The Adams Files - New Music Weekly

Why are you reporting?

It’s been an interesting week. Monday, I got a call from a man representing a record label I had never heard of. He went on to tell me that he was working a single from an artist I vaguely remember from last year’s charts, and like all others that have […]

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Local Radio Still Rules?

With the impending merger of XM and Sirius, much attention has been placed back on satellite radio. A push to gain new subscribers to help ease the pain when Howard Stern hangs up his headphones is going on now, with two years free service being essentially offered to folks who've […]

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Going Backwards With Radio

A funny thing happened while I was reading the print version of my last column sitting at my desk here last week. A co-worker informed me that one of our competitors, a station that we’re head to head with in the Top 40 genre since our sign on 7 months […]

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A Storm Is Brewing

A storm is brewing that could very well drastically change the way we do our jobs in radio, records, and as recording artists. For radio stations in small markets, it could prove to be the beginning of the end. Legislation is currently being considered in Washington for radio stations to […]

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Telephonic Surveys Now A Waste Of Time

A radio group announced last month that they were severing ties with Arbitron, citing problems with measuring audiences in smaller markets and rural areas, and was going with a telephonic measuring system called the Eastlan group. New Northwest Broadcasters owns over 30 stations in four western states- Oregon, Washington, Montana, […]

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5 Easy Steps

Right now, today, there are five easy things you can do that can make your radio stations sound better, and improve employee morale. Of course, many of you may do all of these things, and to you, kudos. You’re doing many of the right things to make you a winner. But, most PD’s that multi-task (have more than one station to program) can sometimes forget that even ONE station is important enough to keep it on and critique it. Though we’ll never be able to listen with “listener’s ears”, here are some great, simple ideas that can help you. 1. LISTEN TO……YOUR COMPETITOR. Though there is truth in paying attention to what you do on the air and that it indeed dwarfs anything the other guys might be doing in importance, just what are they doing that sounds good? EVERY station has its strengths. Did they recently start to play more currents, talk less, maybe put a jingle package in? Have they gutted their playlist? You won’t know the answer to those two basic questions unless you make it a habit to listen to them, objectively, once or twice a week for awhile. Maybe you’ll always believe that your station sounds better, and you have better talent, but you should never tune away thinking they simply don’t do ANYTHING right. Respect your competition, but never fear them or react to a major on-air move they’ve made by a knee-jerk reaction. PROACTIVE programming ALWAYS beats anything done in a reactive mode. 2. LISTEN TO…..THE ON-AIR SIGNAL. Truthfully speaking, if you’re both solid with the audio chain from studio to processing to STL to transmitter, most listeners will not notice the difference. But you, as a PD and radio fanatic, do notice subtle differences. Louder doesn’t always mean better! Consider the format, listener fatigue, and always try to be technologically better than your closest competitor. It does make a difference in the long run. 3. COMPLIMENT YOUR PEOPLE. Many stations are too busy in the course of everyday business to thank their clients, but just as importantly, they forget that each employee is as important as the next. Part-timers need to know they’re appreciated too. It doesn’t have to be a big scene, but simply an appreciative comment can go a long way next time you need a jock in a pinch to do something out of the ordinary day to day routine. If they know they’re appreciated, they’ll show you that respect in return. 4. KEEP AN OPEN MIND. No idea is a bad idea; some are simply better than others. When a co-worker, or a listener, comes up with an off the wall idea that you may not implement in 100 years, thank them for thinking of it, and if you do brush it aside, make mention to that person WHY it won’t work in that situation. I’ve had some incredibly goofy ideas thrown at me from some employees, but even one good one out of a hundred that you can implement is better than none. And give credit where credit is due to that person. I once worked for PD who nay-sayed all ideas from all of us, only to implement them in a couple of weeks and took full credit for it. 5. IMPROVE AND MAINTAIN YOUR WEBSITE. Yep, it’s another “non-traditional” radio task but a big necessity. I am amazed how many stations haven’t updated their website in months, with bios of talent long gone. Some have even flipped formats. The listener’s main connection in the 1970’s and 1980’s was the telephone to your station(s). Now, it’s your website. And if you can’t afford a webmaster or a vendor, keeping it simple is just fine, but make it neat, and CHECK YOUR SPELLING AND GRAMMAR. Remember, we’re in the communications industry. You may have all of these bases covered, or have people in place and THINK that these areas are covered. If you’re the PD/OM, though, it’s ultimately your head if these areas fail miserably, not necessarily the one you’ve assigned tasks to (engineering, production, promotions). A little follow through will go a long way.

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Spanning The Globe

About a year ago, I received an e-mail from a listener of our classic rock station from Wagga Wagga, Australia. We stream our signal on line, and through a website that gives people a menu of stations that fit their listening habits, Jeff found our station and loved the music mix. Through correspondence of e-mails, I found Jeff to be very funny, down to earth, and knowlegable about music. But, there are obvious differences in how the English language can be interpreted. Still, he promised one day that the next time he visited the United States, he would stop by. We’ve had numerous e-mails from listeners from all over the country, and a few from abroad, that listen to any one of our five stations. Many that may be vacationing in California (10 minutes to the south of us) have made the trip up to meet us and see our studios. But never from “the land down under.” This past week, we got a very unusually early snowfall here. Though we’re used to snow, it never seems to amount to much this early. And, as I returned from lunch today, there was a rather large man with an accent I could barely comprehend talking to our receptionist. You guessed it. Geoff Read, from Wagga Wagga, Austrailia, had made a special trip from Southern California just to see the studios of the station he listens to while selling vehicles at a Hyundai dealership. Through two plus years of listening to our station, he knew much about our city, area, all of our disc jockey’s names...and was the center of attention for about two hours here. We had him live on all of our stations. It’s not every day that a person makes a special trip just to see the studio of the station he listens to every day. Well, at least not halfway around the world. Streaming on-line is cost prohibitive for some, but we’ve found it to be very beneficial to our cluster of stations. Though the local advertiser can say their product means nothing to a listener in another part of the country, or the world, Geoff mentioned 10 or more businesses off the top of his head that he had heard about and wanted to visit while here. They don’t have a bowling alley in his hometown of 60,000. So we comped him so that he can do something that he couldn’t do at home. His on air banter was quite good....and he complained that Australian radio “sucks and blows at the same time, mate.” For some stations, it’s probably not in the cards to stream audio for various reasons. We do it ourselves and have a room set aside with several servers and many daisy-chained computers so we can accommodate hits on all five stations. There are very reputable providers that will stream your station for a service, though. I don’t know any by name, but they do exist, and it’s a way to showcase your stations to people all around the world. At the end of the day, we knew some things about a part of the world we didn’t know before. We certainly made a new friend, though he’s thousands of miles away, living in a country where it will be 100 degrees in his hometown Christmas day, where cricket is massively more popular than baseball, but there are some common denominators, too. The biggest would be the music. Good music is good in any language. And, this is just a big reminder, in a little way, that we affect lives every day with what we do with our radio stations and on-air personalities. They may live next door, or half way around the world, but the magic of radio is still very much alive.

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Anohter Banner Night In Tinseltown

It happened just a little later this year than usual, but the weatherman held out a perfect weekend for the New Music Awards held November 22nd at the Avalon Theater.

Congratulations to all nominees, and winners. And congrats as well go out to the house band that sounded like they had played together all year long. From the pre-award festivities to the glad-handing and consuming of beverages that transpired into the wee hours of Sunday morning, I would have to say the NMA's were a resounding success.

I'm not David Letterman, though one day I would like to be the house announcer just to say I did it once. But I do offer a top ten of this year's NMA's. Since it isn't Lettermanesque, it's not supposed to be funny. I'll do my best here, but I'm just taking some of the positives and writing about them.

10. BUCK MCCOY'S VERTICAL LEAP. Tim McGraw has nothing on Buck. He goes with both legs in the air, guitar in hand, and makes some NBA players look silly. Too bad he can't dribble. A basketball, I mean. Seriously, Buck hosted the show with grace, talent, and professinalism as always. Great job.

9. CHARLIE ALLEN. And his voice. His guitar. And a microphone. Enough said.

8. MINI TURKEY BURGERS AT THE AVALON. Hey, they've been serving these finger foods pre-event for the past three years and this year was the first actually planned my meal schedule around them. An amazing appetizer and the staff is always courteous there. I'm not sure what the hell is really in them, and maybe I don't wanna know, but.....hella good.

7. YOU CAN CHECK OUT ANYTIME YOU LIKE. But you never really leave the Hotel Roosevelt. An amazing place to stay if you're from out of the area. Yep, it's somewhat spendy, but you get trend with the spend. I'm thankful Larry and Paul couldn't hold this round mound of sound up long enough to complete the deal of tossing me in the pool, but the Roosevelt is probably as much of Hollywood as the Walk of Fame, Groman's Chinese Theater, or my second favorite hangout, up one from last year at number 6 (I really didn't do a countdown last year).....

6. HOOTERS. Right on the boulevard, right on the price and a great place to get a beverage and enjoy watching whatever it is you like to watch. Oh yeah....there's a TV in every nook and cranny too, in case you want to watch a game.

5. KADY MALLOY. Far from the Britney Spears imitation days of Idol, she reprised the role for a rendition of Womanizer with the band and nailed it. Simply nailed it, and did it on very short notice. She has a new project available that could be multi-format radio friendly for top 40, AC, and country (ala Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift) so keep your eyes out for it. It was EASY to keep your eyes on her, though, during the show. She came out to LA from Houston on short notice after opening for Air Supply the week before. Look for great things from Miss Malloy.

4. LARRY WEIR AS THE MAD DIRECTOR. He never really breathes until the show is over, kind of sucks in air now and then, but boy, he loosens up quick once the curtains are down. Again, a great job from Larry and brother Tom who provided the excellent sound crew. Yep, missed the tour of Studio City Studio again. Maybe next year. Masika handled the green room duties quite well....when do we get to see Masika ON STAGE?

3. PAUL LOGGINS AND THE BOND GIRL. She WAS in one of the Bond films. I'm convinced. But if Hannah hasn't been, she should. Congratulations Paul. This was the first year your guest's picture was probably taken more than yours.

2. LADOT. They may not speak English, but those cab drivers get you where you want to go in a freakin' HURRY.

...and the number 1 thing about this year's New Music Awards?

.....the promise that has yet to be broken that next year's will be bigger and better than EVER.

A great time was had by all, and thanks once again to the weatherman for the 75 degree days and great nights that made it even more special. We beat the rain- by a week.

The Adams Files

Not The Best Of Seasons

Christmas time is usually a very festive time for me. Though my parents and grandparents have passed, I still enjoy the meals with extended family members and all that goes with the season.

This past season, however, didn't make the grade as one of my favorites. One of the men very much responsible for my career in radio, Floyd Wynne, died at the age of 90, just a few days before Christmas.

Those of you that were in attendance at the New Music Awards in late November in Hollywood heard me speak of Floyd, who began his broadcasting career 70 years prior, in 1938, at KLPM in Minot, North Dakota. Up until just a couple of months before his passing, he was still contributing on-air with twice weekly commentaries on our AM news/talk outlet.

He was a broadcaster I would label with a "golden" voice, the type of voice you might hear on a 1950's newsreel. But his talents took him outside of the world of radio. He was the publisher of two newspapers, both daily papers, here in our hometown in the 1960's, and in Petaluma, California from 1965-1970. He authored several books. He was a county commissioner on two different occasions, served on the city council, and held high ranking positions in several local service clubs during his love affair with this area.

He was a sportscaster first and foremost when he began in radio, and gave me my start in play by play at the age of 17. His son, Bob, is four years older than me and although I moved around quite a bit after graduation from high school, I had the experience of someone that had just gone to college and on-air knowledge far beyond my years, thanks to Floyd. I returned here in 1989 as PD and morning host.....we had just two stations then. So we have been busy.

Wynne Broadcasting started as a stand alone 1000 watt daytime, 250 watts at night, AM radio station in 1970. Today, we operate four FM's and an AM station. Though Floyd had moved into the political arena well before the growth spurt of the company, he was instrumental in being a "silent" but very prominent partner in making our 5 station cluster what it is today.

The office he leaves here in the building is neatly organized with an old Gates turntable (an old on-air turntable we had, complete with felt) with capability of playing 78rpm records. His collection of those big bands, orchestras, and standard vocalists has got to be one of the best in the country and most complete. He took great pride in making sure the library stayed in immaculate shape. I will miss hearing the big band music filtering into the lobby area on the days that Floyd would just stop by the station to feel like he was still "part of the family." And, he certainly was.

A quote from a local city official in our paper said, "Everyone liked him. I can't name anybody that didn't have a kind word to say about him." That's the type of guy Floyd Wynne was. You may disagree with him on issues, but he would tell you what he thought and why he thought that way, and would not let political viewpoints get in the way of being respectful and polite to everybody he dealt with.

Floyd is terribly missed, but his spirit lives on through many of us here. We all try to live his mantra and believe in it every day.

"All days are good.....some are just better than others."

Rest in peace, Floyd.

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ARTIST FEATURE

Multi-Instrumentalist Ricky Persaud, JR Back With New Album

June 26, 2020

Follow up to 2019 EPs Pursuit of Happiness and Apocalypse First single “M.Y.O.B.” out now June 26, 2020 – Triple threat Ricky Persaud Jr. – singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist– is back with amazing new music off his forthcoming album, M.Y.O.B. (Mystiqson Records). A melodic tour-de- force, the release has several new tracks he can’t wait to […]

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INDUSTRY NEWS

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Animated Lyric Video For “That’s About Me” Premieres By Country Rocker Bryan Fox & Nappy Roots

July 1, 2020

Country rock songwriter Bryan Fox’s new animated lyric video for “That’s About Me” premiered by American Songwriter Magazine [click to read/watch] today. His fun-filled 3rd collaboration with fellow infamous Kentuckians Buffalo Stille and Ron Clutch from Grammy-nominated, Southern alternative hip hop group Nappy Roots offers a utopian aura. Co-written and produced by studio veteran Malcolm Springer (Matchbox 20, Collective Soul, Boz Skaggs), the song was […]

The Oak Ridge Boys To Perform and Co-Host TBN’s Independence Day Weekend Celebration

June 29, 2020

GRAMMY® winning, Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry members The Oak Ridge Boys are set to host TBN’s July 4th weekend special performing multiple songs, along with guests two time Grammy nominated and GMA Dove award winner Nicole C. Mullen, Grammy award winner Lee Greenwood and joined by co-host Gov. Mike Huckabee. TBN’s Independence Day Weekend Celebration will premiere Saturday, July 3 […]

Lynn Anderson ‘Rose Garden’ 50th Anniversary Deluxe Collector’s Edition Vinyl Available Tomorrow!

June 25, 2020

The illustrious legacy of country music’s leading lady, Lynn Anderson sparks an impression on a whole new generation while captivating long time dedicated fans as the ‘Rose Garden’ Deluxe Collector’s Edition is available tomorrow on vinyl. This exclusive anniversary release contains never before seen notes written to Anderson from country music star Reba McEntire and […]