NEW BLOG POSTS COMING

It has been a minute since I've posted a new blog but that's only because some of my other projects have been taking priority in my life. And even though I've been preoccupied with some other things I have still been keeping notes on topics I want to blog about.

If you continue to check back here are a few posts you will enjoy:

Research and Development ~ even in a rough economy you still have to figure out what your customers (listeners) want

Tools of the Trade II ~ how important good are headphones?

Working For Free ~ You are always auditioning in this business

The Matrix ~ how radio is caught up in the record company's system

Insanity ~ is radio driving its employees, advertisers and listeners crazy by doing the same thing over and over?

What's The Criteria ~ what is the criteria for giving a song some air play?

As you can see there is a lot to discuss so please check back often. In the mean time please review some of my previous post I'm sure you'll find something interesting or helpful.

Lj

SHOW PREP

I'm always amazed when one of my personalities doesn't know how to show prep which means they don't have a clue on how to put together a simple show prep sheet. So here is a sample sheet and if you just fill it out with a little information, you'll be surprised at how much info you will have to talk about on your show.

I. CELEBRITY BIRTHDAY'S~ (example) Luther would have been 61 on today, Fri 4/20/12

II. CD RELEASE DATES~ (example) Tank "This Is How I Feel" (5/8/12)

III. LOCAL NEWS~ (example) Weather

IV: ENTERTAINMENT NEWS~ (example) Beyonce named People Magazine's World's Most Beautiful Women.

With just these five items and a little web searching, you'll have plenty of content for your show. But before you put together your sheet, make sure you know the target and focus of your radio station. Your PD may not want you to do Jeezy updates on an Urban AC station.

I'm also always amazed when my personalities ask me what sites to go to for this news and information. The best site for any artist information to me is Wikipedia. You want to know their real name, home town, date they were born and how many Grammy's they have won? Start with Wikipedia. Essence.com, EURWeb.com, and TheUrbanDaily.com are great for Black celebrity news and of course you can hit TMZ.com, MediaTakeOut.com, Bossip.com, TheYBF.com, Necolebitchie.com and Sandrarose.com for the latest gossip. Billboard.biz is another great site for artists news as well as music chart positions including digital sales.

All of this is just the basic info needed to begin show prepping. I suggest you get with your PD for his or her opinion before you begin. There are more tricks to the trade, these are just some of mine.

Lj

NTR (NON-TRADITIONAL REVENUE)

With the economy still sluggish and advertising flat or only slightly increasing for most radio groups, NTR is quickly becoming a new sought after stream of revenue. There are all kinds of NTR events ranging from Expo's to theme cruises to annual anniversary concerts and some of these NTR events can generate up to one million dollars in revenue for a company.

There is one particular NTR event I think is appealing to any radio group and is attractive for more than just one or two reasons. This event appeals to all demos, sexes and races, can be executed across all formats and has multiple streams of revenue.

I'm talking about a Yard Sale/Garage Sale event idea. Where you have the opportunity to make money from multiple sources including early bird passes, entry fees, booth sales, commercial booth sales, title sponsors and other creative sponsorship opportunities like a performance stage sponsor, children's area sponsor and even a collection sponsor to collect any unwanted goods from vendors at the end of the event.

We executed this exact event in Birmingham last year (www.birminghambiggestyardsale.com) with over 300 vendors and 3000 listeners attending in the first year.

I can't say that every cluster will experience the same success with this event that we did in Birmingham, but I will say if your cluster is looking for a great event that you can execute across all the formats in your cluster that has multiple streams of revenue, then you owe it to yourself to at least discuss this one.

Lj

PANDORA, REALLY?

It amazes me how people taunt Pandora as better than radio, even going as far as to say it will replace radio. Before I get into Pandora, lets look back at all the inventions that were supposed to replace radio... eight tracks, cassette tapes, CDs, satellite radio, and mp3 players. Some of these inventions have come and gone and others have been around for years and have yet to replace traditional radio. You know why? Because radio is free and convenient. You just push a button or turn a knob and your radio is on. No opening, attaching, plugging in or paying.

Now back to Pandora which I think is just another fad and will fade off into the night like Black Planet, My Space and Blackberry. It's a new way to experience music but it's not as easy to use as radio. You pick your first song but Pandora picks the rest of the play list and some of the songs don't even fit or match, you're limited to the number of songs you can skip if you don't like a song Pandora chooses and it's not even commercial free.

Pandora won't last but the Internet will and the Internet is just another great source traditional radio can use to reach listeners. Radio isn't going anywhere and will only evolve with technology. And with that, not only are you able to listen to your favorite station through a traditional radio but now you can listen online and on even on your mobile device.

Lj