This week I’m getting a little personal and looking back. If you’re reading this week’s column on publication day, today (August 19) is my 70th birthday.th Birthday. Before Joe Biden dropped out of the election, I would have said that I was approaching the age at which I could run for president, but instead I accept that the nickname “old geezer” is appropriate.
I was 14 when I decided to go into broadcasting. I talked myself into it when I met with a graduate advisor who was working on his PhD at the University of Rochester. They needed real high school students to talk to, and a friend suggested I give it a try. One night he asked me what I wanted to do for a living. 56 years later, I’m still doing it, just not full-time. Listening to the radio was a joy for me as a kid, whether it was the local top 40 stations, listening to big AM stations on the flip switch at night, or discovering the FM band.
Although I didn’t hold a microphone until 1972, when I entered Michigan State University as a freshman, I studied the industry as best I could. My mother worked at Kodak, and because TV stations still used film back then, the company advertised in Broadcasting magazine. She got her hands on a copy of Broadcasting every week and took it home with her. The highlight was the Broadcasting Yearbook, which I read cover to cover. Yes, that’s the textbook definition of “nerd.”
This memory leads to the sad news that Broadcasting, now Broadcasting and Cable, will be closing very soon after 93 years. All that will remain is an annual awards show. I was recently going through some of my “debris” in our attic here in Bowling Green and found my copy of Broadcasting’s 50th anniversary.th Anniversary issue dated October 12, 1981. The headline was “Towards 2001.” The issue contained many thoughts about the company’s future direction, but as Yogi Berra said, “Predictions are hard to make, especially about the future.”
In 1981, the industry was just getting used to the idea of cable, fiber and satellite. There were some predictions about what would become SiriusXM (which launched nearly 20 years later), and all of them assumed that there would be more choice for consumers. Not all of them came true. The late Bob Coen, who forecasted advertising revenue during his 67 years (!) at McCann-Erickson, expected radio revenue to reach $28 billion by 2001. It’s 2024 and we’re still a long way from that number.
I’ve never regretted getting into broadcasting. Radio was always my first love, although I did spend some time in television in the ’90s. Many years ago, while I was operations manager at WSPA-FM in Spartanburg, South Carolina, I realized that while I probably could have done on-air and program roles, the world of ratings grabbed me. Jim Duncan’s American Radio compilation of all the Arbitron ratings was required reading for me (I’ve always been a numbers freak) and I eventually went back to Michigan State University and got my PhD in mass media, thinking I’d learn about poll methodology and how ratings work. I started with the National Association of Broadcasters in 1987 and, except for a brief detour to teach at Michigan State for a year, have managed to make an entire career in the industry.
While I don’t think I’ve ever had any true “mentors” in the industry, I’ve had the pleasure of working for and learning from many good bosses over the years. The late Larry Alverson at WSPA-FM, Rick Ducey at NAB, Bill Engel at Birch/Scarborough, Howard Zeiden at WPXI-TV, Mark Mays at Clear Channel, David Lapovsky at Arbitron, and Mike McVay at Cumulus were all crazy enough to hire me and generally let me do whatever needed to be done, and sometimes even more if I had an idea or two. Ask Fred and Paul Jacobs how “The Bedroom Project” and “Goin’ Mobile” came about.
I don’t need to tell you any platitudes about “change” in media. Radio, now often referred to as “audio,” has transformed from what we loved in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. Consumers have a lot of choice, from the introduction of Sirius and XM to streaming and podcasts. Broadcasting is still alive and can be profitable, albeit with fewer staff and a lot more technology.
This is not a farewell to the industry or to me. And while there were some “good old days” in the past that are fun to chat about over a beer, we need to focus on the future. When I taught during my graduate studies at MSU, I always told my students that the media business was fun. If you want to play it safe, switch your major to accounting and assuming you’re at least somewhat competent, you will always have a job, but it probably won’t be fun or fulfilling. My brother studied accounting and ended up being a CFO, but he never sounded like he enjoyed the job, even though he made quite a bit of money.
With that said, I will be celebrating the day with Felecia, my wonderful friend here in BG. Tomorrow I will continue to follow the industry and viewership numbers and comment on how you and the industry can improve.
Thanks for letting me reminisce. See you next week.
