The urban industry as we know it is three things: good, bad and unusually ugly (laugh). I am incredibly excited that every time I send out a blast the industry notables rush to read Radio Facts. In the end, no matter how much we complain or bitch about the current industry climate, we all have something in common, we LOVE the industry even when we hate it….
I have noticed over the last couple of years that Urban programmers have been keeping a very low profile. I think this played a HUGE part in the death of industry trade magazines. There is indeed some validity to programmers being concerned about speaking to the press… and I must admit, I enjoy getting private tips and putting myself on front street instead of someone else.
Yet the question remains….Why are so many urban programmers so isolated when we work in a promotions business? I asked the question across the board and got many responses. The first in an interview with a major market PD who reads Radio Facts religiously. I will not mention names for obvious reasons…
RF: Why are so many urban programmers so quiet these days?
MAJOR MARKET PD: “The climate in the industry… High profile PDs get put out to pasture when they open themselves up to the press. Downsizing is real in this business. Many urban programmers just don’t want to stick out. A lot of PDs want to be stars, and the company wants a PD.”
RF: “… Then how do you grow?”
MMPD: “There’s only so many radio companies. If they’re looking for a PD they at least know my name. They will at least talk about me or contact me. When I was in a smaller market it was harder but they know who I am and what I’ve done. There are some companies in urban radio that require programmers get permission to do interviews… Black programmers are asking themselves if they really want that exposure if they have to go through all of that and risk being misquoted or to be viewed as an opportunist.”
RF: How did you come to this conclusion? Did you have a bad experience?
MMPD: “When you’ve got sites out there like The Vent which is not policed and those people are brutally and viciously attacking urban programmers that adds even another element to the decision not to do press at all. Those people don’t know us and it’s just too negative. There are people, even urban radio people out there to destroy you. When you put yourself out there to do an interview, you might be positioning yourself for an attack. You have to ask yourself if it’s really worth it to take that chance or remain in the background.”
RF: But doesn’t isolating yourself hurt you too?
MMPD: “It could but you have to find a middle ground. Programmers who are lucky enough to have a great staff would do themselves good by stepping back and letting the staff shine. You can also cause internal problems by putting yourself in front of the media, your staff and station may assume that you are trying to be the star of the station when in reality, it’s the entire staff.”
RF: What about programmers who are on the air? How do they balance that?
MMPD: “That can create a problem especially between the programmer and the on air staff, I don’t think it’s a good idea to have both jobs. PDs have to be careful with how they position themselves when they are also on air talent.”
RF: I still hear many announcers complain about PD’s being jealous of them, do you think this is what causes the problem?
MMPD: “Younger PD’s in smaller to mid sized markets create this situation when they are on the air. I don’t think it happens as much to older PDs. Younger PDs often get confused with the roles..”
RF: You realize that trades will find a way to get information with or without a PD’s or station’s input right?
MMPD: (laughs) Yes, but I just keep a low profile, it’s too risky…. I do think there’s a need to find a middle ground… As well
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In talking to other programmers, some of the other reason’s included:
“Corporate specifically told us not to speak with media, including industry trade media because as a company we don’t have anything to gain and more to lose by doing so. I don’t necessarily agree, and I truly miss the networking opportunities of interacting with Urban PDs outside of our company so I do so on the low.”
This needs to be explained to me cause I really can’t make sense of this.. And I know which corporation this is. What kind of company would tell their employees something like this and expect the staff to actually believe that? On the other hand , (I must be getting older and wiser) I too would want the staff to either consult me or not to talk to the press about what’s taking place at my company…
In the end, provided it’s done right, the corporation AND the programmer have something to gain… it’s called publicity but the programmer stand s to gain networking opportunities, accolades for his hard work and the potential for a greater position. Perhaps, that’s the problem? Perhaps the corporation is only looking for a programmer and not a celebrity.
Blogs are no joke and if they don’t get the news direct, they have no problem in making sh… up or finding sources and I personally would rather have the story from the horse’s mouth than from the corporation’s ass.
Another reason I got was:
“Of course you know there’s no simple answer to this, I think the climate has just changed. Programmers are more corporate now. The way we do this business has changed, this isn’t “the industry” anymore, as we knew it 10 to 15 years ago. Back then there were primarily mom and pop stations and it was more socially acceptable to get your shine on. Now, you find yourself a member of a team and your leader is the shining star!”
Another urban programmer stated:
“Most programmers these days have lost touch with music and their listeners.”
We really can’t explore this except to say it is possible and perhaps the programmer doesn’t want the company to know he’s out of touch so he remains in the background to help secure his position…
Another programmer says:
“I personally try and keep a low profile so that my on-air personalities can shine. Having a young staff and being in the business for a while it’s easy to do what comes natural to me now, and that is to be a bigger than Life personality. What we have to do as Program Directors is teach them to be the “BIG” personality.”
Another programmer says:
“Perhaps, we’re just so busy that keeping the radio station on a winning path supersedes anything else we have time for. Unfortunately, I’m spread so thin, I don’t even have time to read sources like “Radio Facts” “All Access or “R&R,”on a regular basis. There is a lot of pressure on programmers to not just run a successful radio station, but also to run an HD station and spend a great deal of our time on improving our online efforts. There is no end in sight to this, either. I really think it’s a time thing. We do a lot of cool events, but my first focus is getting the pics/video from the events online first. I need my listeners to feel the hype before my peers.”
In the end folks, I can’t be mad at these people. Sure, I really want to talk about more than industry gossip, who got fired etc and I know that there is nobody out there like me or Radio Facts so I guess I will have to settle for that. While we all like to know what’s going on there is SO much more to the industry and Mickey’s Turntable, with all due respect, is YESTERDAY’s industry. We need to hear from the people who make this vehicle work and not only during the times they are out of work or about to be fired. One things for sure, I will protect both radio and record people when they provide tips to me and if I can’t get interviews… I’ll work around that but after talking to several programmers, I can understand why they don’t do them now.
