Month: April 1994

Plays Per Week

4/22/1994

It began as one small step by The Network Forty over two years ago. This week, it became a giant step for the radio and record industries.

With this week’s issue, even the venerable R&R begins charting records based on actual airplay. It’s been a long time coming, but the change has come.

With the industry now relying on actual spins instead of adds and chart moves, a new age of honesty id dawning. No longer will radio programmers be able to respond to pressure from record promoters by simply adding a song to their chart. If a record is being played, it is an add. And if it isn’t being played, it is not an add.

This is truly the dawning of anew age in our business. What began as a glimmer of an idea two years ago in the halls of The Network Forty is now reality. I want to give credit to those who believed from the beginning. Pat Gillen, Dwayne Ward and Brian Burns worked within the framework of The Network Forty to shape the format and convince the radio and record industries that PPWs were the wave of the future. And though radio has been extremely supportive in the past year, some special thanks are due to those who supplied their plays before I became “the thang” to do. They are: Steve Wyrostok, Tom Poleman, Sean Phillips, Rick Stacy, John Ivey, Chuck Beck, Leslie Fram, Bill Webster, Randy Ross, Casey Keating, John McFadden, Kris Van Dyke, Stu Smoke, Mike Steele, Roger Scott, Neil Sullivan, Ken Scott, John Jaynes, Steve Bender and Jim Richards. That’s to these people, its working.

For years, record companies have accepted adds without play (or put into lunar rotation) as a last resort to show activity on particular records. Although it’s hard to find any executive who would condone paper adds, it’s equally difficult to find anyone who hasn’t accepted a paper add at one time or another as an acceptable way to keep a record moving up the chart. Sometimes the ends justified the means, because radio programmers who followed charts would see continued activity on a record and possibly consider it for airplay. More often, however, hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent to prop up records that were not hits. The system was wrong, but record companies were comfortable with it, so it continued.

And it wasn’t just record companies that caused these inaccuracies to grow and prosper. Radio programmers who couldn’t say no (or who needed promotions to make their station more exciting) used the system to their advantage. The record might not be right for the radio station, but if the promotion was offered, many found ways to add the record without play. It was the best of both worlds. Radio programmers got the promotion without having to play a record that didn’t fit their format.

With PPWs and BDS, we can all kiss that easy out good-bye.

Now, programmers must judge each record on merit. Promotions will still be used to make marginal records “sound” a little better, but, by and large, the determining factor will be merit.

Record companies are more careful. A bigger commitment is made before the record is released.

Programmers will have to believe as well. Once a programmer believes, a commitment must be made. Records will have to be played. No more “add it, but don’t play it.”

You can run, but you can’t hide.

The dishonesty inherent in the old system is gone. And many programmers, who perpetuated the distrust and dishonesty, must accept the fact that there are no more secrets. Many of us added records in the past with little or no airplay for various reasons. Keeping rotations a secret was a necessity. Many hid behind the weak excuse that they needed to keep the competition in the dark. Let’s be perfectly honest. That was never the real reason. Any competitor worth his salt would always be able to determine rotations on your station. And now, with BDS monitoring, these are no secrets.

Programmers who refuse to provide accurate information regarding actual airplay are suffering from delusions. You’re lying to yourself. Face up to reality. There is no need to play games. There are no reasons to hide. Many programmers seem to believe that they operate in a vacuum. Your list is not sacrosanct. What you play is on the radio. People hear it. BDS monitoring makes it easier, but here’s a news flash…people listen. Anyone with a little time can determine what’s on the air and how often songs rotate. Wake up and smell the coffee. It’s boiling out of the pot.

The record community wants honesty. A record company may not like the fact that you don’t believe in the merit of its record, but the label needs that information. Whether or not record companies have been dragged kicking and screaming into the age of awareness isn’t the point. The fact is that in today’s world, record companies want, need and expect honesty.

As do your peers.

So give it to them!

The overwhelming majority of radio programmers are completely behind accurate airplay reporting. Without radio’s help, The Network Forty couldn’t have begun the Plays Per Week system two years ago. Without radio’s commitment, no trade magazine could post a PPW chart. If you are a programmer who is reluctant to provide information on actual plays, ask yourself why. Others will certainly be asking that question about you and may be coming up with answers that certainly aren’t to your benefit.

Is there any reasons for a programmer to refuse to report PPWs if he isn’t playing games or being blatantly dishonest? If there is, please let me know. I will be glad to provide a forum for other reasons. I just can’t come up with any on my own.

To quote the Eagles, “Did you do it for love? Did you do it for money? Did you do it for spite? Or did you have to, honey?”

In the ‘90s, honesty is the best policy. Open communication is the key.

“Who is gonna make it? We’ll find out in the long run.”

World Famous

4/22/1994

Programming a radio station is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. The combined talents necessary to be successful stretch from psychological counseling to technical engineering and everything in between. In an industry that increasingly demands more “hand-on” managing, it is sometimes impossible to take the time to have fun. And to create a radio station that draws a young audience, a feeling of fun must be prevalent or the audience will take a hike.

It’s hard to sound like you’re having fun when you’re not.

Face it, most of us got into radio to listen to music and meet members of the opposite sex. If those two items weren’t high on your list in the beginning, you’re lying…or should be in another line of work.

Many got the first chance at programming because the former PD was blown out quickly and the GM didn’t haven an immediate replacement. Or because the GM was convinced that someone else could do a better job. (In other words, the PD got stabbed in the back.) Some were promoted from the MD or APD position.

The point I’m trying to make is that most of us ascended to the job because of the right ambitions, but we were ill prepared for the reality.

Format clocks? Stop sets? Music rotations? How do I find out if I’m doing it right?

Jock meetings? Aircheck critiques? Promoitons? You mean I have to come up with promotional ideas? Liners? Production? Jingles?

Daily meetings with the sales department? You mean I have to have an ongoing dialogue with the sales manager? I hate sales. Public affairs? What is that all about?

Record promoters? I have to see all these guys every week? They’re calling every hour! I can’t play all their records.

The GM is thinking about hiring a consultant? I don’t want a consultant. I don’t have time to talk with him.

All I wanted to do was drink beer, play music and have a little fun. Now, I’m to busy to have fun. Hell, I don’t even have time to listen to my radio station.

Help!

How does a baby programmer learn to do it right? In the days of AM, you could just DX a major market and copy. No longer. Even if you visit a large city, there’s no guarantee you’ll learn anything. Many of those programming in major markets are clueless when it comes to creating great radio stations. Oh, a lot of them can pick the right music. (In today’s information-heavy environment, who can’t?) Some believe they can create a good vibe. (Until someone invents a “vibe meter,” it doesn’t matter.) But very few know how to program a great radio station. Why? Nobody ‘splained it to them.

Enter The World Famous KROQ.

KROQ is the best sounding radio station in the United States…bar none.

Now, I know some of my good friends and fellow programmers might take exception to this statement. I make it with no particular ax to grind or apples to polish. I know KROQ’s GM Trip Reeb and PD Kevin Weatherly, but we’ve spent no real time discussing programming in-depth. I spoke with neither regarding this Editorial. I write it as a listener.

KROQ is my station of choice. I like a lot of the music they play, but the same could be said of every other station in Los Angeles. It’s not the music that makes them my favorite. In the dynasouric demonology of Arbitron recall, it takes a lot more than music to make your station someone’s favorite. It ain’t KROQ’s music. It’s their presentation.

Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, every break KROQ rocks. And rocks hard.

Why? It’s hard to cite one specific element that makes KROQ stand out above the rest.

I’ve heard better air personalities. As a matter of fact, in the strictest sense of the term, KROQ’s air talent doesn’t fit the normal expectations of the breed. And maybe that’s what makes them, as a whole, great. There are no “big” voices, no rhyming wizards, just competent people who share the personalities. And their expertise. KROQ jocks offer current, hip information about artists and appearances. They don’t just read liners.

Kevin Weatherly manages to make this menagerie work for the benefit of the station. Many programmers hire off-the-wall jocks and let them fly on their own with decidedly different results. KROQ allows the jocks to express their individual personalities, but within the structure of the format. Kevin came from Top 40 and he’s brought to KROQ a structured format that makes the flow smooth, but allows the differing elements to keep the station fresh.

The positioners and sweepers are the best in the business. You don’t hear any staged hype. Many programmers are quick to “borrow” from other stations. KROQ’s are unique and absolutely off the wall. Like their slogan, “World Famous,” the stagers often have little to do with a specific event, but paint a picture of controlled mayhem.

The time spent producing each of these little “Oh Wows” must be monumental, but will worth the effort. Every element sounds as if it was written and produced to be the best. And each comes off that way.

And every weekend, KROQ does something special. The weekends are different for the listeners and KROQ program to the difference. No promotion or contest is every thrown away.

How do they do it? Time and attention to detail is, I’m sure, the first element. But more important is the commitment from each person involved. The staff at KROQ really loves what they’re doing. They sound like they’re all having fun, because, I suspect, they are.

Kevin has evidently found a way to do all of the time-consuming “no fun” things about his job description without letting it affect the sound of KROQ. He takes the time and makes time to listen. And it sounds like he’s having fun doing it.

If you want to know how to do it right, listen to KROQ.

There are a lot of reasons a programmer can give to excuse a poor on-air presentation. But in the end, that’s all they are…excuses.

Never forget the reasons for the beginning of your quest. Hey, through all of the tedious, emotionally draining, time-consuming elements that you hate, remember that programming a radio station beats working.

And ask yourself (and your staff) this question at least three times every day: “Are we having fun yet?”

The audience is listening.

 

Bullshit

4/15/1994

Radio stations across the country received letters from R&R this week describing the new Plays Per Week reporting system set to go into effect with the next issue. Just what Top 40 needs. Another “Dear Joel” letter.

Bullshit!

R&R has made many blunders in the past year as it has gamely tried to dictate to radio, but these latest edicts may very well be the worst ever. This editorial space always tries to reflect the opinions prevalent in our industry. Sometimes the opinions are offered by a few. This week, the industry as a whole seems to have reached a breaking point with R&R.

Joel Denver’s letter to all reporters opens with the following statement: “After years of planning and months of exhaustive testing, R&R’s dynamic new music information gathering system is ready to go! We’re convinced that it will provide the industry with the most comprehensive and accurate national airplay information.”

Bullshit.

I guess what Joel is trying to say is that he’s been reading The Network Forty for the past two years. That’s how long we’ve been producing and printing Plays Per Week. We gave the term “Plays Per Week” to the industry to use. And now R&R wants the industry to believe that R&R has spent years developing a “dynamic new system.”

All together now…Bullshit.

R&R’s latest system has a lot of problems, not the least of which is their decision to break Top 40 into two subformats: 12-24 CHR/Top 40 and 18-34 CHR/Top 40. Radio stations are once again being categorized by R&R based on what R&R decides. Top 40 radio faces enough problems trying to sell their audience to advertisers without R&R diminishing its importance by placing “stigmas” that have nothing to do with the individual station’s own positioning. Why is R&R doing this?

Checking through the breakouts, R&R seems to have decided that all radio stations playing a heavy mixture of Urban or Dance music automatically qualify for inclusion in the 12-24 category…regardless of demographic dominance. This means that a station like WPGC in Washington D.C. will be listed in R&R’s 12-24 category even though WPGC is #1 25-54! And a station like KSFM in Sacramento, ranked #1 18-34, will be listed by R&R in the 12-24 category!

What is wrong with this picture? The fish are definitely in the trees!

Who in our industry wants two separate charts, broken into these demographics? There isn’t a radio station in the world that wants its advertisers to believe they appeal only to the 12-24 year-old audience. There certainly isn’t a Top 40 station anywhere that wants its competition to have a national magazine identifying it as a 12-24 station. The format is hard enough to sell as it is. Do we need R&R further diluting Top 40’s sales picture by incorrectly defining a station’s format and downgrading its influence in the upper demos?

Say it again…Bullshit.

How can R&R misread the concerns of radio so badly? How could R&R announce these changes without first researching radios’ reaction?

To quote a programmer, “R&R is like AM radio and the latest attempts at change are like AM stereo. Nobody’s listening anymore.”

Radio’s response to R&R’s latest dictates have been immediate and harsh. Many radio stations that have been classified as 12-24 area seriously reconsidering the value of reporting PPWs to R&R. All radio stations should do the same.

The Network Forty believes that all trade magazines owe a debt of gratitude to radio stations because radio provides the information. All trade magazines should reflect the needs and wants of the radio and record industries. If any trade magazine does not reflect a constructive position for your radio station, why give it information?

The Network Forty is dedicated to helping both the radio and record industries discover new and innovative ways that will ensure a successful future. The Network Forty has championed Top 40 radio since our inception and will continue to do that.

The fact that R&R continues to apply restrictions and arbitrary judgments that are detrimental to Top 40 specifically, and radio in general, is appalling. R&R does not ask the industry what the industry needs, it tells the industry what R&R needs.

What’s that smell? Bullshit.

There are other problems with R&R’s “new” and “innovative” system. R&R will only take PPW information over the phone. This allows too much room for manipulation, something that R&R seems reluctant to discourage. The Network Forty accepts only computer-generated PPW information via fax. This makes The Network Forty PPW information harder to manipulate; and our additional checks against computer-generated daily music logs makes manipulation impossible. Simply put, despite R&R’s hollow claims, The Network Forty’s PPW information is the most comprehensive and accurate barometer of actual airplay available.

No bullshit.

Joel’s letter also states that “Maintaining R&R status is more important than ever, since only our reporters have access to R&R ONLINE.” Access? Didn’t R&R promise five computers and software to all reporters a while back? Is R&R now only offering access?

How long will radio continue to pander to a trade magazine like R&R? R&R continues to make promises it doesn’t keep.

Radio deserves better.

At one time, R&R status was meaningful to radio. It isn’t any longer. It’s time for radio to decide whether or not to continue to provide information to a trade magazine that doesn’t serve radio’s best interests.

If you, like many other programmers, believe that R&R’s latest demands aren’t in your best interest, the answer is simple.

Don’t report.

It’s my guess that R&R will change its terminology when radio refuses to participate in the latest “innovation.” This won’t be the first time R&R has proposed a “new” system, only to have it show down by radio. Remember the initial R&R PPW pitch? Top 40 was to supply predicted plays for the upcoming week. That dog didn’t hunt, either.

The bigger question is: When will R&R consult with the industry it claims to serve before instituting new procedures? How many mistakes will R&R make before the industry turns its back on them completely? And how long in the future will it be until radio flatly rejects R&R as a positive influence on its livelihood?

The future is now.

Capitol Improvements

4/8/1994

To quote Bob Dylan, “…the times they are a-changing.” Over a year ago, The Network Forty predicted the changes that are now affecting the radio and recording industries. Gone are the Parallel Systems, the dependency on station playlists and the dictatorial rules of R&R. Going soon are paper adds, chart manipulation and the way record companies have been doing business with radio.

Record companies are struggling to determine definitive compensation due radio (i.e. promotions) and independent promoters for their work with specific stations. As actual airplay and retail sales have become the true bottom line, record companies search for a benchmark that can be used by everyone. Though all agree that some new method must take the place of the old 7-4-3 Parallel System, defining the compensation package has been difficult.

What radio station are important? How is that importance determined? What factors should be weighed in making final decisions?

Those are some of the questions. The answers vary. But one answer is definitive: record companies will determine the importance of specific radio stations. No longer will R&R dictate the status of stations simply by making them part of its reporting base.

Acknowledging the change is easy Acting on an alternative has taken longer. Although the old Parallel System was unfair and inaccurate, it was an easy way out for record companies. Coming up with an innovative system to reflect the new order is a lot tougher.

Late last year, Arista Sr. VP Promotion Rick Bisceglia quietly moved away from the Parallel System and began categorizing radio stations based on airplay and record sales. Columbia Sr. VP Promotion Burt Baumgartner fired the first broad salvo last month when he innovated a new system of compensation for independent promoters based solely on airplay. Using BDS as a monitor, Columbia began compensating for actual spins, not listings. This system drastically improves on the old, but could leave many non-BDS-monitored stations in limbo. Last week, Atlantic Sr. VP Promotion Andrea Ganis went one step further. Compensation is provided using BDS and The Network Forty’s Plays Per Week for those stations not monitored by BDS. Although each plan varies according to specific records, one thing is common: airplay, not listiings, is the criterion.

All of these systems are innovative, but left unanswered are the questions of how to place importance on particular radio stations and what measures should be used to determine their importance?

Enter Capitol Sr. VP Promotions John Fagot. John commissioned a research report to determine the answers. Capitol researched markets nationwide to find out: (a) The top 100 stations ranked by 12-34 cume. The 12-34 demographic is used because previous research indicates this group is the primary source of record purchases…particularly with new releases. (b) The Current/Recurrent/Gold ratio of these radio stations Radio stations that are Current-based are more important to record companies…particularly in showcasing new releases. (c) The top markets nationwide ranked by actual record sales.

Using this research, John is able to more accurately define the ratio stations that can play an important role in the success of Capitol Records. The same is true for the record industry as a whole.

John is willing to share a good bit of this research Some of the highlights are interesting.

Many in radio believe that success is dependent upon a tight playlist. Recurrents and Golds are often thought to be the key to higher ratings. Although The Network Forty has provided research and insight that shows the raido audience is changing and wants to hear more new music, a lot of programmers cling to the belief that being late on new music is the safest way to go. This may have been an accurate assumption in the past, but current trends indicate that stations on the cutting edge of music programming are achieving greater success than those that are slower to react. Some of the most successful ratio stations in the country are also some of the most Current-based: WBBM Chicago, WPGC Washington, D.C., Power Pig Tampa and WLUM Milwaukee, just to name a few.

Jumping off the pages are the sales stats. One-half of all records sold last year were sold in the top 20 markets. One-half. And it gets more interesting. 81% of all records sold were sold in the top 75 markets. At first glance, it would seem to indicate that if you aren’t programming in one of the top markets, your station’s influence on record sales (and the correlation of your importance to the record industry) is negligible. However, a closer study reveals that, taken as a whole, markets ranked less than 100 comprise 12.38% of total record sales, higher than any other individual market.

Record companies that concentrate exclusively on large markets miss the biggest market of them all. If you are programming in a small market, your influence on record companies depends on your ability to influence record sales. Radio programmers in smaller markets who depend on record companies for promotions (and who doesn’t?) should be developing relationships with retail outlets in their home town right now. Prepare research that documents your station’s ability to influence record sales. In the past, your status with R&R determined your importance to record companes. Now, it’s up to you.

Another interesting facet of the report is found in the sales figures. Many markets outperform their population in record sales. And some do much worse. In almost all cases, markets that are ranked higher in sales than population have two things in common: They are dominated by aggressive Current-based radio stations and/or have colleges located within the ADL. Some of the best? Sacramento ranks 21st in population, but 13th in sales; Las Vegas ranks 91st in population and 42nd in sales; Springfield-Decatur-Champaign ranks 75th and 46th respectively; Austin is 71st and 56th. Others that perform signigicntly better than their population figures are San Diego, Portland, Salt Lake City, Providence and Madison. Conversely, some of the markets who perform poorly with record sales in contrast to population are those with radio stations that aren’t as aggressive or Current-based. The “leaders” in this category are Dallas, ranked 7th in population and only 14th in record sales and Buffalo, ranked 38th in population and only 61st in sales. Other markets that perform under their population figures: Cleveland, Jacksonville, Birmingham, Tulsa, Syracuse and Shreveport.

The most interesting thing about this report is the person who commissioned it. John Fagot is one of hte most respected Sr. VPs of Promotion in the industry. He has also been in the business of promoting records for nearly three decades. It would be easy for him to cling to the way he’s done his job in the past. For John to recognize the changes taking place in our industries and enlist innovative research to define his record company’s goals better is positive proof that Bob Dylan is right.

And am I the only one who recognizes the true, poetic justice in this report? For years, radio has concucted iternal research to determine the fate of records. Now, record companies are using research to determine the importance of radio.

The times are changing. We have a choice to stand pat and continue to be a part of the past. Or we can be bold and become a part of the future. Individuals like John Fagot, Rick Bisceglia, Burt Baumgartner and Andrea Ganis and record companies as a whole are taking charege of their destinies. They are defining the future.

It’s time for radio to do the same.