NAB PROGRAMMERS' SUPER-SESH: BIG CHANGES IN 2006 Tony Sanders – Billboard Next year will bring “huge change” in the top radio markets, according to Bill Tanner, the longtime programming wiz for groups like Spanish Broadcasting, Hispanic Broadcasting and Beasley and who is now consulting independently.
Tanner spoke as one of five top-flight programmers on the dais Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 21) at the NAB Radio Show’s “Programming Executive Super Session.”
The Portable People Meter (PPM) is one source for change Tanner pointed to, suggesting that the detailed reporting capabilities of PPM will change the conventional wisdom for programming strategy: “PDs will get a moment-by-moment [report on listenership] and hook that up to your Selector or BDS system” to track listener tune-in and tune-out.
“Who will care about quarter hours?” Tanner asked rhetorically. He then described a new basis for radio’s accountability to marketers that links listenership directly to product sales, with the number of products scanned and sold compared directly to the timing of on-air spot campaigns. “It’s going to change the way we program and sell,” he said.
Another key topic for the panelists was the grooming of new talent and new PDs, both vital parts of the radio industry’s continued health. Emmis VP/programming Jimmy Steal said “unduplicatable talent is the soul of this business” that will help guarantee radio’s strength against its competitors.
Journal Broadcast Group operations manager Beverlee Brannigan agreed, but cautioned that not enough PDs meet weekly with their talent or monitor their talent’s progress with airchecks. “If you spend time with air talent, you’ll know when it’s time to kick them into a higher gear,” she said.
All of the panelists agreed that the future for radio involves distinguishing stations and talent to keep listeners coming back for more. Localism remains key, no matter the size of the market. “The smaller we sound, the better off we’ll be,” Steal said, suggesting that no matter how individuals choose to consume radio’s content, via iPods, streaming or over the air, “if you’ve got great brands” then listeners will continue to seek out that unique content.
Clear Channel’s VP/urban programming Doc Wynter described developing such brand identity as “reinventing yourself, reinventing the radio.”
Regent Communications VP/programming Bob Moody sounded one cautionary note during the conversation, noting that “We spend lots of money on training for [advertising] sales, but not on training for talent.” |