radio broadcast

When radio promotions go wrong, they often go very, very wrong. Remember the promotion in Sacramento last year at KDND, when a woman died from water intoxication following "Hold Your Wee for a Wii?" Of course there’s the infamous WKRP Thanksgiving turkey drop promotion. The sad and laughable promotion at the ficticious WKRP, where the lovable but dimwitted GM Arthur Carlson thought that live turkeys dropped from a helicopter would be a good idea on turkey day. Who cold ever forget Carlson’s shocked quip when the turkeys started cascading to the ground in a mass homicidal avian horror? "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!"

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I just spent the last couple of days in San Antonio doing fill-in for afternoon drive. Had a good time working with my old compatriat Karen Kay. No airchecks to post, but here’s a couple of camera-phone picts of the studio and a very bad photo of a roadside taco stand. Why? Hey, it’s Texas. How could I not have a picture of a roadside taco stand.

For some crazy reason I spent a large part of my day listening to Rush and Hannity’s radio shows today. Now, although my liberalista better half might argue otherwise, I’m not a "right wing guy." In fact I prefer to look at political "wings" much like Woody Guthrie: "Right wing, left wing, chicken wing. They’re all the same to me."

Now before you start out thinking, "Wait a minute there son. Who are you to know the mind of the Rushbo or Sean?" Well, I don’t. But I do have a pretty good idea on how the minds of radio talk show hosts work. You see I’ve spent (cough) something like 30ish years in radio. The last 10 have been in talk radio, working as a consultant, Program Director and training talk talent. I’ve spent mucho time around talk hosts and I have a pretty good idea what makes them tick.

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The controversy stirred up by Michael Savage and his remarks concerning autism have made the caustic radio host the subject of front-page news across the US. A Yahoo or Goggle news search will show no end to the commentary and backlash Michael Savage has garnered from reporters, broadcasters and yes, even everyday American’s like you.

The Boston Herald is reporting that sports hero and general all around good guy Doug Flutie, the father of an autistic teen, respectfully lambasted Savage in a press release from the Foundation for Autism saying Savage’s on-air remarks were: “inappropriate and lacking of respect for all families affected by autism.”

Radio and Records, the most influential weekly for the radio broadcasting industry notes that Michael Savage’s remarks on autism have lost him at least one outlet for his combative style of talk radio. Telesouth Communications has canceled Savage’s talk show on all of their “Super Talk Mississippi” stations. It’s a defection of a total of seven Michael Savage affiliates, but it’s not likely to effect the talk host’s rating or monetary bottom line, as the stations are mostly broadcasting to smaller radio markets and represent just a fraction of Michael Savage’s audience.

Still, the flak over Savage’s remarks on autism haven’t been completely ignored by some of Savage’s larger talk radio affiliates. Radio and Records also reports that the vice president and general manager of WOR/New York, Jerry Crowley, Savage’s affiliate in the largest radio market in the US felt the controversy was ‘big’ enough to release the following statement: “The views expressed by Michael Savage are his views and are not those of WOR Radio. As Michael Savage is a syndicated show, the content is the responsibility of the syndicator, which is Talk Radio Networks. Unfortunately, it is impossible for WOR Radio to know the subject matter in advance of airing. WOR is in the business of serving the community in which we broadcast. That is our stated goal, and we will continue to do so. We regret any consternation that his remarks may have caused to our listeners.” Wow. With the ability to write politically and corporately neutral press releases like that, Jerry should consider a run for public office.

The smoke has yet to clear or even to thin out over Michael Savage’s on air tirade. The statements about autism, which some would deem as misinformed or even inflammatory, have consciously or unconsciously created an environment that media personalities lust after with all their spin hungry hearts; tons and tons of press. In just a few days following Savage’s remarks, press wires, newspapers, Internet news portals, TV networks and even the workplace water cooler were abuzz with Savage’s comments. To put it lightly, you can’t buy press like that. Savage has made himself a household name, again.

It’s possible we’ll see a few more stations cancel Michael Savage, and there will undoubtedly be a few advertisers that will pull their commercials from the caustic talk host’s show. Although the General Managers and Program Directors of Michael Savages radio affiliates may seem incensed and will release public statements on how they are outraged or at the very least disagree with Michael Savage’s remarks on autism, the ’smart’ media managers will be popping champagne in their corporate media offices and toasting their good fortune at all of the press their stations are receiving indirectly from the Savage debacle. In the end, all of the controversy will only help Michael Savage. He’s made more people aware of his show, he’ll captivate and incense more listeners, garner higher ratings and in turn, have the ability to charge those advertisers even more to run commercials on his radio network. It’s his job to make a buzz for himself and gather more listeners for the Michael Savage show. And like it or not, from all the press Savage has garnered in the last week, he’s doing a fine job.

This morning I surfed over to the usual web sites to gander for the latest openings and job postings. About once a week I do check out the Clear Channel and CBS sites, you never know what might be lurking. But I have learned from experience over the years that once jobs turn up on internal company job sites, they’re usually filled anyway. At least in theory. As unfortunate as it may seem, job postings in broadcasting are often just the first and last stop to fulfill EOE requirements. I hope I’m not letting the cat out of the bag here. It’s not any big secret is it?!

So I find this rather interesting job opening on the Clear Channel site:

Morning Show Content Censor
Job Description: Clear Channel in Washington, D.C. has an immediate full-time opening for a Morning Show Content Censor. As the Morning Show Content Censor, you will be responsible for providing content protection for the “Elliot in the Morning” radio show on DC101. Content protection entails carefully listening and archiving the radio broadcast. Should show content violate FCC indecency or obscenity rules, you will be responsible for activating the content delay and/or preempting the broadcast with external content until you deem content is safe for returning to the broadcast….

Holy Cow! A show content censor! I guess in this day and age, whatever day and age this will be remembered as being, it’s not a ‘half-bad’ idea. But what’s this gig gonna pay? I’m betting that it’s not a six-figure income. If I had to take a half-baked guess, I’d venture to guess it pays closer to minimum wage than it does 30 grand a year. But, who knows? Still, I am intrigued with the idea that an employee making let’s say, 10 or 15 bucks an hour is the last gatekeeper for keeping everything legal with the FCC. I mean, let’s face it, the Feds don’t even have any clear guidelines as to what is or isn’t indecent. Even the most seasoned broadcasters know that the FCC’s current versions of ‘indecent’ is a shell game, an endlessly shifting and moving target. Hell, a law professor at an Ivy League college that specializes in media law would have a hard time trying to figure out when to or not to hit the dump button. Sheit. And smart money would say that the hire they have in mind is undoubtedly a few letters short of a PHD.

And so it goes….