Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Arbitron Trumpets Radio Increases & "WRKO...The Launch"...

I took one look at the USA Today headline and said "From your lips to God's ears." Even 1010 WINS New York talked about radio's "dramatic" increases. David Lieberman's headline set the tone for all this enthusiasm: In a renaissance for radio, more listeners are tuning in. Those of us that follow radio perhaps more closely than Mr. Lieberman believe that radio is holding its own for being branded as "old media" but no one close enough to knowing radio's condition is as excited as Arbitron and other members of "old media" are this morning...

USA Today cites several sources for its enthusiasm. They mention "(the) average of 241.6 million people 12 and older who listened to conventional radio stations each week last year" for "an increase of 2.1 million over 2009 - and up 4.9% vs. 2005, according to an annual study that media and marketing research company Arbitron released Monday." "Radio is much stronger than the general perception of it has been", says Carol Henley, Arbitron's Exec/VP of sales and marketing. Other sources for USA Today include the recent announcement of the Cumulus Media proposal to buy Citadel, the increase of Hispanic radio listeners (up 1.1 million last year), the stronger local ad market and an increase in auto sales, which may be tempered by the earthquake and tsunami horror in Japan...

Look, all of these sources have credibility but let's not buy the hype yet. Terrestrial radio has to play it like good sports teams do - one game at a time. In this case, one quarter at a time. Once we see one solid year, then there will be something to be excited about...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1882] Wives 2 - 10 get pink slips: Congress outlaws polygamy but not everywhere…
2.1895] Pass the popcorn: Auguste and Louis Lumiere project a movie on a screen. This is believed to be a public first…
3.1933] Watered down booze: During prohibition, FDR signs a measure to make wine and beer containing up to 3.2 percent alcohol legal…
4.1972] Equal Rights: Congress sends the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution to the states for ratification. It falls short of the three-fourths approval needed…
5.1978] “Happy Trails“: Karl Wallenda, 73-year old patriarch of The Flying Wallendas, falls to his death while attempting to walk a cable extended between two hotels in San Juan (PR)…
6.1987] Garbarge: A barge loaded with 3,200 tons of garbage leaves Islip (NY) on a six-month journey in search of a place to unload. The barge is turned away by several states and three countries before space is found back in Islip…
7.1990] Busted: A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, found former tanker captain Joseph Hazelwood innocent in connection with the Exxon Valdez oil spill, but convicted him of a minor charge of negligent discharge of oil…
8.1991] Not too: High school instructor Pamela Smart, accused of manipulating her student-lover into killing her husband, is convicted in Exeter (NH) of murder-conspiracy…
9.1995] Guilty as charged: Colin Ferguson is sentenced to life for the LIRR massacre in which he killed 6 people in 1993. He is serving his sentence at Attica Prison…
10.1997] Baby skates: Tara Lipinski of the US becomes the youngest women’s world figure skating champion at age 14 years, 10 months…

Music Memories:
"WRKO...The Launch" (Part 16) (March marks the 44th anniversary of WRKO Boston. All month long, I will be serializing the story behind the actual launch of what would become one of the country's legendary Top 40 radio stations and today continues to be a mainstay in New England with a N/T format)...

The original members of the Now Crowd scattered wide and far and almost all of them had successful careers in radio after they left WRKO. Most are still working. Where are they now? We'll start with Al Gates. To no one's surprise because of his ability to read commercials as good or better than anyone else on our staff, Al has made a living as as one of the top voice-over announcers in the country. Al makes the New York Metropolitan area home. At last word, John Rode owns a book store outside of Toronto, Canada and is no longer on the air following successful on-air jobs in Canada. Joel Cash is living in South Florida and owns a business unrelated to radio...

J.J. Jeffrey is now living in Brunswick, Maine and owns a couple of radio stations in the Portland market. J.J. does on-air work occasionally. Arnie Ginsburg is retired and also lives in Maine. Chuck Knapp, who's been following our serialization of the WRKO launch, was in touch last week. Chuck is doing a morning show 5 days a week for a suburban Country station just outside Minneapolis. Chuck remarried two years ago and says "life is very good." We'll share more of Chuck's conversation in an upcoming chapter. Dick Burch, our one-night overnight wonder has relocated in California...

(Tomorrow: "WRKO...The Launch" - part 17: The Strike)

Sorry to report that one of our WRKO alums, Harry Nelson is in intensive care at a Portland, Maine hospital with acute pneumonia. Harry became program director at WRKO in the 70s. The San Francisco Board of Radio-Info.com will issue updates on Harry's condition when warranted. In the meantime, I'm sure friends and colleagues of Harry will have him in their thoughts and prayers...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Reese Witherspoon (35), Bob Costas (59), Andrew Lloyd Webber (63), Wolf Blitzer (63), George Benson (68), Roger Whittaker (75), Orrin Hatch (77), William Shatner (80), Pat Robertson (81), Easy Ed Macauley (83) & USA Today's Allen Neuharth (87)...

Timeline Countdown: 9 days until MLB opening day, 28 days until Passover & 34 days until Easter...
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