REBOUND ON THE HORIZON?

The big news today is advertising says they are going to spend 22% more on radio. According to media buying firm Strata, which is operated by Comcast, 87% percent of the advertisers polled, said they are going to spend more on radio. On the station and company level; 80% plan no more layoffs and 15% might add to the workforce. Let's not get excited and start pouring champagne. We still have a problem with the lack of vision and extinct business plan. Local radio still has to sell local direct and work new business avenues. National advertising dollars returning to radio is no big deal, most of that goes to the corporate bottom line and to syndicators, networks and the sort. The programming avenues of radio are still mired in voice-tracking, no air talent, corporate developed formats and shows, or sometimes just music with sweepers. Now remind me, this was done to make stations sound better for PPM or cut expenditures due to the lack of advertising dollars to off-set cost of personnel. Consultant Doug Erickson wrote a great article this week in All About Country. He writes "They ordered us to do the Difficult with nothing but Our Talent – and we did it. Then they demanded we accomplish the Impossible with nothing but Our Talent – and we did it. Then they commanded us to do the Irrational with nothing but Our Talent – and we did that, too". http://tiny.cc/0GFqw Now if we take our talent, creativity, passion, drive and dedication and put it to work with a rebound and radio taking an automobile industry stance on re-inventing, we can really soar.