XM's formula

[Bob Olhsson]

Some food for thought:

http://mfile.akamai.com/20469/wmv/xmradio.download.akamai.com/20469/leesBlog/LeeHIGH.asx


http://mfile.akamai.com/20469/wmv/xmradio.download.akamai.com/20469/leesBlog/LeeLOW.asx

[G. Hoffman]

Very interesting. What he is talking about is not without merit, but it is lacking in one major component. Great radio is LOCAL radio. What I hear on my great radio station here in Minneapolis (and we have a great radio station in Minneapolis, see my sig line) should not be the same as great radio in New York City, which should not be the same as Eugene, Oregon. Great radio can cater to local artists, venues, and tastes in a way that a national service simply can not do. That is the big problem I see, and I don't know how they can get around that one.


Gabriel

[jerryskid]

I agree, Gabe...radio is local...and always will be..my program director here at the station says that he doesn't care if nothing else plays right...make sure the news and weather are right because that's what people turn the radio on for.....















oh and I make sure the ads are right too cause that's where my paycheck comes from.......

[Bob Olhsson]

Most of America no longer has great local radio and too many towns have no local radio at all. Lee's the guy who took FM from being a hippie experiment to a real album-oriented alternative to top 40.

Apart from radio, his audience analysis is very interesting and a lot of it rings true today. I think it's a great place to start thinking from.

I think that most of the difference between the older and younger "culturally unsophisticated" crowd is their experience of live music. Many of the "culturally sophisticated" are indeed unengaged folks who identify with music rather than getting off on it.

[Meriphew]

Seattle is lucky to have KEXP. They're quite the powerhouse radio station, yet they still cater to the local scene.

[G. Hoffman]

Apart from radio, his audience analysis is very interesting and a lot of it rings true today. I think it's a great place to start thinking from.



Oh, I agree completely. I think his thinking is right on, and if I were to loose The Current, I would probably have to seriously think about getting XM. To be frank, I had completely given up on the radio before The Current started up, but now that I've gotten used to truely great radio it would be very hard for me not to have it. But I would miss the local aspect a great deal. And I'm not just talking about the news and weather. We get at least one local artist in every hour (frequently more), and a huge number of really great interviews with local artists as well. I'm well aware of how bad the radio landscape is these days. I wish everyone could have the kind of radio we get here these days. It is a real privilage.

(One of the funniest parts of The Current, at least to me, has been Clear Channel's response to it. They have reduced the number of comercials on all of their stations by about 15%, and they reformated one station with a realitivly unpredictable playlist. Neither one seems to have helped, as all indications are that they are loosing listeners to The Current in droves.)


Gabriel

[Bob Olhsson]

What they can't compete with is personalities. Big corporations can't handle the fact that star power will always trump money in show business.

[G. Hoffman]

What they can't compete with is personalities. Big corporations can't handle the fact that star power will always trump money in show business.


That's certainly part of it. There is more to it than that. Part of it is music which is locally programed, and which is programed by the DJ. You can always tell when the DJ actually likes the music they are playing, and they can respond to the mood and preferences of the local listeners. There is also the real diversity you get when the DJ can put up litterally ANYTHING, at any time. When the number of songs on the potential playlist is a six or seven figure number, you always have the chance to discover something new which is really fantastic.


Gabriel

[Bob Olhsson]

The nice thing about old top-40 was that it was multi-genre and reflected what people actually bought.

In my experience there are very few jocks who can pull off compelling multi-genre radio without putting a week's work into a couple-hour show. Playing what local people are buying in the stores is pretty hard to beat when combined with a jock who has lots of charisma.

Of course the mooks don't like charismatic jocks because they can auction their fans off to the highest bidder.