Water, Sewer, Electric, and Eminem

A woman decides she's tired of spending Friday evenings alone. She posts a personal ad talking about what she wants in a man. She speaks in generalities, or rattles off a list of physical traits. She's not going to write down "I want a man who will cry with me when the doctor says it was a miscarriage" even though time may prove that to be EXACTLY what she wants. She can't say "I want a man who'll make me laugh about chip-licking" because the event that caused the joke that led to the chip-licking punchline hasn't happened yet.

Radio is just like life. Listeners are people. Winning is building a real relationship with listeners that goes well beyond playing the hits... because music alone isn't enough. Sure, they're excited about it now. "I love this song!" "I love chocolate cake!" But, after a while, they're going to want more than chocolate cake. Lately, when I turn on the radio, I don't even hear chocolate cake!

Terrestrial radio is becoming a utility for most listeners. It's like water, sewer, garbage and electric. It's just there.

It's time to reach through the speakers and scream "I'M STILL HERE!!!!"

But HOW?

Passion.

Consider Eminem. Listeners sure as hell didn't come along in 1998 and say "You know what we want? A white rapper."

But, like him or hate him, Eminem has something to say and a unique way of saying it. He speaks with passion. The first time I heard Mockingbird, I stopped what I was doing and stared at the speakers. Wow. The first time I heard "Stan" was in a music meeting. When the song finished, we all just sat there and said nothing. Like it or hate it, the song Stan is really a well told story.

We need to tell a story in our own way. We have to have something to say.

We can't just give people what they want. We have to give more. We have to teach listeners to want more. And to expect more.