As if the Zune would make people notice HD Radio?

This morning I saw the articles about how Microsoft is planning to come out with an upgraded version of the Zune player this fall, which will include an HD Radio.

Later on I saw a story about how some broadcasters are pleased about this. Say what?

Let me get this straight. I could have my entire music collection with hundreds of my favorite songs in the palm of my hand, and could choose the specific songs I want to hear immediately in any order. Yet, there are people with Microsoft and at radio stations that think I would CHOOSE to listen to a radio station instead?

I have been saying this regularly for the past 3 years, and this is occasion to say it again. If the radio broadcasters had not gone to limited playlists, clusters of commercials after commercials, recorded and syndicated programming, and fewer promotions, then MP3 players and all of the other technical "distractions" from radio would not have made such a major dent in the consumer marketplace.

Here I am paying a monthly fee for satellite radio and carrying an MP3 player in my pocket which cost me over $150. Once upon a time, I didn't need these things, since my radio brought me all of the music I enjoyed along with news and sports. In other words, I'm basically paying to avoid AM and FM radio as it is now, and I live in a large market with more radio choices than a lot of other people have.

Why would the Zune make the effort to have an HD Radio, and why would people pay more to get it? Give me a break.

Person to Person Radio? For a price.........

An unemployed software engineer took an unconventional tactic in hopes of landing a new job during these challenging times. For that, he is to be congratulated. A Hopkinton MA area man got so frustrated in his job search that he personally spent $1,500 on a local radio campaign to convince an employer to hire him. I don't know yet whether or not this effort was successful.

Since I comment about radio and marketing (and for that matter have done my share of the unconventional over the years), I find the need to think this through from all sides.

From a radio standpoint, I understand why a station would accept this. They need the money and all this guy needs is for one employer to hire him, and they have a true success story from an advertiser. Yet, accepting a "one person" commercial could make the station sound "small time" when aired along with spots for local and multi-million dollar businesses. Granted, WCRB-FM (the classical music station airing the spots) serves a small marketplace.

Yet, from a marketing standpoint, the radio station could have done better than this. Sorry, but airing a "one person" ad makes them seem desparate to sell air time. If I were the sales rep there or Sales Manager, here is what I would have done instead.

I would have checked my list of current and past advertisers in search of an employment agency or temp service. If I found one, I would contact them and tell them I have a candidate in need of work to the point of wanting to buy time on the station. I would tell that employment agency contact that it would make a great testimonial for us (the station) and the agency if the agency could find him a position without this guy having to buy the time on the station. And then the agency buy that air time to promote specifically how WCRB helps find local jobs.

The result would be the station creates a market exclusive advertising campaign, retains or recaptures another advertiser (which could go long term, not a few days), and the station and employment agency generate favorable publicity. While that guy becomes the station's most loyal listener for life and tells everyone he can what they did for him. The employment agency gets a commission for placing the guy (which I'm guessing covers their radio campaign cost!!), and they all live happily ever after.

What employment agency or temp firm is going to advertise on that station after hearing an individual advertising because he can't find a job?

Meanwhile, I realize the guy buying the spots also did it for the publicity of calling attention to his need for a job (which is how I found out about this), so in some respects he got more than $1,500 in publicity for his money. On the other hand, I'm 1,000 miles away so I can't help him, and that is probably the case with a lot of the publicity he generated.

While I admire his creativity, I would think it could have been put to better use. For $1,500 he could have used some other approaches. He could have invited several identified employers to a lunch presentation, started a web site to feature the software he has designed and worked on in the past, created and printed brochures for distribution, and the list goes on.

And if he doesn't get a job from his $1,500 local radio campaign, he has nothing to show for his efforts.

And hopefully that radio station, and others, will be able to do better than this for creativity.

All that jazz about nothing

If it really is big news that 3 more FM stations across the country have dumped a jazz music format then over-the-air radio is in more trouble than even I thought.

Radio trades and internet boards are making a big deal because the jazz format has also been recently dropped from Dayton, Fresno, and Albuquerque. Rather, I'd be more interested in finding out how even one market of that size (in terms of total stations available) went to and stuck with a jazz music format for however long.

Even as jazz formats have faded from top 10 markets such as Chicago, at least a large population base would allow for perhaps a few thousand loyal listeners to keep the format around and be supported by smaller and very local advertisers which couldn't afford the larger audience stations.

I have nothing against jazz music, although I am among the majority which doesn't enjoy it very much. (And, yes, I have given it quite the chance, having hosted a jazz show on a Chicago radio station for more than 3 years many moon ago.) My point is that jazz has never been among the best sellers of albums and later CD's, which to me spells little consumer interest.

The lack of general popularity of jazz would seem to make the radio format unappealing for advertisers looking for a growing audience. And that is why I can't see why this is such a big deal. Especially now, radio stations are hurting for advertising dollars, and have zero reason to keep a station with a limited reach format on the air.

Now that more stations seem to have wised up, why is treated as big news?

It keeps getting worse??

More radio "thinking" this week across the board. Don't think of selling the station(s) and getting out if finances aren't up to par. Keep making cuts from the programming that needs MORE listeners to survive, yet has less local appeal than ever. Ya, right.

As you probably know by now, Clearance Channel was at it again earlier this week with cutbacks on still more local personalities across the country. There are hundreds of examples.

Houston sports radio felt the pain as Brad Davies and Craig Roberts are now gone from morning drive on KBME 790. Typical of the Clearance Channel hodge-podge left in its wake is the revised KBME weekday schedule. They now carry Dan Patrick's syndicated show live (which at least is better than those stations which delay it for several hours and air it after previewed games on the show have been played) from 8 to 11 AM. Surviving hosts Ted DeLuca and John Lopez now regularly work a split shift all week, airing from 6 to 8 AM and then coming back from 11 AM to 3 PM. KTRK-TV Channel 13 laid off Sports Executive Producer Robert Leake.

CINCINNATI - More from Clearance Channel. Sports blogger C. Trent Rosecrans and 3 producers are gone. On the air, WCKY morning host Alan Cutler is gone. At least Cutler still has a position to keep him busy, as he continues in his Sports Director role for nearby WLEX-TV in Lexington.The adding of still more syndicated programming on WCKY means that only Lance McAlister will be the only local host, handling 3 to 6 PM some weekdays. Of course, with Clearance Channel involved, Lance will share duties among 2 stations, instead hosting the 6 to 9 PM sports talk show on WLW on nights when the Reds do not play. When that happens, Mo Egger will handle the afternoon spot on WCKY. More sports adjustments will be made, as Cutler is also reportedly out as Bengals Radio Network host after 8 seasons. Scott Sloan remains on WLW, but will now handle the "Extra Innings" Reds post-game call-in show.

At this rate, I suppose if a Reds game gets rained out after the scheduled start time, Clearance Channel will probably air a voice tracked sports talk show from another market talking about an American League team for 3 hours.