Each of the leading candidates for president in BOTH parties has begun to figure out Millennials – some more than others.

But I dare say that all four know more about Millennials than most radio people.

This is my way of saying that even if very flawed politicians are changing the way they do things because of the growing influence of 18-34 year old Millennials, then we need to do better.

1. Bernie Sanders is the gold standard this election cycle for appealing to Millennials – free college, Medicare for all and fight those bastards on Wall Street. Goodies they care about.
2. Hillary Clinton has her support especially with older women and blacks from what I’m told but she is sounding like “I’ve heard this record before”. It’s me or the GOP won’t sit well with Millennials who don’t scare that easily.  
      
3. Donald Trump has virtually no values that Millennials care about.  He wants to stop immigration until it’s fixed but Millennials have grown up and gone to school with undocumented workers and Muslims. Trump is brash but that may not be a turn off as much as people think because it is unconventional. Hey, they like reality shows and Donald Trump doesn’t embrace their values but he’s not one of them either.
4. Nobody likes Ted Cruz according to Donald Trump and there is some evidence that this is true from what political wags say of his Congressional buddies. But Cruz is very careful not to attack Trump during the debates – something Millennials like. Plus for Cruz with Millennials.
5. Trump is proud of New York values and is resistant from attacks meant to influence Iowans before their caucus because of 9/11 and Millennials cut a lot of slack to people for being different, not the same and New Yorkers are different (this comes from a Hoboken boy).
6. All the candidates lose on gun issues. In general, Millennials not only have no need to shoot people, they don’t want to shoot animals or for that matter eat them. I’m generalizing here, but there is a lot of truth to this. Guns matter to older voters. Black Lives Matter to Millennials.
7. Interesting how the 74-year old Sanders is their revolutionary Che Guevara. See, age doesn’t really matter to Millennials if you embrace Millennial values. But in Hillary Clinton’s case, some see her as a grandmother while they see the older Sanders as a revolutionary. Values make the difference not age.
8. Millennials probably want Republicans to handle their financial future although they are liberal on social issues. The first GOP candidate that can figure this out and get away with it among the warring factions of the party wins their hearts.  If that is even possible.
9. Oh, wait. Millennials don’t vote. Bullshit. They elected a black president twice. But they will sit home (radio, take notice) if you don’t engage them.
10. I’ve long held that you can stuff audience ratings and polls where the sun don’t shine. Show me the money. If you subscribe to me, I won your vote. If you fund a populist revolution as Bernie Sanders has done with small donations NOT from Wall Street, you’ve got votes. That’s money you can count on.
11. The more politicians attack, the more Millennials don’t like them. Notice how Bernie Sanders told NBC’s Andrea Mitchell during the last debate that he’s sick of people forcing him to attack Secretary Clinton (always respectful). Of course he attacks her in comparative ads, but not frontally or he risks losing his Millennial base. Dislike the deed not the person is true with Millennials more than ever.
12. Bill Clinton’s affairs – even if it turns out to be rape and not consensual – is not safe ground for Millennials. Rape is verboten but using it for your political gain makes you a non-trusted person, which is why their candidate, Bernie Sanders, deftly handled the question on Bill Clinton’s sex life.   Sanders said it was wrong but that he was not going to make it an issue with Secretary Clinton, which shows respect Millennials demand. Hillary is not Bill’s wife in this campaign; she’s a person of her own who is running for president.

It goes on and on and fascinates me more than any previous election.

Anyone could win. I have no clue.

Anyone who says Trump cannot win is wrong and if they say Bernie Sanders can’t win, they are also wrong.

The one who wins gets the most votes and if they want Millennials they have to be un-political candidates.

Now radio.

1. Bernie Sanders is giving away prizes Millennials want. Audiences don’t want tickets, cars or trips.  There is a disconnect here.
2. Candidates are falling all over themselves not to sound like a political candidate, but radio stations apparently have not gotten that email. Radio sounds the exact same way it did decades ago – maybe worse.  Certainly not different and not better.
3. The candidates this cycle are talking about the things that Millennials want and I can identify six things they absolutely, positively must have from radio to even give a listen. Radio delivers not one of them. Seriously.
4. Putting down people only works for Donald Trump and I think it does because he will say anything and a lot of people don’t think he actually hates the people he trashes. But listen to a radio morning show and look at all the putdowns.  This will not win Millennial audiences and yet radio keeps doing it.
5. If you believe me that Millennials vote with their money (apps, high speed Internet, Netflix, etc.) then radio has left on the table one of their most potent weapons – the paid subscription. There are opportunities here.
6. Social media cannot be about self-promotion other than a picture of yourself (say, on Instagram). Radio uses social media like direct mail and it’s wrong.

Reserve April 6 to learn about a Millennial radio makeover and new ideas that can make this a growth year.

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Inquire about group rates

If you’d like to stay real close to our venue, the Hub Conference Center, find nearby hotels here.

That’s the prediction from researchers and financial experts who see yet another no growth year ahead for the radio industry.

What they’re saying is no matter what – even if you sell more spots or somehow find a way to monetize digital as a hedge – the outcome will be disappointing.

Among their reasons: digital competitors, radio groups desperate to sell ads that are willing to keep cutting rates and the perception among buyers (mostly young Millennial women who essentially have no relationship with a radio) that the industry is dead on arrival in a digital world.

The signs are not good.

Even groups that want to do good local radio are on a layoff spree and with the two major and largest radio groups teetering on bankruptcy, things look glum.

I don’t know about you, but this sticks in my craw.

Yes, the major consolidators are done, finished – headed for bankruptcy, but everyone else doesn’t have to sit there and share the same fate.

So if you’re like me – mad as hell and not going to take it any more – how DO you succeed in a zero growth business?

Let’s be specific.

I’ve isolated some strategies that can be implemented by any radio station, any format, any market and I’m going to get into this at my Philly conference April 6^th.

• Give your station a Millennial makeover. This isn’t window dressing, it’s a radical makeover, but you know what? Older audiences are going to love these changes, too, if you think you’ve got what it takes to do it. Former Cox and CBS programmer Dan Mason is going to help share the ways you can make 90 million Millennials at least tempted to re-discover radio. You know, they’re fickle and not real wild about current streaming music services. But if we don’t make our stations sound noticeably different, radio will continue not to be an option for this coveted market.

• Focus on these 6 hours each day to return 50-60% of your profit. Easy to say but what would bring in enough listeners and create enough advertiser interest to get the job done. None of us have the resources these days to spend everywhere. This is where you want to double down for the best results.

• What to do with 7pm-5am. I can hardly wait to share with you how to give birth to a radio station that could potentially be bigger than the station you’re now programming and do it on off-listening hours.

• Avoid podcasting. It’s not your friend. Podcasting will not bring in the revenue to make it worthwhile. Even the latest Serial podcasts are laying an egg compared to the first one. Podcasting is for older listeners looking for an alternative to political talk radio. There’s no way to adequately monetize podcasting for radio owners. But there is one thing that podcasters – the good ones – do that can cross over to your station.

• Digital + radio is not the answer, either. No matter how many times we say it, digital done by radio stations comes out sounding like, well – radio. With salaries being cut, jobs being shared, people being laid off and not enough potential upside to make digital worthwhile, don’t do it. However – this does not mean don’t get into the digital space in a different way. Let me propose a separate business – perfect for a radio station – that will bring you more success than trying to add on digital to radio.

• Cut spots, raise prices and then re-invent the commercial. It’s easier to just take the stuff agencies give us or our cheapest air talent can produce but that’s not going to get you higher rates. And radio cannot survive as your low cost leader. That’s a loser’s game plan. I’ve done work with young people at the college level under contract with radio groups and it may surprise you to know that they hate commercials EXCEPT for the ones they like. And obviously we don’t do enough of the ones they like. I’ll share.

Sitting back is not the answer.

No business ever grew by getting smaller or ignoring change.

And I don’t know about you, but I’m done letting iHeart, Cumulus and the other consolidators drag down this perfectly good industry.

Let’s innovate with real ideas.

So what I am proposing is about funneling resources to the things that are guaranteed to at least bring in more revenue if not tap into a need that even Millennials have for something new and better.

As a professor at the University of Southern California (music industry) I discovered the secrets of generational media and why understanding a changing audience is everything these days.

We can do this. I promise.

Here are a few other critical issues that we will get to at our April 6^th meeting:

1. What to do with 75 million baby boomers 50-70. That generation is still almost as big as 83 million Millennials. Well, as you’ll see, maybe we don’t have to choose.
2. Mastering digital as a revenue source not as part of your radio station. I’ll tell you flat out, it’s video, video and more video, but the rules have changed even in the past year.
3. Gender neutrality. Young girls want to look like boys, dress like boys, wear boy’s clothes and assume “traditional” boy roles. And boys are comfortable reassessing their gender preferences. This is going to have a major impact on what we are and what we say to audiences.
4. Radio’s most dangerous competitor is user-generated content.  What a concept. Your audience is your new PD. Most stations don’t really get this so they are assuming the traditional role of content creator assuming that audiences are content consumers. More than ever, this is just plain wrong.
5. Dealing with shortened attention spans requires a major revamping of radio’s format clock, delivery and formatic elements.  This is an audience that doesn’t even listen to songs they like all the way through, how do you work with that. Well, roll up your sleeves.
6. How radio can be like Netflix and create binge content – that’s right, programming to binge on – for audiences that demand it. This is worth a brainstorm and we’ll do it.  By the way, there are examples of bingeing in radio that date back 50 years ago. That’s right. Radio invented bingeing.
7. New forms of revenue such as subscriptions and product placement (“mentions”). Yes, subscriptions. Audiences 45 and under gleefully buy apps like it is nothing and most don’t use 25% of them even when they pay. Don’t stick your nose up at the subscription model. It’s money being left on the table as an adjunct to free radio.
8. Now, does THIS kind of radio sound like a dying business to you?
9. This event will not be available by stream or video – only live and in person April 6^th in Philadelphia.

Sean Hannity and researcher Richard Harker will be there live to discuss disturbing findings about how certain formats are losing the majority of their audience to PPM technology and ways to deal with this inequity. (Harker did a survey for Hannity’s show that will shock when you see how much audience was lost to PPM). And it’s not just talk stations taking a hit.

I can’t wait to share these positive, forward-thinking ideas with you face to face.

I know you’ll take it from there.

Reserve a Seat

Inquire about group rates

If you’d like to stay close to the Hub Conference Center, find nearby hotels here.

Our old friend Tom Taylor did a piece yesterday in Now on “Hoping for ‘flat’ in 2016” adding to the credible sources that are coming around to believe that being good is not just going to be good enough.

Putting the consolidators who are staring down bankruptcy aside, there are a lot of good operators being forced to sell in markets where rates have been driven down by desperate stations.

And even the good radio companies are uncharacteristically laying off – Emmis, for example handed out 32 pink slips.

All of this begs the question, how DO you succeed in a zero growth business?

I’ve isolated some specific strategies that can be implemented by any radio station, any format, any market and I’m going to get into this at my Philly conference April 6^th.

• Give your station a Millennial makeover. This is not difficult if you have an open mind but a warning – your radio station is going to sound real different. And that’s a good thing.

• Focus on these 6 hours each day to return 50-60% of your profit. Easy to say but what would bring in enough listeners and create enough advertiser interest to get the job done.

• What to do with 7pm-5am. If I told you you could start a new radio station somewhere in that time period and nurture it until it is ready to fly on its own, would you believe me? How about if we talk about one station that actually did this and started a new franchise – in off-hours, yet?

• Avoid podcasting. It’s not your friend. Will not make money to make it worthwhile. Even the latest Serial is laying an egg compared to the first one. Podcasting is for older listeners looking for an alternative to political talk radio. There’s no way to adequately monetize podcasting for radio owners. But there is one thing that podcasters – the good ones – do that can cross over to your station.

• Ditto with digital. No matter how many times we say it, digital by radio stations comes out sounding like, well – radio. With salaries being cut, jobs being shared, people be laid off and not enough potential upside to make digital worthwhile, don’t do it. However – this does not mean don’t get into the digital space in a different way. We’ll talk more about this.

• Cut spots, raise prices and then re-invent the commercial. It’s easier to just take the stuff agencies give us or our cheapest air talent can produce but that’s not going to get you higher rates. And radio cannot survive as your low cost leader. That’s a loser’s game plan. I’ve done work with young people at the college level and it may surprise you to know that they hate commercials – wait, wait – except the ones they like. And obviously we don’t do the things they like. So let’s learn.

Sitting back is not the answer.

No business ever grew by getting smaller.

So what I am proposing is about funneling resources to the things that are guaranteed to at least bring in more revenue if not tap into a need that even Millennials have for something new and better.

They’re already not satisfied with streaming music services but they don’t like the way we do music either. You know by now that as a professor at the University of Southern California (music industry) I discovered the secrets of generational media.

We can do this. I promise.

Here are a few other critical issues that we will get to at our April 6^th meeting:

1. What to do with 75 million baby boomers 50-70. That generation is still almost as big as 83 million Millennials. Well, as you’ll see, maybe we don’t have to choose.
2. Mastering digital as a revenue source not as part of your radio station.  I’ll tell you flat out, it’s video, video and more video, but the rules have changed even in the past year.
3. Gender neutrality. Young girls want to look like boys, dress like boys, wear boy’s clothes and assume “traditional” boy roles. And boys are comfortable reassessing their gender preferences.  This is going to have a major impact on what we are and what we say to audiences.
4. Radio’s most dangerous competitor is user-generated content.   What a concept. Your audience is your new PD. Most stations don’t really get this so they are assuming the traditional role of content creator assuming that audiences are content consumers. More than ever, this is just plain wrong.
5. Dealing with shortened attention spans requires a major revamping of radio’s format clock, delivery and formatic elements.  This is an audience that doesn’t even listen to songs they like all the way through, how do you work with that. Well, roll up your sleeves.
6. How radio can be like Netflix and create binge content – that’s right, programming to binge on – for audiences that demand it. This is worth a brainstorm and we’ll do it.       By the way, it has been done – 50 years ago. That’s right. Radio invented bingeing.
7. New forms of revenue such as subscriptions and product placement (“mentions”). Yes, subscriptions. Audiences 45 and under gleefully buy apps like it is nothing and most don’t use 25% of them even when they pay. Don’t stick your nose up at the subscription model. It’s money being left on the table as an adjunct to free radio.

Now, does THIS sound like a dying business to you?

This event will not be available by stream or video – only live and in person.

Sean Hannity and researcher Richard Harker will be there live to discuss disturbing findings about how certain formats are losing the majority of their audience to PPM technology and ways to deal with this inequity. (Harker did a survey for Hannity’s show that will shock when you see how much audience was lost to PPM). And it’s not just talk stations taking a hit.

And former Cox and CBS programmer Dan Mason will help with the Millennial Radio Makeover – useful ideas that can transform your station from the past to the future.

I can’t wait to continue the conversation with you face to face.

Reserve a Seat

Inquire about group rates

If you’d like to stay close to the Hub Conference Center, find nearby hotels here.

The current Census Bureau statistics show less than a 10 million person difference between the total number of Millennials and Baby Boomers.

Millennials are roughly 18-34.

Boomers are roughly 50 to 70 years old.

This is one topic we’re going to have a major conversation about in Philly this April.

75 million Baby Boomers is not nothing.

But is over 50 too old to target?

Is it worthwhile for, say, the next ten years?

I’m from the Steve Jobs school of aiming young and get old adopters later.

That’s easy to say but not so easy to do.

• What commonalities are there between Millennials and Baby Boomers. There are some, believe it or not. One is the attraction of big name morning personalities. Learn the others.
• What are the differences and some of these are so critical that if you make these mistakes you’re dead (and unfortunately radio is continually making these mistakes).
• Let me just say it is not possible to have a one-size fits all radio station, but you can mold a chunk of older Millennials with a segment of younger Boomers and have an excellent chance to attract radio listening. This is precision surgery.
• We should cover musical differences – obviously Boomers are not going to go for Justin Bieber but it is interesting that everyone seems to go for Adele. How to get to an “everything/everyone” strategy.
• And talk is dead right, well – not so fast.  Maybe.
• Teens are really rejecting radio and caution should be applied because this group is not likely to use radio at all.
• The best news – and we’ll concentrate on this – is that 80% of what Millennials absolutely, positively have to have on a radio station, baby boomers actually like as well.  Start looking here.

If you’re planning on staying in the radio business this day long conference should be an excellent use of your time.

Here’s the entire topic list:

1. What to Do with 75 Million Baby Boomers.  All the focus is on young 18-34 money demos. Ignore baby boomers, target them or what?  There are 83 million Millennials, but there are still 75 million baby boomers.  What to do?

2. Is it Even Possible to Win 18-34 Millennials to Radio?  They get most everything they need through apps and social media except for these things which radio should jump on.
3. If So, How to do a Millennial Radio Makeover.  Former Cox and CBS programmer Dan Mason will join me to rattle off a list of changes stations must make to appeal to younger audiences.  Warning: It’s a big list.

4. How Music Radio Can Compete with Streaming Services.

5. The 3 On-Air Prizes That Will Make an Audience Addicted to Radio. This is a generation of gamers.  And these 2 contests will hook them perhaps for years. You certainly don’t want your competitor to do them.
6. Blow Up Your Station and Build a Content Model. Further tinkering with radio formats isn’t working, morphing into the content business will.
7. How to Handle the Growing Trend Toward Gender Neutrality.

8. Finally Fix That 8-Minute Stop Set. Keep running them and keep pushing audiences away. But there are new options.
9. How to Talk to Audiences the Way You Tweet. Air talent is more fascinating on their Twitter pages than on the air. How to start changing the very important way your station speaks to listeners.
10. Why User Generated Content is Radio’s Most Dangerous Competitor. Listeners want to be your PD.  Let them. Ideas.
11. Dealing with Ever-Shortening Attention Spans. No listener today listens to a song all the way through. What to do?
12. How to Make the Station’s Budget in Just 6 Hours of Air Time.  Content that deserves premium rates.

13. What to do with 7pm – 5 am.  Low radio listening time gives you nothing to lose by adopting these innovations we will outline.
14. How to Finally Make Money on Digital.  Enough with the websites, apps and add-ons.
    
15. What to do About Podcasting. 

16. Exploring New Forms of Revenue Such as Subscriptions and Product Placement.

17. How Radio Can Create Binge Content That Audiences Are Demanding. Binging is not just for Netflix anymore.
18. Getting Fair Credit for the Audience You Really Attract in PPM.  Researcher Richard Harker and Premiere Talk Show Host Sean Hannity join Jerry live and in-person. Harker reveals the huge audience loss Hannity’s show took in a major market research project he conducted when Nielsen PPM was compared to Voltair.       Which other formats are punished by existing PPM technology? Is Nielsen’s Voltair alternative the answer – and is everything good again? Attendees will join the discussion.
19. Someday Radio May Not Exist, How to Plan for the Future

Consolidators have turned radio into a blighted area for media.

Even good operators are having a difficult time.

Answer the questions above and alter the future of radio.

Check you calendar and see if you can set aside the day.

Reserve a seat here.

Inquire about group discounts here.

If you’re thinking about coming to my conference in Philly or already registered, I thought you’d like to see this lineup of topics.

These are the real issues we should be talking about and together we’ll deal with them.

1. What to Do with 75 Million Baby Boomers.  All the focus is on young 18-34 money demos. Ignore baby boomers, target them or what? There are 83 million Millennials, but there are still 75 million baby boomers.  What to do?

2. Is it Even Possible to Win 18-34 Millennials to Radio? They get almost everything they need through apps and social media except for these things which radio should jump on.
3. If So, How to do a Millennial Radio Makeover.  Former Cox and CBS programmer Dan Mason will join me to rattle off a list of changes stations must make to appeal to younger audiences.  Warning: It’s a big list.

4. How Music Radio Can Compete with Streaming Services.

5. The 3 On-Air Prizes That Will Make an Audience Addicted to Radio.  This is a generation of gamers.  And these 2 contests will hook them perhaps for years.  You certainly don’t want your competitor to do them.
6. Blow Up Your Station and Build a Content Model.  Further tinkering with radio formats isn’t working, morphing into the content business will. 

7. How to Handle the Growing Trend Toward Gender Neutrality.

8. Finally Fix That 8-Minute Stop Set.  Keep running them and keep pushing audiences away. But there are new options.
9. How to Talk to Audiences the Way You Tweet.  Air talent is more fascinating on their Twitter pages than on the air.  How to start changing the very important way your station speaks to listeners.
10. Why User Generated Content is Radio’s Most Dangerous Competitor.
    Listeners want to be your PD.  Let them. Ideas.
11. Dealing with Ever-Shortening Attention Spans.  No listener today listens to a song all the way through.  What to do?
12. How to Make the Station’s Budget in Just 6 Hours of Air Time.  Content that deserves premium rates.

13. What to do with 7pm – 5 am. Low radio listening time gives you nothing to lose by adopting these innovations we will outline.

14. How to Finally Make Money on Digital. Enough with the websites, apps and add-ons.

15. What to do About Podcasting.

16. Exploring New Forms of Revenue Such as Subscriptions and Product Placement.

17. How Radio Can Create Binge Content That Audiences Are Demanding. Binging is not just for Netflix anymore. 

18. Getting Fair Credit for the Audience You Really Attract in PPM.  Researcher Richard Harker and Premiere Talk Show Host Sean Hannity join Jerry live and in-person. Harker reveals the huge audience loss Hannity’s show took in a major market research project he conducted when Nielsen PPM was compared to Voltair.  Which other formats are punished by existing PPM technology?  Is Nielsen’s Voltair alternative the answer – and is everything good again? Attendees will join the discussion.
19. Someday Radio May Not Exist, How to Plan for the Future
    

Nearby hotel rooms for under $100 as of today.

Hope to see you in Philly April 6^th.

Reserve a seat here.

Inquire about group discounts here.

1. What to Do with 75 Million Baby Boomers.  All the focus is on young 18-34 money demos. Ignore baby boomers, target them or what?  There are 83 million Millennials, but there are still 75 million baby boomers.  What to do?
   
2. Is it Even Possible to Win 18-34 Millennials to Radio?  They get most everything they need through apps and social media except for these things which radio should jump on.
3. If So, How to do a Millennial Radio Makeover.  Former Cox and CBS programmer Dan Mason will join me to rattle off a list of changes stations must make to appeal to younger audiences.  Warning: It’s a big list.
   
4. How Music Radio Can Compete with Streaming Services.
5. The 3 On-Air Prizes That Will Make an Audience Addicted to Radio.  This is a generation of gamers.  And these 2 contests will hook them perhaps for years. You certainly don’t want your competitor to do them.
6. Blow Up Your Station and Build a Content Model.  Further tinkering with radio formats isn’t working, morphing into the content business will.
7. How to Handle the Growing Trend Toward Gender Neutrality.
8. Finally Fix That 8-Minute Stop Set.  Keep running them and keep pushing audiences away.  But there are new options.
9. How to Talk to Audiences the Way You Tweet.  Air talent is more fascinating on their Twitter pages than on the air.  How to start changing the very important way your station speaks to listeners.
10. Why User Generated Content is Radio’s Most Dangerous Competitor. Listeners want to be your PD.  Let them.  Ideas.
11. Dealing with Ever-Shortening Attention Spans. No listener today listens to a song all the way through. What to do?
12. How to Make the Station’s Budget in Just 6 Hours of Air Time.  Content that deserves premium rates.
    
13. What to do with 7pm – 5 am.  Low radio listening time gives you nothing to lose by adopting these innovations we will outline.
14. How to Finally Make Money on Digital.  Enough with the websites, apps and add-ons.
    
15. What to do About Podcasting.
16. Exploring New Forms of Revenue Such as Subscriptions and Product Placement.
17. How Radio Can Create Binge Content That Audiences Are Demanding. Binging is not just for Netflix anymore.
18. Getting Fair Credit for the Audience You Really Attract in PPM.       Researcher Richard Harker and Premiere Talk Show Host Sean Hannity join Jerry live and in-person.  Harker reveals the huge audience loss Hannity’s show took in a major market research project he conducted when Nielsen PPM was compared to Voltair. Which other formats are punished by existing PPM technology?  Is Nielsen’s Voltair alternative the answer – and is everything good again? Attendees will join the discussion.
19. Someday Radio May Not Exist, How to Plan for the Future

    You are invited to join a group of radio operators interested not in consolidating or selling, but doing profitable local radio.

Reserve a seat here.

Inquire about group discounts here.

The new Nielsen/Coleman study of People Meter listening revealed that radio listening now consists of two-thirds of listeners turning on and then turning off a station – and that’s the end of their radio listening.

While 11.3% are so-called Turn-On/Switch Outs and 14.5% are Switch-In/Switch Outs.

Wait.

Who gives a damn?

Answer me this.

Why is a People Meter picking up my listening when I am sitting in a crowded restaurant picking up an encoded radio signal from a station the owner picked?

And I am not listening?

I mean if you can sell that snake oil to radio groups who pay millions and hundreds of millions for this tripe, fine.

But don’t expect to make programming decisions based on PPM in any way, shape or form.

I get that the “Turn-On, Turn-Offs” study is supposed to underscore the importance of branding to a radio station but I hate to tell you this – branding is bullshit today.

Branding what?

18-34’s are primarily Millennials who have no meaningful relationship with a radio and you’re going to tell me that by expanding that listening just five minutes more means something.

And that’s what’s wrong with radio.

Want to get 18-34’s to listen – do something compelling instead of voice tracking.

When CBS all-news stations in New York can fire people at the end of the year (by phone, no less) how is that making me want to give 1010 WINS 22 minutes so they will give me the world as their branding promises?

18-34’s don’t want their world.

It’s about the listener’s world today.

They have phones.

That’s all that is needed.

So unless or until radio owners start thinking of ways to do a Millennial Radio Makeover, you can stuff this meaningless research.

I hope someone made a fee on this study because it’s useless – not inaccurate, just useless.

When I get together with radio stations and groups April 6^th in Philly who actually want to keep operating instead of downsizing and losing, one of the things we are going to do is make a stream of consciousness list of ways to give radio a Millennial Makeover.

I’m bringing in the bright, young programmer Dan Mason from CBS and Cox to sit with me and generate useable ideas.

You can jump in and drill down.

Now this will give you something that is more useful than doubling down on meaningless branding.

Millennials to radio: we don’t believe branding anyway. If you’d ask us, we’d tell you.

Radio has too many people trying to guess what Millennials want in order to be addicted to radio.

Note I said addicted not just listening.

Among the things you will come away with are:

1. How to do a morning show that Millennials will actually listen to in real time.
2. How to handle social media in a meaningful way – Millennials don’t take what radio does seriously because it’s just hype. That’s why audiences continue to erode.
3. How do they want to be spoken to.
4. What are the core things they care about most this year that stations should be doing.
5. How to handle the uncomfortable situation of commercials, which they hate, and income, which you love.  

If you’re in radio to stay, see you in Philly.

Another group just took advantage of our group discount.

More details on the conference plus the rest of the topics we will cover here.