Lessons from the air for those on the air

With autumn winds we’re sure to see geese flying south. Did you ever notice how geese always fly in a V-formation? There’s a reason for that. And did you ever notice how one side is a little bit longer than the other? There’s a reason for that, too. You see that side has more birds on it! (Sorry about that.)

They’re flying in a V-formation up to 50 percent further than they could going it alone. The “longer side” is due to dynamic adjustments, wind effects, and perception. The flock provides uplift for each other along with drag resistance in-formation for greater stamina. Geese also honk a lot to encourage the birds up front to keep up their speed. This seems like an apt metaphor for our broadcast operations.

Flying together we’ll manage the headwinds and dynamic shifts for greater stamina. Add some well-timed “honks” for inspiration rather than demoralizing squawks of disapproval and you have ‘birds of a feather who flock together.’

If you’re a radio or television manager who’s struggling to make budget, a personality who’s driven to achieve higher ratings, a sales manager who’s wrestling with attrition among advertisers and salespeople, or you’re a student who wonders about your future in the broadcast business, you may feel like you’re flying solo some days. Stay with me for a few paragraphs.

It’s evident that birds instinctively create a climate of community for all to thrive. If you’re a manager trying to hit profit goals, mutual understanding regarding expense control and joint striving regarding revenue generation will brighten your P&L. Your budget plan should be a social document built by the team, not the front office. If you’re an announcer, remember that every great show is due to your talent and the performance of your colleagues. We all need someone to draft off of on windy days.

Sales managers that lose customers and lose salespeople are dealing with a crisis of faith. Attrition is due to systemic erosion of belief in our medium and broadcasting as a career. Someone wiser than me said, “Never waste a good crisis.” Clients and advertising salespeople need a ‘tough bird’ to take them in the right direction. That’s leadership.

If you’re a communications major struggling to select your career path, think about the tenured broadcast pros that are reading this same article and longing to give you a shot. You want to fly high? Your attitude almost always determines your altitude in life.

One more thing about these mysterious creatures. They’re very protective of their own. Geese will attack people to protect their territory, their nest or their young. I was nearly upended on a bike ride when one goose decided I was too close to home.

If we look after the next generation of advertisers, staff members, and incoming talent as fervently as our feathered friends, we can all fly south for the winter…on vacation.

Mike O’Brien is a media consultant at O’Brien Betterment, LLC and a member of the WBA Education Committee. He can be reached at mike@obrienbetterment.com.

Educator's Column: "Still a Thrill"

“In American business, there is nothing stupider than the previous generation of management.”     ~Bob Hoffman, The Ad Contrarian

As a manager in the radio business, I was acutely aware of the smart generation of broadcasters to succeed my efforts. Thank God for that! On behalf of the Educator’s Committee, we celebrate the talent flowing out of our university system!

I just got off the phone with Brian Lucas, a professor at UW-Whitewater who has guided students for over a quarter of a century. He said, “There’s been a big shift since the 1990’s, when communications students looked for entry-level positions in radio and television…now they also choose from production companies, social media channels, podcasts, YouTube channels, and major retailers with video departments.”

It’s a vivid reminder of how the marketplace has changed.

Nevertheless, today’s traditional media still puts the creators at the epicenter of breaking news, sporting events, community activities, and a global audience! Today’s storytellers can shoot video, record audio, feed social media, and be an influencer on a bigger stage. 

So, if I had a room full of bright grads in front of me wearing caps and gowns, I think I’d offer these suggestions:

It’s not about getting an interview at a television or radio station…it’s about interviewing them…to be sure their station is a good fit. You need a fertile training ground for a fruitful career.

It’s not about getting the grade anymore; it’s about a lifetime of learning. Everyday is an education.

It’s not about just landing the job. It’s about launching your career in the right direction.

It’s not about immediate rewards. It’s about your service to the audience and your station. The marketplace will pay rewards.

To the on-air talent, it’s not about you, your spotlight or open mic, it’s about the story unfolding from a creative team.

To the advertising salespeople, it’s not about your commission, it’s about the mission of your clients. When you prioritize their goals, the station revenue targets, and your portion will follow.

Former Senator Alan Simpson wrote, “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”

Every day brings a new seminal moment within our multimedia industry.  

We’re not just in the audio business, video business, news, marketing, storytelling, or social media business. It’s a broader canopy than ever. We’re in the interactive creative communications business…and the thrill is still alive.

We’re involved with our listeners, viewers, and advertisers on several levels with personalities, information, promotions, social media, and marketing solutions.

Before my virgin jump out of an airplane, the skydiving instructor told me that he had completed over 1,900 leaps of faith…and lived to tell about it. That brought a hint of comfort and the question, “Do you still get a thrill out of this?” He looked at me with a mystical gaze and said, “Every single day!”

When you take a leap of faith with television and radio stations, those who know will tell you it’s a thrill every single day. 

Mike O’Brien is a media consultant at O’Brien Betterment, LLC. He can be reached at mike@obrienbetterment.com

As published in the Wisconsin Broadcaster Newsletter, May, 2025

Find Opportunities to Better Yourself After the Pandemic

You probably read the book, “Getting Things Done” by David Allen. Or, maybe that’s on your To Do list.

Years ago I heard of this great book to reorder my life and accomplish more in less time. I called the bookstore and ordered a copy. Soon after, the store manager called, “Mike, your book “Getting Things Done” is here at Janke Bookstore.” I said, “Great, I’ll swing by and pick it up tomorrow.” Two weeks passed! The phone rang at the radio station, “Mike, your book, “Getting Things Done” is still here at the bookstore!” I replied, “Yeah, would you read me a couple chapters over the phone? Then I’ll probably be right over.”

Sometimes a triggering event jars us into a better direction. The pandemic (or call it the damn-panic) was more than jarring, it was absolutely tragic for many people. So, what’s next?

Usually attributed to Buddha, the saying goes, “When the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear.” Ready or not, the education of a lifetime just happened, so let’s go to market with our hard-earned diploma.

Here are some opportunities to slingshot out of this era:

1. Celebrate your resilience. You have your call letters, a more resilient broadcast team, and the realization that you can do more with less. If good times mask a poor performance, then tough times reveal an amazing performance! (With or without a mask.)

2. Embrace the work-life integration that today’s workforce expects. Neil Diamond sang, “Money talks, but it don’t sing and dance, and…” You get the idea. Culture is the new currency.

3. Realize greater efficiency with home offices. The damn-panic forced our hand with home studios, work-from-home sales forces, and Zoom meetings with an agenda…and yes, you look great in pajamas. Ultimately, our connected workforce will save money while enhancing productivity.

4. Become a Creative Team of Marketing Consultants. We’ve had more time at home to study our craft and learn. Now let’s get in the field and earn. Advertisers are seeking customized solutions, not just sponsorships. Share your knowledge. Each marketing plan should be client-centric…dripping with ways to sell their stuff, not ours. Consider branding strategies, spec spots, liners, social media, event marketing…multiple platforms.

5. Build new revenue budgets based on today’s reality. Engage your team.

6. Seize the burgeoning business categories: Air purifiers, home and office cleaning services, pet stores, veterinarians, groomers, home based catering, meals-to-go, organic foods, healthcare, fitness clubs, finance, bike stores, gardening, home improvement, home entertainment, one-tank vacations, RV’s, boats, everything automotive, real estate, recruitment, staffing firms, online tutoring, career coaching, counseling, virtual learning, and events! All events need radio and television advertising to re-build their brand and let people know the party is back! Yes, music in in the air!

Let’s re-focus and make it a great year! In the words of David Allen, “You can do anything, but not everything!”

Mike O’Brien
O’Brien Betterment
WBA Education Committee member

As published in the Wisconsin Broadcaster Newsletter July, 2021.

This is a Test…This is Only a Test

If this were an actual emergency, the corona-virus and recession news you heard would have been followed with instructions. But, they weren’t…it all came out of the blue.

So, let’s call this a test or maybe a pop quiz. If you’re like me, you disdain threatening surprises. It’s better to be prepared. Now every business in America is being tested…an exhaustive examination of our financial status, human resources, inventory management, leadership, and more. It’s the more part that is most challenging. This takes more resilience than many of us have in reserve.

It takes intelligence, creativity, grit, and teamwork to grow a company. 

While, your performance is being examined, you can pass the test with calm leadership and a collegial style of engaging your team. I’ve witnessed a range of responses from obstinacy to abject neglect when working under pressure. Neither work.

It’s time to roll up your sleeves, eliminate departments, respect and energize your team, seek new solutions, and be prepared for growth. See if you can’t transform your radio station from the old programming vs. sales culture to a revenue driven model. In effect, everyone should be working on sales promotions in some capacity.

It’s time to question everything. Create new standards and remove old barriers. Organizations with poor leadership need lots of policies, rules, and parameters to keep them “on track.” Leaders that exercise good judgement can respond to the uniqueness of people, programs, and procedures. Besides, flexible leadership is more creative and a whole lot more fun!

On the other side of this pandemic-recession-election year…you’ll be celebrating with a more cohesive team of people, enjoying stronger sales, and earning grades ahead of the class! 

A Veritable Buffet for Broadcasters

There’s one sure place to satisfy a voracious appetite for education…the RAB/NAB Radio Show. Bouncing from session to session is like dining at a bountiful buffet restaurant. It’s rich fare, but you cannot consume every dish!

So allow me to serve up a sampler…a scoped version for radio and television broadcasters. In no particular order, here are comments with sustenance for your stations and your career. In the interest of brevity, attribution goes out to several industry leaders.

RAB/NAB Radio Show remarks and recommendations:

• “Culture eats strategy.”

• “We’re on the precipice of the next Golden Era! The spoken word and video will be forever. You’re in the audio content business, don’t get romantic about how it’s delivered. It’s not about the pipe. Invest in all platforms.”

• “Broadcasters focus too much on their current P&L. We need to think long term.”

• “Attention is the only asset. Don’t judge the consumer…just appeal to them.”

• “Podcasting is not the wave of the future…it’s the wave of today. Podcast listeners are experiencing a relatability and casual conversation. There are new genres being formed every day and an audience for every subject. Podcasting is also a great place to incubate talent.”

• “Diversify your revenue stream. If you haven’t already, hire a digital media strategist or partner with a digital agency. Many clients are buying digital marketing on a piecemeal basis. They need one strategy from one digital agency. It could be yours.”

• “For intelligence on key competitors, we can advise our clients with Spy Fu, a website auditing tool.”

• “The radio industry needs to de-leverage. We’ll likely go into a recession by 2020 or 2021. Fortunately, more broadcast groups are more top-line focused these days…and that’s producing results.”

• “More data is driving the conversation. This is the era of new insight for programming and attribution for sales.”

• “Our advertisers can generate short term sales overnight, but they build a brand over time.”

• “Reach trumps targeting two to one. But, creative crushes everything.”

• “Your commercials should try to say just one thing. The more you try to tell them…the less they’ll hear.”

• “75% of the ads on the air are produced with a male voiceover. However, the studies reveal that women prefer a female voice.”

• “Endorsed creative outperforms produced creative ten to one.”

• “We have an Individual Development Plan (IDP) for each account executive. We discuss sales goals, activities, and resources.”

• “Content brings value…information, education, entertainment, and escapism. You have the big audience. Don’t let David beat Goliath.”

If you’re still reading, you’re probably ready to put a couple of these ideas into action. For your assistance, take a peek inside the RAB Sales Advisory Committee meeting. The following initiatives are in motion:

• New Proposal Assistant tool for creating marketing plans efficiently, effectively, with more in depth research.

• New NTR and Alternative Revenue tools to capture additional revenue from new business categories, cause marketing, event marketing, and more.

• New RAB Digital Certification with fresh information, so every manager and account executive can execute digital marketing strategies in an evolutionary industry.

• New RAB Co-op Directory: already producing significant returns for participating stations.

If you would like to make a request or pose a suggestion to the RAB Sales Advisory Committee, you could reach out to me or Chris Bernier, your current WBA Vice Chair-Radio/Chair Elect. We are happy to share your ideas.

For dessert, I’ll pass along this quote by Peter Drucker, as cited by one of the Radio Show speakers, “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision!” With that, my hats off to our enterprising clients and to each of you that continues to invest in this great broadcast industry!

Mike O’Brien, Consultant/Trainer

O’Brien Betterment, LLC

www.obrienbetterment.com;

email: mike@obrienbetterment.com

"If a Tree Falls in a Forest..?"

If a commercial falls in a long stop-set and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound investment? Today’s creative climate requires a close examination way beyond philosophical pondering. 

Consider this, our world has become increasingly advertising adverse. Today’s consumers are exposed to (or dodging) a torrent of advertising impressions every day.

According to StopAd, 70% of StopAd users block an average of 200 ads per day on Windows devices alone. Whether radio listeners are changing the station or not, many may be passively allowing the message to go in one ear and out the other. Unless we alter the pattern.

There are ways that we can penetrate with our advertisers commercial messages and be relevant in an overly populated commercial climate.

Consider these barriers and solutions:

• Do you run long commercial clusters, aka “stop-sets”?    It truly is a stop-set if it stops your listeners from continuous listening. If your commercial pod is four minutes long, it’s one minute too long. If you’re running 6-8 minute breaks with 12 messages in a row, your listeners are well-trained to flee to another station (or another audio platform) after your 40-minute music sweep. Try this. Let’s put advertiser results ahead of AQH Shares. Try improving your station with listener retention vs. proving your station with ratings. You’ll prove your station to advertisers with a great ROI. Consider holding the hourly limit to 12-minutes per hour with four 3-minute commercial pods. With a mix of :60’s, :30’s, and :15’s, you’ll have about 5-6 messages in a row. Not bad. Now let’s discuss the content.

• Do your account executives know how to write compelling effective commercials?  Or, do they string 80 words together with a simple assembly of product facts as outlined by clients? Our salespeople need a set of Creative Services Standards with complete guidelines to actually serve as marketing consultants. Our clients need creative, attention-getting messages that persuade consumers to spend more money at their business. And, of course, our radio stations need listener retention that adds up to more than average quarter hours…outstanding time spent listening!

• Do your announcers weave the commercials, liners, and promos into their shows?  Or, do they treat “stop-sets” as something that stops the flow of entertainment and information? As long as we say, “it’s time to take a break”, “pay the light bills”, or “less clutter”…we’re disparaging the very life-blood of our business. Let’s attempt greater respect for our customers message with “more after these important messages”, “stay tuned”, or “now this from Smith Automotive”. 

Then, when a commercial falls in your stop-set, it will not only make a sound…it will make a difference.

If you want to know more about these approaches and the complete Creative Services Standards, send me an email and give me a call and we’ll outline a plan.

Mike O’Brien, Consultant/Trainer

O’Brien Betterment, LLC

608.751.4464; mike@obrienbetterment.com