consultant | TALKERS magazine

Monday Memo: Produce Your YouTube Videos for Phone Consumption

By TALKERS | April 14, 2025 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

70%+ of views are mobile, where the screen is small and attention spans are short.

— Aspect ratio: Use 9:16 (vertical) or 1:1 (square) so it fills the phone screen.
— The first 3 seconds are critical. Use a bold visual, a teaser question, or a surprising statement.
— Because many watch without sound, add text on-screen using auto-caption tools. Bold, color-coded, animated captions keep attention.

— Use close-up shots & big graphics. Tiny text or wide shots get lost. Zoom in on faces or products. Make graphics large and clear.
— Ideal length: 15 to 90 seconds for Shorts, or under 3 minutes for mobile-friendly standard videos. Cut filler, pauses, and tangents. Every second should count.
— Keep titles short and clear, i.e., “How To…” or “You Won’t Believe…” DON’T title it “Episode # ___.”
— Focus on One Idea Per Video. Mobile users are distracted and scrolling fast. Give them one clear takeaway, message, or call-to-action.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Monday Memo: Matter, and Money Will Follow

By TALKERS | March 17, 2025March 17, 2025 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

There has never been more news. And news has never been more quotable. It costs two-plus cents to make a penny.

Events impacting everyday life are unfolding around-the-corner, around-the-world, around-the-clock. The listeners our advertisers want as customers are in “What NEXT???” mode.

There have never been more places to get news. And the broadcasters that monetize information best have evolved what we used to call “a radio station” into a multiplatform source of content pertinent to its target listener. Trusted call letters are the surname shared by digital siblings.

Being known for helpful information is key. My client stations image relentlessly as “Your Only Local News Radio.” If you are too, rip me off, and burn-it-in.

But imaging merely talks-the-talk. All the promos in the world won’t walk-the-walk. We become habit-forming by delivering information that is relevant and useful and enabling and easily understood and seems up-to-date.

Accordingly:

When we report information-given-to-us (press releases, etc.), rewrite to succinctly convey what the story means. Typically, press releases are about the sender. Our lead sentence needs to be about how-it-matters-to the listener.
Keep it fresh. The second and third time someone hears a story word-for-word, the little voice in his/her head says, “You already told me that.” Every effort we make to update copy is worth it.
Listen to your on-hour network, for three reasons: Emulate their crisp copy style, which conveys the consequence of items being reported. And emulate their delivery. Note how FOX News Radio morning anchor Dave Anthony sounds like he’s talking, not reading. And listen for opportunities to localize big national/international stories.

What is being reported by national media, how does it hit home, and who locally can comment or explain?

How is DOGE government downsizing impacting people in your state, in your city? Most of the federal workforce does not live in Washington/Maryland/Virginia.
We pray for ailing Pope Francis. When he passes, who from your diocese or parish can you interview? “The Conclave” won an Oscar and was nominated for eight.

Music radio is in the fight of its life with streams, and too much talk radio is an angry caricature. Matter most, and money will follow.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Monday Memo: Pronounce “T” in the Middle of Words

By TALKERS | March 3, 2025 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Often, Millennials and GenZ-ers sound like they’ve replaced “T” with a soft “H.”

“Putin” comes out “Pooh’in.” “Groton” becomes “Groh’en.” “Dayton?” “Dayh’en.” Cold outside? Wear your “mih’ens.” Shark attack! Who got “bih’en?”

It’s as though as the “T” was “forgoh’en.” It’s not the way the script is “wrih’en,” just the way they read it. The biggest retail advertising spenders are radio’s lifelong habitual users: adults. Sound grown-up.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn

Radio Pro Kelly Orchard Publishes Suspense Novel in Radio Setting

By TALKERS | March 3, 2025 by TALKERS

Lifelong broadcaster and FCC consultant Kelly Orchard is publishing a suspense novel titled, Dead Air: The Day the Music Died, that involves pirates hijacking 100 radio stations in five major U.S. cities and follows one company’s story over the course of 24 hours. Orchard was raised in a radio family that owned and operated stations in the 1980s and 1990s. Her family later launched a consulting business that conducted mock FCC inspections and she says the idea for her novel was born from those experiences.

Monday Memo: Podcasting? Don’t Tweet Like Trump

By TALKERS | August 19, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

X – which most people I hear still call “Twitter” – is a great way to attract new ears.

Tips:

— Write a stack of Tweets for each episode, and post at intervals, so you’re not further-down readers’ feeds then they are scrolling.

— Use # and @ to attract those with affinity to your subject and/or guest.

And don’t Tweet like Trump

4 reasons why:

— Relentless negativity gets old quickly. We all know, and seek to avoid, someone whose glass is ALWAYS half-empty. Don’t be him or her.

— Bellicose braggadocio gets old even quicker. And “I,” “I,” “I,” “me,” “me,” “me” emulates an unfortunate talk radio caricature podcasters want to avoid.

— Millennials – heavy podcast consumers — are repelled by acrimony and seek consensus.

— Once it’s out there, you can’t take it back… even if you delete-the-Tweet. The Library of Congress archives all Tweets, and they’re not the only ones. Those who don’t wish you well may have screen-grabbed what you posted… something politicians learn the hard way when their words show up on opponents’ campaign commercials. And we’ve all read radio trade press reports of DJs and talkers who’ve been fired for social media faux pas.

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

“Money Pit” Host Publishes New Dummies Series Book

By TALKERS | August 14, 2024 by TALKERS

Pictured above are “Money Pit Home Improvement Show” host Tom Kraeutler (right) and consultant Holland Cooke (left) as Kraeutler hand-delivers the first autographed copy of Home Maintenance For Dummies to the Block Island, Rhode Island homeowner and “Money Pit” consultant.

Monday Memo: Talking About Abortion

By TALKERS | July 29, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Many 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.

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

Monday Memo: Are You Ready?

By TALKERS | July 15, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Next 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.

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

Monday Memo: Be Like Mike

By TALKERS | July 1, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Remember 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 4^thand 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.”

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.

Monday Memo: NOW What?

By TALKERS | June 24, 2024 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?

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

Monday Memo: “Cart This Up”

By TALKERS | June 17, 2024 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.)

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

Monday Memo: At This Week’s NAB Show?

By TALKERS | April 15, 2024April 15, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Thank me later for these Blackjack tips, based on many convention years’ experience, sometimes painful:

— Loiter, looking for a new shoe, then sit-out the first hand. If no Aces appear, grab a seat.

— If no Aces appear in the second hand, up your bet.

— Decline Insurance, statistically a sucker bet.

— No matter WHAT the dealer is showing, ALWAYS-ALWAYS split Aces and 8s.

— Stand, Hit, Split, or Double-Down on-the-assumption-that the dealer’s hole card is a 10.

— If you’re dealt a hard 17 or higher – or A,8 or A,9 – or 10-10 – always Stand.

— Those “free” drinks they bring get REAL expensive if you’re losing while waiting for your refill.

— The shoe can be kind… or cruel. Keep playing as long as you’re winning… but DO NOT think of winnings as “playing with their money.” It’s yours. If you lose two consecutive hands, bug-out.

Safest bet in ‘Vegas? DON’T. And DO-tell if you’d like to grab a cuppa cawfee if you’ll be there for NAB.

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

Monday Memo: The Irresistible Offer

By TALKERS | April 8, 2024April 8, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Having written thousands of commercials and promos, I’ve become a copy connoisseur. And, admittedly, a tough grader when it comes to delivery. Sell me and you’re good.

So, all four flight attendants caught my ear as I flew to/from a radio conference in Hawaii. The pitch came toward the end of 10+ hours each way nonstop Boston/Honolulu; and aboard the quick hops to/from Kauai.

They sounded neither sing-songy, as though they were reading; nor falsely enthusiastic. That alone impressed me. Thirty years ago, I scripted such announcements – and coached flight attendants – when I programmed 3 live USA Today Sky Radio channels aboard Delta, United, and Northwest Airlines. Back to the future…

They were hawking the Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard, which, already having a wallet full of plastic, I didn’t need. Each dollar spent earns a Hawaiian Mile (double miles for restaurant purchases), which would be tempting if I wanted to visit again. But I wasn’t sold… yet. I had been to Hawaii once before, on vacation, and only went this second time for business. Travelogue here recently explains that we East Coasters have quicker paths to paradise.

Typically, these affinity cards come with a signing bonus. Another one I have awarded 20,000 points if I used it to make at least $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days. So, I smiled when these flight attendants emphasized that – using the promo code on applications they were handing out – I could quickly earn 80,000 miles, a bonus “you won’t see if you sign-up online.”

And as an announcement aficionado, I noted how all four recited this line verbatim: Unlike other cards that ask $1,000 or more purchases to qualify, “Just buy a cup of coffee or a pack of gum, and you’ve got 80,000 Hawaiian Miles.”

And they explained that 80K was enough for a free round trip from Boston or New York to Honolulu, or TWO round trips from a West Coast airport… DARN tempting… if I ever want to go back to Hawaii. Still not sold.

The clincher? I can also use those miles on JetBlue, which services my home airport, Providence, and flies to the Bahamas. SOLD. And my first purchase was indeed for a cup of coffee, and I did get the 80,000 miles. So, this is my restaurant card now.

Every time I’ve told this story in a client station sales meeting, at least one rep says, “Spell that all out again?” and starts writing. Successful sellers anticipate and address objections as well as that inflight announcement. Ditto commercial copy you craft for local retailers. Welcome aboard.

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

Monday Memo: April Fool!

By TALKERS | April 1, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Pick a day, any day. At least one news item will have the little voice in your head hollering “TELL me you’re kidding!” After recent headlines, and as various plots thicken, that little voice might need a lozenge.

In olden times, DJs’ and hosts’ April 1 on-air shenanigans would amuse and/or upset listeners. Some of these gags cost jesters their jobs. Expect less of that today, as the local talent ranks have thinned. Maybe A.I. DJs will come up with something.

As cutbacks were cascading on April 1, 2008, my gallows humor headline was: “Farid himself now voice-tracking True Oldies, using on-air name Fred Soulman, as staff cuts force management on-air. The Mystery Oldie-of-the-Day winner gets 1,000 shares of Citadel stock or $1,000 cash, whichever is less. APRIL FOOL!”

Back to the future: Many surviving jocks and talkers and newscasters have something in common, what consultants call “word economy.” It’s never been more important than during these dizzying days, but it’s nothing new. All along, those who took only 7 seconds to make a point seemed to be more successful than those who took 17 seconds. When I was a DJ, I stole a line from WABC’s Dan Ingram, who intro’d the Elton John song, “Someone Shaved My Wife Tonight.”

If you’re spinning the hits, streams are spinning more of ‘em, without eight-unit stopsets. So keep it moving. Doing news? Listeners are wondering “What NEXT?” and if you’re telling them, succinctly, they’ll find you helpful and habit-forming. Hosting a talk show? Understand that every other media experience listeners favor is interactive. Busy caller traffic (something local advertisers notice) lets you own topic du jour.

And whether you’re a DJ, news person, or host: Every…single…minute…someone just got in the car. Reset frequently-enough that they’re up-to-speed.

But don’t take my word for it. Being April Fool’s Day, I’ll let these funsters (some immortal) demonstrate this word economy I preach:

“I saw a bank that said ‘24-hour banking,’ but I don’t have that much time.”

— Comedian Steven Wright, my Block Island neighbor

“When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them.”

— Rodney Dangerfield

“I was going to have cosmetic surgery until I noticed that the doctor’s office was full of portraits by Picasso.”

— Rita Rudner

“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.”

— Groucho Marx

“I hate housework. You make the beds, you do the dishes, and six months later, you have to start all over again.”

— Joan Rivers

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.

Monday Memo: Remember “The Book?”

By TALKERS | March 25, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Before the bound copy arrived – at which point all work stopped – Arbitron would send “Advances.” Even those topline numbers ground things to a halt, and had some PDs doing cartwheels, others out on the ledge. ‘Seems quaint now.

Back to the future: Measurement is continuous in bigger markets; and Nielsen Audio surveys other rated markets twice a year, and that Spring 2024 survey begins Thursday. But don’t tense-up. Nothing changes the day the survey begins. Radio listening is habit, earned before the sample is polled.

So even if your station doesn’t subscribe, figure that we’re all in Continuous Measurement mode, and do the 5 things that play the ratings game by its rules:

1. Promote off-air, reminding existing listeners to keep coming back; and asking those who don’t to give you a try. It’s common for stations that do still promote off-air to show billboards and run TV spots JUST as “The Book” begins. Smart stations shopped smarter, when media were on-sale in January, inviting the sampling then that could be habit by now.

2. Keep ‘em listening longer each time. Just a few more minutes could earn another Quarter Hour of listening credit, although there’s little we can do to keep someone sitting still in a parked car. So…

3. Get ‘em back more times per day (“vertical maintenance” in consultant-speak); and…

4. Get ‘em back more days per week (“horizontal maintenance”); and…

5. Be more memorable, since ratings are a memory test. It is well-worth every effort to be as helpful and relevant and self-explanatory as possible. Tip: “You” and “your” are magic words. And be considerate. Listeners are mentally busy. Boil-it-down.

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.

Monday Memo: Happy Campers

By TALKERS | March 18, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

For spring break this year, Sarah and I revisited Sandals Grand Bahamian all-inclusive resort – NOT inexpensive, and very worth it. We’ve already booked same-week-next-year, and we think we know who we’ll see there then.

Among those we chatted-up at beach bars: Owner of a HVAC service company in Iowa. He arrived ahead of 16 employees and +ones (“the other 16 are back there keepin’ the heat on”). And get this: He said that, for some, it’s their first airplane travel. And they land in Nassau! WHAT a boss, eh?

Another business owner we met topped that! He had 38 inbound next-day for a long weekend. To qualify for this “President’s Club” trip, those 19 reps each moved a million dollars of product in 2023.

“Selling what?” I had to ask. “All the things nobody wants to buy,” he quipped. His company is a rack jobber, meaning it has agreements with retailers to display and sell products in-store. Think cigarette lighters and the thousand other items you see at gas stations and convenience stores.

Going right into Larry King mode, I learned about those sunglasses that retail for $19.99. He buys ‘em by the palette, 19 cents each. And when I asked “What was HOT 2 years ago, and is NOT now?” he replied, without hesitation, “masks.”

He caught my ear when he used the term “liberal” to describe regions. In talk radio, that’s a political term. But the way he used it reflects Michael Jordan’s famous quote, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.” Like politics, commerce is regionalized. And he spoke in practical terms: Phone charger cords sold in the northeast are predominantly iPhone-compatible. “Get much-south-of New York,” and Android cords are also popular.

Contributing to inflation: Pre-pandemic, the usual business model was that the store paid for what his company delivered. Some clients were big-enough to change that, to paying-upon-SALE, which bar codes enable. So, the rack jobber is on-the-hook for “inventory shrinkage” (shoplifting and pilferage). But the arm-wrestling continues… and at least 19 reps are winning.

Heading for our final-night-there dinner, we passed the President’s Club reception in a VIP area; and next morning at breakfast, we spotted President’s Club T-shirts. We expect to see more next year, because, as the boss winked, “those wives want to come back!” and they tend to be supportive of long workdays in the meantime. 😉

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.

Monday Memo: The Local Radio Advantage

By TALKERS | February 19, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

If you’re a news/talk station, don’t assume that you own “news radio” in your market. Imaging is important, but it merely talks-the-talk. You walk-the-walk with local news copy that delivers what solid commercial copy does: benefits. Just doing local news makes you special. But do listeners simply hear a station voice… reading something? Are you merely… accurate? Or do you deliver “take-home pay,” unwrapping the story to tell the listener something useful?

In many homes, there are now fewer radios than smart speakers. And nobody has ever said: “Alexa, please play six commercials.” But she can play millions of songs. So do streams and YouTube.

What can make a music station different from all those other audio choices is the way you help folks cope, how relevant and empathetic you are, how you sound like you have-their-back as day-to-day news has them wondering “What NEXT?”

And boosting tune-in exposes your advertisers better. So, Time Spent Listening is still the ballgame. Specifically, you need to add occasions of tune-in, and this week’s column begins a three-part series of news copy coaching tips that can help bring listeners back more often.

Simply rewriting source material can make a huge difference. Press releases torture the ear. They’re formal, and prone to jargon and spin (especially from politicians). When they’re from the police, they’re written in cop-speak. And most press releases are written inside-out, emphasizing a process, rather than the consequence to listeners.

Process example: “At Thursday’s work session of the Springfield City Council, a decision was made to move forward with Community Days this year. The annual Community Days celebration is scheduled for June 16 and 17^th. Council members made sure the Community Days funds will be handled by an independent accountant. Councilwoman Sharon Grant said…”

Re-write to lead with consequence: “The annual Springfield Community Days celebration will be June 16^th and 17^th. After last year’s controversy, Council members made sure the Community Days funds will be handled by an independent accountant. At Thursday’s session, Councilwoman Sharon Grant said…”

That simple tweak is well-worth the minimal effort. Listeners are mentally busy. Remove “Styrofoam words.” Example: “State Police say they are investigating a possible case of child endangerment after a seven-month-old child was treated for severe injuries.”

Simply delete “say they.”

Next week: Ripped from the headlines…

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

Monday Memo: Calculating Taylor Swift

By TALKERS | February 5, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Now that every single thing is a political argument, the angry social media conversation about Taylor Swift is unsurprising. And with the Super Bowl looming, the decibel level amps-up.

So, kudos to SiriusXM and CNN host Michael Smerconish. I’ve previously cited him here as technique worth emulating when it comes to:

– Polling the audience on an ongoing basis (a sponsored feature on smart radio stations)
– Leveraging social media to give audience ownership of the show; and
– Genuine curiosity. His centrist approach earns him scorn from both sides in this Cold Civil War we’re living through. I can relate. When I managed WTOP, Washington, the quickest way to make the phone explode was to announce a crowd estimate for an abortion rally. Both sides jammed the lines to damn the number.

This preposterous Swift kerfuffle had been all heat until Smerconish shed light on it this past weekend. Noting rumors shared by FOX News that she would photobomb the Super Bowl with a Joe Biden endorsement, his poll question was “Could Taylor Swift determine the outcome of the presidential election?”

Just now, you answered that question in your own mind. But – for our purposes – the more useful approach is to consider information Smerconish curated unfiltered by personal politics:

– Swift has 279 million Instagram followers
– She has (so far) sold 4.35 million pricey tickets for The Eras Tour. Its “record-shattering revenue” (so far) is $1 billion+
– $200 million (so far) in tour merchandise. Her gray $45 T-shirt is now sold-out in all but 3XL and 4XL.
– 26 billion+ Spotify streams in 2023.
– SSRS polling: 59% of USA adults identify as Swift fans, 63% of women; and her fans are evenly divided 50/50 between Democrat or Dem-leaning and Republican or GOP-leaning.
– On her urging, several hundred thousand Americans younger than 25 have registered to vote.

Add it all up? “Taylor knows your social media interactions, where you saw her on tour, how much merch’ you’ve bought from her website, she knows the size of your T-shirt, the number of downloads you’ve made. We’re embarking on an election cycle which will be (a) the most expensive in history, and (b) will see much of the money spent on ‘micro-targeting,’ the use of online data to tailor – pun intended – advertising messages to individuals based on the identification of recipients’ personal vulnerabilities and interests. In order to target effectively, data is essential. And Taylor’s got lots and lots of it, and on a demographic that is exactly what the Biden team needs the most: disproportionally female, young, and passionate. With truly the touch of a button Taylor Swift is uniquely situated to use the data at her disposal to impact the presidential race.”

Leave it to your nerdy consultant to ask: Are WE using OUR listener data to OUR benefit?

Bigger-picture issues:

– Privacy: We have all volunteered LOTS of information about ourselves. Look what pops up in your email and your social media.
– Vulnerability of the Electoral vote process: The last two Republican presidents took office after losing the popular vote. Taylor Swift is my coastal Rhode Island neighbor, and if she votes here, neither of us matter. Our state has four electoral votes. Just 40 thousand-some popular votes in three key states gave Biden his 2020 win.
– Tone: The measurable appeal of Swift’s sunny disposition vs. “I am your retribution.”

Good for us. News/talk radio is in the suspense business. “What JUST happened??? What happens NEXT???” So, we should wish Nikki Haley well.

Inquisitive Smerconish sounds like dispassionate Mr. Spock: “What [Swift detractors on the right] should be worried about is her data.”

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 “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn.

Monday Memo: Baseball Station? Own It!

By TALKERS | January 29, 2024January 29, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

As The Beatles sang, “It’s been a long, cold, lonely winter.” ‘Still is, eh?

Baseball – even Spring Training while it’s still chilly in March – says “Here Comes The Sun.” That’s what baseball means…to listeners. But with games also on SiriusXM and Tune-In and team apps, baseball isn’t the exclusive franchise AM/FM affiliates used to enjoy. So, BE KNOWN for having the games.

To local advertisers? In the words of one GM – who has made a pile of money selling baseball – “It’s ego and envy.” And while second and third-generation retailers might family-feud about other things, grandfather AND father AND son can agree on this expenditure lots quicker than you can get consensus about a ROS spot package on Kiss or Lite or Magic or Froggy.

Help yourself to your February Baseball To-Do List: http://getonthenet.com/BaseballFebruary.pdf

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

Monday Memo: Plan Now for Your Bonus Day

By TALKERS | January 15, 2024January 15, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Take a day off. You get one free this year.

Programmers: When was the last time you really listened?

— Not the way you usually hear it, at low volume in the office…but “out there,” where/when/how listeners hear radio. Schedule dedicated listening time, away from the station. I promise you will find it an ear-opening experience.

— In 2024, you have no excuse NOT to take a day to listen…because it’s a Leap Year. You get an extra day, a February 29, courtesy of Pope Gregory XIII, in 1582 (as in “The Gregorian Calendar”). So, heaven help you if you miss this opportunity.

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 “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke

CES100th, Radio Roots

By TALKERS | January 12, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

If you’ve been seeing CES coverage on network and cable newscasts this week, you’ve heard it called “the Consumer Electronics Show,” despite we-the-media being told not to. They want us to say “CES,” although, years ago, the Consumer Electronics Association changed its name to the Consumer Technology Association, not its first rebrand.

Back in 1924, it was the Radio Manufacturers’ Association, and eventually it became the Radio & Television Manufacturers’ Association. For all those years – and for decades after it morphed into the CEA – this organization advocated for companies that made… things.

Back-to-the-future: Many of the big stories at CES2024 aren’t about products that come in a box. Artificial Intelligence is big here this year, nonchalantly referred to as “AI.” But – because we should avoid initials that aren’t self-explanatory – you’re hearing CES called “the Consumer Electronics Show;” and smart reporters use “Artificial Intelligence” on first reference.

And one particularly insightful session I attended got me thinking about radio’s “initials.” When we say our call letters, do listeners think about what we were, or what we can do now do?

“All Media is Social Media” panelist Isabel Perry, VP of emerging technology at pioneering digital agency DEPT said a mouthful, in a savvy British accent: “Your brand is not what you tell your customers. It’s what your customers tell each other about you.” And declaring that “media is now communal,” fellow panelist and former TikTok executive Melissa Eccles urged “Invite people to participate.”

Robotic music stations with too many commercials are disadvantaged. Swifties don’t need FM to hear Taylor. She’s already on their phones…and Alexa, and SiriusXM, and YouTube, and streams. Talk radio that’s I-talk-you-listen is a caricature. Media consumers expect to interact. As Larry King said, “I never learned anything while I was talking.”

Yes, there are huge TVs and flying cars here, and CES is still gadget heaven. But 100 years ago – when families sat around large AM receivers, seeming to watch what they were hearing – simply broadcasting at-them was a business. I leave Las Vegas reaffirmed that ENGAGING people is now, in gambling parlance, table stakes.

Covering CES this week for TALKERS, I’m also offering stations 60-second reports. Help yourself at HollandCooke.com.

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 “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke

CES2024: AI, Sustainability, “TV,” Inclusivity

By TALKERS | January 11, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

After 4G enabled Uber and other apps now-common, inventors are flexing 5G. And grab-the-armrest for what 6G and 7G will bring. Just when we’re blasé about Wi-Fi, we are told that Li-Fi will use light to transmit data.

Artificial Intelligence? ChatGPT was training wheels. AI’s impact is just beginning to unfold. As it does, Consumer Technology Association research points to concerns over privacy, disinformation, safety, and job loss. 74% believe the federal government should regulate AI safety.

Sustainability is huge here: Solar panels – some are small foil strips — will replace batteries in many applications. And we’re seeing a cube-shaped portable inflatable “smartfarm” that can grow produce anywhere.

What we used to call “a television” becomes the Intelligent Hub for your home, connecting with appliances, security cameras, and thermal imaging for tele-health. It’s an e-commerce platform, like your smartphone… interactive – like betting on live games – and with immersive experiences Netflix is rolling out.

Inclusivity is big business at CES: We’re seeing hearable glasses for people who are vision AND hearing impaired, including some “chic” designs. And lots of tech here helps us as we age. With women’s health a $1.2 trillion market, mattress sensors can trigger cooling during menopause. And Artificial Intelligence will bring drug discovery breakthroughs.

I’m reporting for TALKERS readers, every day this week. Help yourself to today’s report here: http://getonthenet.com/CES2024-Thursday.mp3. It can air until Friday. And I’ll be posting daily 60-second reports you can download at HollandCooke.com.

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 “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke

When I Say “Technology,” You Think “Silicon Valley?”

By TALKERS | January 9, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Inventors from around the world are in Las Vegas this week for CES2024.

AirForestry is a Swedish company using 5G to develop a harvester drone that hugs the top of a tree, prunes-off branches on the way down, saws-off the trunk, and carries it to the nearest road. Electronic glasses from Canada’s e-Sight help the visually impaired conquer conditions like macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Even legally blind people can achieve up to 20/20 enhanced vision.

From Poland, Vasco Electronics introduces its Translator E1 earpiece that translates 49 languages in real-time. And from Hong Kong, the Oclean X Pro Digital Sonic Electric Toothbrush uses a tiny built-in 6-axis gyroscope that tells you – on an interactive touch screen – how well you brushed, and which areas need more attention. And you know that technology is changing everything when the CEO of the world’s biggest beauty company, L’Oreal, is here from France to deliver a keynote.

“The winners are…”

Among this year’s Consumer Technology Association Innovation Awards: a “4D Food Printing System for Future Food.” The Care-pet bed for dogs and cats monitors their breathing, heart rate, and rest, via Bluetooth you can share with your vet. And with the 2024 election looming, there’s a blockchain-based voting system.

Bosch is addressing a sad news story we keep seeing on all these big-screen TVs: Its “Gun Detection System” uses Artificial Intelligence to merge video and audio to defend-against school shootings. Designed to reduce reaction time and quickly mobilize emergency response plans, this system helps secure approach and entry points, by detecting guns and sound signatures of gunshots, even estimating gunshot direction to help make learning environments safer.”

In addition to daily TALKERS columns this week, I’m offering daily 60-second radio reports. Help yourself to today’s here: http://getonthenet.com/CES2024-Tuesday.mp3. It can air until Friday. And I’ll be posting updates you can download at HollandCooke.com.

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 “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke

Monday Memo: Hello from Las Vegas!

By TALKERS | January 8, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

This week, more than a hundred thousand inventors, investors, and techy-nerds from over 150 countries swarm Sin City for CES2024. You’ll be seeing all about it all this week on network newscasts and cable news channels and social media.

And yes, there are square miles of products being introduced here, the “Consumer Electronics” that were the roots of this event. But the big buzz this year will be Artificial Intelligence, at which we-the-legacy-media are looking at over our shoulder, as ChatGPT et al and text-to-speech are augmenting – in some cases displacing – human radio and television talent.

After we’ve spent decades learning how to use his software – Bill Gates tells Inc. magazine that – soon – we won’t need to. He describes your “agent,” your A.I. assistant, a constant companion, in your earbud, that has what Gates calls “a rich understanding of your life.” Think Alexa or Siri…on steroids.

Want to send an email? Just start talking. You’ll never miss a birthday, and you’ll know about flight delays and weather and traffic tangles without checking. And YOUR agent will know your FRIENDS’ agents. Even Gates admits that these virtual social secretaries could faux pas: “Suppose you want to see a friend. If YOUR agent talks to THEIRS, you DON’T want it to say, ‘she’s seeing other friends Tuesday and you’re not included.’” Oops.

Sure, it’s gadget heaven here. And some of these TVs are so big that I can’t figure out how they’d get through the door at home. But, year after year lately, services upstage things at CES. This year’s keynoters include the CEO of L’Oréal and Hyundai and Best Buy and Walmart and executives from McDonalds and Northwestern Mutual and Walmart, as technology changes almost every aspect of life every day.

How big is CES? Even the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center isn’t big-enough. There will be exhibits and sessions up and down The Strip, so I’ll be getting-in my steps. And I’m reporting for TALKERS readers, every day this week. Help yourself to today’s report here: http://getonthenet.com/CES2024-Monday.mp3. It can air until Friday. And I’ll be posting daily 60-second reports you can download at HollandCooke.com.

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 “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke

Six Reasons Radio Listeners Ignore Your Morning Show

By TALKERS | December 14, 2023 by TALKERS

Consultant Gary Begin of Sound Advantage writes in a piece for TALKERS today about why some morning radio shows fail to launch. He offers six reasons for this that can be avoided if management really wants to create a successful program. Reason number one? Because the hosts are just not that good. See Begin’s complete article here.