Inside Music MediaJerry Del Colliano

Face it.

Radio thinks that a format change, adjustment, new digital or social presence or something they add to what they are doing now will make the industry relevant again.

Nothing that radio can do that it has done before will work now.

Let’s do the math.

70 million baby boomers

45 million Gen Xers

Almost 90 million Millennials now roughly between 18-34.

And probably 70 or more million Plurals (17 and under and still being born).

Music radio has become a computer in the closet airing the same songs, sweepers and far fewer personalities than ever before.

And no music discovery to speak of – the one thing the music loving audience really wants from radio.

Talk radio is dying with the conservative movement as socialism rears its head whether Bernie Sanders prevails or not.

Millennials are just not conservatives nor will they be so. It’s been a nice run but conservative talk radio show hosts and stations should be preparing for the end.

Unless, they’re up for some big changes.

News is dead and died earlier on radio even before Twitter, which is a far better means of receiving news, was born.

Hey, Jerry – I thought you were going to tell me the one format that can save radio.

Okay, let’s start with what is not going to work.

Anything that is on the air now.

If you’re still with me, get a feel for what Millennials would want from the station that could command their attention:

• A station that sounds like them not the baby boomers who run them.

• No rules radio – Millennials hate rules. And they don’t like branding either so don’t call it “no rules radio” or you’ll sound like their parents.

• Commercials that discover instead of preach, teach, lie, irritate or bore.

• No clock.

• No weather.

• No time.

• No traffic.

• No news unless it is not already on Twitter.

• They have all these things – move on.

• A station that is neither all talk nor all music.

• A format that would drive you crazy because it moves so fast that it would feed their short attention spans.

• A station with a cause (bet your station doesn’t have a cause the majority of this new audience can embrace).

• Aim young even if you also want an older audience because young people are the change makers as Hillary Clinton is finding out now.

• No podcasting, it’s suicidal for Millennial audiences but there is something podcasters are doing that can port over to them.  One big thing and it’s not podcasting itself.

• Everything most of us have been taught as the Holy Grail of radio no longer applies so if you want to pioneer you will need an adventurous spirit and a very open mind.

• Odd lengths of shows, which really won’t be shows in the traditional sense.

• What to call your new Millennial station – beware of branding, it will backfire as will mottos, cool phrases and hype.

• And Nielsen is not going to keep up with you because Nielsen is owned by the people who own iHeart and they have no interest in changing radio so it’s up to you – change or follow them.

If you think you can’t do it, think again.

Millennials are in love with a 74-year old Democratic socialist.

They look up to Steve Jobs, a baby boomer.

To be blunt, most (not all) radio people are not up for blowing up what they’ve done all their lives so continue at your own risk. The ratings and revenue predict where this is headed.

Let’s have more of this conversation at my New Radio Conference in Philadelphia April 6^th – less than two months from now.

We’re going to build this new radio station of the future with the help of former Cox and CBS programmer Dan Mason who will share comments from Millennials that may shock you, make you mad or inspire you.

See the Program / Reserve a Seat

Inquire about group rates

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