"A magician is an actor impersonating a magician." Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin

"The scientific approach to the phenomenon of human nature enables us to be ignorant without being frightened, and without, therefore, having to invent all sorts of weird theories to explain away our gaps in knowledge." D.W. Winnicott

"What is true, what is false, what is, finally, important? It is not a sign of ignorance not to know the answers. But there is great merit in facing the questions." David Mamet

Today's image: Dennis and Edward by Thomas Hawk. Very cool shot. Thanks for sharing.

Bravos to Les Moonves and David Field. Both have demonstrated courage in doing the right thing with their radio businesses.

In pursuit of his strategy to lighten the concentration of ad-supported assets in the CBS portfolio, Les is selling his radio concern. Giving more resources to radio became counter-intuitive. My sense is an acquisition like Lions Gate seems a better resources fit chasing Les' strategy.

David's portfolio is radio. His strategy of opportunistically growing Entercom and the reach of his local platforms makes the purchase of CBS Radio a savvy move.

All legacy media is now fraught with peril. Accordingly, remaining in the radio game demands an uncommon focus, tenacity and agility. David and team are the radio geeks needed to succeed in that game. They'll also be advantaged by some valuable proprietary intangibles as the CBS Radio properties join the fold. Stay tuned.

New must-read: Sara Fischer's Media Trends newsletter via Axios. Also, follow Sara on the Twitter 

Reading: One Mission. How leaders build a team of teams. By Fussell & Goodyear. Amazon info

Watching: The Defiant Ones via HBO. The docu-series about Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. More

Congrats & Cheers: David Field to Receive NAB's National Radio Award. More

"Do what they love, with what you love, and the money is sure to follow." Tom Asacker

"Scarcely anyone would have become a great actor if the public had been born without hands." Karl Kraus

"Life is a series of collisions with the future; it is not the sum of what we have been, but what we yearn to be." Jose Ortega Y Gasset

Today's image: Southern Alps around Milford Sound and Queenstown, the South Island of New Zealand by Ron Fell. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

Google is your home page
The new reality. Like it or not.

Above, text from the first slide of my brief at NAB this year.

Three points from Martinizing: The Nine for 09 brief:

1. Your home page is Google. A significant game-changing strategy that needs to be deeply understood by your team. They need to stop obsessing about your home page as it's becoming increasingly irrelevant. Your assets must be digital and discoverable. Google is your home page, practically everything else related to your online strategy is subordinate to this single issue. When you can Google the name of your firm and/or the products, services, attributes you think you "own" and using I'm Feeling Lucky returns one of your pages, you win (but only in that moment - remember, it's not a static but dynamic environment). Try it. Then Google Search and carefully study the first page of results. That's the real you as the world sees it. Think landing page optimization. [Time to revisit Peter Morville - Ambient Findability - What We Find Changes Who We Become]

4. Mobile is the new black. Back to the future. Broadband wired still counts but now, it's back to wireless (again) and this time around it's the third tribe of wireless that rules. The battlefield is the third screen, the handset. The only limiting step of what's possible with mobile remains energy related, that damn battery. The first person to deliver a cost-effective solution set solving this power issue will, no doubt, get Bill Gates rich. Video becomes ubiquitous. [FD: During Q&A I was called on pushing WAP in my 1999 NAB brief. Guilty as charged, too early. My 2009 response is the iPhone represents more breakthrough OS than simple, sexy user-centric form factor innovation. Sidebar: My thought is a second or third order effect of the Jeff Bezos Kindle is a cool new form factor between the second and third screen. I want my iPhone to be the size of my Kindle.]

7. Local being redefined. Defined not by DMA or any US census def, but by exactly where the customer is NOW, in the moment, within three meters or less. Think GPS.

The obvious is often the hardest to see: The past, and the apparent present, does not equal the future. Exhibit A - thirty something months from a cold start to POTUS. Exhibit B - An international star is born via YouTube in less than two weeks. She's Susan Boyle, 47, and unemployed (still looking). Of course, you'll agree with exhibit B having watched the YouTube video I recommended to you last week.

Closed circuit to Google: Please share the analytics related to the record breaking Susan Boyle video. What were the drivers, the sources of significant traffic? What traffic did MS, FB, Twitter, blogs and other social media produce? What did the links by news organizations, entertainment shows and other MSM contribute to the record views? What country, what metro ranked highest in views, second highest, lowest? How about a timeline track of traffic? What about repeat views by uniques against the norm? There's a simply great case study in the making here.

Congrats & cheers: Kurt Hanson, Paul Maloney and team RAIN. Not only did they stage another killer RAIN Internet Radio Summit but they took the lead in making the first NAB Show Tweetup happen. Kudos to digital evangelist Kipper McGee who worked behind the scenes and helped to make the Tweetup a success.

Bonus: Tom Asacker, the best-selling author, renowned speaker and provocateur known for bold, fresh thinking, has written a wonderful piece that you should read and share. Do What They Love is now available via PDF here. Bravos, Tom.

P.S. The cool kids have Tom Asacker's blog in their reader. It's a must-read.

"Everything you can imagine is real." Picasso

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." Dr. Seuss

"I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer." Douglas Adams

Today's image: Colors of Life by Lunalunita. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

The usual suspects

The broadcast trade show is broken

Please allow me to get the disclosures out of the way before we begin. In the last century I served on the committee responsible for oversight of the NAB RPC. I remain a fan of NAB, David Rehr, John David and others on NAB staff. I have always respected Steve Goldstein and believe him to be a good man. I served as board chair of The Conclave and continue to support that organization and its programs. Tom Kay and Ron Fell are friends. As any reader of this blog knows I am a loyal Dave Winer fanboi. Count me a long-time supporter of SXSW and a newfound advocate for Kelly O'Keefe. I make about a third of my annual income as a professional speaker and attend a variety of conferences for different industries. The following is offered in the spirit of constructive criticism. On with the show...

Dave Winer is a world-class expert on certain matters of the internet. Moreover, Dave has a unique pov when it comes to the world at large. Case in point, Dave's take on conventions...

"Let's get people with big ideas to contribute them, and to disagree with other people with big ideas."

Read Dave's post Time to shake up conferences? here.

Yesterday a uniformed federal employee brought me a beautiful full-color brochure from the NAB. The very well done piece promoted the NAB Radio Show which is now less than a month away.

Putting aside the expense, timing and not even getting into the communications channel used, the program - as outlined - was less than exciting. It did lead me to check out the complete agenda as presented on the NAB site. What I found, with some exceptions, was disappointing. The usual suspects leading discussions on predictable subject matter. Let me at least hope that I am dead wrong here and the association plans to do live streaming of sessions, enable/encourage live blogging and all kinds of other wonderful things now common at tech conferences. Please allow me to have child-like faith in the possibility of surprise.

Some of the people that put radio into critical care are among the presenters. Unless they plan on announcing their resignation, giving their last industry address before retirement or sharing something new or interesting they should not have been invited. Alternatively, they should have been honest enough to decline the invitation with the admission that they a) have no idea how to successfully address radio's present challenges b) have not been able to fix their own problems and don't feel qualified to counsel others.

What's needed badly here is intellectual honesty and cognitive diversity. Speakers should be qualified for invitation. The decades old practice of inviting the business card must come to an end. There are scores of people on the program that would never have a chance of being invited if they did not hold their present job.

I commend show chair and radio ace Steve Goldstein on making some bold moves this year, 15 sessions on digital is a good start. He's right to say there is a hunger for new thinking. What's required, however, are the new thinkers. The same old thinkers, ones that have found their way and are able to offer bullet proof evidence to support any such declaration, are certainly to be included. Where is the diversity? Where are the women? Kudos for inviting Kelly O'Keefe. Kelly gets it as too few do.

However, doing the arithmetic, conservatively...1,500 paid @ $500 each = $750,000 and this is the agenda we get?

Was it not possible to find a woman to at least moderate the all male group pd session? By my count there are 20 women speaking out of 141 speakers. Perhaps that says it all. Folks of color? Don't ask. Unless there is a sea change at this year's show my best guess is the majority of presenters will simply show up and wing it. Those that come prepared to deliver something of substance will be counted on one hand at the show's end (vendors excused from the count).

Where's the session with radio programming ace and award winning HD Radio innovator Mark Pennington doing a show and tell of the top ten killer HD2 streams? Let's get this straight, you give the guy a national award but failed to engage him in the design and leadership of a session related to his award, HD2 best practice?

How can the radio industry hold a meeting in 2008 and not invite internet radio rock star Kurt Hanson to put together a session or two?

Denise Shiffman would have made a great addition to the show. The smart kids at Google and Microsoft are reading her book this summer. And who forgot to invite Microsoft and Google? Susan Crawford is another that would have added much. Her take on the current regulatory environment would have been right on time. More fresh faces? Let me commend to you Clay Shirky and, since he's hanging his hat in Texas these days, how about inviting Hugh MacLeod to mix it up?

Some perspective.

Back in the last century when radio stations were powered by fire wood I had dinner in the city with my friend Rick Sklar. We had a wonderful time at one of Rick's favorites The Russian Tea Room. Over dinner Rick got into his agenda. As the highly successful and very respected lead programming guy on the NAB RPC Steering Committee he wanted his junior member on the same page. "Every year there are about fifteen hot people and ten or so red hot topics. Our job is to make sure the hottest people are invited and the red hot topics are covered. We play the hits, no excuses." Rick went on to suggest we stage point - counterpoint debates. "Jingles - YES or NO" was one I will never forget because the then CEO of TM, a jingle company, was also on the committee (representing show vendors).

Rick recruited me that night. I adopted his "damn the torpedoes" attitude especially about association politics. "Someone needs to care about the manager that pays their own way, uses their vacation time to attend and expects to go home with something practical they can use. That's our job. Dave, we gotta look out for the hard working station guy or no one else will."

Took that philosophy to heart when named chair of The Conclave. My version of Rick was "What can we provide that will cause the gal/guy in Bismarck, Omaha or Milwaukee to invest their own money, burn their vacation time, get behind the wheel, drive to The Cities and go home pumped, excited about getting back to work?" Conclave exec dir Tom Kay continues to lead that effort and has done some wonderful things. The Conclave is half-right on their brilliant Edison Research 30 under 30 collaboration. The next step should be unleashing the 30 to design, staff and lead their own sessions. Come on guys, this stuff writes itself. Take a flyer on the kids, they are living closer to the future than any of us.

Steve is right about fresh ideas. He's got the right attitude. He's got the almost completely wrong, business as usual agenda. Points given for some new stuff, just not enough of it. To borrow a line from Michael Rosenblum you need to "burn it to the ground" and start fresh.

Clearly, the problem here is close is not good enough. Close only counts in horse shoes, slow dancing, bad breath and grenades. ROI is the name of the game. More importantly, NAB should be leveraging tech and offering access online for those who will not attend for whatever reasons. Those staying at home will out number those attending by a very significant number. What can NAB do for those hard working folk?

Here are some things to think about for next year (and some for this year if someone is willing to do some work). Ordered as last minute this year and next year:

Flood the zone with connectivity, encourage live blogging. Live stream as many sessions as possible (audio feeds are ok, this year). Set up an official show blog with comments, chat, all handouts and ppt. Establish flickr and YouTube accounts, push a Radio08Austin tag, let all contribute. Enable and encourage export, sharing of all assets via CC license.


Engage the first tribe of wireless in the from scratch, blank canvas agenda creation. Allow all who wish to design and pitch a session using the SXSW model. Establish a wiki to design the conference particulars down to the food. Enable and encourage voting on the sessions pitched, again ala SXSW. Bake diversity into the steering committee. Create a new revenue stream by offering remote conference attendance. Qualify presenters. What have you done in the past six months that no one would question is totally amazing and game-changing, industry-changing? Show us. Ensure a mix of the wise sage and the young gun. More women! Fewer old white guys!

When Ron Fell ran The Gavin Report he once told me he wanted his conferences to "make a difference." Ron inspired me to do a great session at his conference the one and only time that I was invited to present. Pages of the leave behind from that session are still sent to me, the session still mentioned when I meet people. Ron raised the bar. He told me "let's give them something that makes them feel good about deciding to be at The Gavin, we have to give them practical things they can use, something that will help them to win and make them look good to their boss."

Thanks, Ron. You said it better than I ever could have.

Good luck, Steve. No disrespect intended, you have moved things forward and made some progress. We still need much more. Game on.

Congrats & cheers: Radio programming ace Fred Jacobs and the Jacobs Media crew are inviting you to participate in an election. Your choice for President of Radio. Mad cool concept. More info here.

"There is no more expensive thing than a free gift." Montaigne

"Whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible." George Orwell

"Knowledge is the beginning of the discovery of something we don't understand." Andre Gide

Today's image: sunflowers by ko-knia. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

The Radio 2020 initiative is much talked about of late and that's a good thing. Radio folks love to talk and there's no shortage of opinions especially when there's creative execution to critique. He might as well have been talking about logos when Buzzy Bennett famously said "Everybody has the right to program." Aside from the usual suspects, advocates for the Radio Heard Here tag line and logo are harder to find than Randy Kabrick when Arbitron is caught doing something right.

Should the efforts of branding ace and initiative creative lead Kelly O'Keefe prove to be successful he stands to gain a lasting place in business history not simply for results produced but for an important precedent - the amazing achievement of getting and keeping radio folks focused and on the same page for longer than an afternoon. This will merit nothing less than the creation of a new SIC Code, SERVICES - CAT HERDING. Kelly, welcome to our dysfunctional family picnic. Do keep in mind, radio gets up everyday and goes to work not only to commit some measure of great radio but to kill other radio guys in the process. Beware, some of our most vocal creative types are former program directors - think Orson Welles without the genius baggage. Unfair it may be but expect the wags to continue throwing the apple of discord.

Back to the countdown. The concept of radio coming together to promote radio is nothing new. Previous modern endeavors, each introduced with varying flourish, have failed to produce results of any significance. Take radio's share of ad spend as an example. No matter how well intended the efforts, share has remained about the same. Radio is experienced and highly skilled in the art of winking at buyers in the dark, and as this paraphrase goes - we know what we're doing even if no one else does.

To move things along let's stipulate the concept of a fresh attempt at self promotion remains an idea worthy of serious investment.

There are a number of constituencies potentially involved in this initiative, permit me to pick just one - people with money to spend, the buying community. Getting the register to ring should be job one here. Let us agree to table any attempts at getting the industry pumped or convincing the unwashed youth that listening to radio is so totally mad cool. Narrow the focus, define success.

Let me play contrarian and present something that's right about Radio Heard Here. O'Keefe and team are to be commended for use of language, for employing a very important verb.

Because we are so close to it, lost in the press of daily affairs, we too often take for granted or tend to discount the incredible power, the magic, that radio has harnessed. Two citations:

The New Positioning by Jack Trout & Steve Rivkin. Chapter fourteen. Minds Work by Ear...

"Has anyone ever asked you which is more powerful, the eye or the ear? Probably not, because the answer is obvious. I'll bet deep down inside, you believe the eye is more powerful than the ear. Call it 'visual chauvinism,' if you like, but it's a preconception held by many marketing people...After analysing hundreds of effective positioning programs, we ran into a surprising conclusion: The programs were all verbal. There wasn't a single positioning concept that was exclusively visual...We have come to the conclusion that the mind works by ear, not by eye. A picture is not worth a thousand words."

Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads by Roy H. Williams. Chapter 43. How Long Is the Race?...

"If your goal is to be the first into the mind of your customer when he needs what you sell, and to be the company he feels the best about, you should invest in the intrusive nature of sound with the reliability of its echoic retention."

There's a significant body of literature that supports the argument that the ear is a key driver in cognitive process. I'll not spend any more time making this case. It's out there and credible.

Radio Heard Here could serve as an excellent approach in a crucial conveyance of message. Let's start with four major points of difference: the intrinsic powers of audio media, ubiquity of reach, local influence and unmatched bang for buck. Supported with facts already in evidence (e.g., client testimonials, Radio Ad Lab, Arbitron & Media Audit data), Radio Heard Here could well deliver the mail to buyers, planners, brand managers and clients. Radio does have a great story to tell but we also have a history of getting in our own way.

The challenge here is not only in crafting a relevant and effective message but also in achieving deep consistent dissemination. The burden of message architecture needs to be equally sensitive to the practical realities of Madison Avenue and of Main Street. Time to grok "think global, act local." My thought is the task of dissemination will be made easier by leveraging those assets already in place.

Each participating station should be able to adapt the creative in such a way that it compounds the practical effects of the messaging while permitting, encouraging, the richness and nuance of individual local voice. We need to bring the message home by unlocking the power of complimentary local creative.

While the NAB, RAB and HD Radio Alliance may serve as initial channels of communication they alone should not be responsible for getting the word out. The message needs to be carried with consistency into the conversations happening in every metro where two or more are gathered in the name of advertising. To accomplish this the initiative should recognize their work as being grassroots in nature. Accordingly, they must reach out and involve those organizations friendly to radio where grassroots is lingua franca - the associations of state and metro broadcasters. Moving forward without these associations fully engaged is less than wise and simply not lucky.

Every state and metro association should establish a point person to lead Radio 2020 efforts. Provided materials from O'Keefe and crew each association and their members should have the tools needed to deliver the mail locally if not regionally. Every ad club, every agency, every advertiser should get the word.

Not just group guys or regionals or market managers or general managers or sales managers but every single seller as well, everyone in sales, everyone in sales support needs to be totally involved in the delivery of this important mail. It's potentially game-changing work that matters. Let the word go forth, one voice heard everywhere, keeping in mind that frequency sells and repetition is learning.

Until every agency, every single advertiser without regard to metro has heard the story, has been delivered the mail, the job will not be started. Until we move the needle and appreciably improve radio's share of ad spend the initiative should not be deemed in any way a success. I again, respectfully, call for transparency with regard to goals, standards and metrics (detail here). We need a scorecard. No more winking in the dark.

Clearly, we're talking marathon not sprint. Such an incredible endeavor has never before been mounted. There's no reason to believe that a properly resourced, developed and executed Radio Heard Here will fail to get the job done with the buying community. It's time. Let's get on with it. Let's have the courage to break all the rules and the audacity to make the new ones.

Closed circuit to Dan, John, Farid, Jeff, and Gary: That very cool idea - the group guy breakfast rally in Los Angeles earlier - was to be the first of many, what happened? Get the next ones scheduled (and invite Kelly to present).

Your thoughts heard here - comments welcome. Thanks for stopping by. Make something amazing happen this week.

"All the fun's in how you say a thing." Robert Frost

"A good style should show no sign of effort. What is written should seem a happy accident." Somerset Maugham

"Do one thing, and do it so well that people will return and bring their friends with them." Walt Disney

Today's image: Cannon Beach's Sunrise by Arnold Pauteau. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

The one, the only, Superjock: Thanks to radio programming ace John Rook for the tip. The Larry Lujack acceptance speech at his induction into the NAB Radio Hall of Fame. Video courtesy of Bob Hamilton via his New Radio Star here. Bravos, Larry!

Bonus: What makes a design "Googley"? Sue Factor, a writer in Google's User Experience Group, shares some insights...

1. Focus on people—their lives, their work, their dreams.
2. Every millisecond counts.
3. Simplicity is powerful.
4. Engage beginners and attract experts.
5. Dare to innovate.

The complete list of ten and more here. Kudos to Sue and thanks for sharing.

They're not users: Some chatter recently suggesting radio listeners be called, simply, users. The suggestion encouraged by the things listeners do beyond listening (e.g., visiting your web site). Not able to agree with that notion. First, job one is getting folks to listen; listeners are special, heavy listeners are priceless, neither should ever be taken for granted. What's in play here is attention (and that yet to be defined vogue term of art - engagement). Getting listening credit remains the critical economic engine, we're in the business of audio first no matter the platform. Second, your listeners can also play a variety of other roles including visitor, sponsor, patron, game player, winner, friend, member, evangelist, caller, et al., the more the better. Third, user is anachronistic, pre-cluetrain vocabulary. The words of that famous Chris Locke gif are relevant here, to wit "we are not seats or eyeballs or end users or consumers. we are human beings - and our reach exceeds your grasp. deal with it." The habit we have to break is "thinking of business as a way to 'capture,' 'own' and 'manage' customers." As Doc Searls reminds "Relationships are voluntary." Let me add, relationships are precious.

Word to the wise: Tom Asacker, again, favors us with a post that's a must-read...

"...instead of developing models to explore the mysteries, most established brands are moving into the madness phase as they place more and more emphasis and pressure on their worn-out methods. Successful brands will continue to come and go. But the great ones will discover answers to and methods to leverage the new marketplace mysteries of their time. Will you?"

Bravos, Tom! Well said. Read Tom's entire post here.

Tom's writing reminds me of a quotation by Canadian banker Leon Courville...

"Management, a science? Of course not, it's just a wastepaper basket full of recipes which provided the dish of the day during a few years of plenty and economic growth. Now the recipes are inappropriate and the companies which persist in following them will disappear."

Congrats & cheers: 2008 Radio-Mercury Awards finalists. Thanks to Doug Zanger for the tip. She's back - Amanda set to return, sometimesdaily and Monday is the debut. Don't miss it if you can.

All together different: Jump over and enjoy French made Radio Deliro. Bravos to presenter and programmer Sylvain Robert. Got some really cool audio you'd like to share? Please pass along your favs via comments. Thank you very much.

See you next week with a brand new show. Have a wonderful weekend.

"The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of work." Sarah K. Bolton

"The fact that people do not understand and respect the very best things, such as Mozart's concertos, is what permits men like us to become famous." Johannes Brahms

"When I die, I'm leaving my body to science fiction." Steven Wright

Today's image: Atardece el sol by Hernan P. Wonderful. Thank you for sharing.

Good reads: Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li and Josh Burnoff. (Amazon info, blog) The Wealth of Networks by Yochai Benkler (WikiNotes, free PDF download). Both highly recommended.

Congrats & cheers: Steve Safran bows MediaReinvent now in Very Beta. Add it to your reader.

A call for disclosure and transparency
Promise vs Performance

The NAB, RAB and HD Radio Alliance have joined forces to create the Radio 2020 initiative. The HD Radio Alliance is now in the second quarter of their third calendar year of efforts and running their second campaign of radio creative ("Upgrade") so far this year.

Opinions of the ongoing efforts by the HD Radio Alliance and early judgments of Radio 2020 are mixed. For the purposes of this post let's stipulate that the goals and objectives of both Radio 2020 and the HD Radio Alliance are the stuff of noble ambition. Further, let's agree, without objection, that the magnitude of resources being invested is not insignificant. Therefore, it seems fair and reasonable to ask "What's the ROI?" My thought is - absent all of any industry feel good generated by these endeavors - what measurable results are being produced? It's time for some pragmatism about execution.

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely - S.M.A.R.T.

Radio 2020 and the HD Radio Alliance will each benefit by establishing goals and openly sharing those with industry.

Scorecards.

Once goals are established related scorecards should be created.

Let me suggest scorecards be behavior focused and employ standards. For Radio 2020 a number of metrics are now available including ratings and share of ad spend. For example, should the goals of Radio 2020 be to improve 18-34 listening levels and increase share of ad spend, performance against these goals can be tracked. For the HD Radio Alliance we'll need retail sales data (e.g., NPD) to determine if the current drive to upgrade is working and if so how effectively.

Perceptual research involving consumers, customers and industry can be valuable in gaining a better understanding of expressed behaviors. Additionally research could help "course correct" initiatives providing insights into any patterns, trends or changes in perceptions, attitudes, values and beliefs.

Accountability separates the schnapsidee from the serious.

We need to be able to recognize and differentiate activity and progress. We also need to be able to grasp the true context of any progress. Therefore, leadership of Radio 2020 and the HD Radio Alliance should commit to nothing less than full and complete disclosure. Transparency will ensure a more robust and honest industry discussion. Moreover, transparency will provide a clarity of focus and the safeguards needed to lessen if not prevent ineffective investment of valuable resources.

It is in the best interest of all involved that leadership be held accountable for producing results. For this to happen we have an urgent need for specifics, a need for the deep detail; we need to know the goals and we need to know the results being produced. We need to have a serious and open industry discussion about what's happening and what's not happening. The work of Radio 2020 and the HD Radio Alliance should be work that matters, work that makes a difference.

Let's agree, the potential benefits of this work merit nothing less than full and complete disclosure.

Transparency will more fully engage an industry, promote a deeper, richer creative collaboration and it's the right thing to do.

"Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit." W. Somerset Maugham

"Success is the point of self-deception. Failure is the point of self-knowledge." Graham Greene

"To feel most beautifully alive means to be reading something beautiful, ready always to apprehend in the flow of language the sudden flash of poetry." Gaston Bachelard

Today's image: Morning mist by Steve Lacy. Great shot. Thanks for sharing.

Buzz: AOL will buy Sphere, it's official. Kudos to Martin Remy, Steve Nieker and the entire Sphere gang. Tim Robbins - 1) Erase all diversity 2) Stay focused on sex scandals 3) Find more racially divisive news...salacious entertainment not information...Imagine a world of broadcasting where the American people are encouraged to reject despair and distrust and when they turn their TVs and radios off at night and go to sleep they possess strength and unity and compassion for those they disagree with. NAB Keynote (audio)

Bonus: The Filter (now in private beta)

Congrats & cheers: John Battelle's Federated Media Publishing closes a $50 mil round.

A bunch of radio stuff...



Update: NAB bows radio initiative - Radio Heard Here. Related - Radio 2020 and radiocreativeland. At least the first tribe of wireless can rest easy knowing the NAB spent the time and money (even engaged an attorney) to officially file a trademark application for "Radio Heard Here." While perhaps among the first thoughts upon hearing about this creative tag line might well be "WOW, I sure hope that very cool slogan is protected to the full extent of applicable federal law" the use of the TM mark at this point does seem a wee bit premature. Two more early thoughts. First, will this Radio Heard Here campaign indeed be as powerful, effective as the Goodby Silverstein & Partners "Got Milk" campaign Jeff Haley has compared it to? (Have they our Michael Bay at the ready? Some clever Toma Leche messaging?). Second, without any disrespect whatsoever to Messrs Rehr, Haley and Ferrara, where are the women in the leadership of this initiative? Where are the young turks? These three middle-aged white guys and the initiative would benefit greatly from diversity.

Update 2: The new Arbitron - Edison Media Research findings - the annual update of their ongoing study The Infinite Dial - Radio's New Digital Platforms. Detail on the latest data set here.

The beat goes on: RBR chief Jim Carnegie gives a reader who "cannot be identified by name" the use of his hall to opine on Why HD Radio may never make it.

All of these items merit thought and discussion. My comments on each in the days ahead.

Photo: Snow on Mauna Kea by Ron Fell. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

"You have to learn to treat people as a resource...You have to ask not what do they cost, but what is the yield, what can they produce?" Peter Drucker

"Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress." Alfred Montapert

"Formula for success: Underpromise and overdeliver." Tom Peters

Forbes has published a list of the highest paid TV performers (June 06 to June 07 earnings)...

1. Oprah $260 mil
2. Seinfeld $60 mil
3. Simon Cowell $45 mil
4. David Letterman $40 mil
5. Trump $32 mil
6. Leno $32 mil
7. Dr. Phil $30 mil
8. Judge Judy $30 mil
9. George Lopez $26 mil
10. Kiefer Sutherland $22 mil
11. Regis Philbin $21 mil
12. Tyra Banks $18 mil
13. Rachael Ray $16 mil
14. Katie Couric $15 mil
15. Ellen $15 mil
16. Ryan Seacrest $14 mil
17. Matt Lauer $13 mil
18. Barbara Walters $12 mil
19. Diane Sawyer $12 mil
20. Meredith Vieira $10 mil

Read the entire article via Reuters here.

Must-read: The future of content - Part One by Martin Weller. Outstanding writing here. Bravo Martin, very well done!

Thank you very much: Thanks to those kind enough to send along links of things to read. This afternoon a couple of folks sent me a link to a writing by a former radio person. The writing puts down the Radio 2020 initiative and calls into question the players involved. My thought is it's less than intellectually honest to put down an initiative until you know enough about it to make an informed comment. It is my understanding the NAB commissioned Kelly O'Keefe (his website here) to do a research project and provide consulting on a national radio positioning campaign. Seems like a good idea to me. Kelly and his crew have a good reputation. Let's wait and see what they have in mind before we pass any judgment. My personal opinion is the writer with the bad attitude is hurt, hurt that they were not invited to participate in the new program. Further, my suggestion is the writer is not even qualified to be involved in any such initiative. This appears to be another sad case of an angry, bitter industry ustabe. The good news is nobody that matters is listening to the self-proclaimed genius. Finally, no link here to the ustabe. Read some of the stuff and found not much more than negative rant after negative rant. To be fair I did notice the writer did offer to help make the industry better but gave no hint of any brilliant or game-changing ideas. I'll pass, thank you. Full disclosure: conflicts here include my being on the record as a fan of David Rehr, of NAB and RAB. Let me add I have heard nothing but good things about Kelly O'Keefe and believe he should be given the at bat.

Radio pioneer passes: Dr. Wendell F. Cox launched Detroit's WCHB-AM in 1956, adding WCHD-FM later. Detroit Free Press story here. One small error of fact. WCHB-AM was not the first black owned and operated radio station. That honor belongs to WERD-AM, Atlanta. It debuted in 1949 and my dad was on staff there.

Congrats & cheers: David Rehr, the NAB CEO, on his address to the radio industry yesterday. You can read David's prepared remarks here. Radio 2020 is a good idea and it's great to see collaboration with the RAB. Expect the usual suspects to discount the initiative and know that they are, once again, dead wrong. Amy Baer on joining CBS to head the net's new movie division. NBC News SVP Phil Griffin named skipper at MSNBC. Cameron Death joins NBC Digital Entertainment as VP Digital Content.

"The percentage of mistakes in quick decisions is no greater than in long-drawn-out vacillations, and the effect of decisiveness itself 'makes things go' and creates confidence." Anne O'Hare McCormick

"The most successful business man is the man who holds onto the old just as long as it is good and grabs the new just as soon as it is better." Robert Vanderpoel

"There are but two powers in the world, the sword and the mind. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the mind." Napoleon


Why's Conde Nast's Portfolio So Bad?: Elizabeth Spiers writes via The New Republic...

"My central complaints about issue one: It was pretentious without being sophisticated. It lacked substance and didn't have the courtesy to compensate with style. It talked down to the reader and spent much of its editorial space explaining simple concepts and background information that its supposed target audience--mid-to-senior level executives in their early 40s--would already know. It was fluffy. And it didn't bring any substantive new information to light.

The second issue is slightly better in small ways but still suffers from those primary weaknesses."

Bravo Elizabeth! Well done. Elizabeth also shares her pov on how to fix the book, including a recommendation on a new leader. Read her entire writing here.

Psst, wanna see some pictures?: Radio star Fred Winston is also damn good with a camera, check out the pics here.

MTV + RealNetworks = new iTunes competition: Ethan Smith and Nick Wingfield have coverage via WSJ. Read MTV, RealNetworks Join to Battle iTunes here.

Better off than a year ago or not? As we approach the first anniversary of his hire it seems reasonable to ask, what has Jeffrey M. Haley accomplished? Is the first tribe of wireless better off today because of his leadership of the RAB? The most direct and candid response seems to be - we don't know. Further, what we can suggest, at this point, is Jeff and team have yet to produce a single significant result. They deserve credit for targeting and soliciting new business, however, they need to put a win on the board.

The responsibility of leadership is to produce results.

In contrast to the RAB, the NAB appears to be on a roll. David Rehr and his N street team are active and aggressive on all fronts. They have raised awareness on critical issues, they have engaged in the important conversations and brought a sense of urgency to the most relevant debates doing so with a new, refreshing intensity, and with purpose. They are serving as advocates, deserving of recognition and praise.

"All human power is a compound of time and patience." Honore de Balzac

"It is difficult to set bounds to the price unless you first set bounds to the wish." Cicero

"It's in my office" Mel Karmazin making reference to the so-called "inter operable" satellite radio yesterday before the House Judiciary Committee's Anti-Trust Taskforce. Mel went on to say the radio would cost $700, a prohibitive price point he is not willing to subsidize. No OEM has one in production. Mel's remarks came last in the panel's opening round. Putting this post together from notes taken during the hearing (missing a lot here, there will probably be a transcript available next week along with the prepared remarks submitted for the record - FYI - Mel did not read his). Setting aside his repeated claims "I don't believe there is a duopoly" or "This is not a monopoly" and his lack of depth in responding to the honorable Maxine Waters' question with regard to his service's and the potential combination's efforts to serve "the community" ("We have Jamie Foxx doing a channel...Foxhole" and a passing reference to a collaboration with Cathy Hughes and Radio One) Mel, ever the great salesman, was on message and well spoken. While I respect and appreciate Ms Waters' line of inquiry, my personal experience with Mel related to his support of "the community" is nothing less than exemplary. In an awkward moment responding to a member's question about a services comparison page on the Sirius website (i.e., "Is brand X, XM?), Mel did not answer the question and seemed unfamiliar with the page.

Overall, it was Mel's show. During his remarks Mel did allow that he has an obligation to make the following case: The merger is not anti-competitive. The merger is in the consumer's best interest. The merger will create more choice, lower prices, less confusion and more content. His talk and testimony came up short on specifics. How will the sat radio sets now in the market receive both services as he suggests? Is the idea to offer one channel lineup simulcast on both services? If so how is that more content? Lots of questions.

Gigi Sohn raised the concept of ala carte or tiered pricing in her opening remarks. She also suggested a "5%" set aside of spectrum for non-commercial, educational, informational programming without editorial control. Further, Sohn proposed a multi-year cap on subscription pricing as a condition of the merger's approval.

David Rehr made a good presentation as an "economist" on why monopoly is not good for consumers. Mark Cooper provided an equally good case that monopoly is just not a good idea. Charles Biggio, the witness with significant legal expertise, offered a fair-minded analysis suggesting the merger may or may not be in the public interest.

Down to the grits: Two hours and fifteen minutes later. My sense is there is not an obvious, early winner. Mel's staff did a poor job providing the boss with the content specifics needed for him to make a better appearance. He needs to give up his position that there is not now a duopoly and that the merger is not about monopoly - too clever by half - he is inviting the fight, losing ground and credibility with that suggestion. David should avoid using "San Antonio" in citing example markets, nothing to be gained, lots of lose. The almost beyond any reasonable repair CC "poster child for consolidation gone bad" image is very real political poison. The others on the panel made their cases well.

The conditions of authorization remain important. The feds said there was to be a duopoly. Further, the conditional grant plainly set forth the parties must agree to the strict prohibition of any potential merger. Mel said more than once that the merger was not necessary. He seems intent on having members believe he is not the Wall Street guy motivated by greed who will say anything to get the deal done but rather the sensitive pro-consumer capitalist working to help Joe Sixpack and family get more for less. No doubt the boldest pitch of his career.

Congrats & cheers: Chairman John Conyers, Jr and to his Anti-Trust Taskforce for conducting the session. Let the record begin. Next up FTC, DOJ and FCC. Patrick Keane on his new job, Executive Vice President and CMO of CBS Interactive. Smart, very smart. Fox on their strong debut of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" holds 90+% of the Idol lead-in pulling a killer 10.8 rating 18-49.