As broadcasters begin to gather in Nashville this morning (February 28) for the Country Radio Seminar, expect plenty of discussion. About discussion.
The importance of radio personalities has been declining for decades. They used to choose the music on their shows. This privilege has been removed. Afterwards, many were encouraged to quit their gigs and take up music. Then syndicated morning and evening shows moved in to replace local talent.
But once the streaming era hit and began to steal some of radio's listening time, terrestrial programmers began to re-evaluate their product to discover what differentiates it from streaming. Thus, the focus of this year's CRS is debate.
“That's what's so important about this year,” says the iHeartMedia talent Brooke Taylor, which has voice shows daily in three markets and airs on 100 stations on weekends. “The on-air radio personality somehow regains its importance in the stratosphere of a particular station.”
Taylor will appear on a panel designed for show hosts — “Personal Branding: It's Not Ego, It's Branding!” — but it's not the only element that adjusts to talent. Other contributions include “On Air Personalities: The OG Influencers”, an investigative study of audience expectations of their DJs. a podcasting deep dive. and four different panels dedicated to threats and opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI).
As it turns out, artificiality isn't particularly popular, according to the research study “On Air Talent and Their Roles on All Platforms,” conducted by media analytics firm Smith Geiger.
“Americans have very mixed feelings about artificial intelligence,” says Smith Geiger, executive vice president of digital media strategies. Andrew Finlayson. “This research proves that audiences are very interested in authentic content and authentic voices.”
Not to say that AI will be rejected. Sounds like a profitable partner Tom Webster expects it to be effective in matching advertisers with podcasts that fit their audience and market priorities. And he also sees it as a research tool that can help create content.
“If I'm a DJ and I'm on a break and I've pre-sold or re-sold the same record 1,000 times, why not ask an assistant, 'Give me something new about this record to say?'” suggests Webster. “That's the easy thing right there. that can really help the DJ do his job.”
CRS has been helping country radio do its job for more than 50 years by providing networking opportunities, exposure to new artists and a steady stream of educational panels that address legal issues, industry trends and listener research. In the early 1980s, format leaders aspired to make country more like modern adult, offering a predictable experience that would be easy to consume for hours in an office situation. Radio music and production techniques became more aggressive in the 1990s, and as technology provided a swelling wave of competitors and new ways to move around the dial, stations found it especially difficult to maintain listeners' attention in the 21st century.
Meanwhile, major chains have cut staff significantly. Many stations cover at least two daily shifts with syndicated shows, and the remaining talent often works at multiple stations in many different markets, sometimes covering more than one format. These same personalities are expected to maintain a busy social media presence and possibly create a podcast as well.
That's an opportunity, according to Webster. Podcast revenue has grown to about $2.5 billion in advertising and sponsorships, he says, while radio revenue has fallen from about $14 billion to $9 billion. He envisions the two platforms being on equal financial footing in perhaps a decade, and believes broadcasters and personalities should get involved if they haven't already.
“It's hard to make a really good podcast,” observes Webster. “We talk a lot about the number of podcasts — there are a lot and most podcasts aren't great. Most podcasts are listened to by friends and family. There's no barrier to entry on a podcast, and then radio has this steady stream of people whose very job is to develop a relationship with an audience. That's what they're good at.”
This 80s idea of the radio as predictable background music has been tweaked. It's often still “a loose soundtrack to what you're doing,” suggests Webster, though listeners want to engage with it.
“One of the people in the survey literally said it's 'a surprise box,'” notes Finlayson. “I think people like that calmness that an on-air personality who really knows and understands the music can bring to the equation. . And knowledge of country music is one of the things audiences crave from an on-air talent.”
It's a challenge. Between working multiple stations, creating social media content, and podcasting, many personalities are so stretched that it has become difficult to maintain a personal life, which in turn reduces their sources for new material. Add in the threat of AI, and it's a tough time.
“What I'm seeing is a lot of stress and anxiety levels and I don't know how we can fix it,” admits Country Radio Broadcasters executive director RJ Curtis. “There's so much work on our shoulders, it's hard to manage it and then have a life.”
Curtis made sure CRS tackled that, too, with “Your Brain Is a Liar: Recognizing and Understanding the Impact of Your Mental Health,” a presentation delivered by the 25-year-old radio and record executive Jason Prinzo.
That tension is one of the ways that on-air talent likely connects with its audience—there are plenty of stressed-out, overbooked citizens in every market. And as technology continues to consume their lives, it naturally feeds the need for authenticity, which is likely to be a buzzword as CRS emphasizes radio personalities.
“Imagine having a radiothon for St. Jude with AI talent,” says Taylor. “You'll get a bunch of evidence, but you'll never get a tear. You will never get a real story. You will never hear that shaky voice talking about someone in your family or someone you know who has cancer. The big thing that will never be replaced is that feeling.”
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