Build It And They Will... still have other options

The days of "Build it and they will come" are gone for radio. It isn't good enough to sign on a new station, even if it has a new exciting format (which, by the way, isn't happening).

TV viewership on the major networks is down, but that doesn't stop American Idol from grabbing an average of 30 million pair of eyeballs before the contest even heats up.

These are tough times for radio, but I wonder what Seacrest's numbers are like on Kiss in LA, or Kraddick's on Kiss in Dallas. Look what happened to K-Rock when Stern left.

Content is king, but since people can get music anywhere, radio needs its content to be about a lot more than just playing the hits.

The suits controlling radio have been allowing the quality of its content to plummet thanks to cost-cutting, piss-poor sales strategy, corporate dictated programming and lazy gimmickry. All of that garbage needs to stop, but I doubt it will since the business of radio has been so wrecked that it can hardly afford to create the content needed for its own survival.

It's common to talk about using promotions to create appointment listening. We need to be talking about using air talent to create appointment listening. Not just in morning drive either.

I had a friend who made his entire career through ballsy job interviews and delivering results. He'd drive into a market for the interview, assess the competitive situation and then, when interviewing for the PD gig, he'd say something like "Hire me and I'll double your 25-54s in 2 books. If I don't, fire me." He'd usually get the gig and then turn the so-so station into a market leader through a combination of focusing the playlist and empowering his jocks.

I used to help him build clocks from time to time and we'd look at Bs as if they were a problem. Bs are solid and safe, but they're not where the passion is. You can use that mentality to assess everything else going on during an airshift, from what the jock is talking about to how you promote your own promotions.

Passion records.
Passionate jocks.
Passion programming.

The idea of turning around a station that way isn't possible these days because everything from song adds to how long a jock's break can be is dictated by some clown in a different state.

The funny thing is, I'm not anti-corporate.
I'm anti-crap.

By the way - speaking of "Build it and they will come" - I always thought that would be a great slogan for a company that makes vibrators.