Industry News

AM Radio Act Gets Support from Rural Organizations

Congressional leadership receives a letter from a coalition of organizations representing rural communities in support of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 3413 and S. 1669), legislation that would direct the Secretary of Transportation to ensure consumer access to AM radio in all vehicles because of its critical role in disseminating vital information during emergencies. The groups signing the letter are the Independent Beef Association of North Dakota, Independent Cattlemen’s Association of Texas, Latino Farmers & Ranchers International, Inc., Livestock Marketing Association, National Farmers Union, National Grange, North Dakota Farmers Union, Rural & Agriculture Council of America, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association and Women Involved in Farm Economics. The letter reads, in part: “Whether it be the routine or the unexpected, U.S. farmers and ranchers rely on the information transmitted through AM radio to make decisions that affect their everyday lives. The undersigned organizations urge Congress to prevent rural communities from losing access to their favorite local programming by ensuring that AM radio continues to be a free, standard feature in all vehicles.”

Industry Views

Pending Business: In Radio Sales, It Pays to Be a Great Listener

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

Do you still struggle with keeping the dialogue moving in the right direction on your sales calls? Let’s face it, if you are not careful you could violate one of the golden rules of selling talk radio – be a great listener.

First calls are the most difficult, especially in this era of Zoom, Teams, etc. You try your best to develop rapport, build chemistry and move through a needs analysis as you learn about your potential advertiser. High achieving sellers have that special skill of blending questions and fun facts that build common ground while navigating the needs analysis through a range of questions designed to qualify the prospect and confirm a follow-up call.

Sounds simple enough, but why do most sellers fall short in the starting blocks. There is no mystery here to solve, this is Selling 101 that starts with preparation and ends with a commission check. Let’s walk through some start points:

If you are responsible for any of the 26.5 billion minutes viewed of “Suits” on Netflix, you know that Harvey Spector (lead character) earned millions doing homework and knowing how to ask the right questions. How about you? Are you prepared to ask the right questions and listen to the answers that will lead you to comeback with the right proposal? Sometimes keeping the dialogue moving can be challenging. Perhaps you’ve asked too many questions that went nowhere or just resulted in one-word answers. What to do? A recent article in Make It quoted Matt Abrahams, a public speaking expert at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, who suggests saying, “Tell me more” during a conversation is the secret sauce behind improving the communication flow.

Makes sense. Showing genuine interest in what your advertiser is saying, allowing more information to be shared, with you spending more time as the listener helps everyone develop better rapport and move closer to a win-win. I have always been a big fan of another Golden Rule of Sales: “Words matter.” Have you ever finished a call and asked yourself, “Why did I say that!?” It all goes back to preparation. If you know what to ask, how to allow your advertiser to expand on a key point, and do more listening than talking, your sales should increase, and your commission checks will show it!

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: Beware the Banter

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imRadio talkers: What is this hour about? How will listeners benefit from listening? And how long do you expect them to wait to hear that?

To quote Jerry Seinfeld…

“There is no such thing as an attention span. This whole idea of an attention span is, I think, a misnomer. People have an infinite attention span if you are entertaining them.”

Are they entertained hearing about your weekend? About your sidekick/board-op/screener’s weekend? By a long, self-amused, produced show intro? Or are they quickly engaged, by your invitation to weigh-in-on topic du jour? Or by your offering them Q+A access to a guest who can address their concerns?

What if they believe the promos?

 As each day’s news causes us all to wonder “What NEXT???” smart stations methodically invite on-hour listening appointments, for “stay close to the news… a quick update, throughout your busy day.” Whether that’s a network feed or a local newscast, whoever delivers it reckons what is relevant to the lives of the mentally busy, in-car listeners our advertisers want as customers. In consultant-speak, it’s “take-home pay” for tuning-in.

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They may listen mostly to other stations that play music, but those stations aren’t as informative. So – as the weather forecast signals the end of that on-hour update – can you freeze the driver’s index finger in mid-air between the steering wheel and the button for “Kiss” or “Magic” or “Cat Country?”

 Does your A-block rock?

Most common miscalculation I hear? Extended banter before the first break. A-block ends with (finally) a specific, inviting call-in proposition or teases the guest coming up… after the break, when the show really begins.

Better: Tee-up what’s-up immediately as the hour begins. Try this: Make the very first thing you say a question which includes “you” and/or “your.” Then say hello, and swap takes on that topic with your sidekick/board-op/screener.

One warning: Sounding so-quickly-engaging may divert your screener. The phone’s already ringing.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “Your Trusted Voice: How to Attract New Clients More Efficiently than Competitors Who Spend a Fortune on Advertising.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke

Industry News

15th Annual “Hurley in the Morning” Charity Dinner & Silent Auction Set for Tonight (9/29) in AC

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One of the most respected and impactful local talk radio-related charities in America – Townsquare Media-owned WPG, Atlantic City, NJ host Harry Hurley’s “Hurley in the Morning Charity Dinner & Silent Auction” – is set for tonight (9/29) at the Resorts Casino Hotel in its iconic Ocean Ballroom. This marks the 15th installment of one of the Garden State’s most important annual civic events. More than 263 guests are expected to attend including a who’s who of elected officials, business leaders and broadcast industry luminaries as well as various members of the community. FOX News Radio and FOX News Channel superstar Brian Kilmeade will be this year’s guest of honor and keynote speaker. Kilmeade will be signing copies of his soon-to-be released historical book, Teddy and Booker T.: How Two American Icons Blazed a Path for Racial Equality (Sentinel, 2023). Former State Senator Bill Gormley (R-NJ) will receive the event’s first-ever lifetime achievement award. Since its establishment, the Hurley in the Morning Charity Foundation has raised more than $1.3 million to help non-profit public service organizations throughout New Jersey and beyond including the Broadcasters Foundation of America. Both houses of the legislature have voted to officially make today “Harry Hurley Day” in Atlantic County, New Jersey.

Industry News

Cincinnati to Name Street After Talk Host Lincoln Ware

Longtime Cincinnati talk radio host Lincoln Ware is being honored with a street named after him in the Avondale neighborhood. Ware currently hosts the 10:00 am to 1:00 pm show on Urban One’s WDBZ-AM, Cincinnati. He’s been on the air in the market consistently for the past 50 years, going back to hisim first gig at age 22 in WCIN-AM. WLWT-TV reports that Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney will emcee the street-naming ceremony. She says, “Lincoln Ware is unbelievable. In my office in city hall, we keep the Lincoln Ware show on every day. Somebody’s assigned to listen, and they come back and say, ‘Here’s what they talked about today, listen to this.’ So, you know, we’re always well-informed.” The city says Ware is being honored due to his “lasting impact on the Cincinnati local media community and to health and wellness within the African American community with his Lincoln Ware Walking Club. His legacy, contributions, and dedication to the City of Cincinnati and its citizens will long be remembered.” See the WLWT-TV piece here.

Industry News

“You Better You Bet” Adds Two Distribution Platforms

Audacy announces a series of content distribution partnerships to bolster the reach of BetQL Network’s sports betting show, “You Better You Bet,” hosted by Nick Kostos and Ken Barkley. The company partners with Stadium, an interactive sports network, to bring “You Better You Bet” to audiencesim nationwide via Stadium’s portfolio, WatchStadium.com/Live and Stadium affiliates YouTubeTV, The Roku Channel, FuboTV, Amazon, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi and more. Audacy also agrees to a deal with SiriusXM to air “You Better You Bet” on the satellite radio platform. BetQL Network VP Mitch Rosen says, “We’re thrilled to announce these strategic agreements with Stadium and SiriusXM, which will significantly expand the reach of ‘You Better You Bet,’ solidifying its position as the #1 sports betting podcast in the U.S.”

Industry News

Meeting of the Heavies

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Nationally syndicated Westwood One host Dan Bongino (left) paid a visit to his South Florida affiliate WFTL, Fort Lauderdale where he was greeted by the station’s local star and fellow TALKERS Heavy Hundred member Joyce Kaufman (right). Kaufman’s popular daily show follows Bongino’s 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm slot on the big-signaled Hubbard Broadcasting-owned news/talk outlet.

Industry News

Red Apple Audio Networks to Rep “Lou Dobbs Business Reports”

Red Apple Audio Networks signs a deal with Lou Dobbs to handle exclusive network syndication and advertising sales for the “Lou Dobbs Business Reports.” The two-minute reports are delivered twiceim daily, previewing the upcoming market open and the afternoon report as a market wrap-up. It currently airs on 77WABC in New York. Red Apple chief John Catsimatidis says, “Lou has a remarkable understanding of market trends and fluctuations. He has the rare ability to be able to cut through the data and present insightful analysis in a concise manner. He’s a terrific addition to our lineup of big-name personalities.”

Industry Views

In Pursuit of Younger Demos

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, “Sterling On Sunday”
Talk Media Network

imThe persistent liability of most talk stations is that they attract a high percentage of listeners over the age of 65. Consider that many of those older listeners are attracted to radio shows that are talking for companionship and comfort.

There are simple, tested techniques to incorporate in an on-air presentation that will appeal to a younger listener. If put on the air these tips will also enhance a station’s PPM results.

— Bumper music is unnecessary, it makes breaks seem longer. If it is necessary to use bumper music it should have been recorded after the year 2000. 2000 was obviously 23 years ago. A 35-year-old was 12 in 2000.

— Young people are busy with work, kids, life. They are attracted to radio that matches their pace. The shorter the calls, the younger the callers will be. DO NOT thank callers for holding on – that’s a screener’s job. Thank a caller for holding on and you signal that it takes a long time to get on the air. Busy people won’t call to be put on hold!

— The editorial page of any newspaper has the lowest readership. Comics, horoscope, and entertainment have the highest. Quote the editorial page and you’ll wake up grandpa and scare away the new mom. Did you know Taylor Swift has a new boyfriend?

— Everyone is attracted to mirrors of their lives. We engage with people who have similar problems with their kids, in-laws, jobs, money, car. How would you make a friend at a party? Those techniques will work for you on the air. What did your mother tell you about party talk? “Don’t talk about politics or religion, talk about the weather and the shrimp”

— The easiest way to attract younger listeners and repel older listeners is to play music on the weekend. Targeted, researched music that appeals to the exact audience age you covet. WABC features several music shows on the weekend. Sabo Media’s charter clients include “New Jersey 101.5” and “Real Radio Orlando” They air music all weekend, talk all week.

BONUS: Music on the weekend puts a station on concert, movie, music, club, and bar buys!

Just like a music station, a talk station must present a consistent package of entertainment, topics, news stories, music selection, production elements must appeal to your target listener. No wavering.

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Above is a picture of two of Sterling On Sunday’s loyal listeners. Steven and Casandra of Burlington, NJ. Steven owns the bakery, Casandra works there and is a junior in college.

Walter Sabo founded Sabo Media to work with innovative media companies such as RKO, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, PARADE magazine, Pegasus, Apollo Advisers and others. He produces and hosts the successful talk show, Sterling On Sunday. Last Sunday the topics included how to know what’s in the custard in donuts.www.waltersterlingshow.com. Walter Sabo can be emailed at walter@sabomedia.com.

Industry News

Audacy Houston Raises $100k-plus for Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation

Audacy’s Houston radio stations helped raise more than $100,000 for the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation during the 4th annual Giving Week campaign. Audacy’s five stations – including sports talk KILT-AM Sports Radio 610 – launched the campaign in support of one of the Foundation’sim signature programs, My Home Library, which raises funds to provide home libraries to economically disadvantaged children in Houston. Audacy Houston SVP and market manager Sarah Frazier says, “Through the power of community and compassion, we’re delighted to help provide a brighter future for underserved children. We are proud to support the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation in their critical mission once again.”

Industry News

Sean Hannity to Moderate DeSantis-Newsom Debate

FOX News Channel prime time star Sean Hannity will moderate a red vs. blue state debate between Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis and Democrat California Governorim Gavin Newsom on November 30 from a location in Georgia yet-to-be-determined. It will air from 9:00 pm to 10:30 pm ET. FNC says, “Hannity first raised the prospect of a debate with Governor Newsom during his exclusive sit-down this past June, following which, Governor DeSantis officially signed on to participate in July. This will mark the first time the two prominent governors will face off in a debate.” Hannity says, “I’m looking forward to providing viewers with an informative debate about the everyday issues and governing philosophies that impact the lives of every American.”

Industry News

Benztown Offers Free Halloween AudioPack

The imaging pros at Benztown are offering a free Halloween AudioPack with more than 20 thrilling audioim pieces designed to bring some eerie seasonal sounds to stations of all formats. Sounds featured in the free Benztown Halloween AudioPack include: ghoulish whispers, clinking chains, blood-hungry zombies, creepy-crawly SFX, hauntingly horrific musicbeds, and more sonic treats and audio hocus pocus. Get it now through October 31by visiting Benztown here.  

Industry News

Report: Good Karma to Pass on WEPN-FM, New York After Lease Expires

According to a report by Andrew Marchand at the New York Post, Good Karma Brands – which is currently leasing WEPN-FM, New York from Emmis Communications for its “ESPN New York sportsim radio brand – will not continue the lease after it expires on August 31, 2024. Good Karma owns WEPN-AM, New York and company chief Craig Karmazin tells the Post, “We’re committed to serving the New York sports fan and with the combination of our AM signal, the ESPN New York app, podcasts, smart speakers, YES and other additional audio and video distribution, investing in an FM signal was not relevant in the way it was a decade ago.” The piece states the lease price for the signal is “in the $12.5 million per year range.” It also reports that sources indicate Emmis is seeking roughly $50 million in a purchase deal. Read the Post piece here.

Industry News

Liz Truss Inks Book Deal with Salem’s Regnery Publishing

Salem Media Group announces that its book unit Regnery Publishing signs a deal with former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss that includes the publishing of her new book, Ten Years to Save the West, scheduled to be released on April 16, 2024. The press release states, “Around the world, many supposedlyim conservative political parties have been captured by the same left-wing influences that set the agenda and frame the debate in so many institutions, including the media, academia and the corporate world. Drawing on her 10 years of service in Tory governments – when she often found herself to be the only conservative in the room – the scrappy champion of limited government and individual freedom exposes the threat of the massive, unaccountable administrative state and the complacent political and corporate establishment.”

Industry News

The Damning Myth of Spoken Word Radio: High Time Spent Listening (TSA) and Low Cume

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, “Sterling On Sunday”
Talk Media Network

imDependency upon a PPM panel to deliver high time spent listening is a bad business model. Would you rather count on one person listening for one hour or four people listening for 15 minutes? Right.

A good music format program director knows exactly how to program talk radio in a PPM environment. Oddly, when a music programmer has the privilege of programming a talk station they seem to forget all of their programming knowledge. Both formats are measured by exactly the same technology and therefore if it “works” in music, it works in talk.

The reason “New Jersey 101.5” quickly became the highest cuming FM talk station in the world – for 20+ years – is because when Bob McAllanJay SorensenPerry SimonJohn Dziuba and I designed it, we had a simple process: Build a music station that takes a lot of phone calls. It was always programmed like a top 40 station and 33 years later it obviously worked.

The reason “Real Radio 104.1 in Orlando” was the only Howard Stern station that did not suffer the expense of having to change format when he was recruited to SiriusXM Satellite Radio was because the station was built as a heavily formatted music station that took a lot of phone calls. Note that Real Radio 104.1 and New Jersey 101.5 both air music non-stop on the weekends for the single purpose of targeting a specific cume demographic. It obviously worked.

What are the key elements of a music format that should be applied to talk in order to build cume?

  • Please, god, don’t flag the “breaks.”
  • Every show had a specific pace based on topic set up time and call length time which gave the station a consistent rhythm and sound.  All day.
  • No “records” from home!  No personal sound effects, jingles or that crap.
  • Constantly sell ahead. No yesterday calls, yesterday references. Sell what’s next.
  • Assume every single listener just tuned in. Explain the topic and give the phone number obsessively.
  • Listener driven not host driven. Every host is valuable and gifted but if a host makes the mistake of quitting, the interest needs and tastes of the listener are constant and can be reflected by the next host. A constant.

Mickey Luckoff, the brilliant president of KGO, San Francisco for decades explained why he hired most of his hosts from top 40  radio because, “I can teach them TALK but I can’t teach them radio.”  BTW yes, even 34-year morning host Jim Dunbar worked at WLS and KQV as a top 40 jock immediately before joining KGO to host a talk show.

Walter Sabo was a pioneer in the concept of targeted talk which allows a station to precisely reach a chosen demographic. He has had a robust list of consulting clients including, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Conde Naste, CBS, Press Broadcasting, RKO General, Hearst, Fred Silverman Productions, and many more. His company HITVIEWS was the first major player to recognize and monetize online video stars known as “influencers.” He is on the nominating board of the Radio Hall of Fame. Reach him at 646.678.1110 or walter@sabomedia.com.  Discover Sabo’s network radio show here: waltersterlingshow.com.

Industry News

SiriusXM and Megyn Kelly Agree to New, Multi-Year Deal

SiriusXM announces that talk media personality Megyn Kelly signs a new contract to continue hosting “The Megyn Kelly Show” live on the platform. SiriusXM says, “Under the multi-year deal, the veteran journalist and legal expert will deliver her signature commentary and hard-hitting interviews through theim 2024 election season and beyond. ‘The Megyn Kelly Show’ will premiere exclusively on SiriusXM Triumph channel 111 on weekdays from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm ET, with the program later available on all major podcast platforms. The program will also air a special edition on September 14 when Kelly interviews former President Donald Trump. Kelly comments, “I’m thrilled to continue my relationship with the great people at SiriusXM who have been tremendously supportive of our show from the start. In an age where conversations are being stifled and news skewed to please the politics of only a small set of people, it is a privilege to work with a company that values free speech and open, respectful, elevated debate.”

Industry News

Webinar: New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube

Steven Goldstein’s Amplifi Media and Coleman InsightsJay Nachlis are presenting a free 30-minute webinar today (9/7) at 2:00 pm ET that addresses what Goldstein calls “truly an important shift taking place in podcasting right now that affects how your podcast will be found. YouTube is now the top destination for podcast listening and discovery. The impact is significant in a variety of ways.” Goldstein says today’s webinar “will show you how people are using YouTube and offer seven key insights on how to maximize your podcast’s exposure in a sea of content.” The link for the webinar is here.

Industry News

Talk Host Mark Simone Inks New Deal with WOR, New York

New York City talk radio personality Mark Simone signs a new, three-year deal with iHeartMedia’s news/talk 710 WOR to continue hosting the 10:00 am to 12:00 noon show. Simone says, “There’s no betterim place to be in the radio world than iHeartRadio. Thanks to the finest broadcasting executives around, Tom Cuddy, Thea Mitchem and Bernie Weiss for making it all happen. Walking to work every day is like walking through the Radio Hall of Fame. Just to get to my studio, I pass Elvis Duran, Jim Kerr, Charlamagne tha God, Angela Yee and other all-stars.” WOR program director Tom Cuddy adds, “When I joined WOR almost 11 years ago, Mark was my first hire. Since then, it’s been a blast watching Mark grow into becoming the highest-rated radio talk host in his time slot, along with digital numbers that are among the highest in the country.”

EDITOR’S APOLOGY:  The above story about Mark Simone’s new contract at WOR originally ran yesterday (9/5) in TALKERS.  Unfortunately, our art department utilized a combination of hand-rendered illustration, CGI and AI in creating a headline banner image that apparently missed its mark.  The premise was to depict Simone as the proverbial “800 pound gorilla” of New York radio in which his avatar – a Simone lookalike – inspired by the legend of King Kong, was depicted as a determined figure climbing the Empire State Building.  As it turned out, the King Kong reference was not clear to our readers because there was no actual ape depicted and Simone received a large number of emails telling him that TALKERS ran a photo of the wrong guy.  We meant it to be a caricature but our creative plan backfired.  Simone was upset by the image telling TALKERS, “I have had dozens of caricatures done of me in the past. They are usually somewhat cute.  Never had a problem with them. Yours looked hideous and really cheap. When radio people try to do it, they have no skill at it… no one thought it was a caricature and no one thought it was me. The 13 emails I got from radio execs asked me why you used a picture of someone else, so they never thought for a second it was supposed to be a caricature and no one noticed anything to do with the Empire State Building.”  TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison issued the following statement, “Simone is right.  Looking back at it now, with the increased objectivity of having a full day to think it over, I can understand why he was upset, although there was nothing specifically disparaging about the image. It just wasn’t clear that it was meant to be him and that he was supposed to be climbing a building in an iconic scenario.  After all, a media personality’s sound and image are their brand and they must be protective of its depiction.  We have subsequently pulled the banner from the website and replaced it with a more standard format with the same copy but a different graphic (see above).  The irony is Mark Simone and I have been friendly for more than three decades and I’ve often stated that he is one of the greatest and most successful radio personalities in New York and the nation, not to mention a top notch human being. I still think that.  All of us at TALKERS deeply regret this mistake which was the result of an overly-zealous attempt at being creative. In the world of publicity there’s the old saying ‘as long as they spell your name correctly.’ Well, I guess in this case we spelled Mark Simone’s face wrong.”

Industry News

Cumulus and Rich Eisen Expand Partnership

Cumulus Media and sports media personality Rich Eisen announce a new deal with the Cumulus Podcast Network to distribute, market, and monetize all existing and forthcoming podcasts with the newly formed Rich Eisen Podcast Network. This includes Eisen’s latest production, “What The Football with Suzy Shuster and Amy Trask,” which debuts on September 12. Most recently, Eisen launchedim “Overreaction Monday” on September 4 that expands on the most popular segment of his flagship podcast, “The Rich Eisen Show,” into its own weekly podcast with Eisen and co-host Chris Brockman reflecting on the biggest fan- and hysterical media-driven overreactions from the previous weekend’s professional and college football games. To support his growing podcast network, Eisen has built an expanded studio and team in El Segundo, California with state-of-the-art recording equipment and set design. Eisen says, “Since joining the Cumulus family, they have shown unwavering support for my vision in growing my brand. As I have expanded my suite of services, they were the only ones I wanted to do business with, and I couldn’t think of a better place for my voice and productions to be heard over the coming years.” In addition to his podcast network, Eisen hosts the pregame and halftime shows for Westwood One’s syndicated “Monday Night Football” coverage and anchors “The Rich Eisen Show,” also syndicated by Westwood One for national radio.

Industry News

Emmis Shareholders Support Stock Redemption Needed to Go Private

At its recent shareholders meeting, Emmis Corporation received “overwhelming support” to amend its articles of incorporation that permit it to offer redemption of its “Class A Common Stock at the price of $6.00 per share during the first year following August 29, 2023, $6.50 per share during the second year, and $7.25 per shareim during the third year, with each price subject to adjustment as specified in the Third A/R Articles.” The redemption of the Class A Common Stock will allow founder and chairman Jeff Smulyan to ultimately take Emmis Corporation private. He comments, “I am grateful to the Emmis shareholders for their tremendous support of our proposal to amend our articles of incorporation, which will give us the opportunity to return significant capital, invest in our current businesses and seek new ventures.” Emmis’ sole radio properties are WEPN-FM, New York “ESPN New York” – currently leased to Good Karma Brands – and Gospel WLIB-AM, New York. The sale of those signals would help fund the stock redemption.

Industry News

Western Massachusetts Public Radio Outlet Goes News/Talk All Day

In a move that’s happened at public radio outlets in markets across the country, New England Public Media’s WFCR-FM, Amherst Massachusetts is dropping the classical music that’s aired during middays and is adding news and talk programs including national shows “1A,” “On Point” and “Fresh Air,” in addition to expanded localim news programming. The company is launching a classical network that will air on five signals in the region as well as online. NEPM president Matt Abramovitz says, “These moves position NEPM to better serve western Massachusetts with journalism and conversations that create connections across our wonderfully diverse communities. That investment in local storytelling will also fuel upcoming multi-platform initiatives to reach new, diverse audiences. At the same time, we are bringing a full-time classical service to the region.”

Industry News

MIW and McVay Media Announce “Behind the Mic” Mentoring Program

Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc and McVay Media announce the “Behind the Mic Mentorship”im program designed specifically to support the growth and evolution of women on-the-air. The “Behind The Mic Mentorship” program is a year-long experience exclusively for female personalities that have been in an on-air position for at least three to five years in local or national radio programming and have demonstrated a desire to grow their on-air career. The selected mentee will receive personalized conversations and advice from a wide range of industry professionals including two of radio’s top stars – national radio and television personality and Gracie Award winner Elaina D. Smith of “Nights with Elaina,” and WLTW, New York morning personality Christine Nagy. The mentorship is available to one female on-air personality from any U.S. based music format. Applications can be found here.

Features

“Hey, Let’s Hang Out Under the Boardwalk!”

Surprisingly, that iconic summertime feel-good song almost never made it to vinyl…

 

By Mark Wainwright

imConsider the following song titles:

“There Goes My Baby”

“Save the Last Dance For Me”

“On Broadway”

“Up On the Roof”

“Dance With Me”

“This Magic Moment”

You don’t have to be a battle-scarred radio veteran like me, or an older music fan who remembers hearing those songs as a youngster to immediately recognize these as hits recorded by The Drifters. These songs, and all their other successful releases, were constantly played on the air back in the glory days of AM Top-40 radio, and they are still widely heard and enjoyed today, sometimes in surprising settings; “This Magic Moment” recently turned up in a TV commercial for Heinz ketchup. It is scarcely possible to imagine the history of American popular music without these songs.

Now try this little experiment:

Pull YouTube up on your browser, type the words “Under the Boardwalk” in the search box, and see what pops up. You could spend days (seriously) going through all the uploads from folks who posted that favorite Drifters tune, not to mention all the subsequent recordings made over the years. Some of the names will surprise you. Did the Rolling Stones, of all people, actually record “Under the Boardwalk”? Indeed they did, along with folks like Bruce Springsteen (yo, he’s a Jersey Shore guy, why not?). The song has became a standard, a staple of oldies bands and doo-wop vocal groups who continue to perform the song today. And yet, this most iconic of summertime feel-good songs was within hours of never being recorded. The backstory of that episode, along with the odd twists and turns of the group’s history, deserves some attention.

The Drifters (pictured below in an early photo courtesy of YouTube) were a 1950s brainchild of agent and producer George Treadwell, who got his hands on an early version of the group and envisioned them as sort of all-purpose background singers for hire who could be farmed out to provide background vocals for recording sessions, and for featured performers doing live gigs. Treadwell never thought of them as having a set lineup, he figured that vocalists would drift in and out of the group as needed (hence the name). The group became successful in their own right after their 1953 release “Money Honey” (Clyde McPhatter was the lead singer back then), and they never looked back. For more than a decade, hardly a week went by where you wouldn’t see a Drifters tune somewhere on the music charts.

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Treadwell’s management of the group could be capricious, to say the least. He once purportedly fired the band and replaced them with another new group of singers who then performed a show scheduled for the following night (he might have done something like this more than once). Somehow, it all managed to work out. Dozens of vocalists were part of the group at various times, although when The Drifters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, there were seven performers who were cited as critical to the group’s success. I believe Charlie Thomas was the last of these fine singers, and he died in January this year.

“Under the Boardwalk” was written in 1964 by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick and they offered it to The Drifters, who immediately saw the potential. A recording session was set for May 21, 1964 (already pushing the calendar for summer release), but the night before the session, lead singer Rudy Lewis died of a suspected heroin overdose. George Treadwell and the folks at Atlantic Records really wanted to get the tune out there, so they finally decided to record the song as scheduled. Johnny Moore was called upon to sing the lead vocal; he was the group’s designated backup lead vocalist who would fill in when needed.

One can hardly imagine what these guys were thinking and feeling under the circumstances, but they got through it, Johnny Moore did a superb job, and the final result was amazing. The group actually cut alternate takes of the song. Some radio stations were hesitant to play a record containing the lyric “making love under the boardwalk” (remember, this was 1964), so other takes were done with the replacement line “falling in love under the boardwalk.” It was released in June and was constantly heard on the great AM Top-40 stations of the day, and played incessantly on jukeboxes nationwide. The song spent three weeks at #1 on the Cashbox magazine R&B chart, and got as high as #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song would have almost certainly been a Billboard #1, except for a quartet of young Brits who called themselves “The Beatles.” You might recall they also had some pretty good tunes out there at the time.

And the date of that highest Billboard chart position? August 22, 1964. Fifty-nine years ago today.

So now comes the inevitable YouTube link. I think this one is the original track containing the “naughty” lyrics. Turn up the volume and enjoy! (And remember, you should use lotion that has a minimum rating of SPF 30!)

Under the Boardwalk – The Drifters

 

Mark Wainwright is a veteran radio performer who spent more than 30 years working as a disc jockey, talk show host, and morning personality at well-known radio stations throughout the United States. He was most recently the morning host at WSYR in Syracuse, New York. (He was even a pretty good AM Top-40 jock back in the day, just ask him!) He can be reached through his LinkedIn page or at markwainwright@earthlink.net

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