Do you use an imaging matrix or clock?

Or do you have a hodgepodge of imaging that just comes up when it schedules? Joel Folger taught me this when we worked on a project in 1996. If you have several styles of sweepers, listeners, male, female, comedic, image, music, community, etc. They need to schedule just like the music, with their own appropriate rotations. A lot of you use Linker. If you have Scott or Next Gen, the playback system can build rotators and you can set the rotations without having to double your scheduling with Linker and Selector. 

The imaging is scheduled on the Selector music clocks using break notes. It's calling up a sweeper or promo from the digital playback system and rotates them all evenly, unless you select an element to play more or less often. Most stations just call on sweeper after sweeper of the same voice talent and the same lines, sweeper after sweeper. You wouldn't do this with the music, so why would you do it with imaging?

Don't post photos from other websites, link them!

With talent blogs on web sites and Facebook pages, it's imperative that you don't "borrow" photos from other sources. Link them. From INSIDE RADIO: The copyright holding company Righthaven – which frequently targets media sites — has filed a copyright infringement suit against Citadel’s “News Talk 630” WPRO, Providence for posting a Denver Post photo on its website. 

The shot of a TSA enhanced pat-down was part of a listener create-a-caption contest.   The suit seeks $150,000 in damages. Citadel and WPRO have not yet filed their response to the allegations, filed last week in federal court in Las Vegas.

Sunday Driving with President/Publisher Joel Denver from ALLACESS

What can you say about Joel Denver…President/Publisher of ALLACCESS? Not only did he start what has become the webs largest online community for the radio and music industry he is a go-to guy for anyone who wants an inside scoop on radio and music news as well as a friend to all. Joel is always responsive and makes you feel like what you have to say is important. He is humble, strategic and charismatic as they come. When it comes to radio and music news, music promotions for record companies new music, radio station song charts ALLACESS is the industry leader.

Joel established ALLACCESS and launched the site in 1995. Prior to that he was the CHR Editor for R&R Newspaper for 14 years. Before joining R&R he'd been in radio for 13 years as PD at WBSB (B104)/BALTIMORE, KSLQ/ST. LOUIS, KCBQ-A/SAN DIEGO, WMJX (96X)/MIAMI, MD at WFIL/PHILADELPHIA, and had been on air at WAYS-A/CHARLOTTE, WNOR-A/NORFOLK, WPGC-A&F/WASHINGTON, and WINX-A/ROCKVILLE, MD where he got started in radio at age 15, in January of 1968.

A Shocking Peek at the Real People of PPM Posted on: Feb 22, 2011 in Advertising, Arbitron,

Who are these people who say “yes” when Arbitron asks them to carry a PPM device?

Why do they do it?  Do they follow the rules?  Do they even know it’s about radio, or do they think it’s about all media?  What do they think of the meters themselves and are they embarrassed to be seen wearing one?  Is it true that multiple households kept their meters moving by attaching them to ceiling fans?  And what should you do to target the kind of folks who are likely to be panelists?

These and many other questions are tackled in a stridently “unauthorized by Arbiron” look behind the PPM curtain featuring video interviews of several real PPM panelists, past and present.

Allen Kepler and Broadcast Architecture are the folks behind this effort, which is the first stage in a process of diving deeper into the backstory of the PPM experience.  I talked with Allen about what his research has shown, and that video is below.

This is some very hot stuff – you will need to watch this.

Be aware, of course, that while real, a small sampling of PPM panelists can only provide anecdotal findings, not something which can necessarily be generalized to all panelists.

Prefer audio?  Try this:

(You can subscribe to all the MRM video and audio via iTunes and get the goodies before everybody else.  You can also get advance notice of this content if you “like” MRM on Facebook or follow me on Twitter).

Here’s an executive summary of Allen’s study.

I also participated in a panel conversation about this research with other broadcasters.  That conversation will be presented here later this week.

There’s a lot of hot, maybe inflammatory, stuff discussed in this video, so a few words of introduction are in order:

First, this is not an effort to bash the PPM process or Arbitron itself.  It is in no one’s interest to do that.  Research by its nature is imperfect and acknowledging those imperfections is the first step to improving the way we do what we do for the benefit of Arbitron, broadcasters, and advertisers. Everybody – including Arbitron – wants the process to be improved.

Second, everyone needs to recognize that Arbitron is full of very talented people committed to the success of their clients and the advertisers those clients serve.  There are many good people there and their jobs are often thankless ones.  So let’s get off the “bash Arbitron” wagon and onboard the “how do we create better measurement” one.

In the long run, I think it’s important to know what motivates a PPM panelist to say “yes.”  I’ll dig into the consequences of those motivations later on.

For now, watch the video and hold on to your seat.

Stop blaming the economy and make money

Check this article out and send it to the GSM. From Jim Taszarek and RADIO INFO.

Spring ahead to better brand and community building

March 31 is the day Spring 2011 begins. Now is the time to lay out your Spring and what you plan to accomplish for three months (and monthly in PPM markets). Any loose nails need to be hammered and pulled out. We use to call this The Disney approach. The park would always take out non-performing rides. The low ride out. It's time to look at how your handle social media and how the talent posts and replies. Are you still posting station liners or do you engage the listeners? Kris Daniels of Q-103 Louisville uses Facebook as a 2nd morning show to what's taking place on the air. Direct messages to her audience about reality, her life, music, weekend events, the listeners life's and more.

Is your imaging fun, compelling, brand inducing and to the point? - Are you using the towns and people in your community in the heartbeat of the station? Remember: Page after page of the same dribble doesn't cut through and help you build your brand. Have you looked at a map of your community and all of the distinct and different areas you could write imaging around? In Fresno we have a local community called Tarpey Village. At KHGE, we wrote local ID's - Serving Tarpey Village where Rebel flags and Hank Williams Jr. CD's are issued at birth. 

Is your morning show swinging for the fences or hitting grounders? Time to work with them to accomplish the main goals of any successful CMR morning show. Localism, topicality and listener interaction. The only liners they should be doing are natural, conversational breaks about events and promotions that are morning show focused. Stop music breaks and long thoughts about artists and songs. Contests need to be simple, listen for a contest trigger or simple call into win. Make sure the team knows the station goals and are part of the process. 

We'll cover more ground for Spring 2011 over the next few weeks. 

PPM follies

Phoenix, KNIX rocks the free world up into the mid-5's with KMLE struggling in the 2's. KUPL and KWJJ neck in neck in PDX. SOC continues to out pace WKKT in Charlotte. The Bull wins in the the tight SLC race. KAJA wins in San Antonio. KBEQ takes the three way in KC. KWNR back in Vegas. The Wolf continues it's lead over KMPS in Sea-Tac. KSON ahead of KUSS by a share or so in San Diego. 

FTC Find Work Wednesday Continues....

	Don't Ask These Interview Questions...

Jeff Lipschultz is a founding partner of A-List Solutions

Many career coaches and placement specialists focus on telling job seekers about the types of questions to ask during an interview. This is why I've decided to flip the coin and touch on the issue of "what NOT to ask during an interview".

Here's a list of questions that I recommend you do not ask in the first interview. Consider the more appropriate questions (and comments) I've provided.

What is the salary for this position?

This question is premature. Hopefully you already have a general idea, based on the job title you're applying for and online research for what others in similar roles are being paid. Based on these figures you should know that you're not wasting your time interviewing for a job that will not match your budget requirements.

When do you expect to make a decision?

Instead you might ask a more general question about how their typical selection process works. For instance, you could ask, "Are there typically several rounds of interviews before selection is made?" This will give you a rough idea of how long the selection process may take.

What does this company do?

You should know the answer to the question before the interview begins. A more appropriate question would probe deeper into the company's unique strengths and positioning (for example, "I know you excel in providing XYZ to your customers-has the company thought about also providing ABC?").

Did I get the job? When do I start?

If they think you are the lead candidate, they'll likely tell you about the next steps in the process. If they mention this, simply let them know you are very interested in the opportunity and look forward to next steps in the process.

Do I really need to have Requirement XYZ as listed in the Job Posting?

There's a chance you don't need it, but the company likely put it in the job posting for a reason. If they ask you about it first, you know they really care about it. If they don't, it may not be too important and you should leave the topic out of the discussion.

Do I have to work weekends/overtime?

You don't want to give the impression that you are planning to put in as few hours of work as possible. Instead you might ask what a typical work week is like.

How long would I expect to wait to get promoted or transferred?

This question implies you are not happy with the position you are interviewing for. Instead you might ask what the typical growth opportunities are for people in this role.

When do employees get salary increases?

Similar to the previous question, this question implies some kind of mismatch between your needs and the job being discussed. Regardless of the answer, the next raise could end up being sooner or later due to company performance. You need to be satisfied with the current salary to interview for the job.

What is it about my resume that got me this interview?

Although it is good to know what they consider your strengths, you sound like you're not confident about your qualifications or trying to manipulate the interview. A better question to ask is "What characteristics and strengths do you feel the ideal candidate has?"

People employers want to hire...

Abridged: Simply Hired PALO ALTO, CA -- Each employer looks for specific qualities in potential candidates depending on the position they're hiring for, however, there are common traits in people that benefit an employer -- no matter the role, company or industry. Embodying these qualities, or working towards them, will make you an asset at any company and benefit potential employers. 1) Long term potential: Employers look to hire people that will spend a long time within that company -- and not only in the initial role for which they are hired. Companies look for employees who can acquire versatile abilities and move up within the company. 2) Works well with others: The ability to get along with the people you work with is crucial. Candidates need to be able to respectfully work with the team to achieve the company's common goals. 3) Can work independently: Employers need people who can work without a lot of supervision. Companies look for people who can get projects done without being told each step to make, take responsibility for their own work and have the initiative to accomplish goals above and beyond their initial scope. 4) Ability to multitask: Companies look to hire people who can quickly and effectively get work done. This makes the ability to perform a variety of tasks, and even multiple tasks at the same time, a great asset to an employer. 5) Problem Solving & Adaptability: Employers are looking for people who adapt to changes quickly and can find solutions to problems in innovative and creative ways.

PPM Showings

Country Music Radio up in LA, down in SF (tied with KRTY with a 1.1). Alive and well in Chicago, in Dallas The Wolf with 21/2 share lead. Houston: KKBQ 5.2 and KILT 2.7! What happened in Atlanta? XTU with it's perennial 4.4 share. 

Country stars honor The 70's (Wish project)

We have had a tribute to The Eagles, Skynyrd, The Beatles and Stones, but not to a decade. So I came up with my dream tribute project:

Miranda Lambert-Gold Dust Woman

Kevin Fowler-One Toke Over The Line

Kenny Chesney-Walk This Way

Trace Adkins-You'll Never Find a Love Like Mine

Toby Keith-Slow Ride

Carrie Underwood-Your So Vain

Tim McGraw-Old Time Rock and Roll

Lady A-Dancin' Queen

Taylor Swift-Make It With You

Keith Urban-Do You Think I'm Sexy?

Sugarland-Horse With No Name

Blake Shelton-I Want You To Want Me

Brad Paisley-Bang A Gong (Get It On)

Sara Evans-Me and Bobby McGee

I think this would make a great dream project - What do ya'll think?

A billion bones....From Inside Radio

Last year was a year of recovery and rebuilding after the Great Recession sucked billions of dollars out of the industry. The Radio Advertising Bureau reports the industry made steady recovery, adding more than $1 billion back during the year. Total radio revenue grew 6% to $17.3 billion, an increase of $1.3 billion over 2009.

Happy Presidents Day!

It really irks me that I'm right here. I should not be right about areas that are out of whack in COUNTRY MUSIC RADIO. Chatting today with a major market programmer and he tells me that the pickens are slim or Slim Pickens for morning shows in CMR. One of the big problems, un-like other formats, CMR morning shows have some relatability problems. Too often, they are high on themselves and have a disconnect from the audience, life group and the real world. The show is based around inane, ego-based chatter with a co-host and there is no entertainment or credible pay off for the listeners.

Check a calender it's 2011, this kind of radio has no place in a struggling media that is trying make a connection every time we crack the microphone. Program directors and managers are at the root of the problem. If they can't lead the horse to water and make him drink - There is a disconnect there as well. Work with the morning show to develop the all important audience relations. Read the Tracy Johnson books on morning radio, there is a step by step lesson plan on making this work. If they want to do it, if they are comfortable chuckling with the co-host, talking about golfing and Brad Paisley, then move on. 

IMHO

I am horrible for telling it like I see it - This is pretty ego-centric as a goodbye to listeners of a radio station and the life group. To talk about agents, contracts, award shows. I don't know Cliff personally, but so many CMR radio talents get caught up in the "game" and forget about the audience. A better video would've been thanking listeners you knew by name and remembering some of the great things you did for the community in the time you had. Best of luck to him in his search: I do know how it is when you get shot, there is pride. LFM kept scaling back this show for years and it was a matter of time before it was cancelled. 

Sunday Driving on Full Throttle County with Unrest Music Groups Gino Genaro

Meet Anthony “Gino” Genaro, President of  Unrest Music Group, his first job in music was selling merch for Jack Ingram, now he is helping clients build careers that make their merch sell!
He spent the last decade primarily in the field of artist management and at the helm of Aaron Watsons career where he has led Watson from a small, Abilene honky-tonk bar band to one of Texas’ most recognizable acts and an emerging artist on the National stage. 

Most recent is the only way to get noticed (from Social Media Today)

Facebook’s recent pages upgrade has left a lot of small business owners reeling. For those businesses who rely solely on Facebook instead of their own brand, the fallout from FB’s upgrade has just begun and it’s looking uglier with each passing day.

“Facebook took something that even a novice could understand and have turned it into something that even to someone who has programming experience, is a confusing mess all for the sake of more ad space. Way to alienate your users Facebook! Social media is impatient and fickle, best get things simplified or people are going to split! P.S. It shouldn’t be all about the money. You either want businesses to use FB or you don’t.” –Heaven Graphics

The Problem: Customers and friends no longer see business page comments, links, photos, and status updates. Why? Because along with the new Facebook came an automatic new default setting placed on everyone’s newsfeed.  The new newsfeed default setting shows you comments, links, and status posts ONLY from those people you interact with most.  This means, if you’re a business, people who normally don’t interact with you will not see you anymore. Feeling invisible on FB lately? It gets worse.  Facebook has decided relevancy is what matters. Therefore, even if you change your newsfeed settings,  your newsfeed will never ever be the same as it has now become part of The Borg – I mean Facebook’s new relevancy algorithm.

Can I see a show of hands?

How many of you are tired, I mean just plain tired of applying for radio jobs in air talent and programming areas and not hearing a thing from the station and or company? This was not the way we did business in my day. I sound like my father when he retired from the Navy in 1966. He use to say, this isn't my Navy any longer. Maybe he was a Nostradamus of sort. My inner circle and I are have been talking about this lately. Everyone is applying for positions way under their pay grade and skill level because of the condition of commercial broadcasting. Wait - Stop the presses, now the suits are telling us how much many they made in 2010 and it appears the ship has been righted.

What Do You Do When Burnout Gets You?

Are you in a hurry? Sometimes we all are…it’s just a part of life…even the Social life.

Also, there are just things that happen and we get discombobulated…..yeah that is really a word, I Google’d  it.  After talking to several friends I learned that they go through the same kind of “burnout” thus ended my “terminally unique” thoughts about myself and what I was feeling…. We all need downtime.  I figure this must be common, especially for creative people so what does a blogger do? We blog about it!

Burnout – a state of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion.

Many people experience burnout of some kind in their lives. Business owners, Solopreneurs and the Self-Employed seem to be even more likely to fall prey generally because you are the “end all be all.”

Here are some ways to avoid burnout!

Local radio web is an end cap loss leader

From Inside Radio, we talked about this yesterday and now the advertising community is responding that local web sites offer nothing local or of any return on their investments. I remember telling my bosses in 2008 that social media was for listeners and local web was for clients. The only users of local radio IP products are contest players and P-1 freaks.Using what Borrell Associates says is a combination of site surveys and some “complicated math,” the local advertising research firm is getting a new perspective on just how large, local and loyal the audience is for local websites. “The short headline is, it’s smaller, less local and less loyal than advertisers are being led to believe.” 

Now it's CBS's turn - Up over 20% in 2010!

CBS, who doesn't really kill employees in massive shootings, is way up - So much that no one is talking about selling or buying Sacramento, Phoenix, San Bernardino or Orlando. When you go from double digits to triple digit numbers, you are up. This is the biggest leap of the week so far with all the company numbers for the year coming out. Radio Info is reporting that Les told folks in the later afternoon call: "It's partly the 25 format changes (he says the ratings at 23 of them are up double digits). And it’s partly that they “straightened out the cost.” Another way CBS said it on the call – “it’s partially because of programming and partly because of efficiency.” 

Jobs people are talking about!

KSON, a ton of emails on this one. Callahan is your boy and you better bring fire power. KYGO middays, we have a few of our friends chatting with JT on this one. Both LFP powerhouse CMR stations. Nights and music at Bruce's baby - The Kat in Charlotte. Mornings at KVOO Tulsa and PD of Kicks in Lincoln. Go get these jobs!

How about people?

Now that broadcast groups have made money in 2010, they are investing the return back into the stations. They are installing digital media products. Townsquare and Journal are pumping money into these trends. Journal is putting on a digital video production service for clients in Wichita and more according to Tom Taylor and Radio-Info. 

Dumb question: Why can't we hire back some of the people let go from these companies or fund new positions? Radio can only get creative with human beings and not digital media. Didn't we learn from two white elephants? HD Radio and station websites. Facebook is free - We need air talent and people in radio with the earned money from 2010!

Internet radio doesn't develop current music and new music seekers

The big news is Pandora's !00 Million dollar IPO and Mel saying Sirius/XM could offer the same service as Pandora and Slacker. One of the big problems with these services is the one-dimensional side of the service. If I suggest a song or style of music, it doesn't employ current or new music. The service is based on older or existing styles and titles. 

Mel told Radio-Info:  “We believe there are an awful lot of people who like the Slacker, Pandora, Last.fm and iHeart services because [they’re] free.” But Sirius XM believes “a lot of that IP content is going to be running more and more commercials”, which will make it sound “an awful lot like commercial radio.” He says “We expect Sirius XM to continue to dominate paid audio entertainment"

The next developer of IP based music content needs to look at new music, current music and more contemporary styles of than searching for "One Toke Over The Line" and you get a bunch of Classic Rock songs and not progressive Country or Texas Music. 

KSON baby!

The final vestige of The Cliff and Company morning show has left the building at KSON San Diego. Brooks is holding down the fort until Kevin Callahan can hire replacements. Kevin is going to be a force to be reckoned with and this will be a quality position for someone who can dance to his beat. Besides it really sucks to live in San Diego and do mornings at a legendary CMR station.

What happens in Vegas is everyone's business

From Country Aircheck: ACM Radio Winners: The Academy of Country Music radio award winners for the 46th annual Awards show, set for April 3 in Las Vegas, are:


National On-Air Personality: Blair Garner, AfterMidNite (Premiere).

Major Market Personality: Cliff, Brooks & Tori, KSON/San Diego.

Large Market Personality: Chris Carr, Jason Statt & Maverick, WUBE/Cincinnati.

Medium Market Personality: Andy Ritchie, Alison Mencer & Jimmy Holt, WIVK/Knoxville.

Small Market Personality: Dex & Mo, WUSY/Chattanooga.

Major Market Station: KEEY/Minneapolis, KNIX/Phoenix (tie).

Large Market Station: WGH-FM/Norfolk.

Medium Market Station: WIVK/Knoxville.

Small Market Station: WYCT/Pensacola, FL.

Katz Report: National Spot Radio Surged 17.7% in 2010

Katz Radio Group last week reported that national spot radio sales increased 17.7% in 2010 compared to 2009, with significant growth coming in the automotive sector (up 27.4%), telecom (+21.3%), retail (+18.2%), consumer products (+19.9%), and entertainment (+9.7%). The Katz report confirms earlier trends revealed by the Radio Advertising Bureau, which identified national advertising as the top percentage growth area for radio - after digital, that is. In the first nine months of 2010, total national ad sales increased 14% to $1.97 billion, outpacing local - for decades the mainstay of the radio business - which edged up just 3% to $8.46 billion in the same period. In dollar terms, that means national ad spending increased by about $242 million in the first nine months of 2010, compared to a $246 million increase for local ad spending. [Full story: Media Daily News]

Happy Valentines Day From FTC - On the road

In Las Vegas for our 35th anniversary after a weekend in San Diego. Country Music Radio sounds real good in The West. Tip to KCYE (The Coyote) Las Vegas, we were strolling along Fremont Street at around 5a and they were setting up for a Valentine's Day remote broadcast. Banners everywhere, tent and van all looking sharp and about 5 people working on the set-up. Then went to get in our car and it was gone. Towed from the parking lot - $300 bucks to the towing company later and we were headed back across town to Sam's Town. Non traditional revenue :)

KCYE is pretty 90's and 2000 based and sounds more mainstream than KWNR. I've learned a few points from listening to XM - The Top-40 channel uses pop culture news, movie rentals, song downloads and other entertainment topicals during the normal programming. XM's Classic Rewind channel has a promo running honoring the inductees in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We could do the same thing for The ACM's and CMA's. The entertainment topicals could be done by the morning show and used throughout the day on CMR's.

The talk of my hotel lobby this morning

Pandora files $100 million Initial Public Offering and the desk clerk says "The've had the same web site for years". From Radio Info:

The S-1 filing hit the SEC today (2/11), a week after the Internet radio operator attracted two new board members. Pandora told last month's CES Convention in Las Vegas that its number of registered users has now passed 80 million, and the stage seemed to be site for an IPO. The pricing and the number of shares are yet to be determined, but this is an important first step for the 10-year-old music-streaming company based in Northern California. Pandora reports $90.1 million in revenue for the nine months ended October 31, and a net loss of $300,000.

The company's prospectus includes sections on "How we are re-defining radio" and "Why our advertisers choose Pandora." Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Securities are the bookrunning managers of the offering, with co-managers William Blair & Company and Stifel Nicolaus Weisel. Read Pandora's IPO filing at the SEC site, here. The Radio & the Internet Board of Radio-Info.com was quick to pick up the news of the IPO, here.

How Social Media Saved Valentine’s Day (video)

From our friend RJ Jordan in lovely Central PA - Click the above to play

Hey Chuck,

We’re doing an event next week to remember Dale Earnhardt Sr on the 10^th anniversary of his passing… Promo attached. Feel free to share.

Also, I wanted to share the tribute song I produced in the hours after his death- At the time, I sent it to Jaye who serviced it to most of her stations, but it may have disappeared over the years… so I thought you might want to provide it to your Full Throttle readers.

Best,

RJ

When is too much imaging?

I made imaging director's crazy when I programmed. I was always writing and up-dating imaging, especially before the start of ratings periods. A co-PD at one of the clusters where I programmed a CMR station told me I was too over the top and all this imaging was just busy work. I guess, we ended up for the year #2 25-54 and #2 12+ to KFDI - This was KZSN Wichita. 

I don't think there's a such a thing as too many imaging topicals, just the right ones. You need to figure out what it's going to take to build your brand and plug it into the minds of the community, the life group and the users. I recommend s simple series of imaging pieces that builds the community, morning show and the music. 

• Geo-Artist Sweepers (that tie the artists into your communities)
• Social Media Sweepers 
• Geo Sweepers (Saluting your communities)
• It's About Sweepers (Love, parties, country, truck, etc.)
• Artist Quantity Sweepers (More Taylor, More Zac Brown, etc.)
• Morning Show
• Middays
• Afternoons
• Image Station ID's

Programmer's need to have a plan to what they want to accomplish with the imaging. To write a few pages of cool lines and send them to the voice guy is fun, but is it building the brand with a plan? All of the imaging topicals needs to build and maintain the brand and positioning of the station. What are you known for? If the brand is NEW COUNTRY, then it makes sense to employ: MORE NEW COUNTRY FROM (artists) PLAYED BACK TO BACK ON COUNTRY 107. 

It's not a question of too much, it's about the right amount based on your needs!

Way more with less is the new norm:

Last week I visited a home health care business, where one manager ran the entire operation. Staffing, marketing, supplies, budgeting, HR, financial and more. Office building about the size of a small radio station with only one office being used. I thought, this is getting creepy. The outside world is like radio now. I've visited a few businesses like this recently. Companies have found a way to accomplish more with less human beings. The new normalcy is to serve several capacities. 

We thought it was nuts a few years ago when programmers, air talent and managers began adding a stack of responsibilities. So the double digits Clear Channel is up, is it all profit, or will some of the money go back to the radio stations? Will radio replace the staffing that was sheared in the economy, or will it become profit? From today's INSIDE RADIO: "With first quarter one-third complete, Clear Channel says its radio revenue is pacing up 4% through February 4. “Overall the business tone is positive,” CEO Mark Mays tells investors. It comes in the wake of Clear Channel Radio’s best quarter since before the recession."

In Fresno, CC is staffing their new Country Music Radio station 1027 The Wolf. There is a new PD morning man and afternoons. Recently, their CMR in El Paso quit using Premium Choice. 

The new role of the Operations Manager

Economic conditions have really cut into everyone's budgets, not just radio - But the real world too. Especially in our business. More operators are doing less engineering billing to local contract engineers, relying on a corporate engineer to interface with the local team. What does this infer? A contract guy doesn't do IT or studio work, only RF. 

This means in some situations the Operations Manager of a small and even medium market cluster has to handle a lot of IT issues. He has to know every nuance of the digital playback system, studio maintenance, remote transmission equipment, remote equipment and in a lot of cases web technology. Programming radio stations might not even be a concern of the management. 

Every radio station is doing more with less (Tuesday's FTC). If you are seeking an Operations Manager position, you need to ask what the duties entail. A lot of times these duties are not discussed in the interview process and surprise, you're an IT guy.

Superbowl Sunday (I paid for the rights) Monday on the morning show

I believe the morning show recap of the commercials of the Superbowl is over. In this economy, no one is able to pay the enormous production and advertising rates. I started seeing this a few years ago, the quality of the commercials and production values went down. Let's face it: It doesn't take a million dollars to make a commercial for Snickers with Betty White playing football. 

But you can have the morning show test the waters with social media tomorrow morning. If anyone will be talking about it, it will be Twitter and Facebook. Folks will be posting and grabbing videos from You Tube and sharing em' on FB and Twitter. This might be the way to go instead of bogging down the music and flow with more chatter about commercials.

EXTRA, EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT - THIS WEEK ON FTC:

The new role of The Operations Manager

More with Less is the new norm

When is too much imaging?

Do you speed up the tunes?

Finger Candy Friday

As always, we highlight Daniel's weekly RADIO-INFO article:

Five Ways to Hit Your Goals in 2011

Do you have big goals set for yourself or your company in 2011? Good! Enjoy the growth opportunity of stretching beyond your current situation into a greater future. This week in Radio3D, five tips for accomplishing your goals this year.

1. Think from the end.

Be sure that your goal is clear. Paint the picture for your team of what the end-result will look like. Remember the S.M.A.R.T. of setting goals. The best goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Make the goal straightforward. Construct the goal around something measurable—ratings, revenue, or another specific quantifiable activity. Be sure that the goal is attainable and within reach, and set a timeframe for the goal—a month, a quarter, a year.

2. Have a Role Model, Be a Role Model.

Find a model for success in your company, circle of friends, or in a related industry. Get mentoring. Watch what is making others succeed. Get a consultant who can help you to envision success for yourself, and map a route to get there. Also, remember that the best way to learn is to teach. Be available as a role model to someone who can learn from your journey to accomplishment.

3. Lose the Time Bandits.

Whether the time bandits are your own poor habits or people who siphon away your time, you’ll be amazed at the freedom you discover when you set your time bandits free. Identifying ways to grow is equally important as identifying blocks to your growth. Time bandits are blocks that can steal your time and energy, and they can control your agenda—if you let them.

4. Remember that success and failure are daily accomplishments.

If you have a huge goal to reach for the year, break it down into monthly and weekly bite-sized pieces.  When you miss your goal for the quarter or year, it didn’t suddenly happen. It happened every day leading up to the finish line. Set incremental goals, so you know where you stand for the quarter or year. Manage your daily progress.

5. Stay Accountable.

If your goal is sales related, get pacing reports and activity reports. Look at your activity and progress relative to the finish line. Pacing reports help your team stay accountable for their activity.

Whether you’re trying to lose weight, hit a sales goal, or quit smoking, www.stickk.com has an interesting way for you to stick to your goals. The site was started by Yale University economists who figured out that people who put their money or reputation on the table are far more likely to actually achieve a goal they set for themselves.

On their site, you set a goal (specific accomplishment on a specific timeline) and put some money on the line. If you fail to achieve your goal, the money you posted is sent to a designated recipient (perhaps your favorite charity). If you achieve your goal, you keep your money. See more information at www.stickk.com.

I wish all the best to you this year in accomplishing all of your goals. Do you have some interesting goals set for this year that fellow Radio 3D readers can support? E-mail me at 3d@radio-info.com, and share your goals for 2011.

About the Writer

Future-minded and passionate, Daniel Anstandig’s experience includes developing digital business strategies for media companies, designing content strategies for broadcast and interactive, and coaching executives. He is President of McVay New Media, and editor of Radio-Info.com's new media newsletter.

"You're Doing It Wrong!"

Chris Brogan wrote a blog post awhile back titled YOUR DOING IT WRONG. If you have ever heard me speak on stage or in person, I always talk about this revelation. It is as obvious online, as it is in real life that you "can’t compare your insides to other people’s outsides." It just doesn’t work. SO if your goals aren’t the same as my goals, than I am probably doing Social Media wrong, to you, right?

Synergy of imaging

Two schools of thought exist on creating imaging components for new Country Music Radio stations. The original imaging package is usually written by someone, not in the market, vow of silence and produced out of the market. It gets loaded into the digital playback system hours before the station debuts. It settles on the air, whether it's rip snortin or just a bunch of words read by the voice talent.

Secondly, (and the best) the imaging package is written ahead of the flip and is produced up big time to sound balls to the wall. This sets the tone for the station. Weaker up front or smokin up front, you have to decide where you want to be.

Mid-week what's up

Time for another rip roaring edition of MID WEEK WHAT'S UP. Chatted with CMR guru Charlie Cook and he's settling in to his new role as VP/Programming for West Virgina Radio. He told me he glad to be doing real radio again. 

Congrats to Alpha Broadcasting and the Leader of The Pack, Scott Mahalick on KUPL being named best radio station in the 2011 Portland Music Awards. The leader says things are clicking for KUPL. They have the biggest fan base of any CMR station on Facebook.

Great talking to Tom Land today - They are looking for a morning show in Tulsa rapido to replace Skip Mafferty. Also chatted with John Thomas at KYGO, he is still looking for a Mile High Midday Maniac for KYGO.

We'll leave the light on for ya: Talked to Ken Anderson of WXTU Philadelphia, he's in a hotel room and Jamie Curtiss from The Wolf in Peoria, sleeping at the station, Old Man Winter is blowing snow all over the nation. Lots of CMR air talent creeping to the station, in hotels or staying at the station. 

Broadcast Nominees Announced For 46th Annual ACM Awards (from AllAccess.com)

The ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC(ACM) has announced the nominees for this year’s Broadcast Awards TODAY(2/1), which due to time constraints, are not televised during the 46th AnnualACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC (ACM) AWARDS. The nominees will be honored at a special pre-Awards reception.

The weather outside is frightful

How about a trip in Feb or March to Hawaii, The Caribbean or Mexico? Every time you play COLDER WEATHER from Zac Brown you can quali-fly your listeners to win the trip. Have your gang buster AE talk to your local travel agencies and have some fun getting the P-1's out of the snow. Make it a special promotion instead of a typical listen for your CUE to call promotion. Imaging should be cinematic; "Tired of the cold weather and the snow...Country 107 knows exactly how you feel and we want to get you on the go and out of the snow!

Points to ponder:

Trade in your snow shovel for an umbrella under the sun
Snow blower for a scooter around Cancun
Sun and fun for snow and gloom

Tuesday Tantrums

Why on earth are station running ads for positions? - I mean it's getting stupid. KPAM Portland is a news-talk AM, they put an ad for a PD last week and filled it yesterday. KASE/KVET was looking for a world class production director, imaging guy and they give the job to a traffic-continuity guy. Now we know why more folks are saying daily: "I've had enough" and seek work outside of the business. Like former Citadel programmer Wes McShay who is now a partner in a real estate firm.

1027 The Wolf Fresno hires former KRZR afternoon honcho and imaging Jedi Knight: Koyote for afternoons. He had been the imaging director for the Clear Channel cluster in Fresno. This is such a deja vu for me, I put that station on 5 years ago this month and we couldn't move the meter. Good luck again and again.