If Radio Changed Would Anyone Hear It?

“If radio featured significantly less advertising, would that keep listeners away from their CD’s and iPods and satellite radios and TV’s and video games? Indeed, would that make the radio industry a healthier one?” – Mark Ramsey, Mercury Radio Research.

These days, after more than 5 minutes of broadcast radio, I need to turn it off or leave the room. It’s not just the commercials, or the decade-old play lists, or the insipid banter between “personalities” (NPR included), it’s also the lack of control (pause, skip, etc).

I was reminded yesterday of Flato – a coupon radio program (now with podcasts!). It’s an entertaining listen if you’re driving near Milwaukee. Back when we made that drive more frequently, there was a stickie note inside the dashboard with Flato’s frequency on it.

Radio needs to stop acting like it’s in competition – for ad dollars or community entertainment – with any of the media forms on Mark’s list. Radio needs to start being interesting. Hopefully before we all forget what broadcast radio is.

RELATED:
The payola investigation was successful:

“Under the pending agreement — reported yesterday by the Associated Press and confirmed by Adelstein — Entercom Communications will pay $4 million in fines, followed by Clear Channel Communications ($3.5 million), CBS Radio ($3 million) and Citadel Broadcasting ($2 million). Adelstein said he expected a majority of the commissioners to approve the settlement this week.” – Charles Babington, Washington Post

2 Things

  1. First, a reminder – that when you sit down to do something, and focus on it the results are impressive.
    A little back story – this last week all I did was add things to the To Do index card stack. Rarely, did I have the celebratory crumple-up-and-toss-in-the-recycling-bin. Today, I cranked through a bunch of them and even made fairly dramatic headway on a problem that’s been taunting me for at least a month.
  2. Secondly, there’s still quite a bit of work to be done in RSS reading/aggregation land. There are too many identical offerings and none of seem attractive enough to migrate my 300+ feeds too. Something’s missing. I’m on a hunt to find it. Any thoughts?

Later:

“I think the problem with browser-based RSS software is that the people who write the apps aren’t news junkies. If they were, they could, with much less effort, create something far more powerful and far more usable.” – Dave Winer

Sunday, March 4, 2007 7:45:31 PM

Just got word a good friend is now home from the hospital after being victim of a car-v-person hit-and-run. The damage: two broken legs – one expected to heal in 3 weeks, the other in 3 months. If you’ve got some good vibes, perhaps you could send them towards Chicago’s north side. Thanks.

Starbucks Tomorrow: McDonalds or Neighborhood Roaster?

When I’m on the road, Starbucks is where I get my internet access.

My taste for their coffee has gone from dislike to barely tolerable. These days, I spend $1.57 there on a small decaf that I sip for my 2 hours of laptop battery life.

“Put another way, there are two markets for coffee drinkers: those who love coffee, and everyone else. Can Starbucks really continue to try to serve both” – Peter Meehan

That’s the question. Doc says they should go back to their roots.


4) Give your employees better training around what makes great espressos and cappuchinos. (Lattes are too milked-down to serve as a reference point.) Don’t hire them if they don’t grok the basics.

5) Get more involved in local communities. Peets puts on workshops that educate customers on great coffee drinks. That’s a good model. Do the same.