From a piece by consultant Holland Cooke in Inside Radio: "Earth to station owners: 'CHR FM' is now an oxymoron. Evidence: iPod Shuffle, smaller than a pack of gum, under $100.

"Baby Boomers were the last generation to grow up with a radio habit; so any format targeting their children is particularly hopeless. But make no mistake, new-tech adopters aren't just young...

"Music FMs of any flavor are utterly screwed. Listeners have become programmers, as do-it-yourself devices get cheaper, smaller, smarter, and talk-to-each-other... The enthusiasm of Sirius and XM early adopters has been conspicuous... But Sirius and XM aren't an issue, they're a symptom...


Broadcasters can still own News/Talk/Sports
"User-enabling digital technology emerged just as clumsily consolidated radio was self-inflicting draconian product compromises. When Napster came along, music FMS were cramming 18 commercial minutes into an hour. Chanting 'less is more' is more-than-a-little too-little-too-late. Bose already sells a handsome docking station that turns your iPod into an audiophile home stereo; and automakers have already introduced interfaces that let you shuffle through your 10,000 titles with buttons on the steering wheel.

"Which is why News/Talk/Sports is radio's last bastion. Ratings dash the notion that radio is losing to technology. Interep's Fall 2004 Radio Audience Format Share Analysis shows News/Talk -- still predominantly an AM band format -- reaching an all-time high. Programming content is the draw.

"Here's this entire article in one sentence: The less useful that programming content becomes when committed to digital memory, the more listeners will need live real-time local audio media to acquire that content.

"That traffic tangle up ahead, the quickly-changing weather forecast, the Red Sox game, and other content too perishable to store will continue to compel users to exit new-tech for AM/FM radio.

"Or did I speak too soon about that Red Sox game? After all, this is XM's debut season for Major League Baseball, 2500+ games available to every subscriber. With games available on both AM and XM, listeners don't need to leave AM to hear the game. Nor do they need to leave XM to hear the game. 'So then,' your consultant asks, in the Socratic way consultants ask, 'What else can either station offer the baseball listener?'

"XM can offer games previously unavailable in the market, and baseball junkies are in heaven. And satellite radio has lots more News/Talk/Sports content than AM radio has...


Give your listeners what satellite can't
"So what else can AM radio offer Red Sox fans? What programming content can we tout, in in-game promo avails, that is too perishable to survive digital memory?

"This isn't a trick question. Listeners in markets where my client station is the baseball station already know. If I could say one thing to that cume that might come to us only for baseball, that-one-thing is weather-tomorrow-morning...

"Not every fan may be a candidate for Dr. Laura; many might not even be near AM radio during Dr. Laura; and now, they can get Dr. Laura on XM. But when it rains, locally, right there, everyone, locally, right there, gets wet. So if we can imprint the message that we are 'your weather button,' we will create lots of what the Arbitron folks call 'diary entries.'..

"That's just an example, of how programming can respond to three undeniable realities:

"(1) New-tech isn't just here to stay, and isn't just eating our young. I see lots of 60-somethings listening to iPods. What we have permitted to be marginalized as 'terrestrial radio' is now playing defense. Music radio is mature at best; News/Talk/Sports radio has at least a fighting chance.

"(2) iPod and satellite radio can't help your local advertisers; and the customers your local advertisers want to meet most are busy people who spend lots of time in the car. Every time they get out of the car, they take money out of their pockets.

"(3) These are very busy people. Assume them to be 20 minutes late, and program and image your station accordingly. Information about anything that could block their path is radio's ace-in-the-hole content; pre-empting whatever else you could be telling them; and something iPod, Spongebob, Sirius, or XM can't tell them...


News/Sports/Talk on FM
"The under-told story about Sirius and XM isn't variety or commercial-free music, it's reception... satellite radio is available to all your TSA diarykeepers, and your AM isn't...

"While FMS are losing the music audience to new media -- satellite radio is offering more News/Talk/Sports programming than we can fit on AM radio. Defending music FMS siphons off resources that will yield greater ROI if redirected to News/Talk/Sports stations. But those AMs have signal issues, and a user base with demographic and gender problems.

"Accordingly, I urge owners of AM/FM clusters which include a News/Talk/Sports AM to drop an FM music format and simulcast the News/Talk/Sports AM. Instantly take that FM station's programming expense to the bottom line (ASCAP and BMI fees alone are onerous). Say good-bye to signal problems. Turn off the stereo light, and your FM will cover even more ground. Create more inventory, since having-two-sticks means fewer play-by-play pre-emptions as seasons overlap. Heck, take two teams' games! And tell all those fans where to get the weather tomorrow morning."

This article, by McVay Media News/Talk Specialist Holland Cooke, is from InsideRadio, and is available online here.

From Billboard Radio Monitor: "In a significant programming coup for XM Satellite Radio, former Infinity Broadcasting VP of adult top 40 Jon Zellner is joining the satcaster in the newly created position of senior VP of music programming.

"The move reunites Zellner with XM executive VP of programming Eric Logan, who at previously served as VP of programming at Infinity...

"While at Infinity, Zellner oversaw adult top 40 stations in 17 cities, including San Francisco, Dallas, San Jose, Calif., Orlando, and Denver. He had previously served as VP of top 40 programming for the company, overseeing stations in 11 cities. During his 18-year radio industry career, Zellner has served as a senior programming executive, operations manager, music director, and on-air talent at stations across the U.S."

Read Billboard's entire article online here.



According to a blog posting on website Digital Music News, Raghav "Rags" Gupta resigned from Live365. He's given no indication as to his future plans, but did write that he's sure he "will work with Live365 in some capacity in the future.").

Gupta served as COO at Live365 for over 5 years (and commuting across the country for over two, according to his note).

"The folks at Live365 are bright, dedicated, battle-tested survivors, and I will miss working with them," he wrote. "I look forward to hearing great things out of Live365 in the future and, knowing what I know, I'm sure I will. I learned an incredible amount during my time at Live365, and have fond memories of working there."



From Radio Online: "ABC News Radio launches ABC Newscall to provide its radio affiliates with online access to audio content 24/7.

"The new web-based interface allows users to preview or download audio clips, cut and paste write-ins and read verbatims on-demand. The service will be updated with an average of 350 new audio clips daily.

Read this entire item online here.