Nice Try

6/6/1997

I had the occasion to speak with a programmer in a small market this week.  This market is so small that it has no airport…it’s so small, it has a two-digit area code…it’s so small that when the PD calls a staff meeting, he talks to himself…it’s so small that the only promotion he’s ever been offered was a trip to Las Vegas not to play a record…the station is so small that only Atlantic Records calls on them…it’s so small that for the Christmas promotion, the station gave away presents to the 100th caller—and they’re still waiting on a winner…it’s so small, the consultant is Billy Barty…it’s so small that the top nine at nine consists of only six songs, and the EBS test is number three…the station is so small, they pay an independent…it is so small that the station’s call letter is W…it is so small that it’s consulted by John Kilgo…the station is so small, the only trade they report to is Network 40…the station is so small, they do remotes with a bullhorn…so small, the tower double as a speed bump…it’s so small, the highest paid member of the staff is the intern…the station is so small, the request line is a pay phone…it’s so small, the PD thinks BDS is a new brand of underwear…

You get my drift?

Anyhow, the PD copped an attitude and cried on my shoulder because more record companies were not paying attention to his station.  He whined because he couldn’t get service.  He wailed because I was the only one who would listen.

I did what any sensitive, caring member of the record and radio family would do.

I hung up on him.

Our business has evolved into something less than the carnival ride it once was.  That’s why they call it the Music Business and not the Music Fun.  In many cases, it’s more business than fun.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  I don’t think anyone ever started a record company or a radio station because they just wanted to lose a lot of money.  The object of whatever game we’re in is to win and the way a winner is determined in business is to count up the cash.

But in all businesses, the ends must eventually justify the means. I, for one, believe that many in our business are making huge mistakes for short-term gains that will come back to bite them in the long run.

This works on both sides of the fence.

Record companies complain that records break out of major markets…smaller markets don’t mean as much as they did in the past because smaller markets don’t break artists.

Record companies are right.  Smaller market radio stations are as tight as larger stations.  And if this is the case, why should a record company care whether or not a smaller radio station plays the record since fewer and fewer people care?  It’s cost-effective to ignore stations that do not directly impact sales or airplay in other markets.

Programmers whine.

There is a way to change this.  Smaller-market programmers should be more open to giving records a shot.  More than that, PDs in smaller markets must be more open to record people.  I understand that PDs in smaller markets are under just as much pressure as their peers in larger markets, but the truth about your job is that if you want to get ahead, you have to be accessible.

Record people have to get this also.  It is understood that most records now break out of major markets.  It is understood that smaller-market PDs are sometimes hard to reach.  It is also a fact of life that PDs in smaller markets grow up to be PDs in larger markets. 

Hello?

Record companies should look at major league baseball teams.  There is absolutely, positively no way a general manager can justify the money major league teams spend on their minor league farm systems.  It isn’t close to being cost-effective.  But the talent that is nurtured and developed will wind up making the difference between profit and loss on the major league level.

Here’s a news flash:  Servicing small-market radio stations isn’t cost-effective.  It can’t be justified to an accountant.  But the relationships made in smaller markets will come back in spades when the PD moves to a market that matters.

Record company promotion people who ignore PDs because of market size are making a mistake that can never be rectified…never.  Once a PD moves up to a major market, he doesn’t need any new friends. He’s got enough from those promotion people who did call when he was in East Jesus, Nebraska.

Let’s not forget those who are programming other formats.  I mentioned a PD to a record person this week and the promotion person said, “I don’t care about him; he’s at an A/C station.  I haven’t talked with him in over a year.”  I told the promotion person the station was changing formats to Top 40.  He hung up quickly to try and get the PD on the phone.  What chance do you think he had?

The difference between a hit record and a stiff are sometimes hard pinpoint.  In many cases, it’s airplay.  It’s a fact that we can’t make a hit.  But if the audience can’t hear it, they can’t like it.  And how do we get airplay? Hmmm.  A relationship sure can’t hurt.

Shouldn’t we work to cover all the bases?  Can we all look at the long haul rather than being so quick to make decisions on short-term gains?  Can’t we understand that we must invest time and money today so there will be a tomorrow?

Nice try.

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