. It’s what guys like Finebaum see, and why they’re pessimistic. If revenues don’t grow, jobs go. It’s that simple. Other mediums like podcasting aren’t as lucrative as radio, but they’re moving in the right direction. Digital is where dollars are being spent, and radio has to be stronger if it hopes to enjoy a bigger piece of the pie.
If you look at television, specifically sports, you’ll see personalities like Paul Finebaum, Craig Carton, Chris Russo, Danny Parkins, Nick Wright, Joy Taylor, and many others making a mark. All were radio stars. They left for TV to reach larger audiences, and make a better living. Similar to sports, sometimes you lose top talent. But if we don’t build new stars to replace them, that creates bigger problems. Lower compensation and lack of opportunity are creating challenges for decision makers in building future broadcasters. How valuable are social platforms and podcasts for brands if they can’t be used to invest in and introduce new shows and stars? It’s why young people are pursuing their own path more and more.
Most openings get filled in radio by what’s safe, easy, and comfortable rather than rolling the dice to do something unique. That’s not to say there aren’t situations where it’s warranted. There are, but not everything should work that way. Equally as important is putting a new spin on successful shows. Just because you’re enjoying success today, doesn’t mean you will tomorrow if you play it safe. Great talent and shows keep introducing new components to keep people interested. Predictability eventually bites you in the ass.
Take a look at a show like First Take. It was dominant with Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith. When Skip left for FS1, Max Kellerman came in, and the show remained on top. But despite its success, Stephen A. Smith trusted his gut. He felt the show was stale, and could be better. So he did something about it. That led to Shannon Sharpe, Christopher ‘Mad Dog’ Russo, Ryan Clark, Monica McNutt, Elle Duncan, Dan Orlovsky, Marcus Spears, and many others.
Even now when the show is in a groove, ESPN goes out and adds Cam Newton. First Take has hit the road for more live events, created weeks where SportsCenter anchors served as commentators, and explored ways to incorporate fan videos into the conversation. That’s how you stay relevant, successful, and valued.
How many shows do you listen to in sports radio today that do that? Most rely on the same 1-2 hosts, the same bits, the same calls, and sometimes, that’s fine. Consistency does have positives. But it doesn’t mean you’ll lose listeners and dollars by trying new things. Say what you will about the NFL’s rule changes, and MLB’s tweaks to speed up the game, but both leagues continue to try and make sports better for the modern consumer. Radio has to do the same. Innovation, creativity, and urgency are crucial in maintaining interest. Sometimes we forget that.
The only area where I disagree with Paul is on labeling the entire state of the industry in bad shape. The big three (iHeart, Audacy, Cumulus), and the top two networks (ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio) earn the most attention due to their size and reach. Though understandable, their results cast a shadow over others who are outperforming industry standards. I know many groups and local operators who are up in revenue this year, and investing in adding staff. Broad references suggest everything is bad, and that’s not exactly true. Larger corporate groups have bigger problems than mid to smaller sized operators.
Whether it’s an injection of new talent, new leadership, new ideas, better compensation, stronger attendance at key events or marketing our message to remind the world why we matter, radio has to do better. The revenue picture makes it very clear. A lack of exciting new voices is another issue.
We’ve spent years apologizing for the business we’re in. Negative perceptions have been formed, and many have accepted it. We’ve even run from our own identity. If Paul Finebaum’s words bother you, there’s a simple way to fix it – do something different and prove him wrong.
Quick Hits:
Congrats to the National Association of Broadcasters on another well executed NAB NY show. The Marconi AwardsShow is my favorite part of the event each year, and as usual, it brought out many influential people across the industry. Congrats to all who took home awards. Bobby Bones was an excellent host of the event. I also had the pleasure of hosting a panel at the conference, which featured Liz Alesse of ABC News Radio, Jonathan Williamson of Men in Blazers, Mary Menna of Beasley Media Group Boston, and Sarah Foss of Audacy. Overall, it was two days well spent.
Advertising Week is an event I’ll be making more time for in the future. The layout was unique and impressive. Sessions and speakers looked strong, and the social media promotion throughout was excellent. I could only attend Thursday but wish I’d been able to attend more sessions. Few radio people I spoke to knew about it, which surprised me. With many in attendance controlling the advertising budgets for key companies, radio folks may want to find a way to be present next year.
The Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to the NLCS on Friday night, eliminating the San Diego Padres. After the win, Dodgers catcher Kike Hernandez was asked by Ken Rosenthal what separates this team from prior rosters. Hernandez asked ‘are we live?’ Rosenthal confirmed that they were, and Hernandez followed up by adding ‘because we don’t give a f**k.’ I use the F-word often. Hearing it did not bother me. However, this is network television. How did Fox Sports allow that to get on the air?
Classy move from Kiké Hernández checking if the broadcast was live here
If Jazz at Lincoln Center is indeed sponsoring Jazz Chisolm‘s at-bats during Yankees playoff games on WFAN, it’s a brilliant creative sponsorship idea by Audacy New York. More brands will borrow that concept moving forward. It’s clever.
Congratulations to Keith Britton on earning the PD role at 92.3 The Fan. Keith has spent 13+ years at The Fan, starting as a producer before moving up to APD in 2019. He learned under Andy Roth who recently left for Atlanta to lead 680/93.7 The Fan. Roth’s parting gift, making sure the next leader was ready to step in upon his exit. Job well done by all involved. This is how it’s supposed to work.
Skip Bayless on Pardon My Take is an interview you’ll want to check out. Big Cat and PFT Commenter handled it perfectly. Bayless opened up on reuniting with Stephen A. Smith, his relationship with Shannon Sharpe, his history of takes and if he has any regrets, and much more. Whether you love or hate Skip, it’s an interesting listen.
Hunter Brodyearned attention last week on Boomer and Gio. Jerry Recco introduced Brody’s passionate Phillies rants to the WFAN morning team, which were perfect fodder during the height of the Mets-Phillies NLDS series.
Job well done by Alex Feuz of ESPN’s PR team. Feuz interviewed Chris Russo on his 06010 podcast, and the discussion covered a lot of ground for media enthusiasts. Russo is one of the best of all-time both on and off the air. You learn why throughout the conversation. Click here to take a listen.
Credit to Chad Lopez, John Catsimatidis and the WABC Radio team. Few groups today would make the call to eliminate 2.7 million dollars in revenue from their books in favor of adding expense to weekend programming. That’s what Red Apple Media did though when they took over the station in 2019. Fast forward to today, and WABC is in a stronger position. Garrett Searight captured the story well last week. Click here to check it out if you haven’t already done so. It provides a good reminder of why taking risks is so important. Vision, belief, and passion can help you do amazing things. Lopez, Catsimatidis and their crew clearly believe in what they’re selling.
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Last week, The Hollywood Reporter published a picture of 22 young people and posted it on social media with the caption “Hollywood, meet your new A-List.” Hollywood’s reaction was to note that nobody recognized anyone in the photo except maybe YouTubers Rhett and Link. It turned out to be a mistake – the photo was intended to link not to the A-List story but to an article about the 50 top influencers – but for a few hours at least, the entertainment industry was baffled.
It’s understandable. The definition of ‘influencer’ is, to put it mildly, flexible. Same for ‘creator,’ which is the new term for ‘influencer.’ You make TikTok and YouTube videos? You do a podcast? You post pictures of yourself on Instagram? You’re an influencer and creator, I guess.
If you have a large following, you’re definitely an influencer. And if all of this feels a little alien to you, you’re not the target for what the influencers and creators are generating. It’s not for you. Doesn’t mean you can’t watch the videos and enjoy them, but you’re more likely a member of the generations that think “THAT’S what’s popular nowadays? You gotta be kidding. Also, get off my lawn.” Times are changing, and they’re not waiting for you to catch up.
This has also had an impact on the news media. If younger media consumers are spending most of their media time with TikTok and Instagram (and Spotify and Apple Music), they’re not spending that time with radio or TV. Traditional news sources are no longer where young adults get their news.
Take the hurricanes that visited this region in the past couple of weeks. When it looked like my county might get some of the remnants of Milton after it slammed into the other coast of Florida, my inclination was to turn on the TV and watch the coverage from our local West Palm Beach and Miami TV news outlets and some from Tampa as well and check my weather apps and the indispensable Mike’s Weather Page. They all did a fine job, but one thing that was noticeable is how much video came from TikTok and YouTube.
The TV stations couldn’t be everywhere, and conditions were terrible (storm surges along the Gulf Coast, huge tornadoes a few miles north of here). ‘Citizen journalists’ – the news equivalent of influencers and creators – were generating many of the most arresting scenes from the storm, and those videos eventually made their way onto the TV coverage.
Vertical phone video from inside a house as the ocean swamps someone’s living room, the sight, shot from someone’s moving car, of a truly massive twister on the horizon, drone shots of devastated neighborhoods, all coming not from officially anointed reporters but rather from ‘regular people’… that’s how news is evolving. It’s coming from people who aren’t trained reporters, who didn’t work their way up the radio ladder or graduate from Medill or spend any time at all in a real newsroom. Like in the entertainment business, a lot of the future may come from people who take advantage of the now-nonexistent barrier to entry and just start reporting.
Well, someone has to do it. If newsrooms are being slashed to the bone and then some, someone has to pick up the slack or many important stories will go unreported. This brings with it some danger, when creators haven’t learned and don’t know ethical boundaries, but that’s going to have to be worked out on the fly, because it’s already happening, whether it’s hurricane coverage or election reporting.
The public is going to have to figure out which sources are legitimate, and which are not, and which are propaganda. I’m not sure this will end well, but moving forward, you may be getting news coverage from sources of which you’ve never heard and from people you don’t know if you can trust. And don’t even think about what role AI could play in this.
For the time being, if user-generated news coverage makes you uncomfortable, the regular ol’ mainstream media is still around. Maybe TikTok news isn’t for you. You still have traditional options. Just don’t expect them to stay the same.
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We’ve heard inspiring stories from Florida and North Carolina broadcasters after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. If you’ve been responsible for protecting a station license, then you’re familiar with the line in the FCC regulations about public interest, convenience, and necessity. That one will keep you up at night.
I recorded Tampa area radio stations for one hour during afternoon drive last Wednesday. My goal was to learn new tactics to share. How can the preparation for a hurricane be used for other natural disasters?
Hit The Record Button!
Six FM music radio stations were recorded in the same hour. As I listened to the recordings the following day, I noticed a shared strategy among five of the six stations during the hour I recorded.
WFLZ, 93.3 FLZ, aired a local TV simulcast
WRBQ, Q105, aired a local TV simulcast
WWRM, Magic 94.9, aired a local TV simulcast
WDUV, 105.5, aired a local TV simulcast
WLLD, Wild 94.1, aired a local TV simulcast
When I got to the final station of my recorded selections, my ears did a double-take because there was music playing on Wednesday afternoon. WJIS-FM, Joy-FM, is a Contemporary Christian Music format with network stations across Florida. Hurricane Milton was going to affect nearly all the stations in Florida.
However, Joy-FM operates a network of stations simulcasting the same content. I assumed they were taking a reduced approach to the hurricane due to the listeners in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee, who had blue skies and calm breezes as Milton approached Southwest Florida.
The host, Jayar, stumbled out of the song and said, “Alright. We good? We’re good. Sorry. We’re going to have moments of…not dead air…but moments of awkwardness this afternoon.” He had my attention.
Broadcasting From Carmen’s Den
They were broadcasting from “Carmen’s den.” I assumed Carmen was a team member. Jayar mentioned the rooms in the house, the pool outside, the washer and dryer, and what would happen if they lost power. He recognized the engineers who made the broadcast possible and named team members responsible for answering phones and responding to social media. He referenced his iced coffee and said someone put it in a sippy cup so he wouldn’t spill it on Carmen’s carpet. I’ve never listened to Jayar’s show. I assume he drinks iced coffee every afternoon.
We know our commitment is to the public during local stress or disasters. Turning it over to a local TV station with a team of professionals who monitor and report the details of the disaster may be better than a local DJ whose specialty is talking about Lady Gaga or Blake Shelton songs.
The circumstances are different in times of weather disasters. The parent company may have a safety policy to avoid liability, so no human is allowed in the building. Understood. What did COVID-19 teach us as an industry? We could broadcast from anywhere with Wi-Fi. Think about how many shows were done from a closet space in 2020 and 2021.
What If We’re The Content?
How do we react and serve the public interest if we don’t have a local TV partner to simulcast?
Use Your Humans
Social media has reimagined talent and changed the acceptance rules for content. Polished isn’t expected. Authentic is the difference.
Jayar let us know the afternoon wasn’t going to be studio quality. I don’t know how many people he has on his afternoon show, but the set-up made it sound like several people were making this unique broadcast happen. I did some research and discovered Carmen is part of the morning show. Maybe her house was broadcast-central for all shows during the storm.
We have resources in the hallways of our stations. Let your people solve the problems and create a unique moment for the audience.
2. Use Your Instincts
Jayar continued in format and played music. Some critics would disagree with playing any music as a hurricane approached. However, the comments and features were mainly hurricane-related.
A station like Joy-FM features prayer and scripture as programming elements. The host used the theme of building a house on a solid foundation to weather the storms for his scripture of the day. Then came this line: “I haven’t hid the fact that I’ve had a Category 5 storm in my personal life this last year.” Someone was paying attention to the moment and bonding with a listener.
You may have to follow the format and continue programming elements, but you can connect and be in the moment if you listen to the noise around you and adapt.
3. Use Your Community
Radio promotes its local differences. Are we looking for those differences to help us shine during disasters and times of public need?
Do we have a style book of local people to enhance our broadcast? Public officials? Sure. But what about convenience store clerks, hotel front desks, taxi cabs, and rideshare drivers who would be members of our reporting team? Broadcast from a high school gymnasium and find your brand promoted in the local school news.
If local is our difference, then we have to work to make those connections and go to our communities in times of disaster potential.
Yes, I used potential because we can enhance our brand’s community connection by using creative solutions to plan for these moments. The payoff isn’t only for times of natural disasters. The benefit is being prepared to react to unexpected community pain and celebration with a unique broadcast.
Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.
If you’re a regular reader, you know that my preferred method for analyzing PPM data has always been the PPM Analysis Tool (AT) which, as I’ve noted before, is the second-best export from Portugal after aged port (Taylor Fladgate 20-year-old is wonderful and has a fairly reasonable price). In this column, I’ll cover some other AT features, specifically how granular you can go with the data for a radio station.
Spend some time with Analysis Tool and you’ll find that you can create almost any demographic group you want if there is enough sample (30 or more) to run it. If you click on “Target” when you do a run, you can always find the standard demos easily, such as persons 25-54 or women 18-34. But if you click on the “Custom” tab in the “Target” option, you’ll find many different ways to lay out a target.
Start with age and you’ll see that you can run any age to any age. Would you like to see 7-14? I wouldn’t know why, but if there is enough sample, you can do it. 31 to 47? No sweat. If you’re interested in the Hispanic audience, you can break it down five different ways with respect to language capabilities and seven different ways for country of origin, again assuming enough sample.
Some other options include the less-known weighting variables, employment status and presence of children, along with household size, household income level, education, and more. A caveat: household income level in Nielsen Audio World still tops out at $75,000+ which is essentially useless in most markets. The 2023 data from the American Community Survey (conducted by the Census Bureau) showed that the median household income in the Boston metro area was over $110,000, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose exceeded $127,000, and the Washington, DC metro was $121,000. Remember, the median is the midpoint meaning half are above and half are below; it’s not an average.
Also, be wary of education levels. This is probably the prime variable for respondents being less than truthful, not just to Nielsen, but in general. Typically, high school dropouts do not declare that they have Ph.D.s, but rather they move themselves up one level. High school dropouts will say they graduated from high school. Those who didn’t finish college may claim that they graduated. During my Arbitron days, I remember our demographer, Dan Estersohn, gave me an analysis of diary service data showing the high school dropout rate being far lower than what the Census Bureau claimed.
People do this on resumés as well. When I was in the process of being hired at Arbitron in 1999, the headhunter verified my claimed degrees. I wondered why, but her comment was something to the effect of “you’d be surprised how many people lie about their educational achievements.”
AT can do other party tricks with granularity. You can look at unique dayparts and unique measurement periods. When I did analyses for Cumulus stations, I would average the individual days of the week, for example a quarter’s worth of Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, etc., and compare the listening levels for each day of the week. One hint: you should remove any major holidays because the levels are typically lower on those days and will compromise your averages. Just click on the “Survey” button, then choose “Custom” and “Add”. A calendar should pop up allowing you to create whatever measurement period you want.
The result was often that a particular day of the week had higher levels. With PPM, it won’t be an artifact of the measurement system as in the diary service, where Thursday is always the heaviest listening day because it’s the first day of the survey. If you find a difference in a key demo, move your biggest promotions to that day when more people can listen. You’ll also want to check on your and your competitors’ stations’ strongest and weakest days of the week.
Everyone in the business is way too busy today and with the possible exception of yours truly, no one has a great deal of time to experiment with what AT can do. But try it…if it means that you’ll understand your cluster’s audiences or your direct competitors’ audiences better, taking advantage of AT’s flexibility and granularity will be worth it.
Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To make sure you’re updated on the latest happenings across the media business, sign up for our newsletters to get the news delivered straight to your inbox.
Buzz Knight is a strategist and media executive. As President of the Boston-based Buzz Knight Media, he brings experience from time with major media companies, including Beasley Media Group and Greater Media.
Knight has had multiple roles, including participation on the National Association of Broadcasters COLRAM (Committee on Local Radio Audience Measurement), Nielsen Advisory Council, and Council for Research Excellence.
He hosts the “Takin A Walk” Podcast series.
He is this week’s featured consultant.
Jeff Lynn: What is the current state of the radio industry?
Buzz Knight: The current state of the radio industry continues in a state of some flux, based on many companies facing debt problems, younger demo listeners more focused on other forms of entertainment, local and national business migrating to digital giants and inconsistent economic headwinds.
The paradox regarding your question on the state of the industry, once again, was demonstrated with the recent Helene storm disaster, where radio played a significant role in many communities. It is providing an incredible lifeline, shining with passion and perseverance when needed.
JL: How does radio stay relevant when the talent pool is shrinking, the commercial loads are increasing, and there are many other audio delivery choices?
BK: By being so hyper-focused on what matters in their local community that they are thee go-to source for entertainment, news and information, and community engagement. Take those very familiar basics that have existed for years and then focus on delivering those audience needs on every available platform within their reach, of course, including OTA. If radio can develop a proficiency to find new audience on these other platforms, it can at least attempt to keep up with the rest of the “media noise.”
JL: What are the three top takeaways in coaching talent?
BK: 1) The art of improvisation is an important trait for great talent. This has unfortunately taken a back seat to the talent directive regarding a “brevity with substance” approach, which, while crucial, can sometimes stifle creativity. 2)Building anticipation with the art of the tease is a lost art form. 3)You can’t force talent to be someone they are not.
JL: How should local talent go about extending their brand into podcasting?
BK: By tapping their passions and adding to their brand with the artfulness and experimentation that podcasting brings. Local talent’s time-shifted over the air content is many times wasted content in that it often isn’t being repurposed or monetized. If properly done, this is an easy first step in helping local talent to extend their brand into podcasting.
JL: In times of shrinking or, more likely, no budget, what can stations do to market outside its cume?
BK: Find new partnership opportunities, be on every available platform and be topical and in the moment. We are in desperate need of a creative shakeup as well that would serve to market outside of existing cume. Let’s see more imagination rather than checking the promotional box. This type of promotion used to be what radio companies did.
JL: Can contesting still be done that “force listening?”
BK: Yes it can, but programmers and marketers need to shake the creative tree and attempt new ways to create occasions of listening. See question 5. One story on the problems of radio stations often just mailing it in. Years ago a major artist manager in conjunction with the concert promoter was trying to put together a game plan for one of his artists upcoming tour. He solicited promotion requests from across the country. 98% of what he received in the promotional proposals was exactly the same. This is, unfortunately, a powerful story to make the point of differentiation.
JL: How do you feel when you hear a station doing a caller number nine promotion?
BK: I generally want to throw up. This is the best they could come up with? It’s time for stations to get busy and create new promotional magic.
JL: Do you have a tip for busy programmers on how to work more efficiently through AI?
BK: Use the best tools at your disposal to help your workflow but keep a human touch to the work generated to ensure quality. AI is a powerful tool, but it has imperfections as well that need to be safeguarded.
JL: Having so much data at programmers’ fingertips, is there still a place for “gut?”
BK: It is mandatory to follow science with a dash of gut instinct. Data isn’t perfect all of the time and it requires a “sniff test” that must come from the gut.
JL: What is the best career advice you ever received?
BK: Think like a fan, make everyone a star.” John Mcghan was a mastermind programmer who many years ago was instrumental in tremendous breakthrough work while being a programmer for Taft Broadcasting and leading the charge at NBC’s young adult news network “The Source”. His words were a guiding force for me back then as a programmer, and they still resonate today as a consultant and as I host and produce two podcasts. Never lose the wild-eyed enthusiasm that fans of any content emote.
Reach Buzz by email here. Check out the website here.
