AI and how it is being used in Radio stations today by Chris Byrnes (October 2024)
I heard someone say recently that “People won’t be replaced by AI. People will be replaced by other people using AI.”
The World Economic Forum released its Future of Jobs Report recently. The report was 296 pages of insights on the global labor landscape and its outlook, and the term “artificial intelligence” appears dozens of times.
What really stood out to me is its list of skills on the rise — the human skills judged to be increasing in importance most rapidly between now and 2027. At the top of the list is something most of us are not short on: Creative thinking.
I believe that some of our most human qualities will be increasingly important in an era dominated by AI. That will include our ability to learn continuously in new situations, which I hope will make humans indispensable. I believe that our ability to think creatively and to be flexible will be increasingly important as time goes on. For example today many of us are using AI to generate first drafts of content but we then edit, refine and improve.
My belief is that when you use AI strategically to reduce busy work, this will free up more time for the creative brain to create. Those business that are creative and adapt will will likely do better over time than those who do not. I am in the radio business and own three FM radio stations in Ontario. Herer is how we and others are using AI tools:
AI Driven Sales tools
In major markets they are using AI Driven sales intelligence system designed to enhance local advertising sales by leveraging data-driven insights and streamlining the sales cycle;
AI Topic generating tools
Others are using AI-powered story discovery system that provides real-time insights and predictions about trending topics relevant to our geographic area. I am sure you are all familiar with Google’s What’s trending tool, but that only tell what is trending across Canada or Ontario. We use AI tools to tell us what it important to our audience in our local markets.
Creative writing AI tools
Our creative writers have the option of using an AI engine within our production software to turn copy points into a draft 15 or 30 second radio script. They will then adjust and refine the content to ensure it has the right emotional connection and a specific call to action.
AI Voices
We have also been experimenting with AI voices in non key dayparts. For example if you listen to Heart FM after midnight you might hear AI Layla. Here she is delivering the latest weather forcast and introducing the next song.
Here is AI Layla delivering a station liner and also intrioducing the next song on Heart FM in Woodstock
Here is the same AI voice on our Classic Hits station in Niagara doing a break
We are only using AI Voices in dayparts where we do not have announcers. I got my start on the air doing overnights, where I made lots of mistakes and leant a great deal. Unfortunately today young people do not want to work from midnight to 6am, so most stations run only music and imaging in overnightsd. Having AI Layla on the air overnights allows us to deliver local weather, as well as information about what’s trending, and also sell the benefits and features of our radio stations. I must stress our AI voices are not taking any jobs in our compnay. We have local professional announcers on the air from 5:30am till midnight, who keep our listeners entertained and informed with relevant local information they cannot get anywhere else.
Today’s audiences consume more content than ever before. They wake up to social media, drive with connected dashboards, and wind down with streaming services. But 84% of them listen to local radio each and every week.
As more non-traditional media brands are created, advertising opportunities will become more commoditized. Traditional broadcast brands need to differentiate themselves by working directly with clients to craft and offer customized solutions that target the right local customers. With the right resources, this will be a breeze. Stations will be equipped with a deeper understanding of their clients’ needs and preferences, and able to develop more effective partnerships. In a crowded market, it’s these personalized offers and person-to-person interactions that will foster long-term partnerships and repeat business.
I think AI will only get smarter and better as time goes on, and what we are doing with AI today will seem like the dark ages a few years from now.
How do Canadians feel about Radio? This is a great question and clearly one that the CRTC have been thinking about. They recently invested $123,000 to have an extensive research study done by Ipsos Public Affairs. This research firm did qualitative research talking with 88 participants across 13 focus groups (9 in English, 4 in French) between March 19 – 31, 2020. Then, between November 12 – 26, 2020 they did quantitative research with 1,735 Canadians aged 18 years or older.
It is unfortunate that there was such a time lag between the qualitative research and quantitative research as there is no way to know what impact this may have had on the results. But what we do know is that COVID-19 was just starting in March of last year and by November last year more people were working from home and listening habits and commute patterns had changed.
Here is a summary of the key findings:
The good news is that radio continues to reach more Canadians than any other medium. 7 out of 10 Canadians listen to radio each week and 40% of Canadians listen daily to radio. In vehicle listening is still where most listening happens making up 80% of consumption.
Commercial radio is considered the most important broadcast platform for Canadians to have access to with 64% saying they listen mainly for music while 57% say it is news and information they are seeking. 51% rely in radio for weather, 22% come to radio for talk and 10% saying they like to hear contests and games on the radio.
The focus groups identified the three key reasons why Canadians listen to commercial radio
The CBC did not fare as well as commercial radio with only 32% saying they listen to the CBC on a regular basis. Currently the federal Government spends over $1.8 billion of taxpayer funds on the CBC each year. The research found that only 39% listen to streaming services, 17% to satellite radio and 22% to podcasts.
For the most part Canadians are happy with what they hear on commercial radio. The fact that commercial radio is free of charge is by far the thing Canadians like most about it (60%), followed by the convenience and simplicity (30%), the connection it gives them to their local community (30%), variety of music genres (27%), and a reliable source of information (26%).
The focus groups confirmed that commercial radio is positively perceived by listeners as an enjoyable and entertaining medium that has a variety of musical genres available and is considered a good source of high-level news and information. When it comes to how commercial radio could be improved, the most popular suggestion was to play fewer commercials followed by a wider variety of music. Music repetition was also mentioned in the focus groups.
In these studies, it seems Canadians exhibited a strong sense of patriotism towards the promotion of Canadian artists and music in general and feel it is essential to ensuring a strong Canadian culture (62% strongly/somewhat agree). Most felt the current levels of popular Canadian music on commercial radio should stay the same.
Most Canadians feel it is important that we continue to promote Canadian artists through content rules (60%) and that more should be done to promote new and emerging Canadian artists on commercial radio (51%). However, many also admitted that they don’t pay a lot of attention to whether the artist is Canadian or not when listening to music (58%).
Most agree that streaming music services should be required to support the Canadian broadcast sector (53% strongly/somewhat agree) but feel that any future regulations should not interfere with consumers’ ability to choose the content they want (68%). The qualitative research also showed that many were supportive of having streaming services contribute financially to the Canadian music industry, as they believed that homegrown artists should be supported.
Awareness of commercial radio station ownership is relatively low. However, some concern exists about concentration of ownership and that it may limit the diversity of opinions and music available or limit Canadians’ access to different sources of information.
The youngest generation (Gen Z, 18-23) is less likely to listen to commercial radio on a regular basis, but also feel it is important to have access to it and express satisfaction with most aspects of the listening experience. They are less likely to feel it is important to have access to local, national, or international news, weather, or traffic on commercial radio and more likely to mention diversity, exposure to new artists, or more Canadian music as aspects of commercial radio that need to be improved.
Boomers (56+) are more likely to support the current French-language content rules, requiring streaming services to contribute financially towards the Canadian broadcasting system and ensuring a minimum amount of Canadian content is included on streaming services weekly playlists. Boomers are least likely to feel as though there is not enough programming offered on commercial radio in their preferred language
Those born in Canada are more likely to listen to commercial radio on a frequent basis, to feel having access to commercial AM/FM radio is important (8-10 on 10 point scale) and to be satisfied with the listening experience. They are more likely to be satisfied with the availability of programming in their preferred language, the availability of local content from where they live, the frequency of information, and the quality of programming
Those born outside Canada are more likely to feel having access to international news on commercial radio is important and that they would like more access to content in their preferred language on commercial radio. They are also less likely to agree that promoting Canadian artists and music is essential to ensuring a strong Canadian culture and to feel that streaming music services should be required to support the Canadian broadcast sector.
This is a great report card for radio in Canada and hopefully the CRTC will be aware of this as it undertakes a review of the radio policy, the first one ion 30 years. You can read the full study here
The lasted 13 week PPM surveys were conducted by Numeris from 31 August to 29 November known as the R4 book. Below is our overview of the winners along with some comments. All figures quoted are Monday to Sunday 2am-2am and Adults 12+ unless otherwise noted.
Toronto Calgary (sample = 1,180)
The CBC (CBLA-FM) benefited from people looking for news and information and remains the most listened to station in Toronto. They are up 6.4% to a 17.7% audience share %. Q107 is the most listened to commercial station for the second book in a row, but static at 11.1%. They were helped by some impressive female numbers which frankly does not make sense. Boom holds onto #3 with a 9.2%, CHFI is next with an 8.5% which is down from the 13.4% in R2. News and talk stations performed well, as you would expect in this Covid-19 world. 680 News is up 21.5% to a 7.1% and Newstalk 1010 is up 16.4% to a 5.8%.
In the money demo (adults 25-54) CBC are #1 at 12.9%, Boom 97.3 is #2 tied with Q107 followed by CHFI and 680 news. Next is CHUM-FM who are down 10% (6.5% to 5.8%) and up to 6th place because of a 40% growth in audience share (4.0% to 5.6%) is Indie 88.
The other demo advertising agencies are interested in is Adults 18-34 where Q107 is #1 for the second book in a row with a 17.8% and grew their audience by 24%. Next is CBC with a 12.8% with CHFI at #3 with a 9.6% and Boom with an 8.2% share. CISS 92.5 at #5 with a 5.8% (down 28% from R3 where they had an 8.2%) and are now tied with Virgin Radio. CHUM are next with a 5.5% and Z103.5 lost 28% of their audience in this age demo (6.4% to 4.5%).
When you look at TSL which is the amount of time listeners spend with a station in a week you can see that some of these radio stations benefit from a huge number of hours spent listening to them. Which helped their overall audience share numbers. CBC listeners spend an unbelievable 48.6 hours per week with the public broadcaster. I know lots of people are working from home, but this is one of the highest TSL numbers I have ever seen. CFRB get 31.2 hours per week and Q107 an impressive 20.7 hours per week. Again, all figures are 12+ Monday to Sunday 2am to 2am unless otherwise noted. More people check out CHFI in a week than any other Toronto radio station with over 6.5 million cume. Next is CHUM with 5.9 million followed by Boom 97.3 with 5.6 million and Virgin radio with 5.3 million.
Moring Drive is dominated by the news and talk stations with CBC 26.4% share, CFRB 11.2% and 680 news with an 8.4% of morning drive audience.
As an industry we need to look at PPM sample sizes and the methodology if we hope to retain credibility with advertisers and ad agencies. Frankly some of these numbers do not make sense. There is only so much you can blame on Covid-19 and Trump!
Vancouver Calgary (sample = 833)
The most listened to station in Vancouver is the Corus owned Newstalk station CKNW with a 14.8% share of audience (all people 12+ Monday to Sunday 2am-2am). CBC is #2 and 93.7 JR country is 3rd followed by Rock 101 and Virgin Radio tied at 7.4% share.
Ad Agencies buy Adults 25-54 and this demo is owned by Rock 101 with a 10.7% and sister station CFOX is #2 with a 9.8%. These two stations are clearly benefiting from the return of Ronnie Stanton to the programming chair. Next comes JR country with a 9.2% followed by the Stingray station Z95.3 which is up 53% in audience share (5.3% to 8.2%).
Bell’s QM-FM is the most sampled station in Vancouver with a 12+ cume of 2.3 million followed by Virgin Radio at 2.1 million and Jack FM at just over 2 million. It will be interesting to see what the new morning show of Drex and company can do for Jack FM in 2021.
CKNW benefits from 50.3 hours of time spent listening over the week. CBC are next with 30 hours and the Christian station Praise 106 are 3rd with 18 hours a week. Morning Drive is dominated by the news and talk stations with CKNW with a 16.3% share and CBC next with a 16.2%. Then it’s Bells QM in 3rd spot with a 7.5%, Rock 101 with a 7.3%, and JR Country with a 7.1% share of audience.
Calgary (sample = 747)
News and information stations dominate the ratings in Calgary with the Corus News/Talk station 770 CHQR at #1 with an 9.8% audience share which is up almost 13%. CBC are #2 with a 9.0% and Country 105 is 3rd with a 7.4% (down 14%) followed by Pattison’s Hot AC 101.5 Today Radio with a 7.4%.
Pattison’s Today Radio wins the Adults 25-54 race with a 10.9% adults 12+ followed by Bells Rocker CJ 92 with a 6.8% and Harvard’s X92.9 with a 6.7%. The CBC are 8th in Calgary with a 5.2% of audience.
18-34 is owned by Pattison’s WILD 953 with a 10.3% share with sister station Today Radio close with a 9.7% and Stingray’s XL 103 with an 8.1% audience share. (up 22.6% from the previous book).
Rawclo’s soft AC (CHUP) is the most checked out station in Calgary with a cume of 1.3 million, followed by Virgin Radio with 1.1 million and XL 103 with about the same amount of full coverage cume.
News and information junkies spend a lot of time with the news stations in Calgary and the Corus AM CHQR gets 38.6 hours per week followed by the CBC at 29.6 hours and CBC Radio 2 at 22.1 hours.
Morning drive is dominated by CBC Radio One with a 12+ audience share of 13.9% followed by 770 CHQR at 10.9% and Country 105 at 7.7%.
Edmonton (sample = 795)
Pattison’s UP 99.3 is back on top in Edmonton with a 12+ audience share of 8.0% swapping placed with the CBC who are down 12% to 7.9%. The AC Breeze product (CKRA) and 102.3 Now FM are tied for 3rd with a 7.6%. CFBR-FM “The Bear” has 7.2% share of audience.
102.3 Now wins the Adults 25-54 battle in R4 with a 12.6% with Sonic @ #2 with a 11.3%, and Stingray’s K97 at #3 with an 8.2%.
102.9 Sonic FM stay on top in the 18-34 demo and grew their audience by 30% to a 17.2% followed by 102.3 Now with a 13.1%. K97 are 3rd with a 11.9% share followed by CISN Country and The Bear.
Stingray’s The Breeze is the radio station more people in Edmonton check out than any other with a full coverage cume of 1.2 million. Kiss 91.7 is #2 with 1.1 million listeners and 102.3 Now is a closer 3 when it comes to cume.
CBC Radio One get 27.5 hours a week, followed by CHED at 19.8 hours and Multi-Cultural station CKUA at 15.6 hours.
CBC Radio One are #1 in AM Drive with a 10.0% with CHED at #2 with a 8,7% and Sonic 1029 at #3 with an 8.6%.
Montreal (sample = 1,467)
Cogeco are doing well in Montreal and have 3 of the top 5 stations in the market adults 12+. Their French language News/Talk station (CHMP-FM) is #1 with a 17.6% share of all people 12+. At #2 is CBC (CBF-FM) with a 12.3%. Cogeco’s 105.7 Rythme FM with an 11.1% is #3 and sister station 96.9 with a 7.5% come in at #4. Rounding out the top 5 is legendary rocker CHOM with a 7.1% audience share.
Adults 25-54 has Bells French classic Hits statins Energie 94.3 at #1 with a 12.1%. CBC are #2 with a 10.9 and at #3 is Cogeco’s News/Talk station (CHMP-FM). Close behind is sister station 92.5 The Beat with a 10.4% and next also with a 10% (10.2%) is Cogeco’s 105.7 Rythme FM proving that if you want to reach this important agency demo you need the Cogeco stations.
Cogeoc’s CKOI-FM are #1 with Adults 18-34 with a 14.6% followed by sister station News/Talk station (CHMP-FM)with a 11,0% and 3rd is Bell’s Energie 94.3 with a 10.3%.
More people check out the French language Hot AC CKOI-FM who has a weekly full coverage cume of 4.1 million people. Just behind them is sister station 105.7 Rythme FM. Bell’s French language Hot AC is 3rd with 3.5 million listeners and 02.5 The Beat has a weekly cume of 3.4 million listeners.
The big AM stations CJAD gets the most hours tuned in this market with an impressive 62 hours per week. At #2 is CBC (CBF-FM) at 37.6 hours and #3 is News/Talk station (CHMP-FM) with 32.3 hours of tuning per week.
Morning Drive (6-10am) is dominated by Cogeco’s French News/Talk monster with an impressive 24.5% 12+ audience share. CBC are #2 with a 13.2% and #3 is Cogeco’s 105.7 Rythme FM.
This has been a crazy year because of Covid-19, people working form home, shorter or no commutes and of course the antics of Donald Trump which have all likely to have impacted radio listening in one form or another. We can only hope that 2021 will be a better year!
This article was written by Chris Byrnes.
There are lots of examples of companies altering their creative messaging in this current COVID-19 environment. Here is one of the best pieces of creative I have come accross in the past few days.
This will pass and when it does people will want to reconnect with friends, family and loved ones. They will want to go to local bars, restaurants and entertainment. The brands that think outside the box, truly connect with listeners and remain top of mind will be the brands then benefit.
Local radio can do that more effectively than any other medium. Get your sellers and your creative people together and come up with creative that cuts through.
by Chris Byrnes
As I write this, a state of emergency has just been declared in Ontario. Things are changing by the hour across the country and around the world as the COVID-19 virus continues to spread at an alarming rate.
In these uncertain times, more listeners than ever before will be tuning to their favourite radio station to get he latest news and local information. Many people are being asked to work form home, so you’ll notice the roads are less busy and of course lots of businesses are closed or operating on limited hours. Concerts and events have been cancelled and movie theatres are closed, and the pubs are also closed. This means more people will have more time on their hands and perhaps will tune to their local radio station to find out what is happening and stay up to date. We are encouraging our radio clients to do all they can to ensure they sound the best they ever have sounded, given the number of listeners who will be tuning in.
This is a great time for local radio to shine. Become even more hyper local and get the relevant local information on the air in a timely manner. Add additional newscasts or information updates and consider going to a top of the hour update for as many hours of the day as you can reasonably handle. This will create appointment tuning and given how quickly things are changing there will be plenty of content to deliver.
Be sure you have your newsmakers on the air. Reach out to the Mayor, the Police Chief, your MPP and health professionals on a regular basis who will most likely be happy to provide the local angle.
Get the latest information on your website, and update that page regularly. If the content is updated regularly, people will come back to the site multiple times. You might also add the opportunity for listeners up upload photos showing how they are passing the time at home and encourage them to leave some comments. It might spark ideas and help others also pass the time. Read some of the comments on the air to help create that sense of community. You might also create a “cancellations page” and keep that updated.
The other opportunity for radio is to help the retail community in your area. Consider running a promo on the air along the lines of the script the team at Heart FM wrote today:
Hi this is Scott Lunn, General Manager of Heart FM. Things are changing rapidly in our province and we are working hard to keep you informed on both local and national levels. We also want to help local businesses get the word out to consumers. If you are a business in Oxford County and you are open, changed your hours or have much needed supplies – let us know and we will get the word out to our listeners. Simply call 519.537.8400 Or email me at GM@1047.ca. If you let us know at Heart FM – our on-air team will let listeners know. Information is key during these times of uncertainty and we can help. And please stay safe.
This is a simple but tangible way that your radio station can help, and yes it might cost you some revenue in the short term, but it will be worth it because it will help local business in these changing times. Announcers give a shout out to local businesses and let the public know what is open, and anything special that is going on. When supplies are short listeners want to know that there is toilet paper at the local supermarket!
Offering this free service may save some local business from going under and keep more locals in jobs. Perhaps down the road these businesses will recognise the value that local radio has in their community.
Radio is the original one-to-many medium and this is a great time to be using the power of your transmitter and the reach of your social media platforms to inform and entertain. If you are doing something to help your community and make a difference in your local area in this time of crisis, please reach me at chris@byrnesmedia.com and I’ll be happy to add it to this article which will be updated.
I recently spent a day with broadcast students who are about to graduate from one of several Ontario colleges and who will be looking to land their first job. Over 300 students descended on the Corus facility at Dockside on Monday, March 2nd for the 15th annual Career Day, which is a forum to meet with professionals in their field to talk candidly and ask questions. This allows them a level of access they would not normally have.
There were 40 broadcast professionals who came to answer questions and offer advice to these young broadcasters. It was impressive to meet some of the stars of tomorrow, to learn about their journey and to hear how passionate they are about this business. Kudos to the Ontario Association of Broadcasters for putting this on event each year and a shout out to the sponsors who enable this event to happen at no cost to individual students. You can learn more about the OAB Career Day at OAB.ca
This year’s panel discussion, entitled “Big Dreams, Small Steps” included Alan Carter, News Anchor, Global News; Josie Dye, Morning Show Co-host, INDIE 88; Jamie Johnston, Morning Show Co-host, Rogers Sudbury; Rishma Govani, Senior Communications & Public Affairs Manager, Global News; and Paul Thomas, Program & Music Director, MZ Media.
Next came the Q&A sessions and there were about 20 round tables which accommodated about 10 students at a time, with each table specializing in one aspect of radio or television. Students had 30 minutes to talk to industry professionals and ask as many questions as time allowed. After 30 minutes they moved to another table and met other broadcasters who specialized in another area. I had the pleasure of sharing a table with the very talented Shemar Moore, Producer of the Roz & Mocha show on Kiss 92.5, and Jenn McKay who does the morning show at Cool 100 in Bellville. This was one of two “on air” tables, and I was invited because I coach on air talent across Canada which includes lots of young people who are in their first full time job. Over several hours, I think we got to speak to most of the students who attended, and here are some of the most common questions we were asked, along with our answers;
How do I get my first high paying job at a Toronto radio station? Yes, we were asked that question! While Sham had managed to do just that a few years ago, our advice was to look at a smaller market and work your way up. More on that later. Sham, by the way, went to Kiss in Toronto to interview for a promotions job. He was a fan of the station, knew all the personalities and it was the station he listened to most. After the interview he was leaving the building and noticed Dave Blizzard who was the night jock at the time. Sham seized the opportunity and introduced himself to Dave and told him how much he loved listening to his night show. That led to the offer of an unpaid internship which Sham took, over the paying job that he had originally interviewed for, because he knew he wanted to be on the air. Sham told us that Dave treated him well and Sham worked hard which, in time, led to him getting some breaks on the air with Dave. That lead to solo overnights, weekends and more. Today he produces the morning show and appears on Rogers TV. There are others who have also managed to get their start on a Toronto radio station, so it is not impossible. Often it starts with working as part of the station street team. If you work hard and impress people, that may lead to a full-time position. By the way, this is the time of the year that lots of radio station in Toronto and beyond are looking for street team members for this summer.
Please don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against trying to land your first job in Toronto, but Toronto is an expensive city in every aspect, including transport, food and accommodation and starting wages in Toronto for a young broadcaster usually do not cover these expenses. This is also the most competitive market in the country where the stakes are high, so it may not be the market to start out in making the inevitable mistakes that many young broadcasters make. The other benefit of starting out in a smaller market is you will get to learn lots, do things in a smaller market that you won’t get to do in a larger market.
How do you go about landing your first job? We each had a different answer to this question, but my advice was as follows: Get a map of Canada and circle the 5 small cities/towns that have radio stations that you are prepared to move to and work in for 24 months. Next, listen to these stations online and find out as much as you can about them. Check out their websites and social media feeds, and also, find the name and contact details of the Program Director and General Manager. Next, find out as much as you can about the town or city and why you might enjoy living there. Establish the cost of rental accommodation, the cost of living and the benefits that town offers. Send a letter to the PD and GM, making sure you spell their names correctly, and tell them what you like about their radio station and why you want to come and work for them. Include your resume in the letter.
If you do not hear back in 2 weeks, then pick up the phone and call them to introduce yourself, and tell them again why you want to start your career at their station. This may lead to a telephone interview and/or they may ask you to come to the station for an interview. Sure, it might cost you a return airfare or train ticket or the cost of your gas if you have a vehicle, but that is a small cost to get you in front of a potential employer, so you can impress them in person and hopefully land that first job.
Why 24 months? In the first 12 months you are experiencing everything in that market for the first time. This includes the station events, and major events that happen in the city or area and it may be very different from what you have experienced in the city where you grew up. In the second year, you know what is going on and have already experienced all four seasons and all the events that happen in this market. This means you can now speak from experience and you can really be of value to your employer. All along, you will be growing your skills and over time you may figure out what you really want to do as a career.
What happens next? If you spend 24 months in a small market learning lots and improving your skills, then you should be ready to move to a bigger market. Update your resume and audio and start looking for that next opportunity. Go through the same process of learning about the market and the stations in that market you really want to work for. Contact the station and tell them why you want to work there and keep an eye out for jobs advertised in similar sized markets. Once you land in that larger market you will find the competition is greater, the bar will be set higher, and more will be expected of you, but you will have the skills and knowledge to be successful in that larger market. It may take you two or three more moves before you land in the major market of your dreams, but you are young, so you have the time, plus along the way you may have figured out who you are, what your strengths are, and perhaps have found your “voice.”
What about audio? Put your best material first and make the audio demo less than 3 minutes long. If you want to include links to other audio that’s fine but remember, this initial audio will determine if you make the next stage of the employment process. Most PD’s will decide in the first 60 seconds if it is worth investing more time listening to the demo. Also, if possible, make the demo specific to the format of the station you are applying to. If you are applying to a country station, starting the demo by back announcing a Celine Dion song will not help you. Where possible, demonstrate that you know and love the format. Make it easy for the PD to hear your audio via Sound Cloud or other platforms and check that the links work. If the PD likes what he or she hears then they will look at you closer. If you have a podcast or you work a regular air shift on a radio station, include that information, as chances are, the PD will listen in and see how you really sound. They get that you always put the best breaks on a demo, but not every break will be that good.
What should I not do? This was a great question and the most common answer I heard was, “Don’t ever say to someone who has been working in the broadcast business for many years that they are doing it wrong and it was not the way you were taught at broadcast school.” The reality is that the way you were taught might in fact be a better way. But the smarter question to ask is, “Tell me why you do it this way?” Telling someone who has worked in the business for 25 years that they are doing it all wrong is not a great way to endear yourself to them.
Other Advice: Do not walk into your first job thinking you know it all. Yes, you need to be confident, but remember that you were born with two eyes, two ears and one mouth, so perhaps listen and watch more than you speak in the first few months. Some students who are so eager to impress will talk way too much and not listen. Do not go into your first job thinking you know it all.
Get your Driver’s License: This was a great suggestion from Jenn McKay who commented that so many students applying to radio stations do not have their driver’s license. Chances are, your first job might be a street team or summer cruiser position. You need a driver’s license for this.
Social Media: Be sure to check your social media pages and clean them up. You are a brand and your brand should not be a turnoff for the radio station you are hoping to work for. While it might be fun to have photos of you drunk out of your mind and doing stupid stuff posted on Facebook, it might be the one thing that causes that potential employer to deep six your application.
Say “Yes”: There will be lots of opportunities to do a little extra around the radio station. If you have done your job and you have time left in the day ask others what you can do to help. Be the person who volunteers to get involved in station and community events. It’s a great way to experience new and different things and it shows you are eager to get involved.
Get involved: When you first move to a new strange town it can be very easy to fall into the trap of hanging around with only your work colleagues. It’s great to do that, but you should also challenge yourself to get involved in activities outside the radio station. Perhaps take up a new sport or get involved with a service organisation. This is a great way to meet new people and experience new things.
Develop your networking skills: This came up time and time again as we talked to students. Get business cards, follow up and be sure to send a thank you note to anyone who you have met who might be able to get you that first job. It was also mentioned that students should try and get into as many radio stations as possible and take the tour. There may not be a job going at one radio station, but if you impress someone, they might mention your name to someone in another market who has an opening. The radio and television businesses is a tight knit community and most people know lots of others in the industry. Canada Music Week is coming up and they will be looking for volunteers. If that is not an option for you, how about going to the event and trying to meet as many broadcasters as possible. If you can afford the ticket, then get to as many sessions as possible so you can learn lots and meet other broadcasters.
I came away so impressed by some of these young broadcasters and I cannot wait to meet them in jobs and coming up through the ranks in the coming years. If you have questions or suggestions to add to this list to make it even better please reach me at chris@byrnesmedia.com or call 905-332-1331 and let’s talk.
It was Oscar night in Hollywood recently, and while it lacked a host this year, there was a lot of great advice offered during the acceptance speeches which could be helpful to anyone who speaks for a living.
I have asked a number of people over the past few days if they watched the Oscars, and what they remember about them. Some mentioned the performance by Eminem who delivered an explosive performance of his 2003 Oscar-winning classic, “Lose Yourself,” from 8 Mile. One person mentioned that Elton’s John’s performance was well done and some mentioned Brad Pitt’s acceptance speech. More on that in a moment, but there were two speeches that caught my attention.
When Mindy Kayling, who played Kelly Kapoor in the NBC sitcom The Office, introduced the finalists for Best Animated Feature film, she said, “As a shy little girl, a daughter of immigrant parents, animated films introduced me to world beyond my home and classroom. Then as I got older, I began to realize that those films contained some of the most sophisticated story telling in all of cinema. Their impact is extraordinary, and I cannot wait to introduce my daughter to this world now, knowing it will take her imagination in directions no one has even dreamed of yet.”
Story telling is an art form and it takes years to refine and master. Frankly, it is a lot of hard work. As performers, we need to find ways to tell stories on the radio in such a way that listeners will pay attention and want to hear more. This is not an easy process and requires effort and preparation. Once you find the topic, then you need to decide if it will relate to your target audience and, if so, how you will tell this story in such a way as you only take the number of words required to effectively deliver the story. Your story needs a beginning, a middle and an end, and if you do it right then you will grow your audience and grow that loyalty. Start by preparing one great story per hour for each hour you are on the air.
Marshall Curry accepted the award for Live Action Short Film and said, “I want to dedicate this to my mum who grew up on a peach farm in Chesterfield. South Carolina, and was the best storyteller I ever knew. She always had a story about some crazy thing that happened with her siblings when she was growing up, or some weird dog that she’s seen, or something that the taxi driver had told her about his life. It would break your heart. And I learned from watching her that a well-told story is a powerful thing. It can change the way we see the world. It can help us to notice other people.”
Clearly, Marshall’s mother was a great storyteller, and I am sure you have met a few great storytellers over the years as well. They have that rare skill to capture and hold the attention of the room. People want to hear what they have to say, and they hang on every word. Many world leaders are great storytellers and they got there because of their ability to engage and win people over.
Leo Tolstoy said, “All great literature is about one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.” I tell announcers when I coach them that often the best way to find content is to think about something you have witnessed or experienced. By seeing the event unfold in your mind, you have a clear picture of what happened and can retell that story in detail and with accuracy. On the radio we need to be able to tell that story in a matter seconds and that editing process takes a long time to master. The best way to develop this skill is to start by writing out that story in a logical manner. Edit and refine the story on paper and then practice telling that story over and over to yourself, each time editing down the content until you have got it perfect. The more you leave out, the more you highlight what you leave it. Now practice that version of your story and then open the microphone and deliver it exactly as practiced.
Here are seven tips for how to tell a great story from well-known psychologist Susan Krauss Whitbourne:
One of the best acceptance speeches at the Oscar’s was delivered by Brad Pitt who won Best Supporting Actor for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He started with a joke about the Trump impeachment trial, gave a heartfelt mention to his co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, “I’ll ride on your coattails any day, man – the view’s fantastic.” Then he touched on how it all began for him with his parents taking him to the drive-in to see “Butch and Sundance” and reflected on some of the amazing people who had helped him to get to where he is today. He did this all in 90 seconds, and later he admitted that he had put a lot of work into that speech with help from some funny friends including Jim Jefferies, Bob Oschak and David Fincher.
I also think we can learn from some of the less impressive acceptance speeches from the other night:. Joaquin Phoenix won for Best Actor, but his speech was long, and rambled. I suspect he had put some thought into it, but perhaps failed to practice and refine it. I suspect he got up on the stage and winged it. Renée Zellweger won for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance as Judy Garland in JUDY! But her acceptance speech was a long four minutes of pauses and ums and stumbles. She thanked the academy, her fellow nominees, her family and what felt like everyone she knows in Hollywood. She is a fine actress and her performance as Judy Garland is impressive in that she learned and sang all the songs. But her acceptance speech was horrible and was a real missed opportunity.
As you prepare your next sales presentation, your next speech, or plan your breaks for your next on-air performance, I encourage you to think about the 2020 Oscar speeches and try and be more like Brad Pitt!
“Community Living Month, Ontario”: See www.communitylivingontario.ca.
“National Asian Heritage Month”: See the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society https://explorasian.org
“National Asthma Awareness Month”: See the Asthma Society of Canada www.asthma.ca
“National Car Care Month”: see the Automotive Industries Association of Canada www.aiacanada.com.
“National Celiac Awareness Month”: See www.celiac.ca.
“International Doula Month”: See www.doulacare.ca
“MS Awareness Month”: Multiple Sclerosis is unpredictable, affecting vision, hearing, memory, balance and mobility. See www.mssociety.ca.
“Museum Month, Ontario”: See www.museumsontario.com
“National MedicAlert Month”: See www.medicalert.ca
“Speech and Hearing Awareness Month, North America. See https://speechandhearing.ca/latest-news/
“Vision Health Month”: To inform the public that preventative eye care is important because eye conditions, diseases and injuries that can rob a person’s vision can strike at any time in life. Call CNIB 1-800-563-2642. See www.cnib.ca
April 29-May 5 “Children’s Book Week”: An annual event sponsored by the Children’s Book Council to encourage the enjoyment of reading for young people. Call 1-800-999-2160, email info@cbcbooks.org. See www.bookweekonline.com.
May 1 “May Day”: Observed as a holiday since ancient times with Spring Festivals, Maypoles and celebrations. But the political importance of May Day has also grown since the 1880’s when it became workers day in the U.S. Observed as Labour Day in many countries. Bermuda, Canada and the US are the only countries that observe Labour Day in September.
May 1-7 “Emergency Preparedness Week”: This is an annual event coordinated by the provinces and territories. This year’s theme is Plan, Prepare, Be Aware. See www.getprepared.gc.ca.
May 4 “Star Wars Day”: May the Fourth be with you.
May 4 “Free Comic Book Day”: Each year, independent comic book stores around the world give out free comic books to children. Call Diamond Comic Distributors 410-560-7100. See www.comicshoplocator.com.
May 5 “Cartoonists Day”: To honour all those who use their imagination and a few pens to bring their ideas to life and give us a laugh via the daily paper, magazines, TV and the movies. Call Polly Keener 330-836-4448 or e-mail hamsteralley@aol.com.
May 6 “No Diet Day”: A day to stop dieting and stop hazardous weight-loss attempts. Find out the 10 reasons not to diet by emailing Francie Berg at fmberg@healthyweight.net (please put “Berg-No Diet Day” in subject line). Web www.healthyweight.net.
May 5 “MS Walk”: The WALK is a critical part of the MS Society’s fundraising efforts and is a significant program in funding research towards a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. Takes place in cities across Canada. See www.mswalks.ca.
May 7 “National Child and Youth Mental Health Day”: see www.familysmart.ca
May 8 “World Red Cross Day”: A day for commemorating the birth of Jean-Henri Dunant, the Swiss founder of the International Red Cross Movement in 1863, and for recognizing the humanitarian work of the Red Cross around the world. For info on activities in your area, contact your local Red Cross chapter. See www.redcross.ca.
May 10 “Stay Up All Night Night”: A night when people are encouraged to stay awake through the night, reliving the excitement of staying up late as a child. There is something incredibly satisfying in staying up to see the sunrise – and everyone should do it at least once a year. Annually, the 2nd Saturday in May. For info, email George Mahood at george@georgemahood.com.
May 10-20 “Canadian Tulip Festival”: The world’s largest festival with more than 3 million tulips in bloom in Ottawa. The event grew out of a thank-you gift of bulbs from the Dutch Royal Family. Call 613-567-5757 or 1-800-66-TULIP. Email info@tulipfestival.ca. Web: www.tulipfestival.ca.
May 11 “National Babysitter’s Day”: To give babysitters appreciation and special recognition for their quality child care. Call Barbara Baldwin 210-695-9838, email bbaldwin@satx.rr.com. See www.safetywhys.com.
May 12 “Mother’s Day”: The second Sunday in May. The first celebrations in honour of mothers were held in the spring in ancient Greece. They paid tribute to Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. In 1907 Anna Jarvis in Philadelphia, PA asked her church to hold a service in memory of all mothers on the anniversary of her mother’s death. She later began a letter-writing campaign to create a Mother’s Day observance.
May 12 “Limerick Day”: Observed on the birthday of a Limerick champion called Edward Lear. He published a book of Limericks in the 18th century call Edward Lear’s Book of Nonsense. Visit https://www.dltk-holidays.com/patrick/m-limerick.htm to see some Limericks by Edward Lear plus instructions on how to write them.
May 18 “International Museum Day”: To pay tribute to museums of the world. Observed annually on May 18 since 1977. For info call Canadian Museums Association 1-888-822-2907 or email info@museums.ca.
May 20 “Victoria Day”: Commemorates the birth of Queen Victoria on May 24th 1819. It is a national holiday in Canada. Observed on the first Monday preceding May 25th.
May 21 “I Need a Patch for That Day” They have patches for nicotine and they have patches for heart patients. How about a Patch for “bad hair day” or “runny noses. Phone 717-279-0184 or email: info@wellcat.com
May 22 “National Missing Children’s Day”: To promote awareness of the problem of missing children. Toll Free Hot Line Number 1-800-387-7962. See www.childfind.ca.
May 24 “Brothers Day”: Celebration of brotherhood for biological brothers, fraternity brothers, brothers bonded by union affiliation or lifetime experiences. For info: Daniel Rhodes. Phone 205-908-6781, email rhodan@charter.net.
May 27 “Memorial Day (US)”: Legal public holiday in the United States, in honour of those who have died in battle.
by Chris Byrnes – ByrnesMedia
At the recent NAB show, there was a lot of interest in the new product released by Xperi. They are the HD Radio people, who tell me there are now 2,500 HD radio stations on the air in the USA, Canada and Mexico, and 55 million vehicles on North American roads with HD radios.
In April 2018, Xperi partnered with Radioplayer Worldwide who are one of the world’s leading streaming radio content aggregation platforms, and the same platform now used by the majority of Canadian radio stations.
The goal of this collaboration was to integrate Radioplayer stations into the DTS Connected Radio ecosystem and offer a hybrid radio experience to cars of the future. The Worldwide Radioplayer API is one of over 30 content sources that Xperi aggregates into the DTS Connected Radio system and helps to ensure broadcaster control of content and information on a global basis. The DTS Connected Radio platform will enable an engaging in-car radio experience because the system automatically enhances listeners’ favourite stations across AM, FM HD and DAB. As well as enabling ‘hybrid’ switching between broadcast and streaming as reception varies. The new data feed can power next-generation features such as personalized radio recommendations, search results, and catch-up content.
Utilizing an IP connection installed in a vehicle, DTS Connected Radio delivers an innovative analog and digital (DAB and HD Radio®) AM/FM experience by pairing broadcast programming with IP-delivered content. DTS Connected Radio aggregates metadata, such as artist and song information, on-air radio program information, station contact information and more, directly from broadcasters around the world to deliver an enhanced, cohesive visual experience in the vehicle.
The DTC connected radio will inject 3 types of data from radio stations: static, dynamic and Stream URL’s.
Static data is information that does not change and may include frequency, city of license, format type, station logos and slogans. This is controlled by the radio stations and ends up as a single API which is delivered to the vehicle entertainment stack. This will work no matter where the vehicle is located in the world. It is designed to make the over-the-air signal experience richer, as it helps with the discovery process and is searchable. For example, this means you can be in Toronto and ask for a list of all the CHR stations in that market and decide which station you want to listen to.
Dynamic Data: This is much more than the song that is playing on the radio. The BBC is using this to push a lot of additional information that can show up on the entertainment stack. “The BBC has a long history of supporting emerging technologies and services related to our content,” said Bob Shennan, Director of Radio and Music at the BBC. “The world of content distribution is rapidly changing, and we believe that audiences and radio are best served by a mixed economy; we also need to protect radio in the car and ensure it is able to thrive in the hybrid world of the connected dashboard.”
Utilizing an IP connection installed in a vehicle, DTS Connected Radio delivers an innovative analog FM and digital (DAB and HD Radio®) experience by pairing broadcast programming with IP-delivered content. DTS Connected Radio aggregates metadata, such as on-air radio program and talent information, artist and song information, station contact information and more, directly from broadcasters around the world to deliver an enhanced in-vehicle radio experience.
NPR is also using this tool to send segment level data. This is also searchable which means if you are looking for information on the Toronto Blue Jays, you can ask your radio to find a station that is playing the current Blue Jays game. This could extend to advertisers, which means the station and client can send enhanced meta data to enable the listener to interact with the touch screen to claim a voucher or click on a phone number to talk directly to the advertiser to perhaps get additional information on a specific offer mentioned in the ad.
Xperi will be able to report how many vehicle radios, using their system, were tuned to your station when that advertiser massage was played. DTS tell me that this will be driven by the broadcast industry but limited to what the car companies are comfortable allowing to happen. Xperi are talking to both sets of stake holders to determine how best to use the technology, but this could offer some real benefits to the stations and the advertisers.
Stream URL’s: This is the cool part of this platform, in my view. When a vehicle gets beyond the terrestrial FM signal, the system will search for the internet stream for that radio station and connect the vehicle to that stream, allowing the user to continue to listen. Given most stations have a delay on their internet stream, the link will not be seamless. But if you have your favourite radio stations saved on your pre-sets you will be able to listen to that station no matter where the vehicle is located.
If the audio content is the same, the switching will happen when the over the air signal is deemed to be unlistenable. The system will switch automatically, but there will be a few seconds of audio either lost or repeated as this change happens. The audio stream will stay connected for the remainder of that listening steam even if the vehicle drives back into the FM coverage area, but this will ultimately be controlled by car manufacturer, so things could change. When the broadcaster sends a different audio feed to their stream, then the system will make a decision based on pre-defined rules, set in part by the broadcasters and the car company.
Xperi is the umbrella company that is rolling out DTS Connected Radio. They are quickly becoming the broadcast advocate working with 44 major car companies and their tier one suppliers to try and ensure that radio will remain prominent on the entertainment stack and ensure the future is bright for broadcast radio.
Also at the NAB in the North Hall was Audi who were showing off their version of the Audi connect® Internet Radio. The user can use the Web Radio and Media Library functions to receive broadcasts from more than 3,000 internet radio stations, save personal favourites and play them back via the MMI navigation plus system. New vehicles equipped with Audi connect® come with all of the Connect services for a six-month trial period, and they you’ll need to pay between $35 and $40 a month for the Audi connect® services. Audi are the first to offer what they call “Hybrid Radio” which enables the user to listen to a local FM radio station, but as the car gets beyond the stable listening area, the system will look for and automatically tune to the on-line version of that radio station. You can also search by country, style or a specific station.
The DTC Connected Radio will offer enhanced functionality for smart speakers and connected TV’s as well.
We will not see DTS Connected Radio until the 2020 calendar year at your local car dealership.
HD Radio does work well in radio. There will be all digital AM radio stations which will work in an EV vehicle, but there is still some work to be done to make this efficient in EV vehicles.
One of the immediate benefits for broadcasters is that there are over 50 million vehicles on the road in the US and almost 3 million vehicles on the road in Canada today with more and more vehicles coming out in the 2020 models.
by Greg Diamond – ByrnesMedia
Now that it’s been out for a while, many MusicMaster users are wondering if it’s time to upgrade to Version 7. Let’s look at a few of the many changes to help you decide.
Facelift
The first change you will see comes before you even get into the program. A new Welcome screen offers you a chance to go through some of the recent articles by MusicMaster staffers (always worthwhile) or go right into the program by choosing your station on the left. If you find this to be an annoyance, it can be easily bypassed by unchecking the appropriate box.
Once you’re in, you’ll find V7 retains the familiar ‘look’ and navigation that we’ve become accustomed to, but as with all previous major updates, the graphics have been freshened with new, more contemporary icons and just a more pleasant overall appearance. In keeping with the times, the program is now designed for displays using a resolution of 1024×768 or higher.
MM now has a half dozen themes to quickly change your colour scheme. The choices are “Back In Black”, “Paint It, Black”. “Purple Rain”, “Silver Bells”, “Song Sung Blue”, and “Cherry Pink/Apple Blossom White.” Just so you know, the cool kids are using “Paint It, Black.”
Fields
The biggest addition to the program is the ability to create your own fields (e.g. “Title”, “Artist”, “Tempo”, etc.) Previously, stations had to send their database to MusicMaster to add more should they use up all the fields they had when they first received the software.
For most people, working with Fields isn’t something they would normally be doing, but for power users, the ability to make new fields for additional attributes or recreate an existing field to allow for exact text characters is very handy. Also, numeric fields can be made to replace some text fields to allow for easy analysis.
Deleting fields is not offered, but I’m hopeful that it will be at some point in the future. I understand that the risk exists to accidentally get rid of a field that’s in use, but providing the option along with proper safeguards would be nice to keep your field list tidy.
Clocks
You can now use the Clock Editor Options to tailor which elements and columns you normally use. Personally, I like having all the element options available, but I am choosy when it come to which columns appear.
Elements have been added to the InfoBar (with balloon tips), allowing you to drag and drop them into clocks.
Some other great additions include: the ability to copy elements from one clock to another (two thumbs up!); right clicking on a category to the songs in it; and double-clicking on the appropriate Properties square to go directly to the tab you want (two thumbs WAY up!).
Scheduling
The Schedule Calendar has been expanded with a lot more Calendar Badges that can configured the Schedule Calendar Options. The Operations Buttons can also be organized in the same window with more options now available.
Glitches?
As with any major step up, people (and particularly IT staff) are always wary of upgrading too soon. That’s certainly understandable and the reason why I’ve waited this long to write something.
When it was first released, there were a couple small hiccups that are normal when going from version to version, but they have been addressed (Version 7.0.4 is the latest update), and no major issues have occurred. Both myself and earlier adopters that I’ve spoken with report “all’s well.”
If you are concerned that upgrading will be a hassle – don’t be. If you are working from a standalone located on your local drive, just download the program and install it like any other program, but you might consider renaming the installation directory from the default “MusicMaster” to “MusicMaster7.” That way, you still have your previous version should something unforeseen happen. For network users, let your Engineer or IT person do the deed. It’s unlikely you have the user rights to do it yourself anyway, and if you did you should still let them do it – no need to get yelled at!
The database conversion is as simple as copying it over into the new directory and opening it for the first time.
Yes? No?
I recommend it, but I’m also a geek and I understand that most people aren’t. If you are worried that you will have to relearn your daily editing and maintenance, you won’t. While additions have been made to the program and it might look slightly different, you can rest assured that it still works the same way. That said, if you are happy with your current version, and you don’t normally dig too deeply into areas of the software beyond scheduling and adding music, then the question “Why?” is a valid one. In short, you don’t have to upgrade, but after using MusicMaster Version 7 as I have for the past number of months, I’m confident that you will be happy that you did.
