Charlie Cook On Air: Radio Losing A Connection?

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CCook-onair-sm11There are now scores of entertainment vehicles trying to get between radio and the consumer. Radio has always been one of the most personal forms of communication. As a disc jockey I was taught that I was talking to thousands of listeners one at a time. Anyone who has been on the air knows the impact they can have on listeners. Services like Pandora, Spotify and even Facebook and Twitter are all great ways to entertain and communicate with friends. Most “social” Americans visit these sites every day. I check in on Facebook throughout the day to see what the stations I work with are doing in this space, but I also look in on friends and family to keep up to date.
The good news about Facebook and Twitter of course is that this can compliment listening if stations engage listeners correctly. I see too many jocks post throughout the day with no regard to recycling the listener to the station. Personally, Facebook is a great way to “broadcast” events in your life to your 1000 “friends.” Not sure why it’s used to pontificate about politics and cats rolling around the house, but a billion people can’t be wrong. Twitter is the narcissist best friend. Think back to when you were a kid and told your teacher everything you were thinking. It is about 8th grade when you realize they really couldn’t care less about 80% of the time. Twitter is for the 20%. I am guilty of this too. I use Foursquare to post on Facebook and Twitter. As I write this it has dawned on me that no one cares that I go to the gym. No one cares that I am sitting in an airport, unless they want me to move my carry-on so they can get a seat too. Spotify sends me a note when a registered friend of mine builds a playlist or joins. This I like. It is similar to radio a little. My friend likes KIIS-FM and I like my friend so I might also like KIIS-FM.
I say all of this because I am afraid that radio is losing its place as somewhere to gather socially. We know that radio is still the number one source for new music discovery. We know that, of all the above referenced social interactions, radio is still the most used. I just wonder if we are doing a good enough job reaching out to listening and bringing them into the camp.
Has radio lost its way and heading back to network radio? Just this week Clear Channel announced a national morning show to air on its Country stations from coast to coast. So now they are offering a morning show, an afternoon show (Big D and Bubba) and evening and overnight shows with Blair Garner. That leaves middays, never the most interactive daypart. Many midday shows have become the equivalent to Pandora. How are these national shows going to interact locally with listeners on Facebook? I know that CCME is sophisticated enough to provide opportunities to “be local,” but it is still not the same as being local.
I am sure this new morning show is going to be entertaining. I am sure, over a period of time, this show is going to do great in individual markets. I wish it all the success in the world. I have absolutely no problem with it. I just wonder if we are losing the connection to the person that calls the station and wants to talk to the jock on the air. Just talk.
 
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)
 
 

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