Why Do Any News?

• Satisfy “the friendlies.”  TV’s network morning shows make this their specialty.  Being cheerful, upbeat with great rapport is a must if you hope to compete with them.
• Welcome “the belongers.”  These listeners have very high family values and are sociable.  Make them feel welcome, a part of your family.
• Reassure the folks who tend have trouble coping with life.  Bring listeners together to tell their personal stories of hardship and work to help solve problems.  Social media is a great place to do this and then repurpose the most compelling stories in your on air news packages.
• Shake things up.  If the news becomes too warm and fuzzy, some men will find it boring.  Crime stories, special reports and interviews with law enforcement and victims on the edgy aspects of life can add important balance.
• Time management.  Keep it brief and fast moving.  Satisfy the people who want no-frills news.
• Tell the ongoing stories.  Don’t make every newscast identical.  Even if you get in early and pre-write every one, build in “fresh new facts” on an item from thirty minutes ago.  Make your information packages benchmarks for “the longer you listen, the more you know.”
• Weather and traffic ARE news.  Present them with the all of the above in mind.

"It's an exciting time to be in news.  It's not going away anytime soon, and I approach it every time I get in front of a computer as 'This is exciting. This is not old. This is not boring. ... And the more people involved, the better."  -- Drudge Report's Matt Drudge (on WTOP) via Don Anthony's Jockline Daily

Information is a must for any well-rounded radio station.  What makes it work (or not!) is consistently achieving the right balance of all logical and psychological needs of the listener.

Stunting For Fun And Profit

Horror of horrors!

• Ellen’s Oscar Selfie Was Part of a $20 Million Samsung Ad Buy With ABC!
• Clear Channel owns the outdoor company putting up those "go away Bobby Bones" posters!
• If you're going to claim you had nothing to do with the write-in campaign that elected you (!), I hope you make us proud and serve your term honorably 
• Pharrell Williams is "Happy" about his ten new tracks in iTunes, the ten million YouTube views of it and the ad Google runs before you get to watch it! (thanks Don Anthony for the links)
• Seems like even the venerable BBC is getting into the stunting for publicity game!

... and, like Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked!  Imagine that!  Broadcasters and entertainers making plans to profit from stunting!

Jaye's axiom of stunting:  the more you play with and deceive us, the more often you had better really entertain us too.

Ellen’s Oscar Selfie Was Part of a $20 Million Samsung Ad Buy With ABC

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Things That No Longer Work

Thanks to Don Anthony for another terrific issue of "Mouth" and to "iconic Minneapolis radio deity," Dave Ryan of Clear Channel's KDWB, who weighs in on things that may no longer work on the radio. Can you add to his list?

"A couple months ago, I wrote an article for this fine publication about the things in radio that just don't really ever change. We talked about how there's at least one male whore on every air staff. (Usually the night guy) I mentioned how engineers tend to be some of the oddest people in the building. And how there's one person on every staff that you aren't quite sure exactly what they do. These are constants in the radio business." 

Later, at the urging of a friend, Ryan decided to make a list of what he thought no longer works on the radio:

• "Stunt boys: Years ago, everyone had a "Goat Boy" who went out and got attacked by a police dog or went cliff-diving ... all for giggles. We don't do that anymore, because I really think it belongs to another era of radio. Today, listeners want to hear the star of the show ride a bull, get hit by a stun gun or have a finger cut off. Even the idea of saying, "Here's Xtreme Jamie out on the street, ready to get dragged behind a car" makes me cringe a little. It was incredibly fun radio back then, but just like Tom Green, it's time has passed."
  
• "Endless Entertainment reports: Yes, we still do entertainment news every day. But we don't talk about everything under the sun ...We don't spend a lot of time on the Kardashians. Why? Two reasons: One, everyone else in the market is talking about that stuff. Someone once told me, "If all the restaurants on your street are selling steak, sell chicken." Offer your audience something different. "But Dave," you cry, "Our consultant tells us we have to talk endlessly about 'Biggest Loser.'" I know that. Cover it occasionally. But here's a question: "America's Got Talent" is a huge show. Tell me how much time they spend every week discussing the Kardashians or 'American Idol'? Of course it's none. Zero. Zip. The show is interesting on it's own. But take the argument some consultants make and apply it to "America's Got Talent" and by his estimation, it should be getting slaughtered in the ratings for not doing entertainment reports. Speaking of which, my second point is, make your show interesting enough with characters, plots, storylines and storytelling, that you don't need to rely on Hollywood gossip to fill up your four hours."
• Double time checks: I put this in almost as a joke. Years ago, a consultant listened to our show and his only feedback? Do double time checks. Yep. "It's seven Oh five, five minutes past seven." Today, I'm not even sure time checks are necessary. Everyone has a cell phone in their hand or in their pocket. Turn it on and BOOM, there's the time. I still do them, probably more out of habit than anything else, but I'm not sure we need them. Same with weather forecasts. They can't hurt really, but it's there on everyone's cell phone.
• Music beds: I think this is one of those things radio came up with 20 years ago and never really explained why they needed to exist. I used to have a zillion carts (remember them?) with music beds on a big giant rotating rack. Talk to callers? Use a music bed. Put a winner on the air? Use another one. Be very quiet and listen right now. Is there a music bed playing in the background of your life? When Oprah talked to Paris Jackson, was there a cool hip-hop instrumental in the background? Randy Lane told me one of the most compelling sounds on the radio can be that second or two of silence while someone is thinking and we're all wondering what they're going to say. A music bed can only take away from that.

Tomorrow, in Pt. 4, he addresses 'Characters and Being Cool.'

When I Read It, I Said "I Need To Blog This"

Don Anthony's daily "Morning Mouth" is always laden with ideas and inspiration, and I know that some of the best morning talent in the nation are addicted to it.

BUT, does ownership and programming management read it or even know about it? I'd bet that the best ones do, but in case not, I want to turn up my amplifier to echo a great post this morning: "It's The Talent, Stupid."

"Having a chance to speak with John McConnell and David Katz, a couple of guys behind some of the biggest names and careers in radio, we thought we'd pick their minds on questions several of today's personalities would like to know: What Kind of Talent Gets Your Attention Quickest? "People who have the "it" factor," says McConnell. "You know when you meet and talk to them that they have the ability to be very successful in their pursuit." Adds Katz: " With a radio personality, ..the person that simply jumps off the 'radio screen' if you will. And sadly, that happens quite rarely." What Does It Take To Be a National Star? "Patience," says Katz. "A ridiculous amount of hard work, and an ego...and someone who can check that ego at the door. Everybody wants to go national, but few people have the patience to take the necessary steps. And that patience means competing and succeeding in one market, or a few markets, first. Those talents who are willing to be directed and guided will have a far better chance at succeeding nationally, than those who don't." McConnell adds, "It takes guts and very hard work. I've auditioned any number of TV superstars who haven't scored in radio because they didn't have the wherewithal to do the work. How Will Talent's Role Evolve in Radio's Future? McConnell says "Broadcasters and producers, based on the 8 or so new distribution options available to any single talent, clearly will look at performers with an eye on "what else they can do." But realistically, great talent will only achieve a lot of success in one, sometimes in two, but only a handful have done it 3 or more distributions. When you attempt to push talent across too many venues, it can lessen their value, not enhance it. For example, using a producer to tweet incessantly on a morning host's comings and goings is not effective. Using facebook to run promotions just pisses off users of the space." Katz says " As a 'recovering' talent agent, I am a believer it will always be about the talent. Regardless of what medium we're talking about: radio, internet, TV, film, other...And, I'm also a believer in you never know where the next talent comes from. I overheard Mel Karmazin once tell Don Buchwald that he can own all the 'hardware' in the business, but if he didn't have the 'software' to go with it, the hardware would be less valuable. That software, of course, is talent. ..Thus, talent's role will and/or should always be of the utmost importance. I only wish more executives, particularly in the radio medium, didn't fear talent, or try to diminish them. TV, Film, Theatre, all understand the importance of talent and celebrate them, and champion them."

"I Don’t Think You Can Trick The People Meter"

“The jury is still out, but all these tips and tricks scare me a little bit. Instead of manipulating the listeners into listening, but annoying them at the same time, isn’t it better to consistently entertain, so they’ll come back without trickery? Just a thought.” -- Dave Ryan, in August Morning Mouth