Carnegie Observation
RBR like others reported on Clear Channel’s spin on putting more Non-Local programming on their stations. Let’s not forget the slide-in of more PSAs to CYA and brand this as local community involvement or what the FCC calls – LOCALISM.
One of these days the FCC is gonna wakeup and nail your sorry Tush right in Da Butt. Then everyone in radio will pay the price. But this is for another observation.
Let’s get real here on talent. Tell me talent can not be found? Bull. What about the 2,000 people CC fired a few months back? You cannot tell me that those people did not have talent.
No upper management at CC speaks to RBR for us to ask real radio business questions. It is no secret that CC only talks through their Clear Channel-owned trade publication “Inside Radio” or a few others that try to write the facts and truth but fumble all over the place because they simply Do Not have the intestinal fortitude to be stand up.
RBR has to hear from PR people who have been given the task of explaining how great this move is. CC reacted to RBR’s headline on Wednesday’s – PM Report – “Clear Channel adding syndicated programming in local markets” For an hour a PR person discussed how great this move is. Well this kick back PD did not buy it and a long history lesson was given.
No matter what spin anyone puts on this, to anyone in radio with 3 months of experience knows syndication when they hear it or see it.
Now if CC gives the PD the option of letting go a poor non-performing talent for syndication to fill a void, fine. But CC – if you let that PD retain the salary of that fired talent to REINVEST into other areas of the station or cluster like news, marketing and little research to bolster that cluster, then this is an excellent business decision. It’s called common sense.
But what the radio business has witnessed over the past 10 years and your company (and some others) is all about cost-cutting and bottom line. That is the main reason the radio business is in the tank.
Any hopes that the new owners of Clear Channel would be enlightened enough to understand that they need to invest for the future and reinvigorate the company’s local businesses have vanished as we’ve watched their actions. They’ve fired bean growers and hired bean counters. Now they’ve moved to reduce the local content of businesses whose primary strength is their local identity.
I am not singling out CC, this applies to many groups. And guess what? The old saying applies – What runs downhill?
Well, if you are a vendor, a business that has services etc. to sell to radio, then you too are at the bottom of the food chain because of cost-cutting. This not only applies to Clear Channel, but many groups.
So if these groups cut, they do not need you or your services.
Stop and Look in the MIRROR – These groups put you out of business. In short this will put many out of business and when the CEO’s wake up and have the Wind of Naples in their face, it will be too late.
Wake up! It is not too late to reinvent our medium called radio.
Related Reports follow the pattern:
4/20/09 – Clear Channel waxes Congress
4/20/09 – Early peek at Clear Channel’s numbers
4/17/09 – The Clear Channel mirror
4/16/-09 – CC Radio: Less local programming = more local PSAs
4/16/09 – Clear Channel putting more Non-Local programming on stations
4/14/09 – Clear Channel adding syndicated programming in local markets
(source: Jim Carnegie, Publisher of RBR and TVBR. [email protected] )
Ps: Any reader can make comments below in the comment section.
