OK, Now What?

Back in April, when the idea of this station came to be, there was only one fear I had.  What happens if it works and we have us some listeners?  That was it.  A fear of success.  It seems sort of stupid on the surface to have that kind of fear, but as I learned, that is not necessarily a rare thing.

As it turns out, Radio Memphis is a success.  Listeners are joining the ranks in droves.  With that comes advertisers who have been spending some time getting comfortable with the beast in the room that is internet radio.  Although there are still many people who are unsure of how this medium will do in the long haul and there are those who coming to grips with just how it works, it seems to me that internet radio and Radio Memphis is here to stay.

Several factors point to this kind of happiness.  First off, the listeners.  These folks have quickly come to grips with the fact that terrestrial radio is as dead as a fried chicken.  Everyday, corporate radio does something remarkably stupid that benefits internet broadcasters such as myself.  Limited playlists, day parted music, reduced staff and the insane idea that so called "broadcast consultants" actually have a clue.  They don't.  Thank God.  The corporate broadcasters have found new and unique ways of stepping all over the intellect of the people who listen (or used to listen, as the case may be) to radio in general.  What's more, people have figured out the simple reality that there are more options.

Secondly, the technology.  There is no way in hell we could have pulled off something like this 12 or 15 years ago.  The timing of all of this is just perfect.  Our staff like to think of the fact that we are about 6 to 10 months ahead of the curve.  More and more people are discovering internet radio and indeed Radio Memphis.

Part of the problem has been (and to a certain extent still is) internet radio's perception by the audience.  Change is often difficult and scary.  But, now that we have made it rather simple, people seem to find it a remarkable breath of fresh air within all the polluted airwaves out there now.  Sure, we are a commercial station and we are discovering that with the growing number of listeners we have on a day to day basis come those who have a new platform by which to deliver their messages.  It works for us and it works for them and everyone seems pretty happy.   

Years ago, long before the very thought of Radio Memphis came to be, I once told my wife that one day, after the corporate raping of the industry was done, it would take mom and pop operations to save what's left of a dead business.  I just never thought I would ever be one of those mom and pop operations.

Surprisingly there have been few complaints.  Although there was one naysayer I heard of that made a bet with someone that Radio Memphis would be off the air by Spring.  Well, Spring starts March 20th and I am quite sure we are going to be on the air.  What we'll be doing is beyond me at that point but I can tell you this, there are some BIG things coming that even I find hard to wrap my head around.

When we first went on the air, I learned very quickly the basic stance of this station, we can, quite literraly, do anything.  Is it an easy job?  Not in the least.  But it sure is fun.  Do I worry about much?  Not really.  Except for one little nagging thing, now what?

We'll figure that out as we go along.  As I said, there are some great things coming soon and with the help of those who listen to Radio Memphis, all of us who are a part of this wonderful project will get to take part in this fantastic journey.  Your patience as a listener has been gratefully understood and welcomed.  It'll get rewarded with some truly remarkable things.

Stay Tuned...

The Evolution of Radio

 This is kind of an appropriate graphic in more ways than one.  But, it nicely illustrates a few concepts I've been witness to and a party of which I will illustrate here.  

When I first started in he radio business, there were these little vinyl discs called "45's" and big vinyl discs called "33's" and little 8 track looking tape cartridges we used to call "carts".  These things had pretty much been the standard tools of radio broadcasters for a long, long time.  

I saw the death of the 45's and 33's when the compact disc (or CD as you may know it) came to radio stations in the late 80's.  It was a strange sort of promotional gag DJ's used to lay out on the air, "coming up, brand new music from Bruce Springsteen on a brand new format.  We'll play it from a compact disc!"  Oh yeah, those were the days.

We were bouncing little microwave signals all over the city from a thing called a "Marti" that got us from a car lot filled with hot dogs, balloons, smarmy radio people and even more smarmy used car salesmen.  All of the things were the miracle of the day, yet they were so commonplace to those of us who worked around it we always thought there would never be a change.

Then I saw the death of the CD.  That's when it all changed.

Computers were already established tools in the broadcaster's studio but now they were increasingly gaining the trust of the bosses.  It was always a joke that we would all be replaced by these machines.  Sadly, we pretty much all were.  How prophetic... and pathetic.

So, instead of complaining about it, I decided it was time to embrace the technology with the caveat of putting these machines in their proper place.  Hence Radio Memphis.  (For more on that, read the previous posts)

During my time with the "evil empire", the corporate apes came up with this novel thing called "HD Radio".  Capitalizing on the new trend of HDTV (among other things), these suits thought it would be cool to have a digital signal with some serious "High Definition".  As it turned out, not so much.  The transmitters are still locked in at certain broadcasted rates of information and what you thought was HD Radio was nothing more than a fairly clear signal right up to the second you left the broadcast radius of the tower you were listening to.  Then, BAM! You got nothing.  So, to save this cool moniker of "HD Radio", it was decided to split the existing signals down to other stations so one station could have 2 other sister stations you could only pick up with (you guessed it) an HD Radio.  

Here in Memphis, there are about 40 or 50 of these magical boxes around, most of which are owned and housed in the radio stations themselves as a monument to their "ingenuity".  The concept of HD Radio is pretty much a failure and a minor joke amongst radio people.  

If you'll notice in the picture at the top of this post, the guy in the lead seems somewhat concerned that he is being followed by monkeys.  Ever since we went on the air, as it were, as a strictly local station with a global audience and the acts of "murder" committed by the evil empire behind us, all the other stations (corporate monkeys themselves) love to throw around the word "local".  Kind of tough to live up to that when the music they are playing is anything but.  Not to mention the fact that all of their management are no where within 100 miles of Memphis.  Local?  I think not.  So yes, we seem to be followed by monkeys.  But back to being "high definition".

Enter internet radio and all of the sudden, these things about "high definition" and increased fidelity become a real issue.

When I built Radio Memphis, I felt damn lucky to have a signal on the web that was running right at FM quality.  Then my server guy had a stroke over the amount of data I was shooting to the server.  So, he put the kibosh on me and ran me down to a transmission rate that is slightly less than FM.  Claiming there is no difference.  But, I know better.  Meanwhile, I make the acquaintance of one Crafton Barnes who proceeds to hip me to Web 2.0 and the joys of cloud computing and the unlimited potential of internet radio stations just waiting to be tapped.  Enter our "High Definition" signal.

You can hear it HERE.  This is the test of a new way for Radio Memphis to deliver the station to you, the humble listener.  What you are hearing, which may be subtle to you, is pure CD quality audio.  It has it's little issues from time to time.  Shit, what doesn't?  But, this is what we are testing.  Should this be successful, we will be able to deliver to you a radio station in this highly defined audio in a clarity that terrestrial radio stations cannot.  Scary, huh?

So now, we have evolved ourselves from a little rough signal just under FM quality to something that has surpassed FM quality in the blink of an eye.  Something that would have taken years has now happened in mere weeks.  How's that for evolution?

Oh, but wait, there is so much more to come that even as I try and understand the power of and the simple concepts behind... well, let's just say, it's going to be one hell of a ride!

Stay Tuned...

The New Revolution?

Yeah, I hear ya.  This photo says a lot doesn't it?  I grabbed it from Boing Boing earlier in relation to the events happening around the world these days with the "Occupy" movement.  It rings quite the bell of truth for those of us at Radio Memphis.

It would seem we have arrived at a pretty fun time.  People all over the place have had enough of the corporate mandated, dare I say shit, that has permeated our society these days.  Am I a little sensitive to it?  Oh yeah.  And you should be, too.  

The fact of the matter is, quite simply, this:  The sign you see in that picture represents a whole lot frustrations.  You could, in a matter of speaking, find any situation and apply it to this mans' sign.  It also seems to represent the feelings of those of you who follow the Radio Memphis flag of discontent.  Mind you, we are having a pretty good time doing what we are doing.  But make no mistake, it is the spirit of what we are doing that is reflected in this picture.  He's right, you know... 

So far, the spirit of our humble little radio station has lingered around this very sentiment.  What makes it nice, is that Radio Memphis was around a little before all this went down with the "Occupy" movement.  A lot has been said, on both sides of the fence about this movement.  Some claim these people are just part of the problem.  "Go find a job, you dirty hippie.", "Get an education and quit bitching.", "Stay out of my place of employment with your garbage rhetoric."  and my personal favorite, "Your message means nothing to me."

I've read all those statements in various forms from all over.  Listen, we are all just one paycheck from being that guy above holding that very same sign.  Trust me.  I was lulled into a false sense of security with the old tired lines of "... having a steady paycheck." and "... you should be lucky you even have a job."  I heard those, too... at my last place of employment.  Look where that got me.  Ha!

In the meantime, while our anonymous friend here holds his sign of the times for all to see and ponder; whether you believe in it or not, remember this one thing, if it weren't for the 1% of those holding all the cards, Radio Memphis would never exist. 

Now, they are stuck with us for good and/or ill.

I like to think it for the good.  After all, what good is a revolution if no one gave a shit at all? 

The 99% are good for business.  At least, that is the way it looks for Radio Memphis.  

Fun times ahead.  

Stay Tuned...

Growing Pains (in the ass)

I might be accused, from time to time of droning on and on about Radio Memphis.  But hey, it's consuming my life at the moment.  Besides, it seems there are a some of you out there who are genuinely interested in the goings on of a new radio station.  Lord knows, I could write a book on the subject.  That probably won't happen, so this will have to suffice for now.  The amusing thing about this is the whole process has been so much fun, to date.  But, it has been one colossal pain in the ass.

Mind you, I am not complaining.  It has been an enjoyable pain in the ass.  The reasons?  They are myriad.  The joys of delving into a new technology to bring back a media that, for me has been one of the most important mediums in the history of mankind.  The dinosaur corporations who have had their way with the radio industry, in my eyes, have long ago reached their zenith.  I always believed that at some point in time there would be a changing of the guard.  There would be a return to the old ways of doing things by people who were versed enough in the industry to pull it off.  I never thought I would be that "people", but that is what has happened.

Make no mistake here, I did not nor could have pulled any of this off without a truly wonderful staff of people that make Radio Memphis remotely possible.  Here's the thing.  Everyone of these people are doing this because they believe in what we are trying to accomplish.  Allow me to explain while introducing you to who makes Radio Memphis work.

Let me start by saying that I am not putting these people in any particular order.  They are listed as they come to mind.  So, those of you reading this that are worried about favoritism, stop it.  There is none of that here.  Each of these people are incredibly special to me in ways I will try to convey through this.  Not to mention in ways you will never know.  So there.

When I first conceived the idea of this station, one of my first phone calls went to Dave Thorn.  He is a long time local music supporter.  Though, not a musician, he has a passion for the music and the people who create it.  He had, at the time, expressed an interest in working in the radio business.  To his surprise, he became our Operations Manager.  What is that?  He is me when I can't be me.  Make sense?  He has no idea what he is in for and as much as I have explained it to him, he asks for more.  A glutton for punishment?  Perhaps, but he's wired for it and it will be tested.  Trusted?  It hurts to think I couldn't trust him.  Know what I mean?

Leon Griffin came in initially as nothing more than the imaging voice.  The voice you hear between songs that tells you what station you are listening to.  Well, that certainly changed.  Voice of God aside.  He was sold on the concept early on and has been more than just that voice.  Leon has the ability to motivate me and those who have lovingly given so much.  His visions for the future of Radio Memphis have gone beyond anything I have ever imagined.  My favorite thing he reminds me of is this one simple concept.  "We have no idea just how powerful this thing can be and we may never fully grasp that very same idea."  Powerful stuff indeed.  Leon unknowingly found himself as my mentor and for that I am truly blessed to have his expertise on my side.  That is why he is our Marketing Manager.  Our Promotions Director, Dianna, refers to him as "The Dark Knight".  That he is.

Speaking of which.  Dianna Fryer has gone above and beyond the call of duty.  She somehow manages a full time job working very hard to keep control of despite its ability at times to get the best of her for the meager pay it seems to draw.  I'm not talking about her job with Radio Memphis.  What she does for us, for nothing, is truly remarkable.  The posters around town, the bumper stickers, the T-shirts, the merchandise in development, the constant promotion and communication she exudes with the order of a regiment is something to behold.  Dianna personifies the "new blood" this industry needs so desperately.  We are lucky she hasn't quit us.  I know she won't.  It's in her blood now and she loves it.  Lucky for us!

Bambi Kirk came aboard at the perfect time.  She is an ex-pat from Clear Channel.  She gets it.  A more organized individual you will not find.  Bambi changed her life for Radio Memphis, sort of.  Long story, but she went from her full time job to a part time position to devote more time to Radio Memphis.  What a compliment!  You want to buy some advertising time, call her.  She got us the Mississippi RiverKings Hockey games for broadcast and oh so much more. 

James McCraw went the distance for us as well.  He actually quit a well paying full time job to come sell Radio Memphis.  Over a few beverages one night, he extolled the virtues of Radio Memphis to me and actually made me want to buy time on my own radio station.  Words fail me as I wrap my head around the sacrifice he is making for this station.  Because, he believes in it that much. 

Cindy Harber is also part of the marketing team and has the distinction of bringing in one of the first checks to Radio Memphis.  Once again, someone who never worked in this business and is finding her way in a foreign concept to her.  This girl is going places.  You want to buy some time on Radio Memphis, call her.  She has the ability to sweet talk you right into a great deal.  She does that because she can.  You want to know something else?  She loves Rock and Roll.  Major plus!

David Wade found his way into the fold by being another Clear Channel ex-pat.  He can sell anything.  But, he has also found a good calling by being our webmaster.  The beauty of our website is the result of his handiwork.  You need a website?  Call him.  You want a banner ad on Radio Memphis' website?  Call him.  You need a moment of zen?  Call him.  He's that good.

Gerard "G" Jones came to us through Dave Thorn.  He's a musician and has a deep need to fulfill a desire to be in the radio business.  So, I obliged.  Once again, new blood.  His humor and view of the world is a great asset to what we have built so far.  Need a record made?  Call him.  And the ladies love him.  Why?  I'll never know.

Justin Jaggers is yet another example of "new blood" in this field.  Our morning guy works several jobs, a full time student as a double major in music business and recording.  He has an incredible ear and quick wit.  He works tireless for this station and never blinks an eye over anything that is asked of him.  Dianna refers to him as "my bitch".  You know what?  He doesn't care.  He is more than happy to be a part of something with this station.  You can't buy that kind of talent.

Brother Doug is a bastard.  Bad Dog used to call him that, and more when he was our producer.  You have to understand that "bastard" in this case is a loving referral to the simple fact that he is nothing more than a damn fine entertainer.  He follows me on the broadcast schedule and without his grounding affect on the air, this station would simply sound weak.  His ideas, sometimes "out there" often translate into things we consider to the point of pulling off.  You should hear the stuff he thinks of when we gather ideas.  Ingeniously dangerous.  I like that.  No, I love that.

I would be remiss in my listing here if I did not mention Melody Meadows.  Melody is another Clear Channel ex-patriot.  Cast aside as I was.  Due to contractual obligations, I seriously cannot comment too much other than this:  By the end of November, it will be nice to have a voice on the air that so many people love.  Smart, sassy and full of life, Melody is my dearest sister.  We went through hell and back together in the old days.  I can't wait until she is fully and freely one of us.

The bottom line here is that these people are the heart of Radio Memphis.  The one thing big corporate radio detested was a family atmosphere.  I wanted to cultivate that.  We have that.  We are a family.  Yesterday, while I sat here at this computer working on something trivial, there was an accidental meeting of the minds.  Several of these people were in the studio.  There was laughter and I wasn't involved in that moment.  Other than being a quiet observer, it warmed my heart to hear it.  People that were never connected before Radio Memphis were laughing together and having fun at each others expense.  A cherished moment, forever locked away in my mind.  It dawned on me, once again, I am blessed with a great crew as we sail the unknown seas of the future together.  Our individual sacrifices made and those we continue to make.  I love all of these people for that one simple fact.

The pain in the ass, you ask?  That I cannot reward them appropriately. 

This will come. 

It almost always does. 

Good things do happen.  They are happening now. 

Yeah, that's a pain in the ass... but you know, it's a good pain in the ass nevertheless.  

Stay Tuned.

Internet Radio, WTF Is It?

Since the July 1st launch of Radio Memphis, we have learned a great deal about the business that is Internet Radio.  A lot of really good things have happened and thankfully, a very small bad thing has raised its ugly head.  We have found ourselves deep in a world filled with choices.  More choices than one might even consider at the outset.  Certainly, when first I conceived the idea of this radio station, there were natural hurdles to overcome.  That just comes with the territory.  Namely, engaging a relatively new technology and making the connection with our listeners.  Not a small task.

Sure, you could simply get a computer and some software, some generous server space and a little software.  But, there was so much that went into its creation.  Primarily, you need to know how a radio station should sound.  The feel of the music, the transitions, the personalities involved and all the little trappings that go into this sort of endeavor.  Thankfully, I was able to rely on several factors which would ultimately shape the overall final product.  First, my experience in the business of radio.  I'd been knocking about in this crazy circus of a field for 23 years.  More than half of that time spent in Memphis.  That's a good thing.  If you were to put together a radio station for Memphis, it helps to know what the Memphis listener wants to hear, right?  Filling the niche was actually rather easy. 

The big box corporate radio machines created the niche.  Trust me, I am very thankful for the inept individuals calling the shots on the corporate level.  From my vantage point, it looks like they have managed to make FM radio rather irrelevant.  Which can be a sad thing in the scheme of things.  Massive operations which are designed to do one thing... make money.  And they are not really good at that either.  Sadly, the big radio corporations are not run by radio people.  Lawyers and accountants rule the roost.  Now, look what happened.  They basically killed the industry off.  It forced people like me to find other ways of taking it back.  Using the available technology to do what we should have been doing years ago.  Creating a relevant source of entertainment. 

That's all part of the good stuff we have encountered along the way.  Another great thing was surrounding myself with trusted allies who can help carry the load.  Coming to the realization that as much as I wanted to do it all, I simply cannot.  Arriving at that moment was a sort of a eureka moment for me and became rather refreshing.  Being able to rely on great people like Leon Griffin who is Radio Memphis' Marketing Manager (and mentor) was the defining moment with us.  Finding him in my foxhole during this time has certainly presented me with a feeling of not having to panic.  Not to tell on Leon, but he's been in the business since 1969.  He knows what works and what does not.  That is priceless information as we begin to grow.

Part of the bad things we have had to encounter involved individuals and organizations who are largely afraid of the power we suddenly wield.  One of the early concerns we all had was the perception that Radio Memphis would not be taken seriously.  I think to a certain extent, we will never get fully past that stigma no matter what we accomplish.  Despite this, Radio Memphis managed to legitimize itself by forming a partnership with the Mississippi RiverKings Hockey Club to carry some 41 of their games which includes their entire away schedule.  But watch, there will be people who will still say, "Meh, it's still internet radio."  Yeah, well, screw you.  We're here and we ain't going away.

Internet radio has a funny stink to it.  Not that that's a bad thing.  Generally speaking, people are afraid of what they don't know about.  In response to that theory, we have been pretty busy educating people on how to listen to us.  It seems to be working since our numbers are reflecting that.  Internet radio is a common thing on the east and west coasts.  Our numbers reflect that fact as well.  But the good thing is we are not the only ones doing it.  There are countless internet radio stations around the globe.  Most are, quite frankly, amateurish.  There are some that sound quite well.  Look for some of the internet stations in Europe as an example of this full spectrum of what internet radio has to offer.  When you consider these other stations, Radio Memphis becomes a mere dot in the big picture.  The nice thing about that, is we can be a significant dot with the right amount of work and some luck.  As a quick aside here, if you are handy with a soldering iron, you can make a really cool desktop internet radio that can get as many stations as you want.  Check out this cool article in Popular Science.

Then there are the naysayers we deal with.  Check the comments of the next post down and you will see what I mean.  There are those people out there who feel that we are cheating the Memphis musicians by not paying royalty money to the artists.  To answer that little nagging issue, we merely point out the simple fact of net neutrality.  Look it up.  Internet radio stations do not ever have to pay royalty money to any collection agency.  It is a busted system that benefits everyone BUT the musicians and the radio stations. 

Far too often, there are those ill-informed individuals who think they know the laws and regulations regarding the broadcasting of music.  When these people speak their mind, they do nothing but rile the tempers of the musicians who have submitted to Radio Memphis.  They know they aren't having their music exposed for the radio stations to pay them.  They know the money they make comes from the sale of their music and the sale of tickets to their events.  It's just that simple. 

We created Radio Memphis to be a way to take back the industry from the idiots who now control the radio industry.  And it seems to be working.

These "media mastodons" (thanks Richard Alley) are reacting to internet radio with things like programs mimicking Pandora in that there is now more than one soulless way to deliver content.  Bill Gates said it once, "Content is king."  Boy, was he right.  You would think, of all people, a big corporation would know this.  But the reality is that neither do they know this nor do they give a shit.

The new thing in radio is a thing called "Denise".  Denise is an artificial intelligence program that mimics a DJ.  It reads the song titles in the play list and regurgitates lines to the audience that have been programmed into its system.  What's more, it has the ability to change voices throughout the day to give the impression of there being a "different" jock on the air.  What a sham... and a shame.  Now these dinosaurs don't have to pay anyone to work at a radio station. 

We live in a scary world.  The new economy has redefined how business is to be done.  To answer that, these massive corporations are resorting to dehumanizing the industry to further rape the business.  For my answer, I simply refer the reader to Radio Memphis.  It's where real radio is headed.  In the next few years, don't expect satellite radio to survive and the traditional FM and AM broadcasts will be virtually unrecognizable.  A smoldering heap of what was once a great medium.  Thank God for the internet.  It became the next frontier for people like us.  Good and bad, this is going to be fun.

Stay Tuned...