Category: Industry Views

Industry Views

SABO SEZ: Hunt for Humility

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Walter Sabo
CEO, Sabo Media Action Partners
A.K.A Walter M Sterling
Nightly host, WPHT, Philadelphia
Weekend host, Talk Media Network

imHumility means to be teachable. It’s the most important trait of great leaders and managers. For years I looked forward to focus groups to reveal the top-of-mind awareness of media among listeners. These groups always reminded us of a listener’s life priorities which never included radio listening! They taught us the correct secular language to use in promos and slogans, and what they remembered versus what we wanted them to remember.

Today’s hack for focus groups is Google Search Trends. When starting “Sterling on Sunday” 10 years ago, I was kidded by some lame program directors about the inclusion of John Weatherbe weather forecasts in a national show. Since John passed away, the weather is provided by meteorologist Dr. Dave Eiser. Dr. Dave has had a solid career on TV in Chicago and Phoenix. He gives national forecasts with a curious emphasis on cities where we have large affiliates!

Dr. Dave provides a real service on Sunday nights when not one AM station (other than all-news stations) deliver the most important information: Weather.

Google Trends is a humility machine. It shows real-time facts about what a potential listener cares so much about that they enter it in a Google search – right now! What are you talking about today? How does it compare with weather? Here are results from moments ago:

im

The results can be filtered for specific cities, time periods, categories of interest. Try it. Seek humility!

Walter Sabo has been a C Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General and many other leading media outlets. His company HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers.. His nightly show “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Talking About Abortion

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imMany Americans have been, in the two years since the Supreme Court punted the issue down to the states. For suburban women voters in swing states, it is – by far – the number one issue, per a Wall Street Journal poll. It tipped 2022 midterms and 2023 elections and swung other elections in battleground states.

As the 2024 vote looms, your reporting will likely be criticized, by both sides; and experience recommends a useful posture when listeners question your coverage and threaten to shun your advertisers.

im

No local radio market enjoys – or suffers – more politically outspoken listeners than Washington DC. I programmed all-news WTOP there for seven years in the 80s and 90s. Even then – with Roe’ the law of the land – this was a white-hot issue.

The quickest way we could make EVERYONE angry was by reporting crowd estimates for abortion rallies. Half the callers accused us of inflating the numbers, the other half said we low-balled it.

Here, from my files, are an actual complaint letter, and our standard reply.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry Views

SABO SEZ: Somebody had to hire Bill Drake and Jean Shepherd

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

Walter Sabo

By Walter Sabo
CEO, Sabo Media Partners
A.K.A. Walter M Sterling
Host, WPHT, Philadelphia – daily
Talk Media Network – Sundays

For decades the number one radio station in America in revenue and audience was RKO-owned WOR, New York. RKO also owned a string of some of the nation’s most-stellar radio properties: KHJ, KFRC, KRTH, WHBQ, WAXY, WRKO, WKYS, WFYR and WROR.  Oh, and three major market TV stations, a Pepsi bottling plant and Frontier Airlines. The company was controlled by the O’Neil family and operated by chairman Tom O’Neil.

What was O’Neil’s secret?

Tom was a showman. He acquired RKO Films from Howard Hughes in 1953 to solve a problem – his independent TV stations needed movies. He bought as many titles as he could, then sold them to other TV chains and called it—syndication!

He hired programming consultant Bill Drake, personally. He hired Jean Shepherd, Robert W. Morgan, Dr. Don Rose, and, me. I got to know him very well. I was introduced to O’Neil by WOR’s midday star, Jack O’Brian. The O’Brians, Bridget, Kate and Yvonne were the best friends one could have.  Today Kate is president of news at the E.W. Scripps Company.

These were Tom O’Neil’s instructions upon hiring me to consult the company for eight years: Pay whatever you have to for a morning host. Hire the very best production person in the city. Make sure our signals are as loud as they can be, get the gadgets. Right, he knew the priorities.

Tom was not a headline grabber or speechmaker. Mr. O’Neil ran his company with a sense of humor and a focus on what was important. He knew his audience share numbers. The daily passenger load on Frontier was at the tip of his tongue as were the midday ratings for WHBQ.

He built the company and then shared management with his son Shane O’ Neil. Shane was also a showman and they were inspirational and visionary. For those eight years I never heard about budgets, sales or expenses. Yet the radio division’s profits grew by many tens of millions of dollars. Imagine!

Walter Sabo has been a C Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General and many other leading media outlets. His company HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers.. His nightly show “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Kill the Crickets

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

im

I can’t claim to be objective, but I believe talk radio isn’t just different than music radio. It’s better.

Talk doesn’t suffer the fundamental interruption music radio does from commercials (and too many of ‘em). And talk is never on in the background…especially after President Joe Biden’s announcement.

And because listeners now participate in their various media, they expect to interact. Making them the show is an opportunity music radio just doesn’t enjoy…especially after Biden’s announcement.

People who don’t much talk politics sure are talking politics now. Yesterday I heard about Biden’s announcement – I should say overheard about it – on the beach, here on Block Island, where people come to get away from it all.

On a normal day (if we have those any more), AM/FM talk stations are playing defense. As social media demonstrate, dialogue is thriving. With-or-without radio, our listeners – our advertisers’ prospective customers – are talking-to-each-other. That’s where you come in. We will only continue to own the conversation if you, the host, lead it.

im

If you haven’t already, read a book Dave Ramsey recommended to me. It’s “Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us” by Seth Godin. You can find a gently used copy for a couple bucks on Amazon. He clarifies your opportunity in a way you will find profound, “a wide-angle shot.”

This week, some “close-ups.” Here are four proven techniques to make your phone ring, and make you sound popular, which advertisers notice.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry Views

A Candid Conversation with GM John Mullen of Hofstra’s WRHU-FM Now Posted

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

im

A candid interview with John Mullen about Gen Z and the future of radio, conducted by Michael Harrison, has just been posted to the new TALKERS MEDIA YouTube channel. Mullen is general manager of one of the most celebrated and prestigious campus radio stations in America – WRHU-FM at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. WRHU has been honored with multiple NAB Marconi Awards – some in categories usually reserved for professional, commercial outlets. The high-profile station also has an impressive track record of working with New York City commercial radio in the production of major league PBP sports programming and then some. Some of the nation’s leading broadcasters – including legends – have come up through Hofstra’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. Mullen is one of academia’s most astute radio experts and is in touch with the feelings and culture of the next generation of radio and television broadcasters. The conversation between Harrison and Mullen contains important insights into the state and future of radio. To listen to and watch this compelling new installment of “Up Close and Far Out with Michael Harrison,” please click here. 

Industry Views

Walker Sabo Discusses the Legacy of Dr. Ruth Westheimer on Harrison Podcast

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

One of the legends of radio, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, died this past Friday July 12 at the age of 96. Much has been written and said about this one-of-a-kind person all across the media since the news broke less than a week ago. She achieved enormous success on radio and television as a multi-media purveyor of information and advice about human sexuality. She was without question an historic figure whose media career was launched and flourished in the second half of her long and colorful life. It all started on radio with a program titled, “Sexually Speaking,” unveiled by brave NBC executives on WYNY-FM, New York in 1980. And Walter Sabo was there. Sabo is this week’s guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series, “The Michael Harrison Interview” to talk about how it all happened. Listen to the podcast in its entirety here.

Industry Views

SABO SEZ: Ratings Lessons from Dr. Ruth

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Walter Sabo
CEO, Sabo Media Action Partners
A.K.A. Walter M Sterling
Host, WPHT, Philadelphia – daily
Talk Media Network – Sundays

imDr. Ruth Westheimer holds the audience share record for 18-34s in New York.

When her first-ever radio show launched on WYNY-FM it was 15 minutes a week. She solicited letters. By the end of the second week, she had gotten over 1,000 letters.

General manager Dan Griffin put her on the air. Mitch Lebe had a good talk show and had booked Ruth as a guest… she was memorable! Betty Elam, public affairs director met her at a City College lecture. Everyone saw and felt the potential, but it was Mr. Griffin who came to me with the plan to hire Dr. Ruth. I was executive vice president in charge of the NBC FM stations and WYNY-FM was my responsibility. Being tactically and boldly irresponsible I said, “Yup, put her on.”

A few months later, Al Brady Law the next GM and Pete Salant expanded her show to two hours on Sunday nights taking live phone calls. Very quickly she got on the cover of PEOPLE, guested on the “Tonight Show” and became Dr. Ruth!

How did this happen? 

— Dan Griffin had been in the CIA. He was brilliant, fearless, and Catholic. I never heard him raise his voice or do anything without reasons and facts. My confidence in his judgement made a sex talk show easy to launch. He knew how to talk to humorless lawyers, advertisers, listeners and the NBC Standards and Practices department.

Dr Ruth’s world was fearless thanks to Dan Griffin. Amateur GMs would have panicked when she said, “blow job” and “vagina,” every week. Dan never blinked.

The underpinning of her success was the lack of fear. Management was fearless. She was fearless. Therefore, she could be authentic. Authenticity is rare, appealing, and always successful. Today, I’ve known talent beaten for making fun of Erin Andrews or posting a meme. How would that management have handled Dr. Ruth? They’d be passed out under the table. When listeners, lawyers, advertisers complain – that means it’s working!

Note GMs Griffin and Law were GOAT programmers who had never spent a second in sales.

— Dr. Ruth had two bullet wounds from her service in the Israeli army. She had no fear – of anything. This is key – she had no concerns about the comments of her psychologist peers or her private patients. Every other radio psychologist I’ve worked with were all concerned about their colleagues’ reactions to their radio work. Not Ruth. She maintained a listed private practice in Manhattan the rest of her life.

— She took direction. We gave her a few tips on how to take phone calls, how to pace a radio show. She embraced and enacted them all.

— Relentless promoter. Dr. Ruth was a self-made star. Every single day, at every meeting she pushed for more air time, press, appearances. She was happy to show up, do the heavy lifting, and work on every possible opportunity to grow the show. All whoopee parties were good news for Dr. Ruth. She launched two cable networks including Lifetime.

— She focused on the cross hairs of her expertise and the listeners’ interests. She never strayed from her knowledge and the listener’s expectations.

Dr. Ruth entered the Radio Hall of Fame without objection from anyone.

She received a purple heart from her service in the Israeli army.

And she was funny as heaven. Thank you, Dr. Ruth.

Walter Sabo has been a C Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General and many other leading media outlets. His company HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers.. His nightly show “Walter Sterling Every Damn Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Are You Ready?

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imNext month, as the school year begins in so many places, the listeners that local retailers want as customers transition back to their “normal” routines. Their tempo changes and builds to a holiday season climax. And we – and our advertisers – want to be their soundtrack.

WHO ARE “they?” Last week’s column described a useful exercise that fleshes-them-out and tees-up important imaging and content discussions worth having pre-Labor Day.

im

Off-air promotion (remember that?) merely says give-us-a-try. When they do, does what they hear deliver? And even with scant (or no) off-air promotion, much of what you can do to become more habit-forming costs nothing. As consultants do, I’m talking about “the fundamentals,” the blocking-and-tackling stuff.

Here’s the checklist of things you want to be listening for right now.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry Views

Monday Memo: WHO ARE You Talking To?

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imWe – inside-the-box – live and breathe radio. Listeners have their hands full just living and breathing. Their day is time crunched and financially challenging, and we want to be its soundtrack.

But listening is free, unlike umpteen other purchase decisions they agonize. So, what’s high stakes to us is low stakes to them. We only matter if we matter, and we’ve never had so much audio competition. Accordingly, this exercise, which has been helpful at stations I work with:

im

Describe the listener your station targets. Then ask other staffers.

— Is everyone profiling the same person?

— Does your programming content address their needs and wants?

— Is station imaging about the station? Or their needs and wants?

— Do commercials offer solutions? Are you missing categories?

Well worth the investment in conference room pizza.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry Views

SABO SEZ: Leonard H. Goldenson’s Real Open Door

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Walter Sabo
CEO, Sabo Media Action Partners
A.K.A. Walter M Sterling
Host, WPHT, Philadelphia – daily
Talk Media Network – Sundays

imLeonard H. Goldenson was the founder/chairman of ABC, Inc. Before Disney, before Capital Cities, ABC was… ABC and it was run by Mr. Goldenson. He launched the ABC Radio Networks, ABC Television Network, and the original ABC radio and television stations.

His background was as a movie theatre owner. He respected the crowd, applause, creativity, art, the show. Many top talent and executives owe their start or standards to Mr. Goldenson. I worked at ABC Radio for five years when Leonard was chairman, here’s what I absorbed.

— Risk for the show. Allen Shaw and his team largely invented the album rock format and launched it on the ABC FM stations. There was no proof it would work. But it made sense. That required seven stations to dump automation and hire seven AFTRA jocks and seven IATSE engineers at each station. Note the IATSE pay scale was higher than the AFTRA scale. It didn’t go as planned. In San Francisco, the presumed success was slow to profit. WRIF, Detroit, under the leadership of Willard Lochridge, slam dunk. Leonard didn’t blink. Imagine.

— ABC was caught up in the payola scandals in the early 1960s. Alan Freed was a jock on WABC. After the Congressional hearings, Goldenson said never again and vowed to sell the radio stations. WXYZ GM, Hal Neal went to the chairman and said, “Let me run them and I will clean them up.”  He did. Without mercy. Leonard kept them and the ABC AM/FM stations became legend. Imagine.

— Leonard had the heart of an artist. He painted. Every year, at the holidays, a beautiful book of his art was distributed to all employees with an essay written by Leonard sharing his thoughts and feelings about each work. We had a glimpse of his soul. Imagine.

— The door was always open for talent. On-air talent could visit Mr. Goldenson without an appointment at any time. WPLJ morning star, Jim Kerr would regularly ride to the 40th floor and sit in Leonard’s office to chat. Imagine.

— At an executive conference, he got up early and started to leave. Being a smartass, I looked at him and asked why was he sneaking out? He explained that ABC was opening a movie that afternoon and he wanted to stand outside a theater and ask audience members how they liked his movie. That was his research. Imagine.

— When WABC-AM switched from music to talk, the plan called for profit in year 10. It took 11. Imagine

— Leonard Goldenson flew commercial, coach. Imagine.

Walter Sabo has been a C Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General and many other leading media outlets. His company HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers.. His nightly show “Walter Sterling at Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, now in its 10th year of success.

He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Be Like Mike

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imRemember the old Gatorade commercial? The “Be like Mike” jingle accompanied a montage of gravity-defying Michael Jordan dunks.

If you’ve heard Mike Hulvey speak, you know his birthday and blood type, because he told you, in his enthused trademark close: “March 4th and B positive!”

Before he recently hit-the-ground-running as Radio Advertising Bureau CEO and president, Mike was my longtime client when he ran Neuhoff Media. I consulted his news/talk/sports WSOY, Decatur and trained news people at other stations in the group. And the company’s “Media Made Locally” mantra was more than a slogan: “Nothing makes us happier than knowing that while our big corporate competitors are abandoning all the things we think make local media special – we’re doubling down.”

With broadcasters now so challenged by non-AM/FM audio competitors – and coping with cost cuts – the “Core Values” that clicked in these small Midwest markets seem like a prescription for stations everywhere:

1. Grit: “Stick with it.”
2. Community: “Give back.”
3. Innovation: “Think different.”
4. Excellence: “Be exceptional.”

im

In too many places now, a legacy call letter station is referred to as “the AM” within multi-station clusters and is bundled with music stations’ inventory… not the best sales model in Mike’s estimation: “The news/talk format offers endless opportunities to local clients.” Offered properly, these stations have “unique attributes and programming that lend itself to customize sponsorship and marketing extensions in any size market;” with otherwise “hidden gems that create opportunities for naming rights inside local sports and benchmark sponsorships as the local expert,” creating what he calls “lean-in listening that benefits advertisers.”

Live-N-local 24/7 seems quaint now, so we leverage imported programming, to make it sound more like part of the station’s own on-air family, rather than sounding like we’re an affiliate plugged-into the bird. The day Mike first introduced me at WSOY, I told the morning host: “We’ve got to get your voice in Rush Limbaugh and the Cardinals games more.”

Back to the future: With Monday-Friday syndicated talk programming mostly political, I asked Mike, “Could the sort of non-political shows that were such weekday winners for the late-great KGO and Buckley-owned WOR make a comeback?” His take: “I say yes. I believe that great locally targeted content is still a winning formula of success. While we as consumers have more choices than ever, we still crave information about where we live, work, and raise our families. While national political content has a very loud voice in the market, listeners appreciate those locally ‘world famous’ voices from where they live.”

Evidence, from the vault: 2-minute video, Mike explaining how winning radio is a relationship: https://youtu.be/wcsqrN7R7Ic

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn.

Industry Views

Pending Business: “Go F-Yourself”

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

imWhen it comes to advertisers who cancel, Elon Musk said it loud and clear at the NY Times Dealbook Summit, “Go F-Yourself.” He claimed advertisers who objected to content on X were “blackmailing him with money” by canceling ad campaigns on his X platform.

C’mon, Elon. I guess you never made the sales calls many of us have made pitching Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, or any of the many in talk radio who made the dreaded “no buy” list because an advertiser was alienated by their political lean, or content. Maybe Elon forgot that many advertisers feel the feedback of their customers and reflect customer input in their marketing dollars.

Many of us who made those sales calls tried to work alongside the content objections voiced by advertisers. The goal was to earn the advertiser’s dollars, not consider a cancellation as “blackmail.” A loud and clear, “Go F-Yourself,” was and still is the best way to kill the customer, torch the relationship, as your general manager, owner, stockholders, and about everyone including the wife and kids are amazed at your out-of-control rant.

Michael Richards, a.k.a. Kramer of Seinfeld fame, calls it “canceling yourself.” He should know. It seems after careful review Musk may be feeling the pain of his famous F-bomb message to “X” advertisers. Elon is now repackaging his pitch to include an A.I. component that could blunt those content objections. Will A.I. step in and keep the content compatible with the goals and objectives of those advertisers who cancelled X?

Wow, why didn’t I think of that? Eliminate good old-fashioned human judgement to understand the content the advertiser is identifying as incompatible with their goals. Maybe or maybe not. Think about how many of your advertisers listen to your talent and offer you, the seller, content feedback. Like the saying goes, many advertisers buy where they listen.

Back to the F-bomb comment. It is hard to be critical of one of the wealthiest people on the planet, but in this one instance, even a billionaire learned from his missteps. As time passed, perhaps cooler heads prevailed and those at X learned what those of us who made those early “no buy” list sales calls learned:

1. Advertisers who control budgets do not like to be told to “Go F-yourself”

2. Content cancellations are not “blackmail.” Those cancellations are based in:

a. Customer feedback

b. Advertiser culture

c. Misaligned goals

Next time you get the urge to blurt out your frustrations, remember a basic tenet of sales, “Never say anything that is too big to eat.”

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: NOW What?

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Cost cuts continue. If you’re still working, it is, unfortunately, only prudent to wonder for-how-long. If your position is safe, are you being given additional responsibility without additional compensation? And/or have you had-it-up-to-here with the hours?

im

The skill set you have accrued working on-air can open lots of doors elsewhere, especially because you are a local brand. Here are 18 options, most of which I, personally, have exploited. Which of these fit you?

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry Views

Kim Komando is This Week’s Guest on Harrison Podcast

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

Talk media megastar Kim Komando is this week’s guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series, “The Michael Harrison Interview.” Komando is a syndicated talk radio star, newspaper columnist, and internationally renowned technology expert. She’s known to her millions of listeners and readers as “America’s Digital Goddess,” For more than three decades, she has been burning up talk media as the leading authority on the evolving technology and sociological impact of the digital era. She is a Radio Hall of Fame inductee and past recipient of the TALKERS Woman of the Year award. This outstanding broadcaster and modern-day thinker produces, hosts, and distributes a weekend three-hour radio talk show, with a recently expanded fourth hour designed to stand on its own. This extra hour was recently added to the Friday evening lineup at WLS-AM, Chicago where it is exploding with ratings success. And now WSB-AM, Atlanta has added it to their Saturday menu where it is showing immediate audience traction. Komando also hosts a couple of short-form daily shows about computers and digital technology heard on stations across America including such giants as WABC, New York and WTOP-FM in Washington, DC. Harrison and Komando engage in an extraordinary conversation about AI and its looming impact on Homo sapiens. Don’t miss this! Listen to the podcast in its entirety here.

Industry Views

Pending Business: Summertime Blues

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

imWhen market leaders drop rates, what comes next?

We have all been there. A market leading radio station will review sales, income, profits, pacing, costs and determine the best path to increasing income and reversing a negative sales trend is to strategically reduce, repackage or simply drop rates.

Assume the position of being downstream in audience delivery, which should mirror most reading this column. This is the time of year when many news/talk operators face this never-ending strategic pricing dilemma. Unless you are fortunate enough to sell or manage for the market leader, the trickle-down effect of the market leader dropping rates in a knee-jerk reaction to slow sales can be a 90–120-day revenue and income killer for those living downstream. It can happen in any business, but ad sales are particularly vulnerable as cancellations, market business conditions and weather can often impact the delicate ecosystem of radio ad sales.

Like it or not, very few if any business decision makers wake up shouting, “Gotta buy some radio ads right now!” With Father’s Day behind us (hope you had a good one) and Labor Day in front of us, let us review some basics to help keep our collective eye on the prize and focus on delivering performance through year end.

1. Summer Sales. Like or not, the American retail world we grew up and live in today conditioned us to anticipate and respond to those great summer sales events. July 4th, Labor Day, Back to School, these are all themed marketing opportunities that most of us expect and celebrate. That “Summer Sizzler” sale is not limited to steaks, barbeques, fashion, and vacations. Be creative, go with the flow and work with your teams to be a front runner in the creative packaging opportunities department.

2. Plan to adjust. Keep an idea or two on hold until it is “break the glass” time, then pull the trigger on your adjustment and move fast!

3. Expand your prospecting universe. New business opportunities are the lifeblood of sales. That email you send asking if there is anything happening this season is a necessary evil and without anything compelling to add it is deleted as quickly as you hit send. Be different!

4. Balance your short-term sales panic button with a long-term plan. We all must deal with the uncontrollable competitive variables in our sales environment. But success belongs to those who anticipate, adjust, accommodate, and answer the challenge!

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: “Cart This Up”

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Talk host: Hot-key this SFX: stopwatch – TV’s iconic “60 Minutes” sound – 60 seconds of tick-tick-tick, then some sort of time’s-up sound. Play it underneath callers who vehemently disagree with you, or each other.

By giving them uninterrupted time, you will seem more welcoming than rude controlling caricature hosts. (The most compelling shows are those that sound nearly-out-of-control.)

im

If the caller’s beef is with you, you’ll likely “win,” because even the most PO’d caller can’t fill the allotted :60.

Another SFX: tap dancing. Play this underneath callers or sound bites of newsmakers who sound like they’re on-the-spot… or under interviews that sound humorously all spin.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry Views

The Evolution of Radio Station Stickers in the 21st Century

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Andy Gladding, EdD, CBT

Chief Engineer
Salem Media of New York
WRHU Radio, Hofstra University

imThe best thing about attending media conferences like TALKERS 2024: Radio and Beyond, which occurred last week on June 7, is the opportunity to hear diverse viewpoints from industry experts. Gatherings like these also provide the opportunity for attendees like me to “chew” on some of the great ideas presented by the expert panelists and think about solutions to some of the challenges raised during the discussions.

One of the many contemporary issues facing radio brought up during TALKERS 2024 was the evolution and need for vinyl bumper stickers in today’s branding environment. Bumper stickers have been a central component of radio station marketing over several decades, as they provide a low-cost visual aid for stations to get their logo and frequency out to the public, using a “listener-driven” mobile platform. However, as cars increase in price, value, and longevity, station owners are questioning the willingness of car owners to plaster their high-cost investment with third-party advertising. Therefore, the value of continuing to create and distribute vinyl stickers for radio stations has been called into question.

While cars may no longer be an attractive moving billboard destination for station listeners, a whole new field of organic advertising space has emerged, especially on the surface of laptop computers, tablets, and other mobile devices. Many consumers use the uniform blank space of their laptops and cellphones as a place for vinyl stickers. The idea behind this concept is that vinyl stickers allow the device owner to personalize their equipment for identity branding and theft protection. It is much easier to identify a personal device at a place like a coffee shop or airplane security line if you’ve placed a personalized vinyl sticker on it. Many Millennials and Gen-Z’ers are more willing to use the back of their electronic devices as a showcase for vinyl sticker advertising, as it helps attract attention to the user while in a public setting and lets others know “what they are about” with just a quick glance. Electronic devices are on display everywhere and are often carried around with the user in backpacks. When presented with a vinyl sticker, the recipient is usually willing to place the sticker on the device, simply because trying to store it elsewhere will usually result in the destruction of the vinyl sticker.

With this in mind, radio station marketing folks may want to rethink the footprint and layout of their vinyl stickers, choosing to migrate the wider “car bumper” format to a smaller, more concise mini-billboard that could live, display, and survive more effectively on the back of an electronic device.

Solutions like these can only happen when the listener is presented with a challenge by top industry minds. This TALKERS 2024 attendee is grateful for the chance to help provide a solution to a practical problem, made possible by the collaborative environment fostered by an in-person gathering.

Andy Gladding is the chief engineer for Salem Media of New York and WRHU, Hofstra University. He can be emailed at biggladman@aol.com

Industry Views

Pending Business: Post-Game

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

imIn case you missed it, honesty was on full display at Friday’s TALKERS 2024: Radio and Beyond conference.

Sometimes honest or transparent B2B conversations are difficult to digest. But when the truth is presented in an open forum designed to educate and motivate better to listen closely.

High five to keynoter Glenn Beck who shared his personal journey from the bottom to the top. His keynote was clear, honest messaging. Fame and fortune are no substitute for being true to yourself, honest about why and what you do in this business. What will you contribute that will make a difference? Love him or hate him, Beck is a proven, successful professional at what he does best: make you think.

Straight forward hallway conversations with fellow panelist Vince Benedetto, CEO of Bold Gold Media, were philosophical eye openers. Vince is a young, successful owner operator of small and medium market radio stations. Why is radio perceived as a “still is” good business when all his teams know is today’s success? Did someone tell him sales orders rolled in on fax machines? If that was the case, maybe radio stations should go back to faxing. Vince has no rear-view mirror, no experience with the “good old days” – just today’s and tomorrow’s successful opportunities. I explained to Vince, I’ve worked with the frenemy, and it is the generation ahead of him. We who overlook and assume the basics of over 90% radio listenership. It is us who need a look in the mirror!

A moment of honesty comment from John Caracciolo, CEO of JVC Media, was short and to the point, “Where are the bankers?” Nowhere near most local radio station owner operators. Maybe that will change as more terrestrial radio owners, managers, and talent fast forward embracing the future of digital and social media integration.

The research Salem Media Group SVP Phil Boyce shared was inspiring and thought provoking. His numbers tell the compelling story of audience dynamics and choices, especially when we hear how people are listening to radio for longer periods of time. Does anyone honestly care to pitch that key sales point?

Let’s wrap this column up with three key takeaways from the conference:

1. The radio business is alive but wrestling with a future crowded by aggressive competition from the new digital/social media frontier.
2. Successful leaders need trusted, experienced collaborators. Learn from the great Warren Buffet.
3. It takes passion, commitment, expertise, and a great team to stage the annual TALKERS conference. Thank you, Michael Harrison. I learned a lot!

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Behold the Radio Unicorn!

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imGot young local radio news talent? CONGRATULATIONS, for five reasons:

1. They’re young, which our 100-year-old medium NEEDS.
2. Streaming and satellite competitors don’t do local.
3. Radio is still #1 in-car. And in-home again, via smart speakers.
4. As listeners wonder “What NEXT?” news has their back.
5. Talent is acquired. Hire attitude, train skills.

Just DOING local news makes you special, especially if your AM/FM competitors don’t. Six tips for taking it to the next level, and making your station more habit forming:

— Make this hour’s newscast sound different than last hour’s. A particularly clever turn-of-phrase can come back to haunt you the second time a listener hears that version. The little voice in their head says, “I already heard that.”
— Lead with the latest. Avoid telling the story in chronological order. Is there some detail that can top this hour’s version? “A third shift of state troopers has joined the search for little Sarah Johnson…”
— Write as though you were telling the listener face-to-face. The police posted: “Anyone who has seen a car matching that description is asked to contact the police.” Rewrite to say, “If you see that car, call the police.”

im

— Less is more. Long sentences can make it difficult for the listener to follow the story and understand the information. Emulate your network’s writing style. Write for the ear. Avoid using too many adjectives and adverbs.
— But don’t leave out verbs! “The woman’s husband arrested the wounded man taken to the hospital.” Huh?
— Highly recommended: “Writing Broadcast News Shorter, Sharper, Stronger” by Mervin Block (expensive on Amazon, FREE on Google Books).

Time Spent Listening is still the ballgame. Specifically, we want to add occasions of tune-in, which is easier than extending duration-per-occasion. Translation: There is very little we can do to keep someone in a parked car with the key on Accessories.

So be known for knowing. Benefit-laden imaging will earn you the information reputation that keeps listeners coming back again and again, “for a quick update.” And user-friendly copy points will be more effective than the boastful station-centric way many news promos sound.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry Views

Sabo Sez: Do Your Show

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Walter Sabo
CEO, Sabo Media Partners
A.K.A. Walter M Sterling
Host
WPHT, Philadelphia – daily
Talk Media Network – Sundays

imWhen recently starting nightly on WPHT, Philadelphia, I asked program director Greg Stocker if there was anything else management needed from me. Greg said, “Do your show.”

Since that luncheon meeting his words have sifted through my fevered brain and I realized that at this moment in time, his words were profound: Do your show. 

What he did not say:

Meet with sales.

Meet with HR.

Be sure to hit the live reads on time.

Don’t annoy (fill in the blank).

Get all the spots in.

Make sure the studio is clean when you’re done.

David Field listens so be careful.

Meet with sales.

I do my show and nothing else and I’m very happy.  The endless whine coming from our colleagues can be traced to ignoring the prime directive:  Do your show.

 Talk radio is magic, it’s free-form radio. Your music station brethren envy your freedom. They have to call for permission to change the order of pre-programmed songs! You don’t have to do anything which means you can do what you want… which means you can do something great.

Walter Sabo has been a C Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General and many other leading media outlets. His company HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers. HITVIEWS clients included Pepsi, FOX TV, Timberland, Microsoft, and CBS Television. He can be reached at sabowalter@gmail.com. His nightly show “Walter Sterling at Night” is heard on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, now in its 10th year of success.

Industry Views

Pending Business: Upsell

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

imAlmost everything I know about pricing strategy I learned from domestic airlines. Guess what? Airlines are at it again and I hope you are watching and learning.

As a young national sales manager, then general manager, based in South Florida in the 80s, I became a student of some of the best competitive marketing strategies ever created. Anyone would be hard pressed to remember all the domestic airline brands that serviced South Florida back then. Off the top of my head, here are the nine I remember: Eastern, Delta, Continental, American, United, US Air, Pan Am, TWA, and for a short time, Florida Airlines. Depending on the routes and time of year, the competition was crazy. Once the fourth quarter holiday season began in these pre-computerized days, last-minute changes kept me at my desk way too long, showing up late for several holiday dinners. Pricing, heavy ups, and copy changes came down with minimal lead time and a mandate of no make goods. Computers were first working their way into radio stations. Inkjet printers were in development and mobile phones were still in the lab at Motorola.

Armed with a desktop calculator, pencil, and yellow pad, I worked feverishly to keep up with the airline marketing tsunami that hit the Miami market leading up to Christmas travel. Our traffic department was the only part of our radio station that worked with computers. Nevertheless, stress and anxiety ruled until all orders were correctly inputted and confirmed. Once the smoke cleared, I decided to learn from our clients, the original pricing disruptors: the airlines of the early 80s.

After visiting with marketing directors, I learned how market demand and inventory were calculated and balanced to determine pricing. Later, I studied how Southwest successfully pre-sold into markets they were about to service. The successful airlines taught me how to improve the execution of “grid card rate management.” How to fine-tune and balance anticipated sell-out levels and integrate seasonality. Later, the art of successful pre-selling became an important part of our mission.

Fast-forward to today’s airline marketing and pricing. It’s all about the upsell. Consider all the options you have once you book that economy ticket. From early boarding, extra legroom, baggage fees, refundable vs. non-refundable tickets, travel insurance, to double the points, etc.

Airline income and profits are still on the post-pandemic upswing. Domestic travelers are out in force, many travelers comfortably participating in the upsell. The strategy is working.

Few if any radio-audio sellers are skilled in upselling. Most managers are not skilled in the upsell strategy and rarely have the time to learn. The concept may feel a little awkward at first, but once you understand how to work with the spectrum of assets your platforms can offer, the upsell strategy can help increase your sales as you help your clients!

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Double-Check Baseball Sponsors’ In-Game Copy

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Spots that crow “Baseball is back!” were real welcome in April… and sound real OLD by now.Even if that’s not a copy point, can you freshen the client’s pitch? Simply asking sends-the-message that you’re on-the-ball… and you didn’t wander away once the deal closed.

im

And buy ‘em some peanuts and Cracker Jack. Every time we’ve taken advertisers up to the radio booth in a Major League Baseball park, they felt like VIPs. Do selfies with the announce team and that breathtaking view in the background, and they’ll show EVERYONE.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and  “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up,” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry Views

Severe Weather is The New Normal

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

imToday, consultant Holland Cooke writes, “With 850-plus confirmed 2024 tornadoes – just halfway through the season – each night’s network TV newscast can make you “thankful that we don’t live THERE…”  And with more gnarly weather on the way this week across much of the USA, he reckons that, “regardless of your format, your station can be the weather button that listeners will push, and advertisers can sponsor.” And he suggests a tactic proven over 80 years ago. Read it here.

Industry Views

Pending Business: In Car

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

imWhat happened to us? Unless we move quickly, the radio business stands to lose the final frontier: in-car listening.

The numbers tell a riveting story.

The good news is 92% of Americans listen to the radio every week.

The bad news, according to Edison Research, is only 68% of homes have a radio. All of us who were trained on the 90%-plus penetration of in-home radios are officially out of touch. The in-home radio listening experience is fading fast and there is no trend in sight to reverse it. Smart speakers aside, that bedside clock radio that helped millions wake up every morning is a silent reminder of days past. That 90%-plus penetration number will soon be the domain of Smart TV as 91% of homes have internet. That’s more homes than have radios.

The good news is 73% of drivers listen to the radio in the car.

Nearly three out of every four drivers tune in. The bad news is emerging retail media will soon be the final purchase influencer, online and on location. By 2025 more ad dollars (nearly $47 billion) are projected to be invested in retail media than TV. If you are still pitching, “in-car radio is the last purchase influence before the shopper steps into the store,” you are joining the growing group of outdated radio sellers. Let’s stop the head-in-the-sand approach and review what will have better sales power in the current landscape.

1. In-car listening is typically a shared attention experience. Adjust your commercials to work in the in-car environment. Simplify the messaging, repeat critical sales points, make the call to action easy to understand and implement.

2. Frequency sells. Forever the foundation of solid radio sales, repetition works, and compelling messaging can be commuter friendly.

3. Do your homework. If your community relies on several major industries, learn how the new remote workforce impacts in car listening. Different commute patterns may be in play. Know your marketplace before you suggest a schedule.

4. Seasonal trends. Summer is here. What changes are impacting your market?

Is there a go-to resource for advertiser info on your station website?

Some things will never change:

1. Auto is typically the #1 ad category. One of the best places to start the sales cycle of buying or leasing a new car is in the car of that money draining repair clunker and radio is right there!

2. Three out of four commuters drive alone and when you have someone one-on-one messaging will be heard.

3. In-car radio listening still is and always will be that uniquely personal experience.

Finally, owners and top-level management must learn to help sellers adjust to ever changing world of how to work with radio advertisers to meet the consumer where they are today.

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com

Industry Views

WABC, New York Morning Host Sid Rosenberg is This Week’s Guest on Harrison Podcast

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

77WABC, New York morning show host Sid Rosenberg is this week’s guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series, “The Michael Harrison Interview.” Rosenberg, who is a Jewish native New Yorker and outspoken supporter of Israel, risked his life this past Friday evening (5/17) on a Brooklyn-bound subway train standing up and defending an orthodox Jewish man being threatened with physical assault by an obscenity-spewing, anti-Semitic African American man who appeared dangerously amped up on drugs. The story is compelling and offers insight into the hate and dangers that are on full display in the Big Apple. Harrison and Rosenberg discuss the dangerous spread of anti-Semitism in America, the disturbing behavior of Gen Z on college campuses, and the rise in crime on the streets of America’s leading urban centers. This powerful conversation is not to be missed. Listen to the podcast in its entirety here. 

Industry Views

Monday Memo: WHY Are You Podcasting?

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imBecause you can? Because you aren’t doing AM/FM radio? Because you are on radio, but can’t-do-there what you can-do podcasting? Because you are making money podcasting?

Podcasters I help must first survive a conversation about WHY. “It’s a success…if…” WHAT?

Wired magazine co-founder Kevin Kelly reckons that “a creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, video maker, or author – in other words, anyone producing works of art – needs to acquire only 1,000 true fans to make a living.”

Devour these four pages he wrote – a genuine whack-on-the-side-of-the-head – and the structure for my coaching: http://getonthenet.com/1000TrueFans.pdf

im

What you read there may change how you approach the podcast you’re doing… or nudge you into podcasting if you don’t. As does the Edison Research 2024 Infinite Dial survey. Here’s that download, and a cautionary video from TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison: http://getonthenet.com/podcasting.html

Next Monday is Memorial Day here in the USA, so I’ll be back here on “…the third of June.” If you work mornings, this is my last column you will see before your show that day, so make a note in your bumper file: Bobbie Gentry, “Ode to Billy Joe.”

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up,” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Industry Views

WIP Sports Talk Pioneer Howard Eskin is This Week’s Guest on Harrison Podcast

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

Philadelphia sports talk media founding father Howard Eskin is this week’s guest on the award-winning PodcastOne series, “The Michael Harrison Interview.” Eskin’s stellar career in radio and TV goes all the way back to 1972 and his impact on local media in the City of Brotherly Love is indelible. He still maintains an active presence as sports radio personality for WIP-FM 94.1 and anchor at FOX 29 News in addition to being a sideline reporter for the Eagles Radio Network. Eskin has hosted/anchored more than 8,000 sports radio programs in his career, which is likely the most by any sports radio personality in American broadcasting history. Harrison and Eskin discuss the state of sports, media, big money, the impact of gambling and the generational divide per the multi-award-winning host’s recent commencement speech at Goldey-Beacom College in Wilmington, Delaware where he received an honorary doctorate in acknowledgement of his contributions to media, culture and philanthropy. Don’t miss this! Listen to the podcast in its entirety here.

Industry Views

Sabo Sez: Try It, You’ll Like It

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Walter Sabo
CEO, Sabo Media Partners
A.K.A. Walter M Sterling
Host, Talk Media Network

imThis week, I started a five-night show on Audacy’s WPHT, Philadelphia. Thank you, market president David Yadgaroff. Because of my tenure in the industry, I received a flattering, humbling number of emails from colleagues in radio. THANK YOU. The support and encouragement are appreciated and certainly needed!

There was a pattern to the notes beyond the kind thoughts for my future. Almost every note hoped that the example of my show’s non-political content would compel other broadcasters to stop their political speeches and start a broader, real-life focused conversation. These emails were from CEOs, program directors, news directors, owners, and hosts. My response is, why me? If the note writer believes broader content would be good for their business, why don’t they put it on the air, today?

It would be fun to speculate on the answer to that question. It would also be pointless because the real answer is…  just do it!

Radio executives love to copy success. I am mystified by why they are copying failure. Almost all politically focused talk stations are declining in audience and gaining in demographic age. Daytime TV talk shows cover much broader topics that capture younger demos, are growing in audience and, as a category, generate $5 billion in annual revenue.

Broader topic menus work well. Thanks to enlightened owners, my company has launched many stations and hosts that are not political. Of course it works, life is what your target listener is discussing with their friends right now. Follow my example. Your audience will grow, and you’ll generate more revenue.

(EDITOR’S NOTE:  Walter Sabo will be appearing on a panel discussion titled, “Beyond Politics” at TALKERS 2024: Radio and Beyond on Friday, June 7 at Hofstra University on Long Island. For information, click here.

Walter Sabo has been a C Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General and many other leading media outlets. His company HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers. HITVIEWS clients included Pepsi, FOX TV, Timberland, Microsoft, and CBS Television. He can be reached at sabowalter@gmail.com. His nightly show “Walter Sterling at Night” is debuted this week on WPHT, Philadelphia. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, now in its 10th year of success.

Industry Views

Pending Business: Who Cares?

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

imDoes anyone care anymore?

The latest Pew Research study, “Americans’ Changing Relationship with Local News,” confirmed a personal experience last week. More on that later.

If you believe the survey, almost 80% of us say we no longer follow local news very closely. It doesn’t matter if you live in a top 10 all-news radio market, or a city with a heritage news/talk/information station. The survey says we just lost interest and stopped consuming local news.

Wait, what happened? Real estate taxes in many communities are through the roof. The cost of insurance, health care and basic groceries are the highest in years. Some hospitals in local communities are rumored to be discussing charging in advance for certain procedures. How about your local mall; is it still safe during weekdays? Is your local school system better or worse post covid? And those local roads; are they still in great shape? All of this in addition to the college campus in your community that may be unraveling or not. Did 80% of us really stop following and talking about local news? Perhaps it is just easier and less expensive for on-air talent, producers, and programmers to focus on Trump trials and Gaza. Do we serve the audience what we think they want and forget local?

My first-hand “we don’t care to cover local news” experience was a frightening eye opener. As I was traveling South along Florida’s I-95, a truck hauling propane gas caught fire as it was parked on the right shoulder of the Interstate. The tanks started exploding and a roaring fire emitting huge dark plumes of smoke stopped traffic for miles. Our car was second in line in the standstill, not more than 250 feet away from the fire. We could feel the explosions from the propane as local police motioned us to back up. We were speechless in our car watching this horrific scene. My fiancé searched her mobile phone for any breaking news report. Nothing. I kept looking to the sky for local news chopper, or a local news team, cruiser, or SUV with reporters to cover this from the ground. Nothing. Would a local news/talk radio station take a caller with an eye-witness account? Nobody broke in with a report.

Thankfully, local police, Florida State troopers, firefighters and Special Ops all arrived on the scene in minutes. Still no local news team. First responders did an amazing job getting this dangerous propane fire under control. After a 30-minute delay, we were finally directed past the burned out remains of the truck. As I scanned the rear-view mirror, the radio, the sky above me and the opposite side of I-95, there was still no local news reporting.

No wonder 80% of us stopped following local news very closely, nobody cares to report the story.

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: A.I. Cannot Do This Commercial

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imActor Hugh Grant’s Tweet called it “The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley.” He was reacting to Apple’s TV commercial depicting a hydraulic press crushing a piano, a record player, paint, books, cameras, and other creative tools Artificial Intelligence emulates, via the new iPad Pro.

With many now fearful that technology will obsolete their jobs, Apple yanked the spot: “We missed the mark with this video and we’re sorry.”

Following my recent column cautioning how ChatGPT-generated ads can be cliché-riddled, several TALKERS readers have sent me even more of the cringe-worthy catch-phrases (“And much more!”) that reduce too many ads to blah-blah-blah.

Various vendors are offering – and, increasingly, stations are using – Artificial Intelligence apps to script, and even voice, commercials. It’s a time-saver alright, but is the output compelling?

In some cases, there’s a fill-in-the-blanks form. Other apps crawl the prospect’s website for copy points. When I’m given demonstrations, I suggest a business I’m familiar with. And I’ve yet to hear a script that captures what makes the business special.

im

For one such demo,’ I chose a restaurant we frequent often, here on Block Island. The copy generated was painfully generic. So – to make the point – I went old-school, using the method that has consistently produced results for client stations and in my freelance work.

My video describing the process “Radio Advertising, In Their Own Words” includes several examples… and here’s another.

The AI robot cannot possibly feel-the-feel anyone who has dined there knows… and can’t spot this opportunity: The chef himself is a story, as entertained customers discover: http://getonthenet.com/TheBarn-BrianHebert-1.mp3

And here’s The Free Prize Inside: People tell advertisers who appear in their spots, “I heard you on the radio!”

More work than simply plugging-into an AI app? You bet. The interview from which I excerpted the sound bites you’ll hear took all of five minutes, and I voiced and assembled the spot in under half an hour.

Everything we do is storytelling.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and  “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up,” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn.

Industry Views

Pending Business: The 40% Factor

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

imThere is something about 40.

40% of Q1 2023 podcast advertisers did not return for Q1 2024, according to Magellan AI.

40% of small businesses failed within the first three years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

40% of all workers were prepared to quit their jobs two years ago, according to a McKinsey Study. 43% of email professional recipients open email on a mobile device, according to Statista.

44% of sellers quit the pursuit after the second call according to Scripted. Really? Almost half of the sellers reading this column give up after the second call? That statistic must be wrong.

Consider your typical sales day – prioritized, focused, clear goals established, with all seasonal and timely deadlines plugged in and ready for execution. Successful sellers put as much time and focus into planning and organization as they do into the sales process. So, why quit the process after the second attempt? There are only three reasons any experienced sellers would give up after the second attempt.

1. Poor targeting.

2. Unrealistic expectations.

3. A negative business condition requires a new approach.

Reason #3 is the answer to why I listed the 40% factor. Professional sellers and managers sometimes lose touch with the realities of local business conditions. Attrition has always been the enemy of local sales, yet managers and sellers rarely plan for it. Budgeting and analysis are easy paper exercises. Old fashioned ear-to-the-ground market “research” is equally important. Those who learn to balance the formal and the informal find themselves winning the battle of the 40% factor.

As we approach the second half of the year, with elections, seasonal sports, and major holidays ahead of us, time to sharpen our pencils and tweak the projections for the remainder of the year. And always remember your pencil should have an eraser.

Happy Selling!

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Cliché Alert!

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imRatings – and advertisers’ results – reward what listeners remember, what sticks-out, not clichés that blend-in. So, avoid blah-blah-blah such as…

“on tap for…”

Instead of “…and more sunshine on tap for Sunday,” say “…and more sunshine Sunday!” 

“The best _____ around” or “the best _____ in town.”

Commercial copy Styrofoam. “The best wings?” Say WHY, in a way that makes the listener salivate.

“conveniently located”

Zzzz… 

“weaponized”

The word itself has been weaponized. It’s talking-about-talking.

“spot-on”

Translation: What you expressed affirms my predisposition. Talk radio is more interesting, and habit-forming, when sparks fly. So, pique curiosity. Have your screener move callers who disagree to the head of the line.

im

“Too clever by half.”

Measured how? Not self-explanatory, this is distracting. And it always sounds condescending. 

“all-important”

As in “let’s check that all-important forecast,” often heard when weather is severe or changing quickly. Rookie stuff. If it’s important, get right to it.

“In this day and age…”

‘Makes you sound like an immigrant from the 20th Century, speaking with an accent. 

“THAT’S the $64,000 question.”

From a TV show in the 1950s, when $64K was big money. 

“shuttered.”

If something closed, say “closed.”  Listeners don’t say “shuttered” in conversation…which is where we want to end up.

“unmitigated gall”

“in any way, shape, or form”

And on THAT note…kidding…

“Period, full-stop.”

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “The Local Radio Advantage: Your 4-Week Tune-In Tune-Up,” and “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn.