Real Life Replicates Research

Mike O'Malley told Inside Radio this week that social media experienced double-digit growth during the past 12 months for the average A&O&B client station.  Half of the more than six thousand country radio partisans report owning a smartphone. 

"Nearly eight in ten country listeners report daily Facebook usage, up from almost seven in ten in early 2012.  Although dwarfed by Facebook, Twitter usage is also on the rise.  The overall number of respondents saying they use Twitter to any degree in the past 30 days increased from 8% to 13%."

The survey also shows an increase in the percent of listeners who are either fans of a station on Facebook or who follow a station on Twitter.   

Full national results will be presented at an A&O&B client seminar session February 26 in Nashville.

Meanwhile in response to the press reports, Doug Burton of Radio Traks says he just noticed an interesting metric this week.

Traffic to surveys from Windows desktop/laptop platforms just fell below 60% for the very first time.  The number 2 & 3 OS’s have been really intriguing the last couple months.  Android is our number 2 platform followed by iOS.  Both OS’s represent 34% of all traffic the last 30 days.  Mac’s fill out the balance.

Burton adds:  "None of this is surprising, but it just fascinates me watching the trend every month.  Mobile only cracked 30% back in September!"

Whether you're streaming, engaging listeners socially or collecting their opinions, your approach must be OS agnostic and include mobile devices.

A&O "Hearts" Country Aircheck On Valentine's Day

We loved CA reporter Jeff Green's article today, "A&O Seminar: Rules Of Engagement."

Everybody in Country radio is doing social media these days, but how much does it really matter whether a station and its personalities are actively involved with Facebook and Twitter? Evidently, a great deal. Findings will be unveiled by DMRInteractive COO Andrew Curran as part of a new Arbitron/DMR report, one of the many sessions of Albright & O’Malley’s Pre-CRS Client Seminar Feb. 21 in Nashville.

“If we look at the high-performing stations, they will have a larger percentage of their cume in Facebook than the average station,” A&O’s Jaye Albright says. “Andrew will point out how they’ve done several campaigns to increase the level of engagement on social networking, and it’s had a payoff in cume growth because it’s so viral. The truth is that we’ve just scratched the surface of what we can do to grow our cume and our usage and engagement using social media.”

A digital report card for the 72 leading Country stations in the top 50 markets is among the new presentations to be delivered during the event, which is free to anyone in markets non-competitive to A&O clients. The aim is a scientific approach to addressing criticisms leveled by CRS 2011 keynoter Shelly Palmer that most radio websites “suck.”

A&O partner Becky Brenner explains, “I examined each station’s overall web appearance and functionality, listener rewards program, email database, texting activity, presence on Facebook and Twitter, and what they do with new music on their web pages.” While promising some “surprising” insights, Brenner says, “I was thrilled to see that all 72 stations are active on Facebook. Their total reach is almost 1 million listeners. That’s a good number considering that most of these stations have only been active on Facebook within the last two years.”

Also new this year will be a team from BDS to present case studies and insights on differentiating your station musically, while industry executive and Vanderbilt adjunct professor Tim DuBois will share his ideas on branding and separating station product beyond music. WQHK/Ft. Wayne, IN executives will furnish specifics on listener-driven, revenue-generating new media promotions that can be deployed immediately. Also, talent coaches Randy Lane and Cliff Dumas will discuss training tools and techniques on developing “authentic storylines behind your character” and how to evolve them using social media.

The seminar kick offs with A&O’s seventh annual Roadmap Study of radio listeners’ perceptions on music, the state of Country radio and related topics including the impact of Pandora, Spotify,
Rhapsody and Slacker. Emphasizing a theme of “branding and engagement,” partner Michael O’Malley promises “a content-rich afternoon with takeaways for talent, programmers, promotions and sales.” Sponsor Broken Bow/Stoney Creek will present a performance by Dustin Lynch.

To receive an invitation including location details, click on this link:

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This Year, It's Dustin Lynch

Many of country’s biggest stars over the years have performed, met and greeted attendees at A&O’s annual client meeting going back more than two decades to when the meetings where held at the Opryland Hotel.

Now, Lynch realizes another exciting step in his career launch as he performs at the Country Music Hall Of Fame’s Ford Theatre. The event is cosponsored with Broken Bow Records/Stoney Creek Records.

Longtime A&O clients have become used to getting to see fresh faces in an intimate, close-up setting as country radio specialists Albright, O’Malley and their new consulting partner Brenner present yet another reason to attend this year’s Country Radio Seminar and arrive a day early to attend the DJ Hall of Fame banquet, featuring a showcase with Broken Bow performer-songwriter Dustin Lynch.

In a recent Billboard Magazine “615 spotlight,” writer Dauphin started his interview with some Dustin Lynch background:

70 miles separate Tullahoma, Tenn., from Music City. With that close proximity to Nashville, it’s no wonder that Broken Bow recording artist Dustin Lynch became so enamored with the sounds he was hearing on the radio growing up. “Nashville was obviously the big city for me growing up,” Lynch recalls to Billboard. “I can remember coming up here for the malls and the doctor’s appointments and the other big occasions. Each time I would see the skyline, there was just a feeling that would come over me — ‘Man, I’m in Music City.’ It was always so exciting to be in Nashville.” He also recalls his first time going downtown. “My first time on Broadway, I drove myself up to see my first concert, the rock band Incubus. As many times as I’d gone to Nashville, I’d never gotten to go downtown. So, we rolled in with the windows down, and with all the people there and the music, I can never forget that moment.”

To download the full press release as a pdf, with all the info on the meeting, click here.

More Evidence Country’s “Guard” Is Changing

Each year in January, A&O clients participate in an online perceptual study designed to track common benchmarks of success and compare their local key images to the national averages.

We present highlights/trends from the national data at the annual Albright & O’Malley client seminar in Nashville, just before CRS, so an update for 2011 is less than 90 days away.

2010’s report was based on responses from 8,867 country radio listeners from across North America.
Some evidence that things are evolving: three years ago roughly three of four chose currents and recurrents by historical super stars of the format and hits from the mid-late 2000’s by those same longtime “A artists” as their favorite clusters of music.

Then, two years ago, those percentages suddenly fell and the average listener expressed a lot more interest in currents and recurrents by newer artists ( the non-hstorial superstars).

Is it that the audience has changed and become more open to new artists? Or, since early 2000’s songs by the historical stars remained steady, do listeners feel that their newer music isn’t as strong as their previous releases were?

A&O will have data on that right after the first of the year, but my guess is that it’s BOTH things.

Getting back to those evolving audience clusters I wrote about last week, I’d postulate that you get a quicker life cycle in the convert market because country is not their only market. In transition 30's, you get a longer life cycle. And, in the traditional market, once you hit, you're there.

The biggest difference for country radio comes when you are able to click strongly with all three target groups within our cume.

That’s the distance between doing more or less as well as the average station or hitting cume, TSL and share of total audience levels that are far above the national mean.

It's the difference between "good" and "absolutely great" country music radio.

Won’t Do It

An artist's personal manager asked me the other day what I’d charge to listen to songs and help pick music for his client’s new project.

Of course, I was very flattered that he was willing to not only solicit my two cents’ worth, but also pay me very well for it, but I said “no, thanks.”

A&O has one job.

We work with radio stations to grow their share of audience.

Along the way, of course, we teach people how to create powerful listener experiences driven by compelling content.

That involves training/motivating talent, sharing techniques which improve impact/program commercials/promotions, interpreting/executing research recommendations and helping make music/rotation decisions that not only delivers on the expectation our brand image promises, but adds as much "extra" creativity, surprise, entertainment value and delight as possible.

A&O’s music information is based on our clients’ specific local situations and thus you’ll never see it being used as a promotional tool.

At Albright & O'Malley, being clear about what you do also means knowing what you won’t do as well.

Plan Now To Have A Hot Summer And Strong Fall

1. PROGRAM DIRECTOR PERSONAL
Goals:
- Demonstrating the knowledge and management skills necessary to run the Department
- Using the available tools and strategies, creating the plan to get ... to the next level
- Using interpersonal skills to create the passion and winning attitude among staff
- Train XXX to handle Asst PD (and XXX) to handle Music responsibilities

2. TO SHARE WITH THE AIR STAFF
Goals:
- Focus all talent with regular one on one aircheck sessions (Full & Part-time)
- Concentrate on Morning show:
- Continue thinking "out of the box"
- Focus, focus, focus
- Get "XXX" (YOU KNOW WHO!) more "in the game" (or explore options)
- Keep "high profile" in media (Goal: at least 1 media coverage event monthly)

- Build Afternoon show profile:
- Take the show out on the streets occasionally
- Become more "listener driven"
- More "stunts" to get people talking

- Have all personalities know, understand and sign job descriptions
- Airstaff meeting at least 1x monthly

3. BUDGETS/BONUSES
Goals:
- Review budget projections for possible areas of savings
- Develop personality bonus structure

4. PROMOTIONAL FORECASTING
Goals:
- Keep "ahead of the game" by advance planning
- Topical promotions:
Memorial Day, Flag Day, Canada Day, July 4th, etc
- Work with Promotions Dept. on Email/Social Network Attacks:
- Up to twice a month, then once a week, then daily with quality appointments
- Use viral ideas to build TSL (and maybe pick up a little more cume too!) through creative contesting
- Get Midday "at work" TSL/TSE up to at least X:XX through increased occasions
- Share Rating into the low X.0's (be realistic) by the end of 4th Qtr. looking towards an incredibly "hot" Summer as the lever (outline what it would take to do this in terms of AQH and Cume growth)
- Increase "In Your Face" marketing
- Work with promotions, consultant and researcher to develop the "Listener Advisory Board," online, etc - research projects

5. STAY FRESH
Goals:
- Use creative Promo and Liners to continue to position ourselves as fresh, creative and surprising
- Have the plan already in place for when the competition counters the position, use two and three stage thinking when developing any image campaign. Expect them to defend. Have contingencies ready.
- Check budgets for implementing the spring and fall campaign
- Keep sweepers Hip, Hot, Local, Topical, Fun, Self-Deprecating, Never Hype
- Stay focused on original strategy

6. SPECIAL PROGRAMMING
Goals:
- Continue to create exciting weekend programming (2 to 3 per month)
- Brainstorm to build daypart programming that is in synch with the strategy or replace dated elements (or whatever) with the normal format. Is special programming driving the audience you need to succeed?
- more produced on the air
- develop "reason to be there" events

7. CUME/TSL MATRIX
Goals:
- Develop CUME/TSL Matrix to track progress
- Cross reference with on-air/outside promotions to determine which were "hot buttons"

8. CONSULTANT VISITS
Goals:
- Schedule at least one visit to town by Jaye Albright or Mike O’Malley during 3rd Qtr.
- Discuss strategies to reach next level
- Include air staff in a meeting with (try to get one on one time with as much of the staff as possible)

9. BRAG
Goals:
- Let A&O know both when you need ideas and when you hit home runs
- Press releases to local media and the trades

A&O Country Roadmap 2010: 21.3% Of Country Listener Homes Have Only Cell Phones

A&O's annual "Country Roadmap 2010" tech and perceptual survey, tracking usage and content preference trends among listeners to Albright & O'Malley client stations, went into the field on January 26 and will continue through February 14. Already, more than 7,000 respondents from almost 100 radio stations all over the U.S. and Canada have completed the survey.

“Based on this partial sample, it appears that the format has positive momentum with 42% of our respondents saying they are listening more to their local country stations and only 7.9% thus far, saying they are listening less,” according to Michael O’Malley, who will report on the research at A&O's Pre-CRS client seminar in Nashville on Tuesday, February 23.

Last year more than 14,000 listeners in the US and Canada took part in our online poll with each participating station receiving breakouts from their listeners as well as listeners nationwide.

It appears that this year’s final sample will be even larger.

Albright & O'Malley Pre-CRS Client Seminar
Tuesday, February 23, 1-5pm
Nashville Downtown Library Auditorium, 615 Church Street, Downtown Nashville (a walkway to the library goes through the Bridge Bar and parking garage)
Open to non-clients in non-competitive situations by invitation only.
Sponsored by Lyric Street Records

"Like The Amazing Kreskin And Seth Godin Morphed Into One Guy!"

Yes, I did say that and I mean it.

If you come to A&O's Pre-CRS Seminar on Tuesday, February 23, you'll want to be in your seat right from the start.

Mentalist/former radio programmer Eric Samuels has been a high-profile player in Canadian radio for more than twenty-five years, recognized as one of the country's top broadcasters. He helped fashion the sound and focus of contemporary Canadian radio through his position as Senior Vice President of Programming for one of Canada’s largest national broadcast chains.

His presentation on how we and our listeners acquire our perceptions and make decisions will be the talk of CRS. Don’t miss it. He will also be opening the ‘Hot Topic’ panel on Friday at the CRS as well, so while everyone at CRS is gasping in amazement, you can say you saw him first!

Albright & O'Malley Pre-CRS Client Seminar
Tuesday, February 23, 1-5pm
Nashville Downtown Library Auditorium, 615 Church Street, Downtown Nashville (a walkway to the library goes through the Bridge Bar and parking garage)
Sponsored by Lyric Street Records

Agenda:

1-1:20 - Tyler Dickerson Lyric Street Records artist
1:25 - 2:40 - Mentalist/former radio programmer Eric Samuels - Keynote on decision-making and perceptions
2:40-3;10 - Mike O'Malley - AO Country Roadmap national perceptual
3:15-3:55 - Daniel Anstandig - Interactive Media Action Plan
4:00-4:25 - Tripp Eldridge - Moments of Truth which grow or lose your listeners
4:30-5 pm - Jaye Albright/Phillip Beswick: Meet the Family 2010 Media Audit Country Qualitative

It's going to be well worth your time and attention! RSVP to Michael O'Malley or me, now.

A&O's Annual Pre-CRS Client Seminar

What a DAY to have chosen to send out the first press releases about Albright & O'Malley's February 23 (1 to 5 pm, just prior to the DJ Hall Of Fame banquet) annual client meetings!

Also in reporters' email boxes yesterday: news of the demise of ARB's Michael Skarzynski, 18 markets fail to get PPM MRC accreditation, Sarah Palin's announcement that she's contributing to Fox News. Whew!

When you send out news of a meeting that has been going on for as long as the A&O Pre-CRS Client Seminar, you pray for a slow news day as your only hope for ending up on page one of a trade magazine or two in spite of having "the best agenda ever."

Heck, "what could possibly happen?," I asked myself yesterday as I hit "send" on my release to the trade media.

Dixie Chicks are back in the studio? They chose yesterday to make the announcement?

So, it's just possible that you may have missed the first press on our client seminar. In the event you'd like to read a little "slow news," click here (pdf).

Conduct A Do-It-Yourself Programming Audit (Today!)

Free A&O/Conclave Webinar: Today, September 30, 2009 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM CDT

Getting your radio station ready for a ratings period a few times a year used to be so simple - a quick scan of a few points on a short checklist, and you were set. Yesterday's world of radio programming has evolved to a much more complicated universe of issues today, and the tasks that must be performed and constantly evaluated have multiplied considerably.

“Imagine evaluating your station as an auditor might, examining your product as a collection of assets and liabilities. Which ones are your most valued? What under-performers could you improve? What are liabilities? Become an expert Programming Auditor in just one hour!“ -- Michael O'Malley

How To Conduct A Programming Audit with Albright & O’Malley’s Michael O’Malley will help you form the right checklist to monitor and improve your station's programming operations on an ongoing basis. Click here to join us for this expansive discussion on how to keep your station constantly "in tune" with your audience and your staff!

A&O Pre-CRS Seminar '09 - At The Country Music Hall Of Fame

Jessica Andrews performed at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum and Rascal Flatts previewed their new video as the Albright & O'Malley Pre-CRS Seminar opened, cosponsored by Country Aircheck and Lyric Street.

Pictured (l-r) are Disney Music Group's Doug Howard, Greg McCarn and Randy Goodman, CA's Lon Helton, A&O's Mike O'Malley, Andrews, A&O's Jaye Albright, Disney's Kevin Herring and Carolwood's John Ettinger and Chris Palmer.

Keynoter Jeff Vidler (Angus Reid Strategies) urged the assembled programmers to pick the right target demo in their markets, know and reflect that target, build a bold and relevant brand, and hitch that brand to digital media, "What’s Next for Radio."

Changing demographics:
• Leading edge of baby boom out of 25-54; miniboom now moving into 25-54
• 25-54s will get more diverse – white, non-hispanic declines
• Growth will be in more urban counties; metropolitan counties younger as well
• Hispanic median age 27 (black 33-34, white 41)
• Older, white, rural vs. younger, diverse and urban
• Challenge: How can country remain true to roots and values yet appeal to younger, diverse, urban?

Internet changes
• Consumer is in control and know it
• Expects everything faster, better, cheaper
• Want what I want when I want it
• Increased expectation for material success, more women in the workforce balancing family and aging parents, increased commute time (148 hrs per year)

Explosion of choice
• Number of brands on shelves – 15,00 in 1991, 51,000 in 2001, 135,000 in 2011
• Ad messages per day – 1960- 1,5,00 by 2010 = 9,000
• Unlmited media fragementation – 175M Facebooks uers, 250M my space, 2.2 million Twitter, 27 million Xanga users
• 83 M visited youtube in Jan 2009, 34% more vidfeos watched than last year, 150,000 videos uploaded each day

New Audio Alternatives
• Young – mass media is spam controlled by someone else and a poor alternative
• Share of past week listeningto all forms of audio (online consumers):18-34 – use less than half of 55+ (27%/60%); 35-54 47%; 18-34 46% of all audio is to personal music”
• 18+ - about 50% radio indespensible/important
• Why: distribution advantage (esy, convenient free) 40%; exclusive content 30%, non-exclusive conent 20$=%
• 18-34 place most value on easy/convenient/free

Recession Is the mother of Innovation

Format Core Brand Values:
CHR – young, in touch with trends
Country – down to earth, comfortable with self, family important
Rock – renegade party
Alternative – open-minded, discovery
Soft AF – refined, loving, being content

Richard Harshaw/Monopolize Your Marketplace

Record incentives aren’t helping sell cars: “What convinces is conviction” – Lyndon Johnson (no amount of logic will change a conviction)

Hyundai – up 14% in January (assurance program); Ford down 47%

Find out what’s really important in your products, i.e. "If you lose your job, we'll take the car back, no questions asked."

Confidence gap – increased knowledge/competition, choice/information, longer buying cycles, prducts are commodities, identical marketing messages

Inside reality vs. outside reality
What’s your inside reality for your station as it relates to advertiser relationship?

Outside perception – how people thing about you (no matter how good your inside reality is, the outside perception will drive the business)

Typical relationship is transactional: client gets exposure in exchange for dollars
You deliver ratings, offer a certain value – it is what it is
Sales staff is full of sales people (not necessarily marketing people)

Advertisers frustrations: they have budgets, but they don’t know much about advertising
Symptoms – they let ad reps write their ads for them
Continue to spend money on things that don’t work
They become skeptical of all new ad opportunities
Now scared because of recession

Outside perception – aad sales jobs often, wll do anything to get sale, try to sping numbers and cut prices in hopes of getting any sale

Three steps to Powerful Marketing
Have something good to say
Say it well
Saying it often

Have something good to say – your marketing job will be eaiser if you innovate your business
Become Fountain of knowledge:for customers – they need customers
What business are you really in – helping clients maximize their advertising opportunities

Psychology of persuasion
Repricocity (if I do something for you, you’d do something for me)
Consistency
Social proof
Scarcity
Liking (more likely to do business with people I like)
Authority (are they really an authority on the subject)

Become a beacon of light in hazy world of advertising; helping them make best choice of budgets, offer bonafide marketing advie and solutions; you have to be willing to lose sometimes

Be liked, authority, reciprocity – all weapons of influence

How to help… become fountain of all knowledge for client
Evaluate marketing messages
Weekly emails with marketing ideas
Monthly mailers/CDs (may be online, but you hand it to you)
Monthly tele-seminar
Website to download information
Live training seminars (put on seminar for clients)
Most ad reps have hand out for money – you hand out material)

Make sure your sales reps "have," so they can give

GARY MARINCE VP/Programming and Services Development

Radio gets better TSL by minimizing tune-outs
To increase your ratings, build a bigger hour
When marketing is high and station has high AQH quarter-hours, we need to keep these hour CLEAN
Highest numbers are often hours with most music
Strategic placement of spots is important – when commercials air, stations lose 20% of QH audience
Keep spots out of strongest quarter hours.

Find out what QHRs are strongest, and keep them clean; puts spots in the softest QHRs (lose 20% of listeners in a QHR that has fewer QHRs to begin with).

The biggest market quarter hours (most AQH persons) – keep ultra clean – minimal (or no) commercials, no promotional announcements, etc.

WYCD – national cume ratings leader for the country format. What do they do?
Highest cume rating – lowest number of titles (tight library)
Minutes in music – cume leader has most
Smallest minutes in mic time – cume leader keeps more audience from tuning away during non-music times
2 stop sets, lowest commercial load limit

Super Heavy User Quintiles: Heaviest users don’t listen at the same times/have a pattern. What have you done for them today?

Accountability – poor talent breaks can cause severe audience erosion; it’s all about the talent presentation/content and the expectations people have of the station

PP1s are even more critical in PPM – fewer number of meters

Voice-tracked do not appear to be penalized; ‘best of’ shows are penalized

Tommy Kramer coaching tips

• Question: What’s your goal a year from now? Answer: I’ll help you.
• Cultivate an environment where you can foster/nurture talent.
• Talent will keep doing the same thing until you show them it’s irrelevant
• Be the moon, reflect back to listeners what he/she care about with your observations and opinions makes you relevant
• You’ll become closer to listeners when you exchange opinions, share feelings
• For reticent talent: play worst break and ask them if that’s what they want to be known for? Do it quietly/one-on-one.
• Unique: where you only say what only you would say
• Find a way to put things on the air that are unique to you.
• With focus (on your listener) comes depth, and with depth comes vocabulary.
• Radio is about words and emotions.
• How to stand out: say things that are unique to you that you and your listeners have on their minds. (is it real, relevant, emotional AND interesting).
• Every meaningful relationship starts with things you have in common.
• Show prep is easy – just keep your eyes open (digital recorder for thoughts; flip camera; cell phone)
• If you’re only doing audio, you’re a dinosaur; all dinosaurs did top become oil was stand still
• The camera angle you use determines how you’ll tell the story.
• The first place you can get out, get out.
• We’re not DJs. We’re voice actors; jocks try too hard.
• How to be great – guaranteed – 5 things (Weigh yourself not against other DJs, but everything vying for listeners’ attention; your promos compete against Hollywood trailers.)
a. Say things once, well. No summing up. Say station first, say something worth hearing; shut up.
b. Getting to the point quickly is the name of the game.
c. Forget about your voice; big voices are less effective because it’s about real; big voices sound angry or tired.
d. Let go of caring how you’re perceived. Egos are the enemy of performance (except for Rush Limbaugh who is intentionally set up to be this).
e. Picture your listeners’ lives, then work back to the control room, then reflect it back featured through your opinions.

Click here to read Country Aircheck's recap of CRS events yesterday including quotes from A&O's Pre-CRS seminar. Thanks again to the Country Music Hall Of Fame for again hosting our event!

Tommy Kramer Added To A&O Pre-CRS Seminar

Kramer will take attendees into "The Coach's Studio." This session idea was actually suggested by Dial Global personality Lia Knight who will introduce Tommy by sharing a bit her feelings when she first decided to accept coaching and about what a big difference having an objective, knowledgeable pro work with her to improve her content and approach has made to her personally and professionally.

Tommy Kramer has spent over 35 years in radio as an on-air talent, Programmer, and Talent Coach, and has worked with over 200 stations in all formats, specializing in coaching morning team shows. He was elected to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2003. He’ll share insights into gaining the trust of an air personality and techniques for helping them improve their air work and as a result their ratings.

Admission is free, but you must have an invitation. RSVP now.

Monopolize Your Marketplace

Best-selling author Rich Harshaw and Joshua Ramsey say in today's ultra-competitive world, just being aggressive won't cut it. You've got to rethink your whole approach to marketing and become a company that can help prospects understand their options and become their advocate.

"The problem is that nobody understands how to craft an advertisement that gets noticed, gets heard, and gets responded to." -- Richard Hawshaw

At A&O's 2009 Pre-CRS Seminar, you'll learn exactly how to do this. There are 4 formulas for making your business more valuable to the marketplace so that when you write your ads, you have something worth listening to. You'll leave the Country Music Hall Of Fame on March 3, knowing them.

Admission is free and all A&O clients as well as anyone who works in radio in non-competitive situations with our clients is welcome. RSVP by emailing Mike O'Malley or Jaye Albright.

A&O Pre-CRS Seminar '09 - At The Country Music Hall Of Fame

It has become a twenty-year tradition for A&O clients and friends, some of whom have been attending the "Pre-CRS Seminar" just before the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville for learning, research presentations, dialog on growing Country Music Radio, while sharing new music by emerging artists we're excited about since 1988.

Again this year A&O has reserved The Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall Of Fame on March 3, 2009 from Noon to 5 pm. Be watching in early January for news of our agenda and your chance to RSVP. For now, all you need to do is put the date on your calendar and plan to arrive in Nashville for the 40th Annual Country Radio Seminar and DJ/Radio Hall Of Fame dinner before noon on Tuesday, March 3. It will be an afternoon well spent.

Love That Frog (Happy 15th Birthday Froggy .. A Brand That Has Endured)

15 years ago, I helped construct a brand relaunch for KVOX, Fargo and thanks to a wonderful group of winners (many of whom are still there, still reinventing their product and keeping it fresh and on top!), Froggy remains the market's top radio station. (click to read the article on the latest ARB: ‘Bob’ doesn’t lure ‘Froggy’ listeners)

There was a time when the previous owners had both of the market's country stations and I was moved to (the now-defunct) K-102 and I gave Froggy to Michael O'Malley to handle in order to keep both stations' competitive edge. That has proved to be a partnership which has also endured, I am very proud to say.

Congrats, happy anniversary and my ongoing admiration to Froggy, doing it right every day for 15 years now!

The De-Idolizing (and AO-CRSization) of Phil Stacey

A & O's Annual Pre-CRS Seminar, Tuesday, March 4, 2008's special guest performer got a rave review for his performance yesterday at WUSN, Chicago.

You are cordially invited to our meeting if you are an A & O client or work at a station not in a competitive situation with us.

BUT, you must RSVP to receive an invitation. Email Jaye@albrightandomalley.com or Mike@albrightandomalley.com to get one.

A&O's Annual Pre-CRS Seminar, Tuesday, March 4, 2008

The event will be at the Country Hall Of Fame's Ford Theater, from 2:00 to 5:30 pm. So, If you are coming to CRS-08, be sure to arrive Tuesday before noon.

Keynote Speaker: Bill Black, Director, U.S. Store Marketing at Starbucks Coffee Company (officed in Atlanta).

Special Guest: Lyric Street artist, American Idol finalist Phil Stacey

A&O will update our "Roadmap '08" national country radio listener perceptual tracking study.

More info to come, soon! Admission is free, by invitation only. All A&O clients are invited of course. If you're not a client and would like an invitation, email Mike or Jaye.

Mike O'Malley Teaches Storytelling At MSBC

Michael will be at the Morning Show Boot Camp in Chicago through out the convention, so if you will be there too be sure to call his cell phone (732-937-5757) so you can spend some face time after his Thursday "Becoming A Master Storyteller" session.