Are Morning Shows "Impossible?"
Written Jan. 29, 2010 by Larry Rosin in Content with 5 Comments
The other day I was chatting with a group of commercial radio managers. During the discussion I mentioned "the best show on the radio, 'Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!'"
Of course, I experienced disappointment when several had never heard of the show. (For the record however, several had and backed my assertion).
So discussion of why the show is so great ensued. And I heard myself utter the following words: "You need to understand, it is like old-fashioned radio. A group of talented people work all week on creating one awesome hour of radio".
I was taken aback as I realized something so blazingly obvious: No wonder most morning radio sucks. We are asking the impossible. We are asking way too few people to produce way too much radio and attempt to make it entertaining. We are asking ever-smaller staffs to create TWENTY HOURS of magic every week.
Through this perspective, it is amazing that morning radio is as good as it is. But it also speaks to how good radio could be if somehow the model could change and allow for a greater number of talented people to work on creating less radio, not more.
Reader Comments
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I wholly agree. Wait Wait is brilliant and the rosters in radio are far too small.
Watch the credits at the end of the Daily Show, Tonight Show, Leno Show, Late Night etc. DOZENS of people to come up with 5 hrs a week of material.
Why this can't happen in radio is a question better asked of shareholders and accountants.
Hmmm. While it certainly would be nice to have more resources, a large staff isn't always necessary to create spectacular radio. Two examples: Rush Limbaugh and The Greaseman (at his peak) -- wildly successful shows that are essentially one-man bands.
Would I love to hear a commercial radio version of "All Things Considered"? You bet. But i think that window is closed for good. For better or worse we must now focus on creating entertaining content that is as self-contained as possible.
Larry, you're spot-on with your realization of how much goes into create great radio. However, I doubt we'll ever see the day when our non tax- payer-subsidized stations will be in a position to have a creative "team" produce radio in the model that TV is produced.
Radio has a solid history of producing compelling, creative morning shows by having an amazing, talented "morning star" in the anchor chair, with a cast of news, sports, weather and/or stunt-boys supporting "on the fly" zaniness.
The resulting radio creativity is/was topical, madcap, LOL and compelling, with a lot of water-cooler moments.
Unfortunately those that drive that bus are being summarily executed with single shots to the back of their heads, as the Donnie Simpsons, Jeff and Jers, John Landers, Rob "The T Man" Teppers and others who have a history of producing magical moments are dropping like flies...for reasons of spread-sheet high-fives and PPM short sightedness.
Like the old saying goes, "garbage in - garbage out".
There's just an awful lot of folks who are currently on air, who have no business being on air. All due to cost savings and a severe lack of training. Also, with the program director being stretched w-a-a-a-y too thin, the product totally suffers.
I'm still a believer in radio, but the remedy is obvious. And well overdue.
Great article Sir.
Best revelation I've heard regarding radio this year and my thoughts exactly... And "whadiyaknow", "Less Is More" afterall! Bravo! Now how can we make this work in this, "but-bean-counters-wannabe-stars-too" world?