Revisiting Pressing The Flesh

In the era of every kind of electronic communications, why do you think political candidates still travel from little town to little town in a bus or van caravan. It's called pressing the flesh! Shaking hands and kissing babies.

The folks simply need to see the candidate sometimes to make them real. The same used to be true for radio and music people. It is getting back in style ... out of need!

Unless you are so isolated behind those computer screens, the young side of the demographic doesn't know or worse maybe care that a real person is at the radio station.

Radio was for decades filled with personality people. They were something the fans were curious about. They presented the music and became electronic friends. Then the automation came in. No one wants to meet a computer. Listeners don't want talk!

Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon, the CD player, The phone, if the folks really want to hear music without interference, they go there. I do. You do. Everyone does.

How egotistical to think these idiot listeners have always listened and we will give them five minutes' worth of aggravating commercials like that Kars for Kids jingle and Hey Big Lou wants to sell you insurance ... horrible.

Radio lost its home listening position to the cellphone. My cellphone wakes me up sitting right next to the idle Bose clock radio. The story plays out in millions of home every day.

TV has upstaged the local radio station who uses the local TV station for their news ... it's canned and terrible ... Music is there ... maybe a weather and traffic report but morning TV shows you and tells you more clearly. It is delivered by real people, locally originated not off in some distant city. But even the network morning shows like Morning Joe on MSNBC and Fox and Friends on Fox upstage radio at home. There is still the car and the commute.

One station this week went to a fast-food spot and did their morning show... pressing the flesh and giving away food. I know of a second that did the same. It was a lot of trouble. But radio has to reverse its engines and physically show the folks we are here, come have fun again ... if the bosses let you have fun ... many don't.

Same thing for artists and wannabe artists. A young up-and-coming act The Sweet Tea Trio did a morning radio visit and were delightful this week in Tuscaloosa at the Bear 95.3 with Steve Shannon. It was a perfect example of showcasing a new act while integrating them into the regular show. It worked for everyone. The radio station visits can be nightmares for wannabe artists. Demeaning, treated disrespectfully, I've heard some tough stories from record people and artists. When it works, it's great. Preparation, a good plan both sides in the right place for a "date" is key to making this work. Homework by radio people and not trying to ask the most shocking or stupid questions you can think of.

Fun is the key but you have to ease into it. Think first date.

Radio has so much work to do. It was once a utility and along the way with greedy corporate one-size-fits-all owners, on-air people with low pay and lower talent. Things got strict, commercial sets got longer and the fun was taken out of the product. The hardware didn't keep up with the times. The audience was just assumed they would be there if we were good. That is NOT the case anymore. In rare markets maybe, but in general, radio is not a part of these college students lives' and hasn't been in years and years. There is no reason to think that will change in their 20s.

iHeart radio streaming is good ... I use it to listen to a talk radio show via my iPad and Bose external speaker in the bathroom. It's a distant signal station. It's fun to listen to KFI, for example, out of Los Angeles. That's an entertaining radio station...

Artists need to have carefully controlled meet-and-greets ... but the random contact that gets press may even get better.

Rascal Flatts walking down lower Broadway this week was good ... people started seeing them ... selfies ... autographs etc. ... got some press ... didn't cost anything, just some time...

In this world of too much media, the humans are going to have a work a little harder to get attention. So many voices and things to do. Pressing the flesh alongside great social media and traditional media is the recipe for starting or saving a career ... You can't just do one of the three. You have to have a hat trick!