That's what Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey thinks -- only the strong will survive.

That's funny when you differentiate the strong from the weak by calling a $3 stock price strong.

Cumulus closed at 75 cents Tuesday which is pretty weak -- so go figure. Oh, and Lew Dickey is in acquisition mode.

The world is bankrupt. China is bankrupt. You're bankrupt when your debt exceeds your assets. The American people are fast going bankrupt. Banks are going bust. And there are 130 banks on the Fed's watch list to go down next. Governments of the world are trying to stabilize their economies and ...

Lew Dickey is predicting&hellip

That's what Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey thinks -- only the strong will survive.

That's funny when you differentiate the strong from the weak by calling a $3 stock price strong.

Cumulus closed at 75 cents Tuesday which is pretty weak -- so go figure. Oh, and Lew Dickey is in acquisition mode.

The world is bankrupt. China is bankrupt. You're bankrupt when your debt exceeds your assets. The American people are fast going bankrupt. Banks are going bust. And there are 130 banks on the Fed's watch list to go down next. Governments of the world are trying to stabilize their economies and ...

Lew Dickey is predicting&hellip

Axl Rose has been working on "Chinese Democracy" for 17 years and has spent $13 million (as of 2005) to complete his just-released CD.

Rose is now 46 years old.

There are no roses, so to speak, left in Guns N' Roses if Axl is considered the top "gun". All the original band members are gone.

Whether the album sells at their exclusive record store or not is less relevant than the changes that have been taking place in the record industry since GNR's last album.

The labels are mere shadows of their former selves.

CD sales have declined all but one year since 2000.

Napster (the real Napster, the rogue&hellip

Axl Rose has been working on "Chinese Democracy" for 17 years and has spent $13 million (as of 2005) to complete his just-released CD.

Rose is now 46 years old.

There are no roses, so to speak, left in Guns N' Roses if Axl is considered the top "gun". All the original band members are gone.

Whether the album sells at their exclusive record store or not is less relevant than the changes that have been taking place in the record industry since GNR's last album.

The labels are mere shadows of their former selves.

CD sales have declined all but one year since 2000.

Napster (the real Napster, the rogue&hellip

The other day I mentioned Dick Carr in a piece called "Great Radio".

Dick was the architect of WIP in Philadelphia during its glory years at the top of ratings and revenues.

Dick emailed me shortly after he read it and reminded me of something worth passing along.

This is one of the reasons I always say we all benefit when we bring the wisdom of experience, along with the hard work of the present generation and the innovations and possibilities seen by the next generation.

Right now radio is stuck in a time warp created by a handful of CEOs who have tried almost everything but using their heads.

When Dick&hellip

The other day I mentioned Dick Carr in a piece called "Great Radio".

Dick was the architect of WIP in Philadelphia during its glory years at the top of ratings and revenues.

Dick emailed me shortly after he read it and reminded me of something worth passing along.

This is one of the reasons I always say we all benefit when we bring the wisdom of experience, along with the hard work of the present generation and the innovations and possibilities seen by the next generation.

Right now radio is stuck in a time warp created by a handful of CEOs who have tried almost everything but using their heads.

When Dick&hellip

The auto industry and radio have a lot in common.

Let's start with the most important things first -- flying private.

The big three automakers went to beg Congress for $28 billion in stopgap, bail out money recently and they hit Washington in style. The heads of Ford, GM and Chrysler all showed up on private jets (and limo rides to Capitol Hill).

I always say, if you're going to beg, go in style.

Some of the companies said flying private was for safety reasons?

Huh?

Northwest isn't safe?

Ordinarily it is probably none of the public's business how CEOs choose to travel unless, of course,&hellip

The auto industry and radio have a lot in common.

Let's start with the most important things first -- flying private.

The big three automakers went to beg Congress for $28 billion in stopgap, bail out money recently and they hit Washington in style. The heads of Ford, GM and Chrysler all showed up on private jets (and limo rides to Capitol Hill).

I always say, if you're going to beg, go in style.

Some of the companies said flying private was for safety reasons?

Huh?

Northwest isn't safe?

Ordinarily it is probably none of the public's business how CEOs choose to travel unless, of course,&hellip

(With our "Scottsdale Study Group" good time, great oldies monthly luncheon -- from left to right, JD, John Sebastian, Bruce St. James and Todd Wallace).

No sooner than I waxed eloquent about WCBS-FM in New York as the bastion of radio's better days, the station switched to all-Christmas music.

I used to read Tom Taylor at Inside Radio and then Radio-Info document all the stations that just dump their formats each holiday seasons to go whole hog Santa.

Of course, there are some very interesting sociological implications to an industry that embraces Christmas in a world that has never been more secular. Nordstrom, the&hellip

(With our "Scottsdale Study Group" good time, great oldies monthly luncheon -- from left to right, JD, John Sebastian, Bruce St. James and Todd Wallace).

No sooner than I waxed eloquent about WCBS-FM in New York as the bastion of radio's better days, the station switched to all-Christmas music.

I used to read Tom Taylor at Inside Radio and then Radio-Info document all the stations that just dump their formats each holiday seasons to go whole hog Santa.

Of course, there are some very interesting sociological implications to an industry that embraces Christmas in a world that has never been more secular. Nordstrom, the&hellip

I suspect the radio industry is getting the wool pulled over its eyes by the likes of the Dickey brothers and Nielsen.

The Dickey's have been publicly leading a crusade for -- let's call it what it really is -- cheaper audience ratings for some of its smaller markets. If you believe that better ratings were their main motivation, I have a three week old cheesesteak that I found under the seat at a Flyers game that I'd like to sell you.

The Dickey's did all the right things -- bid it out, try to build industry support from small market operators.

Now we know -- the REST of the story (as Paul Harvey likes to call&hellip

I suspect the radio industry is getting the wool pulled over its eyes by the likes of the Dickey brothers and Nielsen.

The Dickey's have been publicly leading a crusade for -- let's call it what it really is -- cheaper audience ratings for some of its smaller markets. If you believe that better ratings were their main motivation, I have a three week old cheesesteak that I found under the seat at a Flyers game that I'd like to sell you.

The Dickey's did all the right things -- bid it out, try to build industry support from small market operators.

Now we know -- the REST of the story (as Paul Harvey likes to call&hellip

We've been hearing a lot lately about how president-elect Barack Obama is channeling his inner Abe Lincoln in putting together his cabinet appointments.

Doris Kerns Goodwin wrote a book called Team of Rivals chronicling the way Lincoln did it.

Lincoln chose the man who ran against him, William Henry Seward, as his secretary of state. Then he crossed to the Democratic party to pick Edwin Stanton as his secretary of war -- the same Edwin Stanton who humiliated him years earlier when they worked together as trial lawyers. There was also Salmon Chase, a Lincoln critic and rival who landed the treasury secretary job as well as&hellip

We've been hearing a lot lately about how president-elect Barack Obama is channeling his inner Abe Lincoln in putting together his cabinet appointments.

Doris Kerns Goodwin wrote a book called Team of Rivals chronicling the way Lincoln did it.

Lincoln chose the man who ran against him, William Henry Seward, as his secretary of state. Then he crossed to the Democratic party to pick Edwin Stanton as his secretary of war -- the same Edwin Stanton who humiliated him years earlier when they worked together as trial lawyers. There was also Salmon Chase, a Lincoln critic and rival who landed the treasury secretary job as well as&hellip

Over the weekend one of my Jersey buds, Big Jay Sorensen sent me a Facebook message to say that he was going to do a shift Sunday night on WCBS-FM in New York as one of their "radio greats".

CBS-FM is my favorite terrestrial radio station so it doesn't take much to get me to listen and I was thrilled for Big Jay -- a yeoman radio guy who loves what he does. Jay has had some bumps in the road of late -- as a lot of my radio friends have -- but I knew he'd be a killer when he turned the mike on.

Great radio. A hot personality that wanted to entertain so much that it came through the speakers -- even on my Mac where I&hellip

Over the weekend one of my Jersey buds, Big Jay Sorensen sent me a Facebook message to say that he was going to do a shift Sunday night on WCBS-FM in New York as one of their "radio greats".

CBS-FM is my favorite terrestrial radio station so it doesn't take much to get me to listen and I was thrilled for Big Jay -- a yeoman radio guy who loves what he does. Jay has had some bumps in the road of late -- as a lot of my radio friends have -- but I knew he'd be a killer when he turned the mike on.

Great radio. A hot personality that wanted to entertain so much that it came through the speakers -- even on my Mac where I&hellip

It's not that radio CEOs are stupid.

They're not.

Yet you wonder, how is it that almost everyone but these CEOs know that radio is headed in the wrong direction?

Take radio stocks.

The cream of the crop at closing yesterday was CBS at $7.66, Cox at $4.91 and Saga at $3.31 -- and that's not saying much. Then, it gets uglier.

Beasley at $1.30
Salem 88 cents
Entravision 87 cents
Cumulus 85 cents
Entercom 66 cents
Emmis at 39 cents
Citadel at 21 cents
Regent at 19 cents
Spanish 17 cents
Radio One just 13 cents

Westwood One is only 15 cents and Sirius XM a&hellip

It's not that radio CEOs are stupid.

They're not.

Yet you wonder, how is it that almost everyone but these CEOs know that radio is headed in the wrong direction?

Take radio stocks.

The cream of the crop at closing yesterday was CBS at $7.66, Cox at $4.91 and Saga at $3.31 -- and that's not saying much. Then, it gets uglier.

Beasley at $1.30
Salem 88 cents
Entravision 87 cents
Cumulus 85 cents
Entercom 66 cents
Emmis at 39 cents
Citadel at 21 cents
Regent at 19 cents
Spanish 17 cents
Radio One just 13 cents

Westwood One is only 15 cents and Sirius XM a&hellip

LA Radio will do under $1 billion for the first time since 2002.

Radio stocks are worth pennies.

Audiences decline even though loyalists whip out studies that show how many hours a day people listen.

Radio lost the next generation.

Need I go through this again?

While lots of folks were dismissing the role of Millennials in the recent presidential election, conventional wisdom took a big hit.

You know what was said -- they'll organize, even contribute online, but they won't vote. Young people never vote in large numbers.

I learned my lesson almost five years ago when I got to devote my full&hellip

LA Radio will do under $1 billion for the first time since 2002.

Radio stocks are worth pennies.

Audiences decline even though loyalists whip out studies that show how many hours a day people listen.

Radio lost the next generation.

Need I go through this again?

While lots of folks were dismissing the role of Millennials in the recent presidential election, conventional wisdom took a big hit.

You know what was said -- they'll organize, even contribute online, but they won't vote. Young people never vote in large numbers.

I learned my lesson almost five years ago when I got to devote my full&hellip

Wal-Mart has loss leaders -- a product sold at low price to stimulate other profitable sales.

That's what music downloads and CDs need to be for the record industry -- loss leaders.

Now some could sarcastically say that CDs and legal downloads are already loss leaders for the labels -- and I'd laugh along with them.

But there's a difference.

Record labels are going to go down with declining sales in Compact Discs while downloads will never make up the loss of revenue. Thus, the present conundrum. So, in response to their dilemma, the labels are doing what ever red-blooded American business would do --&hellip

Wal-Mart has loss leaders -- a product sold at low price to stimulate other profitable sales.

That's what music downloads and CDs need to be for the record industry -- loss leaders.

Now some could sarcastically say that CDs and legal downloads are already loss leaders for the labels -- and I'd laugh along with them.

But there's a difference.

Record labels are going to go down with declining sales in Compact Discs while downloads will never make up the loss of revenue. Thus, the present conundrum. So, in response to their dilemma, the labels are doing what ever red-blooded American business would do --&hellip

Fortune did an interesting piece on the brash, young head of programming at NBC Universal, Ben Silverman, in its November 10th issue.

He's got a lot of faults -- doesn't show up for meetings, iffy business dealings, party animal behavior but he also has some qualities that are worth examining.

2008 was a bad year for radio and records.

Radio stocks dropped to below a dollar. Audiences continued to erode. Advertiser cutbacks -- partially from the bad economy but also due to many other new media choices. Top executives had the look of a deer in the headlights.

Cutbacks will continue through the holidays and&hellip

Fortune did an interesting piece on the brash, young head of programming at NBC Universal, Ben Silverman, in its November 10th issue.

He's got a lot of faults -- doesn't show up for meetings, iffy business dealings, party animal behavior but he also has some qualities that are worth examining.

2008 was a bad year for radio and records.

Radio stocks dropped to below a dollar. Audiences continued to erode. Advertiser cutbacks -- partially from the bad economy but also due to many other new media choices. Top executives had the look of a deer in the headlights.

Cutbacks will continue through the holidays and&hellip

One reason radio has fallen on hard times is because the CEOs who run it don't understand the next generation and can't see trends that they need to consider in forging forward.

Many of you read this space every day to take a look at what is happening on a sociological basis before you make decisions -- either for your stations and/or businesses and your careers.

Here are a few trends to watch:I believe that there will be no distinction between radio, TV and print in the future.

It's happening now with the next generation. They click when they want to read. Click when they want to hear. Click when they want to&hellip

One reason radio has fallen on hard times is because the CEOs who run it don't understand the next generation and can't see trends that they need to consider in forging forward.

Many of you read this space every day to take a look at what is happening on a sociological basis before you make decisions -- either for your stations and/or businesses and your careers.

Here are a few trends to watch:I believe that there will be no distinction between radio, TV and print in the future.

It's happening now with the next generation. They click when they want to read. Click when they want to hear. Click when they want to&hellip

The official end of traditional media occurred yesterday.

Or, to be more precise, it marked a long downhill process that began several years ago and ended last night.

Presidential politics was ugly this year -- and I'm not talking about the candidates, parties, attack groups. That, too.

What we've witnessed is the point of no return -- where radio, television and print handed its power, influence and soon revenue over to new media.

It's important because the radio and record businesses right now are in that same downward trend along with television and newspapers. Perhaps some lessons can be&hellip

The official end of traditional media occurred yesterday.

Or, to be more precise, it marked a long downhill process that began several years ago and ended last night.

Presidential politics was ugly this year -- and I'm not talking about the candidates, parties, attack groups. That, too.

What we've witnessed is the point of no return -- where radio, television and print handed its power, influence and soon revenue over to new media.

It's important because the radio and record businesses right now are in that same downward trend along with television and newspapers. Perhaps some lessons can be&hellip

Ooh -- I'm scared.

The NAB is promising that when the election is over it is in a good position to prevent the music royalty tax exemption from being eliminated.

Of course, the record industry through its eager beavers MusicFIRST is saying it's ready to go "toe-to-toe with corporate radio and we will win". (God, the thought of doing anything so intimate as toe-to-toe with the guys I know who run radio groups turns my stomach, but nonetheless...).

Congress -- no matter what its political makeup -- scares me.

They need lobby groups to help them think (wink/wink). And there is a growing sentiment that terrestrial&hellip

Ooh -- I'm scared.

The NAB is promising that when the election is over it is in a good position to prevent the music royalty tax exemption from being eliminated.

Of course, the record industry through its eager beavers MusicFIRST is saying it's ready to go "toe-to-toe with corporate radio and we will win". (God, the thought of doing anything so intimate as toe-to-toe with the guys I know who run radio groups turns my stomach, but nonetheless...).

Congress -- no matter what its political makeup -- scares me.

They need lobby groups to help them think (wink/wink). And there is a growing sentiment that terrestrial&hellip

We have more ways to communicate, stay in touch and interact easily and intuitively than at any other point in time.

But we don't seem to communicate more effectively than if we had only books, television, radio and hard wired telephones.

We email, text message and use our voice plans to the max but no one can say with certainty that we actually communicate better.

Technology has given us virtually everyone's attention in the modern world, but increasingly many of us are driven to distraction.

We have access to more content than ever before -- at the touch of a mouse or a brief tickle of computer keys on a&hellip

We have more ways to communicate, stay in touch and interact easily and intuitively than at any other point in time.

But we don't seem to communicate more effectively than if we had only books, television, radio and hard wired telephones.

We email, text message and use our voice plans to the max but no one can say with certainty that we actually communicate better.

Technology has given us virtually everyone's attention in the modern world, but increasingly many of us are driven to distraction.

We have access to more content than ever before -- at the touch of a mouse or a brief tickle of computer keys on a&hellip