Tag: Al Brady Law

Industry Views

Sabo Sez: The Smartest Minds in the Radio Room

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Walter Sabo
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Host, The Other Side of Midnight
WABC, New York / Red Apple Audio Networks

imgWhen in doubt, I recall smart quotes from people in our business who are successful, well paid, kind, and future oriented. I have always focused on what’s next rather than what’s been. These observations drive good results:

“Citytv of Canada is the model local TV News and has been for 50 years.” – Strategist, John Parikal

“Progress moves in many directions. Imagine if cable came first, then someone invented a way to send shows over the air.” – publisher / broadcaster, Michael Harrison

“The goal is a playlist of one song.” – Al Brady Law, a kind mentor and brilliant programmer.

“An Urban station should sound like music bouncing off the rooftops in Harlem on a July night.” – Frankie Crocker

“Top 40 will always be a successful format because by definition it plays the most popular songs of the day.” – Allen Shaw, former vice chairman of Beasley Broadcasting.

“We have a business plan; our stations have to be number 1.” – Robert McAllan, president emeritus Press Broadcasting / founder of WTKS-FM Real Radio. Orlando / New Jersey 101.5.

“One day all music will be on FM and all talk will be on AM.” – Jean Shepherd, WOR Radio host, 1964.

GM Mickey Luckoff on why number 1 KGO, San Francisco moved like an express train: “I hire hosts who have done Top 40. I can teach them Talk; I can’t teach them Radio.”

“My staff just can’t barge into the studio when I’m on, they have to understand this takes concentration, the job is to get to the next thing.” – Howard Stern

“It’s a simple business; people make it hard.” – Edward F. Mclaughlin president EIB network.

“My business decisions are always based on common sense.” – John Catsimatidis, owner, WABC Radio.

“When we release a movie, I stand outside the theatre on opening night and talk to the audience members as they file out. That’s the best research we do.” – Leonard Goldenson, founding chairman ABC Inc.

“No, I don’t watch many TV shows because I know all the stories.” – Fred Silverman, program chief CBS, ABC, NBC.

About streaming music services: “There has always been a box of records next to the radio.” – Bob Pittman, CEO, IHeart.

Tom O’Neil, founder, RKO General Radio, “Pay whatever you have to for a morning man, a production director, and for equipment to make the loudest signal, the rest you’ll have to beg for.”

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 “The Other Side of Midnight” is heard on WABC, New York and the Red Apple Audio Network 1:00 am – 5:00 am. 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.  He can be phoned at 646-678-1110.

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

SABO SEZ: Award the Future

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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

imWhen reviewing our industry’s awards such as the Crystals or Marconis there are two categories missing. They are: “Best New” and “Best Innovation.” Imagine if winners were announced for these prizes:

“Best New Talent On Air”

“Best New Talent Off Air”

“Most Creative Sales Solution”

“Most Creative Station Promotion”

“Most Innovative DAB or Podcast Format”

“Best New Talent – Podcast”

“Best Innovation In Engineering”

Those awards aren’t fantasy, they are actual awards given annually by Australian Commercial Radio (ACRA). They are presented at a magnificent well-produced event for the entire country – attendance is SRO. The subliminal message to Australian radio personnel is powerful: Innovation is expected and rewarded. NEW is expected and rewarded – no need to wait for you to become legendary (!) to be recognized. “NEW” is a powerful reward and promise to the talent you hope will find a career in radio. Face it, our “on boarding” leaves a lot to be desired. (Hey, work in the promotion department while you live at home, and we’ll let you pick up pizza that you can share!)

The best gift the late PD Al Brady Law gave me was he greeted all new ideas with, “It might work.” Most other executives kill innovative thought with the worst question possible: “Who else is doing it?” The industry has a lame record of assessing new ideas. New ideas are systematically despised:

Bill Drake’s format was damned in jock-for-hire classifieds that warned, NO DRAKE JOCKS. Yes, dozens of stations wanted NO DRAKE JOCKS. Quickly Drake’s strategies slaughtered those stations and revolutionized music formats to this moment. Recorded music on the radio was actually thought to be illegal until WNEW-AM, New York fought that court fight in the 1940s and won. All news on WINS and WCBS certainly was not going to work after the 1960s New York newspaper strike ended. WFAN could never succeed as an all-sports station – soon after launch it became the highest biller in NYC.

When AC was launched in 1978 at the NBC FM and RKO FM stations, it had no future. FM was only for beautiful music and hard rock and besides who else is doing it?

Album rock, AOR, …why we have research to prove young people only want hits! Targeted FM talk – combining a hot format with hot talent would absolutely fail at KLSX-FM, Los Angeles and thanks to Bob Moore became the number one local biller – turn it back to the failed classic rock format please begged one research hit squad! “New Jersey 101.5” has a one million cume talking all week, playing music all weekend. Which award category suits that giant station? “Best New” would have been appreciated.

Todd Storz, the inventor of Top 40, passed away at 38 and his father who owned their stations in Miami, Omaha, and New Orleans couldn’t wait to change his Top 40 format creation to MOR when the kid died. As a result, when Todd died the stations died, too.

Innovators like Bill Drake, Jeff Smulyan, Allen Shaw, Bob McAllan, Alan Mason, L. David Moorhead, and Howard Stern are first ignored, then marginalized, then vilified… then hundreds fight for their credit.

The only way radio stays relevant and grows its place on the media landscape is with a constant flow of “Best New” and “Best Innovation.” That’s when younger listeners are attracted to radio – the same way they are attracted to everything – if it’s NEW. The radio you and your friends were drawn to, talked about at school, listened to constantly was saturated with new contests, new daring DJs, new promotions, new hits, new energy.

The delicious daily challenge of on-air talent and management is what can we put on the air today that has never been done before? If it’s new, even if it doesn’t work forever, generates buzz, attention, youthful audiences.  Of course, 20-year-olds will listen to radio, it’s at the end of their arm! But they are not going to salivate at the promise of “20 of your favorites from the 80s, 90s and today.” Or a national contest.

Why not test a NEW award in just one awards category? “Best Innovation in Engineering” The Marconi Award.

Walter Sabo is a leading media industry consultant and syndicated talk radio personality.  He can be emailed at Walter@Sabomedia.com. Website: www.waltersterlingshow.com