Inside Music Media

The most trusted news anchor for 9 million NBC TV viewers has taken himself off the air in the wake of a lying scandal that seems to be getting more complicated.

The New York tabloids are having a field day with “Lyin’ Brian”.

Williams admitted that he misled the public over a scary helicopter landing in Iraq that never happened (a story he erroneously told publicly) and now is under suspicion for lying about his reportorial coverage of Katrina.

Williams is definitely dinged, but dinged will work for Comcast/NBC Universal which is turning out to be a God-awful steward of NBC.

Tom Brokaw, the other trusted anchor who was replaced by the baby-faced Williams, is neither defending Williams nor publicly pushing for his firing – and that says a lot.

Too classy to jump all over him.

Too professional to condone such conduct.

News Division President Deborah Turness, who is a candidate for the worst television executive for the ages, previously screwed up Meet the Press (we’re behind David Gregory until she replaced him).

She hired and then fired David Horowitz only ten weeks after she brought him in to clean up the mess at The Today Show.

And NBC’s Dr. Nancy Snyderman violated her Ebola quarantine after being exposed to the virus in Liberia. It was just too good a TV moment.

Outside of that, let’s do lunch, Deb.

Don’t worry about Brian Williams, though.

Turness ordered an internal investigation of the veracity of Williams’ reporting which is tantamount to guaranteeing, Williams is going nowhere – dinged or not. He just signed a multi-year renewal at about $10 million a year.

Turness could have sought an outside investigation and the investigators could possibly have come back and said Williams should be relieved from his duties putting Turness in a bind because – really – who is she going to put in his place?

Lester Holt?

Think Matt Lauer would port over to evenings from early mornings? Then who fills his considerably large shoes on Today?

I’d like to tell you the real story here was Williams’ braggadocio or the incompetence of another old school media company like Comcast/NBC.

I could complain about the death of journalism but journalism died when companies got tired of spending millions to defend accurate stories just because the accuser had the money.

This happened to me with Clear Channel when I reported in Inside Radio that they were operating illegally. Randy Michaels, the Radio President at the time threw the weight of his company behind a $100 million lawsuit and I lost my house, my office building, my reputation and for a while my self-esteem even though I was right.

In the end, I countersued Clear Channel for $125 million. They sought an out of court settlement and more than made me whole in the settlement. I had to rehabilitate myself and heal my wounds to discover that radio was declining and mobile content was the future.

Thanks, Randy.

And how are you doing these days?

The real issue behind Brian Williams is what media people need to focus on. That Williams is not the most trusted name in news.

Jon Stewart is.

And you’ll note in my second coming I write parody in this space to tell the truth about the greedy bastards that are running the radio industry.

On my website I publish an ethics statement in which I say, “I am not an objective reporter” (see it here).

That doesn’t mean I am not a trained journalist – which in addition to being a program director, TV talent, professor and other things – I am.

Corporate America is about compromising values in the interest of the bottom line.

Tom Brokaw didn’t do it but then again he served in an earlier and better age.

The pressure on people to compromise their values is immense. Sooner or later as our mother’s always told us, you’ll be caught in a lie.

Does it surprise you then, that authenticity is the number one thing 95 million Millennials want?

Lucky they don’t watch network news because we now know that Brian Williams would fail that test.

Did you know that respect, trust and fairness is also prominently on that list of 7 things?

And that you should know the entire list and retrofit your stations to embody the very things the next generation of listeners demand of us.

Look, there are lots of radio shows and conventions around to talk about the same mundane topics if that suits you. But every year I devote time to teaching the critical elements of broadcasting to a new generation, in a new era with new technology.

Things like the changing needs of the audience we are trying to attract.

If you can spare a day, I will reveal the other 5 key audience elements that we must know and super achieve.

I’ll show you how most radio stations are actually delivering the exact opposite so it should be no surprise that listeners are abandoning radio and traditional media.

My March 18^th Philly conference is focusing on 7 critical things that will help make you a better broadcaster and an innovative, shrewd digital entrepreneur.

Specific ways to balance the need for numerous commercials with good principles of radio programming and to disrupt the way we do radio before our digital competitors do it.
Methods to master digital as a second stream of revenue alongside broadcasting. Things like replacing your website with something better, eliminating podcasts and make money with storytelling and a cost-effective easy way to put your brand on every smartphone in your market without having to stream your station – just to mention a few.
The nuts and bolts of starting your station’s own social media network independent of Facebook, Twitter and the next flash in the pan. From there, how to grow your fan base.
A well-defined strategy to change the sound and on-air approach of your radio station for the digital age one coordinate at a time. You won’t want this to get in the hands of a competitor, for sure.
What you need to know about starting your own radio station video business – one that will be unlike anything you have ever seen, will not need salespeople to unlock the revenue potential and that will more than make up for any on-air advertising shortfalls you may run into this year. I’ll show you video examples and reveal winning game plans. And it can all be recorded economically and professionally on an iPhone 6!
From my work as a USC professor in the area of generational media: the critical Millennial checklist. The latest updated research about what the next generation must have in order to listen to radio in the digital age. This is what I use as my business bible and after all, I started a subscription pay site that nobody said would work on the Internet. Thousands of subscribers later, I can thank following this all-important Millennial checklist. What they want from you. On-air content you are not giving them that they would love. A never before aired “contest” that would enthrall them and breed loyalty.
The best ways to deal with short-attention spans – so short, that most music listeners under the age of 35 now do not listen all the way through any song. Since music radio formats are based on the assumption that if they play the right songs, audiences will listen – this changes everything. Advances in the way we present music. Desired ways to introduce more music discovery.

This event will not be available by stream or video – only live and in person for the 6^th year in a row.

Join the radio executives and entrepreneurs who have already reserved their seats.

Reserve a seat

Inquire about group rates

For nearby hotel information or questions, contact Cheryl @ cldel@earthlink.net or call (480) 998-9898.

Breakfast, lunch and all breaks included. Starting time: 8am. Ends 4pm.

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