Sunday, April 09, 2006

The Shortest Show on Earth

“…The most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it."
-Arnold J. Toynbee


Starting Monday, April 10, I will be hosting the very early, very short, very first morning show on the docket of the BizRadio Network, 6a-7a, Monday thru Friday.

That’s ludicrous, you might think.
You might.

I have recently read all manner of interesting commentary about our radio stations and their direction, performance, effectiveness, etc. on internet discussion boards (which shall remain nameless and link-less in this blog.) To those narrow minded, myopic commentators and Monday morning quarterbacks, I simply say you don’t get it. You don’t know the story, you don’t see the full picture; you just don’t get it.

Somewhere along the way we (myself included) got the idea that Radio was for the enjoyment of the masses, expression of the soul, and each Radio person on the air was The Annointed oracle for whatever aim or idea came into his or her head. And the public generally agg'ed-on that kind of thinking by elevating Radio hosts, DJ’s, personalities, news anchors, and even producers, to god-like status. We were all disillusioning ourselves. The King had no clothes, but he had a cool voice (pipes), played hip music, and set the trends of the day, so what did we care?

The reality of Radio always has been that Radio is a Business.
Oh sure, Nicolai Tesla’s experiments were interesting, and programming has always been designed to grab audiences…but the real deal for Radio has always been of a commercial nature. As a business, Radio has to meet or beat a bottom line, just like a bank, an automobile manufacturer, or a grocery chain.

What does that have to do with me hosting the shortest Radio show on earth?

You have to follow the economics.
You also have to recognize that Radio stations, and Radio Networks evolve as needs change. Right now there is a need for one of our Very Important Advertisers to make a bigger splash among our affiliate markets.

How many other broadcast networks do you know of with the flexibility to allow this to happen? How many other media outlets do you know of that are nimble enough to pull this off? And how many other commercial advertising organizations can boast the results The BizRadio Network has achieved?

We’re a year and two months old.
In that time we have amassed a niche audience that is the cream de la creme of demographers, out-performing indexes for income, education, home-ownership, luxury automobile ownership, net worth, and investable funds far above any other radio network’s wettest dreams.

I’ll tell you something else, even Arbitron is impressed with what we’ve achieved. In a recent survey they conducted using more precise information-gathering methodology than diary keeping, The BizRadioNetwork drew an average of over 23,000 listeners a week to a station that doesn’t give away the hottest concern tickets, not going to send anyone on a trip somewhere, and isn’t giving away money for listening.

No—our listeners tune in to find out the best way to make money, not win it.

It’s like that old adage—give a man a fish, you feed him for a day…etc.
The way we see it, radio stations giving away money buy an audience for a day. We’re showing you how to make money…and like showing a man how to fish so that he can feed himself for the rest of his life, we’re showing you how to make yourself rich for the rest of your life.

I’ll start that process tomorrow morning, for one hour, getting you set for the rest of the day. I promise to make it the best hour of your morning. See you on the Radio.

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