Inside the Latest Issue – February 2010

The following text is a collection of excerpts from all of the articles featured in this month’s issue of TALKERS magazine. If you wish to read the complete story,
you may subscribe to the publication by clicking here.

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The 2010 TALKERS 250 featuring the Heavy Hundred

The editors of TALKERS magazine, with input from industry leaders, present the 250 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America –– a popular annual feature that includes what has come to be known as the “Heavy Hundred.”

This is one of the most challenging tasks that TALKERS undertakes each year considering that there are thousands of talk show hosts across the country, ranging from national icons to those laboring in relative obscurity.

The entire story appears in the February 2010 print edition of TALKERS magazine.
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CES 2010: The network is you

Coverage of the International Consumer Electronics Show

Holland Cooke
MCVAY MEDIA
News/Talk Specialist

LAS VEGAS — While most industries hunkered down during the recession, one conspicuous bright spot has been consumer electronics –– a $172 billion business in the USA alone –– because digital technology now enables almost everything we do. So, not surprisingly, the annual Consumer Electronics Show is North America’s biggest trade show.

Some 110,000 of us swarmed the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center, for a peek at The New New Thing. In 1970, it was the VCR. In 1974, the Laserdisc player. Remember those? Camcorders and audio CD players were the wow items in 1981. By 1998 the ooohs and ahhhs were for HDTV, which you can now own for a fraction of what early adopters paid. Last year we got our first peek at 3D HDTV…stunning

The entire story appears in the February 2010 print edition of TALKERS magazine.
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Shovio’s new twist on internet talk

By Jayne Pearl
TALKERS MAGAZINE
Special Projects Editor

SPRINGFIELD –– Often, when people listen to a radio talk show or watch a television talk show they wish they could shout back at the host for saying something provocative or plain stupid. Now they can do just that with Shovio.com, the first live, two-way video broadcasting network. As the website boasts, Shovio has the look of TV, the spontaneity of talk radio and the omnipresence of the internet.

Imagine an internet talk show featuring live video of a host talking into her mic, occasionally cutting away to audio, graphics or video clips relating to the discussion, with “callers” popping up in little video inserts up in the top right corner and weighing in. At the same time, a chat box continuously scrolls as listeners comment. The host can play off the many chatters and the video caller.

The entire story appears in the February 2010 print edition of TALKERS magazine.
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Indecency in the court room

By Steven J.J. Weisman

BOSTON –– An old Chinese proverb (is there any other kind?) says that a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. In the long-standing legal battle over indecency on the public airwaves, it probably is correct to say that this prolonged battle began with just seven words –– the seven words that George Carlin said you were not supposed to say on the radio. Those seven words became the basis for the 1978 Supreme Court case of FCC v. Pacifica, which in turn became the basis for limiting indecency (which could be called obscenity-lite) to the hours of 10:00 pm and 6:00 am on the publicly broadcast airwaves. Indecency is permitted on cable television, satellite television, the internet and satellite radio at any time, but that is the subject for another column.

The entire story appears in the February 2010 print edition of TALKERS magazine.
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Conventional conduct

By Matthew B. Harrison

NEW YORK –– With the New Media Seminar –– the talk industry’s most important annual gathering –– rapidly approaching on March 19 and 20 in New York City, it is time for me to don my talent manager cap and present my annual take on conventional conduct. These tips are applicable regardless of whether you are a talent, in management or even a vendor.

Personal impressions play a great role in determining success. Put your best foot forward and don’t shoot it (and try not to speak in clichés like I just did). A fundamental law of convention conduct, especially in an economic recession, is to understand that among other things (like actually learning important stuff from top industry players), a convention is an event at which to cultivate relationships and make contacts. Relationships count for a lot in this business –– not to mention most businesses. This means that you, as an attendee, should focus on selling yourself first and selling your product (or availability) at a later date…or at the point in the conversation (if it even occurs) when you are actually invited to do so. This is much easier said than done, as it requires patience and restraint. A person with whom you wish to connect will be more likely to take your call having spent some quality time with you at the seminar (a shared positive experience) and not as likely to take your call if they remember how pushy or desperate you were.

The entire story appears in the February 2010 print edition of TALKERS magazine.
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What do we do now?

By Al Herskovitz

BRADENTON, Fla. –– Economists are seeing a slow recovery of the U.S. economy this year. They project the gross domestic product growing in the range of 2.5% to 4%. Considering how bad a year from which we have emerged, these recovery numbers aren’t that sensational, but at least things are moving forward.

What happens during a recovery? It’s hard to find an exact starting point. However, folks have refrained from spending for the past 12 months, so a demand for goods and services has been building. This is causing retailers to re-stock their shelves and businesses to put more money into their enterprises. Now jobs are beginning to grow and the folks are beginning to buy things. Profits are starting to re-appear on company bottom lines.

The entire story appears in the February 2010 print edition of TALKERS magazine.
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How to know you’re not the next big thing in talk radio

By Steve Bryant
Talk Show Host

TAMPA –– Back in the 1950s and 1960s, the music business was desperately seeking the next Elvis. When the Beatles came along in the 1960s, most industry people didn’t realize they were the next Elvis. Everyone was looking for a clone, not the real next big thing. It’s the same way in talk radio today. The next “Rush” won’t be a clone. He or she will be as different from Rush as the Beatles were from Elvis…as different as Rush was from other talk hosts when he first came on the scene. (Thanks to talk host Rollye James for this concept.)

The entire story appears in the February 2010 print edition of TALKERS magazine.
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Recent radio rows address health care debate

By Ellen Ratner
TALK RADIO NEWS SERVICE
Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON –– Despite the difficult ad climate the media faces, radio rows have not lost their ability to get the message out. Two recent radio rows –– One from Senate Republicans and the other from a Democratic-leaning organization, Families USA –– centering on health care reform were held to put the power of talk radio to work to get their respective messages out.

The Senate Republicans held their radio row in December. They intended their radio row to be part of a large-scale messaging campaign to communicate with the American people about the Democrats’ health care proposal. This effort included aggressive outreach to national and regional radio, TV, internet and print outlets. The Senators were energized about the issue and eager to get the message out and talk show hosts are always interested in news-making guests speaking to the top issues of the day. The “virtual” radio row –– with no hosts physically present and easily set up on just a few days notice –– made it efficient for Senators, hosts and producers.

The entire story appears in the February 2010 print edition of TALKERS magazine.
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Compellability and success

By Richard Neer

NEW YORK –– Someday someone will come up with a quantifiable method to track compellability, a word I think we just invented.

Q Ratings have been around for some time now, and basically they are a like-ability index. If your goal in life or business is to have most people like you, I mean really like you Sally Field, this is your scoring paradigm. However, if your goal is to get ratings, being well liked isn’t necessarily the ticket.

Some of the highest-rated sports talkers are often the most disliked. This may seem counter-intuitive, but consider this: of all the Monday Night Football analysts, the one that stands above all others is Howard Cosell, the man America loved to hate. MNF’s ratings were highest when he was part of the program (although obviously there were other factors).

The entire story appears in the February 2010 print edition of TALKERS magazine.
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The slime factor

By Dan Sileo
WDAE, TAMPA
Talk Show Host

TAMPA –– Today’s sports talk show host or reporter walks a line between rhyme and slime. At least the ones who still care at all about even an ounce of literary prowess and journalistic integrity. Let’s face it –– to a huge degree, sports talk broadcasting has gone the route of so many other modern day forms of info-tainment. Sensationalism rules the day with the target being the lowest common denominator. But there are those of us who remember the days when sports journalism was like poetry –– a well written (or spoken) tapestry of literature and truths.

Look –– I am not saying that I am better than anyone else in our field when it comes to this trend. I “get” a great story when I see one. Take the Tiger Woods story. It has all the slimy angles a sports radio host like me loves to talk about –– sex, drugs, porn stars, cheating husbands –– perfect material for today’s sports talk radio!

The entire story appears in the February 2010 print edition of TALKERS magazine.
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