Radio, Radio

For both new and regular readers of this blog, you know that I have two hobbies......hence the title of the blog. The one I spend the bulk of my time blogging about here I'm rediscovering after a long absence from it. The other is one I have been blessed to be paid to do for 17 years and am actively seeking to be paid to do it again as soon as possible (***RADIO PROGRAM DIRECTORS, CONSULTANTS, GENERAL MANAGERS, OPERATIONS MANAGERS, ETC.......ARE YOU LISTENING?***)

The Web has been a radio geek's dream! No longer do we have to have friends in big cities send us cassette airchecks in the mail or travel there to hear our favorite stations. We've got 'em all in one place. Here are a few I've been listening to & recommend for your listening pleasure......

• Golden Hits Radio - Anyone who knows me well knows this one would be at the top of the heap :-) An Oldies station created by radio lifers for folks who grew up w/ great radio. ***FULL DISCLOSURE.....I'm also going to be on this station within the next few weeks. Not gettin' paid....just doin' it for the love of the game. Also listen for some of the best talent in the business.***
  
• Rewind 100.3 - Chicago - Whether we Gen X'ers want to admit it or not, the songs we grew up with are now Oldies, and this station is the best of the bunch for "our" Oldies
• WCBS-FM - New York - I love stations that are still a reflection of the market they serve.....this station is one of the best examples of that. Nice, deep music library too.
  
• Boom 97.3 - Toronto - The Canadian version of CBS-FM.
• WSIX-FM - Nashville - Country station, but it has always been one of the top stations in the country in ANY format in my humble opinion. Gerry House is an institution in that town, and he is a storyteller unmatched in the industry. I dare you to listen and not be totally sucked in to his morning show.
  
• Radio Free Texas - I prefer my Country from west of the Mississippi; one of the best of the "Texas music"/"Americana" stations
• Flashback Radio - Strictly 80's.....and unlike many internet only stations, it's not just a jukebox. Much like (another shameless plug in 3, 2, 1) Golden Hits Radio, there are a group of passionate radio pros involved with this one.
• Great Big Radio - Yet another "next generation" Oldies station with a guaranteed "Oh, Wow!" song or moment about every 5 minutes. This one specializes in those 60's through 90's songs that woulda, coulda, shoulda been huge hits.

Hope you enjoy each and every one of these stations as much as I do, but especially (oh no, not again) Golden Hits Radio!!

***RADIO PEOPLE*** If you'd like to bring a pro with a stellar 17-year track record of ratings and revenue growth who is a team player who can bring PERSONALITY and INTERACTION on the air, can lend a hand in the production room, and can whip Selector and/or MusicMaster into submission, visit me on Facebook or take a look at my LinkedIn profile, which includes audio samples!! Then contact me to make me a part of your winning team!

In fairness to the "Airwaves" section.....

It's been a while since I've had any news on my OTHER passion in life and reason for starting this blog........radio. Remember the scene in "Office Space" where Peter talks about what he would do if he had a million dollars and didn't have to work? His was "nothing"......mine is radio. Fortunately, I've been blessed to indulge in that passion and make a living doing it........until about 18 months ago.

Since then, I've been looking for a way to get back in the game, and the opportunity has finally arrived!! Within the next few weeks, I can be heard on Golden Hits Radio! It's a brand new online station launched by one of the truly great radio guys I've ever had the privilege of working with and learning from......Bob Burton, of the legendary morning team of Burt & Kurt. It's a labor of love for all of us at the moment, but how refreshing to be involved in a venture free from all the soul sucking corporate culture. Just great fun, great music, and hopefully at least one or two folks listening at any given time.

I understand this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I appreciate you giving it a shot. And if you're in the radio biz, like the sound of the station, and are in a position to give ME a shot to help grow your station's ratings and revenue, I'd love to talk with you!! First, check out goldenhitsradio.com, then head over to check out my history of winning ratings and radio experience. This opportunity proves I'm more willing to do this for nothing, but there's something to be said for a regular paycheck.

Thanks for stopping by! My goal is for you to have more fun listening than I'm having doing it, but I'm not sure that will be possible.

The house of (sports) cards (and memorabilia) begins to fall.....

And sadly, it comes as no surprise. The first step in what will most likely be the end for Upper Deck began today. As someone who has been on the short end of the economic stick, the human toll is what saddens me as much as the collapse of the Rolls-Royce of sports card companies since 1989. Shedding 1/4 to 1/3 of your staff not only disrupts lives, it cheapens the product you continue to put out. Not sure how many more companies will have to die before corporate boardrooms finally figure that out.

As much as I enjoy the hobby, I value a man or woman's livelihood even more. These folks will all land on their feet, but it's painful to watch as both a hobbyist and man with compassion for those who work hard and still get dealt a blow like this.

If it makes the now ex-Upper Deck employees feel any better, theirs isn't the only industry whose cheese has been moved over the past few years.

To those who lost their jobs in this latest senseless act by a brain dead CEO, THANK YOU for putting out a superb product across multiple sports for the past 20 years. We'll always have the Griffey rookie and the memories. And our thoughts and prayers are with you as you begin the next career chapter.

Uh oh

The news continues to get worse for Upper Deck. Their problems have been well-documented, from lawsuits to settlements to losing both the Major League Baseball AND NFL licenses.

Now, according to the New York Times, they're also running out of money and haven't paid Major League Baseball players for autograph deals. It's becoming more and more impossible every day to envision a scenario under which the company will be able to survive. A merger or buyout might be possible, but short of that, the beginning of the end is underway.

It's sad for me as a collector and fan of their work from their initial 1989 baseball set to see this happen to a company that set the gold standard for the hobby. It's even more disappointing to see this play out the same way that killed many other companies in the past decade beginning with Enron.......shady leadership at the top, lots of great employees loyal to the company seeing their lives disrupted by layoffs in an ailing economy, and a CEO who was playing the fiddle while Rome was burning and will walk away with millions nonetheless.

As a radio guy by trade, Upper Deck reminds me of a station that launches in a market to try and take down the #1 station. If they succeed, which is rare, it's a testament to their people and their expertise. If they fail, at worst you hope they've at least made the #1 station earn it by shoring up their weaknesses and becoming a better station. Hopefully Upper Deck has raised the stakes and made Topps, Panini, and the others bring their "A" game, which makes the customers the winner.

Every little bit helps.......

Thanks to Phyllis Stark, whose articles I linked to a few days ago ("We're only human"), for quoting me in her latest "Stark Country" column on radio-info.com! Take a moment to read it, especially if you're in radio. And remember, it's not too late (yet) to hire me! :-) Put 17 years of experience in all phases of programming to work for you!