3 Bucks a Gallon

71 dollars to fill my gas guzzler today! I am not sure what that has to do with anything, BUT it is what people are talking about and in the day that is what Nashville used to be singing about.

Radio stations giving away gas is the idea of the day. Paying that high diesel price for the 22 trucks on the Tim and Faith tour is a line item. 50 trucks on the Chesney stadium tour show and whoaaaaa. Gas prices are in everyone's lives.

With less money to go out, there's more time to listen to the radio. I did listen to the new 80's and 90's channel for Country on XM. It's good and a nice addition, but we all know how satellite radio is no factor to regular terrestrial radio. Just keep saying that you smart consultant types.

I do listen regularly to WLW on my XM. They sound great all day and night long. They run the station "as is" (commercials, local news and all) and that IS the way you do it. What was Sirius thinking when they turned the WSM channel to some kind of weird oldies channel that runs the Opry? YUK!

The Stern channels on Sirius are interesting, but after a while I got bored. I do like Howard, but not 24/7. It is the ONLY reason I can find to have Sirius. I still like the oldies programming on XM so much better and the country channels are as good as you can get.

Meanwhile, back over the air ...Putting AM stations on stream/internet is smart. Infinity has done it for its talk and news stations and it really is a nice option. It is the future. This HD radio thing can't be anything consumers are demanding or will ever get!

I was on the road a good bit and listening to everything on the dial. A lot of bad weather yesterday as I drove and I didn't hear a lot of great coverage anywhere ... or ANY for that matter. TV has become the radio of the 60's. With consumer serving morning shows and top weather coverage. And TV is growing!!!! Radio is NOT!

The TV award shows DO sell product as we see from sales spikes after the CMT show. Video channels are breaking acts. American Idol is breaking new music people.

Music Row is getting more and more fed up with radio being a road block and not a partner. Radio stations saying NO to almost everything new (like the Cox stations, for example) is NOT going to work in the long run. New music is the life blood of the future. But hey, the Cox stations have high ratings and that works for them, but you can't help but think in the long run it can't be good.

Radio people better do what they do best and act live, be live, and cover local weather and news like they live in the city where they're broadcasting!

If something BIG happened in YOUR town today, would the people in your town tune in to YOU? Or go to TV? Or if they turned to you would you be able to produce??? The rainy day you don't plan for and haven't been ready for is coming. From bird flu to terrorism to bad weather. Your test is coming but do you have a plan or even a clue what to do???? It's very sad what most radio has become!

With Sony Nashville going away this week, there is now an even smaller pool to jump into for a wannabe Toby, Tim or Reba. Like radio, the music business is evolving. These are odd times. Singles are selling after 20 years of trying to get CDs to sell. Downloads are a part of the business. Bloated big old record companies are a thing of the past. Smart marketers who can get their new music out to the listeners are the ones who will win. Radio better start getting back in the game and stop being a roadblock to the labels' survival.

Radio is a service industry. It was never designed to just be a jukebox as it has become. Radio should be like an iPod at times and like CNN at others. If your audience trusts you to do both, you can do both! Does your audience trust you or even know you? Can your audience do without you?

If a new hot single from singer X comes out will your audience have to go to CMT/GAC/or XM to hear it first? If a twister hits your town is TV the only place they can go? Consistent, dependable. Your station should be like 911 ... when you need it, it is there.

Gas at 3 bucks, a President at 33%, morons in both parties running the show, Iran is insane, the Chinese are going to buy the world ... the weather is scary and my local radio station is often fiddling while Rome is burning. My family is healthy, we are all employed, and I get a nap this afternoon, though. Life can't be that bad, but it sure can worry you if you open your eyes.