Years ago people laughed when they said “music will only be heard on the FM dial.”  Look what happened.  We, as the radio industry, are our own worst enemy.  You can’t fool the listener.  You can’t TELL the listener what they want.  So why not ASK the listener what they want.  I did that recently on my facebook page.  If interested the comment line is HERE

Morning radio USED to be the way people would start their day.  What happened?  Some stations cut back on talent and added more music.  Some stations got greedy and loaded up on commercials.   Technology has made it possible for the listeners to super serve themselves.  Most everyone has a smart phone.  That means they have access to Pandora and their own iPod.   If the aforementioned can provide the best music without commercial interruption MORE music is not the answer for morning radio.  More music in the morning will only accelerate the demise of that station.

The good news is there is a way to SAVE radio. Content will save radio.  Content cannot be duplicated.  Content is what the listener wants.  It HAS to be good content.  It HAS to be compelling content otherwise it’s just boring talk and the result will be the same;  “people shutting off the radio.”  I truly believe that in five years FM radio will be mostly content.  When I turn on the radio I’ve always want one of three things:  to laugh, to learn something or to be engaged in the conversation.  What listener is going to sit through five minutes of commercials to hear a Lady GaGa song they already have on their iPod.  Ask me to wait five minutes and I’ll learn how to drop ten pounds without exercising and I’ll excuse the commercials.  Getting people to LISTEN to the radio is not that difficult.   We better start listening to the listener or there won’t be any listeners left!