Hobbs Blobs
RANDOM RAMBLINGS
RANDOM RAMBLINGS
June 30, 2010
So I’m not much of a blogger yet as you can probably tell from my once a month or so entries on my blog page. The primary reasons are:
a) I’m busy and writing my thoughts on a web site for the three people that visit my web site doesn’t always seem like the best use of my time.
b) Theoretically, shouldn’t I be charging someone for these sage musings?
c) And there is always a good chance I’m just gonna piss off someone that is currently retaining my services or may be considering my services in the future.
But in the last 24 hours I had two questions posed to me via email to which I responded. It occurred to me after reading the responses….hey, that’s a blog!!!
The first question came from a talk show host who asked me to be a guest on his show to discuss “the state of talk radio.” I find it fascinating that a host would think the audience would find this compelling and interesting but who knows. And this is the fourth time in the past few months I’ve been asked to appear on shows to talk about the very same subject. The host asked me what my talking points would be. Here they are….
1) There is life beyond angry white guy conservative political talk.
2) I am one of those that is now somewhat uncomfortable by the “tone” of some talk shows. However, I believe the notion that this so-called tone is somehow ruining the country is ridiculous. If that were true then television, print and the internet would have killed us all long ago.
3) I’m one who believes that talk radio can once again be enriching, inspiring, informative, and engaging and yes, civil. We did it before and we can do it again. People want hope, answers, perspective and empowerment as well as entertainment.
4) Talk radio is given waaaaaaaaay too much credit (or blame) for being able to affect or control political outcomes. I can run the math for you if you care to ask.
5) In many cities sports radio is the new talk radio. Look at the sports stations that have gone beyond the X’s and O’s and have expanded the conversation to things males really talk about all day. Let’s see now…the last time one of my neighbors asked me what I thought about the Supreme Court nominee was…..uh….NEVER!!!
Still want me?
And a recent example of what I was babbling about in this email response…..which do you think got the most hits on the internet regarding the recent arrest of the Russian Spies? The security implications for the United States Government or the photo gallery of the hot female among those arrested? There you go. And please, don’t shoot the messenger.
The second question came from a trade publication. The question was, “What are your thoughts on the LDS Code story and civility in general in talk radio?” My answer…..
I think there is merit to the so-called "code" of journalism in the LDS church. I mean come on...it's a religion and like all religions they have a set of values and beliefs that they feel are important and should be reflected in owned and operated media outlets. I listen to the Catholic station in Tampa and you can be certain you won't hear anyone talking about how women have the right to choose when it comes to abortion. You could go down the list of religions, political groups, etc. and find similar canons. Hell, the New York Times has banned the word “tweet” from their pages!! Ask me which one I think is sillier.
Clearly, there is a strong, vibrant and active market out there for the Beck/Rush/Hannity style of talk radio. And make no mistake, by almost any definition it is great radio. This format is also strongly supported in the advertising community in spite of the "no-buy" lists. But that's not to say this is the ONLY type of talk radio that can work. I would challenge anyone to make a valid and intellectual argument to the contrary. I believe there is a market for different styles of talk radio....civil, left, right, pop culture, so-called "hot" talk (even with its sales issues), libertarian, sports, female, and on and on. In many markets sports radio is the new talk radio as smart sports stations now go beyond X's & O's and breaking down the game film.
This brings me to a somewhat related issue (I know, I'm giving you more than you asked for but don't stop me...I'm on a roll.) I'm somewhat amused by the myopic and relentless focus on the FACT that the overwhelming majority of listening to talk stations comes from P-1's. And most talk stations feature conservative poli-talk. But what they never talk about is that P-1's attrit. We know that. There are a variety of reasons of course. So.......we have to constantly create new P-1's just to break even and we have to create a lot of new P-1's to show substantial growth. How do we do this? By preaching to the choir? Probably not. Maybe...just maybe....by expanding the tent ever so slightly and strategically to include some portion of the 95% of the radio audience that is NOT listening to the current brand of talk radio. NPR is everyone's favorite example of course but I'm not even talking about that. There are a lot of forms of talk radio that CAN and WILL attract an audience with corporate commitment and perseverance. All other media does it successfully....print, internet, television, movies, etc. etc. No reason why radio can't do the same thing. And as far as civility? You bet there are people that don't like the tone of things right now, whether in their home town, Washington DC or on the radio. Who is providing a place for them? Seems to me that is a very large untapped gusher just waiting to "foul" the beaches of talk radio.
Textbooks Out - Kindles In - Radio ?????
TEXTBOOKS OUT – KINDLES IN
June 2, 2010
Let the revolution continue!!! Let’s say you own a CHR station in Tampa and you would like to have two-way electronic access to every single high school and college student in the market. I’m dreaming…right? Well maybe not.
Clearwater High School in Clearwater, Florida has announced a very ambitious plan to eliminate ALL textbooks by the start of school this fall. This means that all 2,100 students at Clearwater High will be issued an Amazon Kindle or some other electronic notebook when they start back to school in August. The Kindle (or other device) would be pre-loaded with every textbook the student will need and not a single tree will be felled. The students can even use online dictionaries, web sites, bookmark pages, highlight text and type margin notes, much like we did to our textbooks when we were in school and much to the chagrin of the next textbook owner/user. Students will be able to access a free 3G network so long as they promise not to look at naughty sites. No really, it’s going to be the honor system.
This development is viewed as so important that it was the lead story on the front page of this morning’s St. Petersburg Times. Clearwater High may be the very first high school in the nation to undertake such a project. The funding is in place, an estimated $600,000 to get started this fall. The school is currently negotiating with Amazon but may look to other hardware providers if a reasonable deal can’t be struck with Amazon. Are you listening Steve Jobs? Principle Keith Mastorides may have just given Amazon the ability to save their Kindle readers in light of new competition from Apple and more coming from Dell, HP, K-tel, Whammo, Billy Bob’s Gadget Garage and others.
Mastorides said he was inspired to make the switch earlier this school year after campus surveys revealed a desire to integrate more technology with classroom instruction. Duh. They needed to do a survey to figure this out?
The really exciting part for radio is figuring out how to have a place on these devices. No doubt as this rolls out across the country schools will try to prevent distracting content from being loaded and used on the devices. This would be much the same way Lone Oak Middle School tried to prevent me from sneaking my transistor radio into school so I could listen to the 1968 World Series between the Tigers and Cardinals. Sorry Ms. Matheson….I won that one….HA!!
Obviously, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Think about how many high schools and colleges are in the United States alone. Total U.S. enrollment in high schools and colleges is nearing 50 million. The schools see this not only as a way to better engage the students and enhance learning but to also save a ton of money on textbooks and paper. The students will even be able to take exams on these devices. Now it will be the feel of the neoprene protector that students remember and not the smell of that purple mimeograph ink.
The school had already issued a Kindle to every single teacher on staff this past year to introduce them to the devices and get them used to it. I would have loved to have seen the looks on some of the teachers faces the day that box showed up on their desk!! But even the self-described “dinosaur” teachers see it as a positive step forward.
Clearly, this is the future. Let the games begin. Every business in America that targets 12-24 year olds will be trying to find the angle once this rolls out nationally. Radio should assume a leadership position and sell some of those businesses access through the stream and other station generated content that is likely to also show up on these devices some day. It really does drive me crazy how some of the big radio companies drag their feet and resist change and more importantly opportunities such as this.
This will be yet another game changer. Most high school and college kids don’t have $800 laying around for an iPad. But a free Kindle? Or a free iPad or other tablet device? I’m in!!! And I personally can’t wait to read the first high school history book written by Glenn Beck!!!
Here are a few nuggets about the program at Clearwater High that you might find interesting…
· All 2,100 students will be issued an electronic tablet device which has been custom loaded with the correct content for their classes.
· A Kindle costs $259 but school systems can probably get them for a lot less when they buy them by the thousands or even tens of thousands.
· The only other known attempt at anything similar is by a school in Massachusetts which recently digitized its entire library.
· High school textbooks cost between $70 and $90 each….college texts even more. A typical high school student would have about seven. The electronic texts are usually far less expensive….at least now.
· The estimated $600,000 startup costs include purchasing the tablets and the textbooks, technical support, teacher training and even insurance.
· One of my first thoughts was this will spawn a cottage industry of thieves that may steal the devices and try to sell them on eBay or through some other means. Plus there is the issue of damage and “I lost my Kindle.” The school will have insurance in place to cover loss during school hours and will offer parents an inexpensive policy to cover loss and damage outside of school hours.
· The battery life of the Kindle is one week when it’s turned on….two weeks when it isn’t.
· The electronic tablets will also have the capability to convert text to voice so that users can LISTEN TO THEIR TEXTBOOKS.
· When asked about the plan one teacher said, “I think it’s the way kids are thinking today.” NO…..really?
Now, let’s see if radio CEO’s are smarter than a fifth grader.
The Mark Larsen Rant
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A "rant" from internet based talk show host Mark Larsen of Tampa. Mark had very successful shows for many years on both 970 WFLA and 820 WWBA. This was actually a posting by Mark on the Radio-Info.Com board........
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Of course I still like to track the numbers. Did you see the new 12+ PPM talk numbers? (They are on the Ratings page on this site, Inside Radio, etc.) Yes, we only see 12+ share & weekly cume, but we know who gets which demos. Every talker went down, except 1250. It almost makes you wonder if all of the talkers should go all brokered. 970 is down in the 5's, 860 skidded again -- I see where 820 took a dump, but I wonder if the eye doctor went up 9-10AM? Would that be a hoot? |
Every time I turn on the terrestrial stream in the dash board, everything (outside of AM drive) sounds like a tea party board meeting. Hobbs & I were talking about this a few weeks ago. The ART of talk is missing from talk radio. No one "talks" anymore. No stories, no simple fun chat, no everyday life stuff. I'll never forget the show I did about a junky old riding lawn mower I bought. I was proudly buzzing around the yard and the front wheel fell off, rolled into a tree and the mower klunked into uncut turf. Wife was laughing her ass off, the dog came up and pissed on the disabled machine... Phones lit up for hours with folks disparaging the thrifty host and telling their own stories of failed frugality. Lassiter spent an hour one time whining about how Lionel raided the refrigerator in the station kitchen and ate all of Bob's home made potato salad -- and Bob got phones! Have you ever gone to the frig' looking for that coveted last piece of fried chicken, and someone else snarfed it up? That's what I'm talkin' about. There was Lionel's pain show, and so many others like it. And all during a time when oodles of political news was breaking.
When Sinatra died, I played wall to wall Sinatra on 970, talking about my parent's musical influence on me -- people were calling in sobbing. Same when George Harrison died. I even played wall to wall Michael Jackson on 820 after he croaked. IT'S GODDAM TOPICAL and relatable for baby boomer talk listeners. And it sure beat the crap out of listening to another Sarah Palin sound bite! Sure, red meat is good and we need to talk politics --but we need relief. Us album rock programmers used to throw in "relief records" every so often between the long doses of heavy metal, so the head bangers could occasionally come up for air. Where is the REAL TALK relief for Talk Radio? Thank God for WMRK (my MP3 player - where Linkin Park meets Leslie Gore!).
-Larsen
http://www.markinthemorning.com
We Lost One of the Best in Dave Reinhart
I don't think I've ever written or spoken these words about anyone to this point in my career....but...
We truly lost one of the best broadcasters to ever walk the hallways of radio stations this past weekend. Dave Reinhart passed away in The Villages just north of the Tampa Bay area. He was a mere 67-years old.
Dave was known for several things in this business. He was a very successful disc-jockey in the 60's at WCOL in Columbus and WSAI in Cincinnati among others. Then being the responsible kinda guy that he was....he went out and got a real job.....as a stock broker. Dave had a family and a future to secure and he made his family priority number one.
Then amazingly....after something like 20 years in the brokerage business, Dave took a big pay cut and came back to radio full-time, his first love. He returned as the Program Director of 700 WLW in Cincinnati. Dave had been doing weekend oldies shows on WLW for some time while secretly harboring a desire to program the station. You see Randy Michaels had become so busy trying to grow Seven Hills/Republic/Jacor that he couldn't devote the amount of time he once did on making WLW one of the best talk stations ever.
Randy needed someone really smart, someone with passion for this business and most importantly, someone he could trust to give his baby to. Dave Reinhart was that somebody. Dave performed brilliantly in continuing what Randy had started and moving it to a new level.
Dave and Randy didn't necessarily always agree on everything Dave was doing at WLW, but Dave's instincts were always right on the money. And Randy was fiercely loyal to Dave, just as you would suspect. I remember one time when then WLW General Manager Dave Martin told Rhino that they were going to sell a Sunday night block to financial talk guys. I think WLW may have still been doing oldies shows with Dusty Rhodes on Sunday nights at that point.
Well Dave Reinhart informed Randy Michaels and Dave Martin that he would be at his house and didn't plan on returning until this Sunday programming insanity had subsided. Randy backed Rhino and Martin relented. No paid programming on WLW and Rhino returned to the job. When is the last time you heard of a Program Director digging his heels in over product integrity? And certainly when is the last time you saw a PD say they wouldn't be back to work until the integrity had been restored and secured going forward? Maybe.....never?
After a great job of programming The Big One in Cincinnati, Dave was given the opportunity to rescue a bunch of us down here in Tampa at WFLA and WFLZ. Tampa was sort of the new frontier for Jacor in those days. The company had owned the stations for two years and they were still bleeding to death. Dave Reinhart was brought in during the spring of 1990 to right the ship. And what did he find upon arriving in the Bay area? Two radio stations that would be described by some as....well, out of control.
But really, it was sort of - kind of organized chaos. This was the era of Marc Chase, Lionel, Tim & Tom, Bubba The Love Sponge, Mark Larson, Jay Marvin, Jack Harris, Tedd Webb, The Three Little Pigs, MJ & BJ, The Rush To Excellence Tour and people with names like Bobby Q. Chicken, Fonda Peters, Hardin Long…and the list goes on. You begin to see the challenge Dave faced when he arrived on Gandy Boulevard in South Tampa.
In less than two years Dave had these stations humming. They were growing ratings and revenues, printing with black ink now and Tampa had truly become one of the jewels in the Jacor crown. Before Rhino....we were just the market everyone liked to visit so they could hang at the Mons Venus.
Reinhart truly changed that. Now people wanted to come to Tampa because there were two great radio stations operating here. 93-3 FLZ, The New Music Revolution and Newsradio 970 WFLA. Of course everyone still wanted to go to the Mons as well. And please don’t misunderstand….Dave Reinhart was not a Mons Venus kind of guy. He certainly had no problem with everyone else going there and he may have unwittingly paid a few expense tabs from the Mons.
Dave will be remembered for so many good things. Something he always did that I really admired and is far more difficult to find the time to do these days and then be effective in doing it.... Dave would walk the halls every afternoon starting in one corner of the building and working his way all the way around. Usually, he focused on the programming side of the building since much to his chagrin; his office was at the head of the sales cubicle farms. This is how he always seemed to know what was going on and if nothing else, what the vibe was. Hard to describe what that means but I'm guessing most of you know. If nothing else, people knew that Dave cared, cared enough to come around almost every day and ask questions and offer help and guidance.
Here's something else I'm going to say about Dave that I'm not sure I've ever said about another human being...at least not one in radio.....I never saw Dave Reinhart lose his temper. That's really tough when you manage radio stations with the cast of characters he had through the years.
There are few people in my career that I actually consider a mentor. Dave Reinhart is absolutely one of those guys. From watching as he programmed 700 WLW, no doubt the biggest influence on my philosophies to this day in talk radio…..to learning under him when he was the Vice-President and General Manager in Tampa and ultimately the Gulf Coast Region of Jacor and later Clear Channel. He taught me so much. Dave Reinhart taught me more than I will ever be able to describe in an already too long blog entry.
But it is only fitting that the longest blog entry I’m ever likely to write, is in tribute to one of the finest individuals I’m ever likely to know….Dave Reinhart. From the early days of cruising in a houseboat on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky to the hectic years of consolidation, to tricking his beautiful wife Joanie when he would have her filling in at the front desk….Dave Reinhart was one of the best RADIO people to ever wear the cans or sit behind a desk. May God rest his soul and smile upon his family.
-30-
What were they thinking?!?!?!
Check out this little story that so far doesn't seem to be getting much play here in the U.S. I think we should follow this one for awhile. Surely this can't happen....right? It would should slow internet radio growth to a snail's pace I would guess.
http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/02/27/bill-in-uk-may-disallow-public-wi-fi/
Oh no, not another lecture on "CHANGE!!!"
Check out this quote I found recently....."Change. It is a word that is not easily accepted, and even harder to endure. Change is a part of life, and we learn to embrace the new challenges it brings, or we take the risk of losing sight of what matters most to us. Now we are at a crossroads, where change surrounds everything that we do, or even who we are."
Now I will give you the sentence that appears immediately before this quote. "Each of us has the ability to make a lasting impression or to make a meaningful change for the next generation of Sigma Chi's."
Right. I took these words from the monthly newsletter of the Epsilon Tau chapter of Sigma Chi at my alma mater, Murray State University. The quotes came from a long opening letter written by undergraduate brother Mike Maxwell. I don't know Mike as I am a few years removed from my college days. Well OK, maybe more than a few.
I was duly impressed with how someone who is probably 20 or 21 years old grasps a concept that we as professionals wrestle with daily and usually plug our ears, go running off to a corner and search for a towel to dry our palms.
We are not alone in our struggle to embrace change. It is affecting people from all walks of life and all demographics. Most people won't figure it out. Some will. I want to be a part of the group that DOES figure out how to not only embrace change but to lead change. I certainly don't have all of the answers.....yet. But I can assure you I'm working very hard at understanding what is going on in our "business" and to adapt and lead.
I always get a kick out of the big broadcasting giants where the CEO's and others are preaching about change and embracing change. It has become so amusing it's like watching an episode of The Simpsons. These companies are NOT likely to be the ones to figure out, embrace or lead change. They are too married to old ways of thinking and are too beholdin' to Wall Street or private equity "partners." One thing that doesn't change a lot for sure and that's, "you better make me some money!!" Nothing wrong with that.
By the way, of all the big companies out there I think CBS may be the one that has a shot of getting through this. I'm impressed with their rollout of FM sports stations, not just because they are finally putting spoken word formats on FM but because of HOW they are doing it. They are INVESTING in talent and smart product people. Imagine that. And their rollout of new CHR's is equally impressive. The other companies? Well let me put it to you this way. If they were the Ford Motor Company, they would be putting the lot salesmen in charge of design and assembly. Not good.
For the most part I believe it will be the smaller, more nimble companies that innovate and lead change in the future. It will be Alpha Broadcasting, Cox, Saga, Bonneville and a dozen or so other companies you've never heard of. It will be syndicators like Compass Media Networks. It will be independent minds and great thinkers that the big boys don't want anymore like Greg Moceri, Kraig Kitchin, Lionel and others. (How's that for an eclectic group?!) It will be people we don't even know about yet. I could go on but the more I write the more likely I am to piss off a lot of people (and embarrass them) and hey, I gotta eat!!
But let's quit BS-ing each other here, shall we? Let's quit pretending like these big companies run by financial guys that are P-1 to WBBR are going to somehow magically begin to invest and innovate. Ain't happenin' captain. It's up to the little guys. It's up to us. It's up to YOU.
Did she really say that?
I was reading this morning's Inside Radio (2/22/10) with great interest when I came across this article....FCC: Broadcasters hit hard in Haiti; lessons to be used stateside. In the article the FCC International Bureau Chief Mendel De La Torre is quoted. The quote is this...."Broadcasters suffered the most." This is in reference to the recent earthquake in Haiti. No seriously, that's what it says. Really? Someone please tell me that's out of context because I fail to see out of all of the suffering I have seen on telelvision and read in the newspapers that somehow broadcasters suffered more than anyone.
A Few Things To Ponder Today
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How in the world are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this --ever.
15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and runaway?
16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
18. My 4-year old son once asked me in the car, "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the heck do I respond to that?
19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
20. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
Palindrome
A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads
the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the
opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite.
This is only a 1 minute, 44 second video and it is brilliant. Make
sure you read as well as listen..forward and backward.
This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old.
The contest was titled "u @ 50" by AARP.. This video won second
place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and
broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant. Take
a minute and watch it.
