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The Best Mix Of Hits And Plausible Deniability posted on October 29th, 2014

Can Radio Create More Radio?

When we last visited my dentist, he had switched to classical WQXR New York from WLTW, his longtime office choice, after finally declaring Lite FM too current, too repetitious, and too edgy. Lite’s ongoing transition to brighter AC had worked for millions, but my dentist wanted, surprise, dentist office music.

That was exactly what was playing at my dentist’s office on my next visit. There was light classical that I first thought might still be WQXR. Then there was “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion. Then there was what sounded like opera.

It was his newly created Andrea Bocelli channel on Pandora. And when I asked, he enthusiastically described his iPad/Bluetooth/Bose speaker set-up at length. I’m used to interviewing anybody about radio who gives me an opening, but my dentist talked about radio more than I’d heard him do in 15 years. And if a patient complained about Andrea Bocelli, he handed them the iPad and let them choose another channel.

I’ve seen my dentist as early as 8:30 and as late as 7 p.m. He’s almost always played WLTW or WPLJ, the latter being another station that had evolved away from his tastes. There was never a time when no radio was playing in his office or that of his hygienist. At a time when broadcasters are scrapping for a few more nine minute listening occasions, one man had just single-handedly taken 40 hours of weekly listening out of play.

Suggesting that radio play more Andrea Bocelli hardly seems like million dollar advice. Most broadcasters would identify Bocelli as exactly the artist that can’t be accommodated on mainstream broadcast radio. American radio didn’t find a place for him during his stretch as a Norah Jones-type phenomenon nearly 20 years ago. And most would agree that the people who want to hear Andrea Bocelli are the people they can’t serve. But this was a mainstream radio listener until six weeks ago.

The audience that wants something other than what mainstream broadcast radio can viably offer them has never seemed like a large group. When satellite radio launched, the willful depth and obscurity of the pre-Howard Stern days seemed like it was aimed only at mainstream radio refusniks. When initial adaptation was slow, broadcasters felt vindicated.

But now there are 26-million Sirius XM subscribers. In Edison Research’s spring Share of Ear survey, they accounted for 8% of all audio consumption. Satellite’s mainstream channels are still deeper than their broadcast counterparts, but they are no longer playing songs I’ve never heard of by artists you’ve never heard of. The depth is in the breadth of channel selections – Broadway, ‘00s Country, “Deep Cuts” Classic Rock. Satellite radio has a clear foothold now in providing the “other radio” that broadcast cannot. And they do so with channels that are often hosted and never sound as hastily assembled as comparable HD Radio broadcast sub-channels.

Then there’s the 6% share of ear that goes to Pandora. Despite its early eclecticism, Pandora has mostly played the hits for five years, if that’s what you ask them for. Enter a hit and with some occasional outliers (why do I keep hearing “My Girl” by Otis Redding?), you’ll get another hit as defined by years of broadcast radio’s research. But when you want Andrea Bocelli, he’s there. And we’ve had tangible evidence for more than a year that Pandora replaces both broadcast listening and music collection usage, despite radio’s talking points.

It’s been known for a while that in any extensive tier of audio, whether satellite radio, music services on cable TV or the DAB stations in England and Australia, that the mainstream choices are often the most popular. But whether it’s Pandora’s skip button or satellite’s niche channels, what seems to work for broadcast’s rival audio providers is playing the hits, but providing the plausible deniability of variety. Offering a reggae channel doesn’t just move that listening away from broadcast, it makes it possible for listening to more mainstream offerings to take place outside broadcast’s walls, too.

Listener demand for “the other radio” is, in other words, enough to be missed. If radio still controlled the combined 14% of audio consumption that goes to Pandora and satellite, radio would still be around two-thirds of all listening, instead of hanging in around the 50% mark.

Broadcasters had the opportunity with a decade of HD Radio efforts to create “the other radio.” Satellite radio was a simpler, more elegant solution than HD, as consumers made clear. But the net effect of creating hundreds of additional stations should have been to create an additional tier of “other radio” that was ready to flourish on IP, not merely on its own platform. Those channels have been hobbled by a lack of resources: broadcasters spending just enough money to waste it.

During that same decade, broadcasters continued to create demand for “the other radio” by turning once mainstream formats into “the other radio,” especially if it involved listeners over 45. Oldies almost disappeared from FM a decade ago. What is now called “Classic Hits” dominates some markets, but has never returned to others (or is starting to disappear again). Smooth Jazz did effectively disappear. Classic Rock is now under greater scrutiny. This even though 45-plus listeners, like my still youthful dentist, haven’t broken their lifelong ties to radio unless pushed.

With Pandora and Sirius XM redefining a reasonable spotload for many listeners, “the other radio” that broadcasters might offer is their own mainstream products with fewer interruptions. Journal Broadcasting Milwaukee’s Radio League app offers a dozen formats with lower spotloads. Some of those formats are mainstream. Some are creative, like the current Oktoberfest format, or the surprisingly cohesive mix of any act that played Milwaukee’s mammoth Summerfest, regardless of genre.

And then you have to consider iHeart Radio, which does offer channels beyond iHeart Media’s own broadcast stations, as well as Pandora-type customized listening. In early 2014, 9% of Infinite Dial respondents were monthly iHeart Radio users, although their first use was far and away to stream broadcast radio. Why hadn’t my dentist tried iHeart Radio for Andrea Bocelli? When I asked my dentist, he wasn’t aware of iHeart Radio, which may come as a shock to anybody who has heard it promoted so extensively on iHM’s own airwaves.

The magnitude of the task is daunting. Getting the attention of those who have already moved away from broadcast is especially scary: broadcast isn’t reaching those listeners, and theirs aren’t necessarily trusted brands. With everything broadcasters have to do to run their own stations day-to-day, it would be easy for them not to grapple with creating the other radio at all, and many do not. Yet, finding the irresistible package of hits and just enough variety is key to being able to service both moods for listeners going forward.

MusicMaster 31st Anniversary Learning Conference posted on October 28th, 2014

Once again this fall, MusicMaster Team Global gathered for a season of learning, sharing and celebration.

October 6-8, our international force joined together near our worldwide corporate headquarters at Milwaukee Marriott West.

MusicMaster President Joe Knapp opened the event with a presentation of reflection and direction. Joe shared how MusicMaster continues to be the world’s fastest growing music scheduling software company, witnessing unprecedented domestic and international growth.

Knapp welcomed our four new domestic employees, Music Scheduling Consultant Jerry Butler, Senior Accountant Lorie Robers, Senior Technical Consultant Jeff Schroeder, and Music Scheduling Consultant Dave Tyler.

Joe concluded his opening remarks by reviewing a passionate and ambitious agenda for exciting new objectives and strategies.

Throughout the entire conference, each MusicMaster team member made a presentation detailing progress from their specific departments.

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MusicMaster W.I.Z.A.R.D. Jill Sorenson discusses a “soon to be revealed” addition to the MusicMaster product line.

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Sales Coordinator Drew Bennett and MusicMaster’s Canadian Partner Malcolm Sinclair unveil “soon to be announced” worldwide clients.

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MusicMaster Scheduling Consultant Marianne Burkett introduces new team member Jerry Butler.

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MusicMaster Webmaster Cole Marshall speaks of a future development action plan.

MusicMaster Partner Rainer Eichhorn of On-Air in Berlin, Germany disclosed riveting details about MusicMaster’s international appeal. Rainer also outlined our trade show and advertising plans for 2015.

Our MusicMaster crew was also treated to an entertaining and amazing branding presentation from Steve Jones, author of “Brand Like a Rock Star” and “Start You Up”.

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Plus, we learned from sales pro Jim Mathis, author of “Reinvention Strategist”.

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What an incredible time of team building, education and edification.

Thanks, Joe Knapp, for investing your time, talent, and treasure into our product, clients… and MusicMaster family.

There’s No Place Like Home posted on October 27th, 2014

The MusicMaster team joined hundreds of fellow Wisconsin broadcast professionals at the 58th Annual Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Clinic, October 21-23 at the Middleton Marriott Conference Center.

MusicMaster was created 31 years ago in The Badger State by A-Ware President, Joe Knapp, and maintains our worldwide headquarters in the western Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield, WI.

MusicMaster shared booth space on the exhibit floor and provided client demonstrations with automation partners ENCO and Wide Orbit.

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MusicMaster President Joe Knapp looks on as Wide Orbit Regional Sales Manager Jeff Dempsey shares his latest automation presentation.

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WBA President & CEO Michelle Vetterkind shares a moment during the busy agenda with WBA board member Lupita Montoto. Lupita is also the station manager for Midwest Family Madison station “La Movida” 1480.

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ENCO Sales and Marketing Rep Samantha Matheson and MusicMaster Sales and Support Director Shane Finch visit with a potential Wisconsin client.

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Wide Orbit Regional Sales Manager Jeff Dempsey and MusicMaster Senior Technical Consultant Jeff Schroeder show the automation interface now employed by thousands of radio stations worldwide.

The Art of Special Sets (Part Four) posted on October 27th, 2014

By Paul Ziino

We’ve learned a lot so far: how to schedule a special set to make a two-fer in part one, how to create and use kickoff categories for those two-fers in part two, and how to use special sets to auto-schedule artist and title IDs in part three. In this, the final chapter of the series, we’ll discuss how to schedule special sets based on other special set positions. (more…)

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The Art of Special Sets (Part Three) posted on October 20th, 2014

By Paul Ziino

We’ve discussed the art of scheduling Two-Fers over the first two parts of this series. Today we’re going to discuss how to use Special Sets to schedule Artist and Title intros. (more…)

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Central Canada Broadcast Engineers posted on October 19th, 2014

MusicMaster joined hundreds of enthusiastic professionals at the 63rd Annual Central Canadian Broadcast Engineers Career Development Conference, September 25 – 28 in Barrie, Ontario.

MusicMaster VP/CTO Scott Wirt shared the latest on the MusicMaster menu of scheduling
options. Our team joined Wide Orbit for two nights of spirited conversation and learning in our hospitality suite.

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MusicMaster Canadian representative Malcolm Sinclair of Sinclair Media (pictured center) and MusicMaster Sales Coordinator Drew Bennett (pictured right) congratulate Bell Media/Toronto Engineer Wally Lennox (pictured left) on his Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Friends and broadcast colleagues join the MusicMaster staff for casual conversation in our Wide Orbit hospitality suite.

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MusicMaster Sales Coordinator (pictured right) provides personal consultation to a CCBE member.

September Genius Days posted on October 17th, 2014

On September 15th the MusicMaster crew went on a three day trip visiting customers and hosting Genius Days. President/CEO Joe Knapp, Marketing Director Melanie Ross, MusicMaster Support Coordinator Paul Ziino, and the Unconsultant Keith Hill visited with the team at Entercom-Milwaukee on September 15th. They discussed advanced scheduling concepts with Brian Kelly, Jojo Martinez, Leigh McNabb, and other members of the team at WXSS and WMYX as well as David Moore from Entercom-Madison.

On the 16th it was a day-long visit with Midwest Communications in Green Bay, WI. Program and Music Directors from every Midwest Communications market were on-hand for the extensive Q&A session. We met with Duke Wright, Jeff McCarthy, Corey Carter, Dan Stone, Jason Hillery, Mark Fleischer, Craig Holgate, Scott Hanson, PJ Lacey, Derek Moran, Greg Atoms, Tom Gjerdrum, Andy Harris, Cade, Shawn Powers, Jeff Frieders, Jay Morris, Ken Lanphear, Shane Cox, Randy Chambers, Otis Day, Amber Lee, Doc Murphy, Steve Cannon, Mojo, Jonathan Hensler, JT, Karla Cantrell, Barbara Bridges, Ron Allen, Hurricane Shane, and Rusty James. The day ended with a cocktail party and taco bar for all!

And September 18th the crew stopped in at Minnesota Public Radio to meet with folks from Classical 24, KSJN, and The Current including Doug Rowe, Rex Levang, David Safar, Jeff Esworthy, Lindsay Kimball, Suzanne Schaffer, and Steve Nelson. Lots of good questions came up which stimulated several hours of discussion. We learned a lot about how MPR does what they do and made some suggestions for how to improve it as well as some ideas on how to enhance MusicMaster.

After those three sessions the MusicMaster team went home with pages of notes and tons of new ideas. Look for those and many other new features in upcoming service releases and versions of MusicMaster!

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Brian Kelly, Paul Ziino and Joe Knapp at Entercom Genius Days.

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Group shot at Entercom

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Very interested in what Joe Knapp is saying

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Keith Hill, Jeff McCarthy, Midwest Communications, Duke Wright, Midwest Communications and Joe Knapp, MusicMaster

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Genius Day Group from Midwest Communications

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Genius group at Midwest Communications listening to Joe Knapp, MusicMaster

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Brian Kelly is a Genius MusicMaster User with Joe Knapp, MusicMaster

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Minnesota Public Radio

MusicMaster in Boston posted on October 16th, 2014

Paul Ziino was on site at WCRB and WGBH in Boston for two days of training and work with Jon Frank and Rani Schloss. In addition to learning a bunch of MusicMaster tricks they also completed the full integration of MusicMaster with their Audio Vault. Many happy people rejoiced during the staff meeting prior to Paul’s departure.

Below we see Rani, Jon, and Paul testing out the MusicMaster integration with Audio Vault.

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The Art of Special Sets (Part Two) posted on October 13th, 2014

By Paul Ziino

Wouldn’t it be great if MusicMaster knew which artists were eligible for two-fers instead of just hoping to match on an artist with multiple songs in the library? This can be done! Here’s how to build a Kickoff Category in MusicMaster. (more…)

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