Radio Twit Bloggers

Flock is dead... http://flock.com

2011-04-30T21:41:00.446-04:00

Flock is dead... http://flock.com

Then the question would be why have the record com...

2010-02-28T15:27:07.482-05:00

Then the question would be why have the record companies spent years trying to get the radio stations to play their music. They have entire departments devoted just to this. Understand that I am a musician... and I believe that if I were to have my music played on the radio, it is promotion which would hopefully send people to either buy my music, concert tickets, or merchandise.

"The music industry needs to learn to embrace...

2010-02-28T06:52:13.804-05:00

"The music industry needs to learn to embrace new platforms, not just decide to stick with the old ways of doing business."

Why doesn't anyone see this statement as something that could be said of radio stations too? Just because they've always played music without paying the artists for the performance doesn't mean it should always be that way.

Even though there is a lot of money at stake here, this really isn't a money issue. It's a copyright law issue. There's a loophole in the Copyright Act of 1909 that doesn't protect the rights of artists with respect to their recorded material being broadcast over the air for the radio station's financial gain because the broadcast industry didn't exist when that Act became law. That loophole needs to be closed, giving musicians the right to decide how they're music is used and compensating them for it's use over terrestrial radio air waves.

For additional information about what the Performance Rights Act really is, please check out http://www.musicFIRSTcoalition.org. Thanks!

There's such an abundance of anecdotal evidenc...

2010-01-25T20:08:16.506-05:00

There's such an abundance of anecdotal evidence supporting the wisdom of ramping up advertising during an economic slowdown, it's a course of action that a thoughtful and well-trained advertising/marketing advisor should not hesitate to make--in most cases. (I have to qualify that last part, because it seems there's always an exception...somewhere.) All other factors being equal, a marketer interested in capturing a larger share will have an easier time of it when his competitors have scaled back and he increases his investment. The reasoning, substantiated by decades of case studies, is that when the economy rebounds and his competitors re-enter the marketplace, they find it's not so easy to recapture the share they relinquished.

Thanks for the encouraging post, Blaine - and for your brilliant insights elsewhere on Strike Force Advertising. (Needless to say, I'm a fan!)

P.S. You know, it would be interesting to poll the members of RSC on this point, to see how many would be willing to share similar success stories from their own markets...

That is really scary stuff. Like I said, I never ...

2009-10-17T23:20:17.459-04:00

That is really scary stuff. Like I said, I never had a "personal" stalker, but many of my friends in radio have. I've actually had to play bodyguard to a couple of my female radio friends at appearances.

I was doing Swing at CJAY-92 in Calgary. A guy na...

2009-10-17T15:57:37.252-04:00

I was doing Swing at CJAY-92 in Calgary. A guy named Gord insisted that I was Robin from Country 105...

He'd been locked up or something, for awhile...when he got out, he'd phone the contest line and tell me that he knew it was Robin, that'd I'd changed my name and changed stations, but he knew it was me...

Ask Robin, she will verify this.

He sent me an 8 page letter with instructions to not wear my wedding gown to the J.P. because it was going to be a small affair. He sent me flowers that said, "Congratulations on our new baby". He would phone the other jocks and ask them to get my ring size for him.

A restaurant - I think it was Coconut Joe's? They called the request line one Saturday afternoon, asking when I was going to come and pay the bill because my "husband" was there and had run up a bill. I told them to call the cops. Gord called from the cop shop and was crying to me, "Colleen, why are you doing this? We're getting married?"

It was pretty scary, but it was in '91, before anyone took this kind of stuff seriously. I did have the security guards on broadcast hill drive me home a couple of times, though...

EEASH!

Nice post, Blaine. We read about or recall from p...

2009-10-08T16:20:49.756-04:00

Nice post, Blaine. We read about or recall from personal experience the great campaigns of BBDO, Bernbach, Ogilvy, and myriad others from the Golden Age of Advertising, and they bring a smile, provide a bit of inspiration, possibly even inform work we're doing at the moment. But while we marvel at the result, we tend to forget the back story - the creative process, the conversations, think time, testing, and so forth that produced the commercials and campaigns we admire.

Your post provides a great service, reminding us to dig a little deeper, think a little longer, take as much time as may be needed (within the limits imposed upon us) to get it right. Not merely acceptible, but the best we can make it.

Would love to hear your Lasik doc spots!

Best,

Rod

Rod-- I only hope there are more of you out there...

2009-09-10T17:48:03.608-04:00

Rod--

I only hope there are more of you out there. Keep 'em flying. No, wait. more importantly, keep 'em raising the bar.

bp

Blaine, Don't disagree with your premise at a...

2009-09-10T15:25:12.082-04:00

Blaine,

Don't disagree with your premise at all. But there are pockets of hope throughout the radio landscape, both within and outside of our industry. These exceptions may not disprove the rule, but at least they're a breath of fresh air - and a glimmer of hope that the real "disease" might yet catch on.

Those of us committed to raising the bar are challenged first to set an example in our own work; it's easier to say this than to practice it consistently in the face of conflicting demands on one's time. (Reminds me of a Winston Churchill quote that an old sales trainer was fond of using: "Sometimes it is not enough to do our best. Sometimes we must do what is required.")

So, we attempt to get it right ourselves, example being a powerful influence, and we take advantage of the opportunities presented to us to encourage, instruct, and inspire others to do likewise.

Onward and upward...

Hi Dan... Looking forward to reading your posts. ...

2009-09-08T19:18:40.521-04:00

Hi Dan... Looking forward to reading your posts. I don't know much about Christian Radio, but I'm certainly familiar with the advertising side.

Oooh Oooh Can I request a song? "The Imperial March" also known as Darth Vader's Theme.

Hey, Charlie - Looking forward to seeing this sit...

2009-09-05T03:58:43.956-04:00

Hey, Charlie -

Looking forward to seeing this site develop!

Thanks - and congratulations!

-Rod