Interview with John Mozes

My second interaction with a professional was with John Mozes. He's now known as the GM of Rider University's radio station 107.7 WRRC "The Bronc" but before that he worked on 94.5 WPST on various shows and for ESPN Philadelphia. I asked John to help with our webisode because not only do I see him on a consistent basis but he also knows a lot about radio.

Right now, John's job as 107.7FM's GM is to oversee operations and get the station more exposure - through contests like "Song of the Day" and "Dorm Invasion" both in conjunction with Aramark to get more people tuned in. He also works with the Trenton Thunder to air their games on 107.7 which has gotten jobs for students such as myself.

A 1987 Graduate of Temple University, he originally thought he was going into TV but a job at WBCB-AM in Levittown changed that. Starting with sales he stayed for 4 years and not only learned sales but also voiced and wrote commercials for the station. After nearly 20 years in the radio industry he doesn't miss how crazy the industry could be with ratings and enjoys how much more relaxed academic life is right now and that teaching students is just as rewarding.

When it comes to new technologies John fully embraces them - he believes that media such as radio have to use them to stay relevant because while "92% of people still listen to radio every week", they still have to stay fresh by incorporating new technology into their company so it will continue to thrive with a younger audience.

For students looking to break in, look for smaller stations - like AM stations to get your foot in the door and to learn everything you can, alot of it you might not get the opportunity to learn at a larger FM station. Also, even if you don't want to at first, getting jobs in traffic and weather are good ways to work your way up the ladder in radio. To work in radio you have to be outgoing, a person who can generate ideas or a person who can react to the ideas of others and are willing to work in a crazy fast paced environment. Also, read everything to stay in touch with your audience - newspapers, magazines, go to movies because that's what your audience is doing. "If your working for a pop station, and don't like American Idol, you're going to learn to like it." You must embrace your audience.

Finally, he says not to give up - you will get fired, formats change etc,. just be prepared for these things.

NHL owes life to new media?

In John Consoli's Mediaweek article referring to the NHL as the "National Hot League" not only discusses how hockey, a much maligned sport has gained in ratings on NBC and Versus, not only because of exciting matches and the popularity of stars such as Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby but website content itself. According to NHL COO John Collins “By creating a digital front door to the league…we have redefined ourselves in the marketplace” as the site has seen traffic jump significantly.

This article is a perfect example of how new media and convergence is changing all forms of media - even sports. NHL.com not only has articles and scores - but a youtube page, a facebook that posts scores and debates and a twitter to tell you what you need to know in 140 characters. This is content convergence which according to page 317 of our book is finding new ways to deliver traditional content which is what NHL.com is doing in spades - with its youtube page, you can see highlights of your favorite players, clips of classic games and weekly highlights, which is also helpful to a sport which has a smaller fanbase than baseball and football and allows fans to either watch what they want at any given time or allows new fans to discover hockey in a clip culture way that doesn't immediately thrust them into a game. Ultimately, convergence will help more underground forms and create audiences that no one knew was there before.

Four Square - Future Implications

This article is about a new form of social networking called Foursquare that is even more interactive than the ever popular Facebook and Twitter. The application comes from the use of Smartphones (Blackberries, Iphones) and gives the user badges for doing certain "tasks" (going to a certain amount of bars in a night gets you the "crunked" badge for example.

The radio industry can use this "foursquare" as a valuable tool. Radio has used social networking as a marketing tool - facebook pages have been one way to track listeners. Foursquare takes it to a whole new level - by tracking audiences via phone they can access where its viewers originate, and with foursquare's badges, stations can identify listeners and adjust themselves accordingly because "Radio is essentially a lifestyle medium." (346) "It's important to go into the community to find out specifically what people are doing, thinking and listening to." (346) With foursquare, information is just few clicks away, unlike facebook and twitter pages which require a bit of studying even after they're added as a friend.
As for audiences, Foursquare will inevitably make things more personalized for them. Some might be a bit wary of all their information easily sent out through the phone but, I believe that with time people will be comfortable with it, like they are with facebook. The personalization will broaden target audiences and ideas in media and perhaps make radio have phone applications and become even more common and compact, and could even offer podcasting or more direct song choices.

Interview with a Program Director

Recently I had the privilege of interviewing Gregg "Race" Pirillo who's the Program director at 105.7FM in Ocean, NJ. I found out about Race on The Hawk's website and e-mailed him, and he was cool enough to get back to me for my station profile project, which led to an internship at his station. This interview is useful to further cement ideologies and concepts about radio.

What exactly do you do?
RP: I am 105.7 The Hawk's Program Director, which includes such duties as scheduling and picking the music, doing airchecks on jocks, and brainstorming new ideas for shows. In addition to that I'm the afternoon drive jock.

How did you get started?
I always had a passion for radio, because I feel that its way more about quality than TV, which is a bit to image oriented for me. My high school (DePaul Catholic) had a radio club and it just snowballed from there.

What experiences led you to this position?
I've been program director for almost 13 years, starting with 94.3 The Point and have worn a variety of hats since including executive producer and president of a record company. I wound up here by accident but I was so passionate about radio, it didn't matter.

What do they like and dislike most about their job?
Gregg likes the local aspect that working at The Hawk brings. Him and fellow DJ Andy Chase promote the station by going out to bars, pizza parlors and the shore to name a few things to watch sporting events with fans and getting to know the shore community at a more personal level. His biggest dislike is that "people aren't as passionate about radio as they used to be."

How do they feel new technologies will impact the media industry in the future?
Pirillo feels that all media will eventually converge into each other. "In today's field, you need to look for something media related, instead of something specific." He has combated this by not only making The Hawk stream online and launching an alternative internet radio station and is trying to make The Hawk a more sports oriented station. The biggest concern Pirillo has is trying to get people to listen to the station. "I understand that people are going to watch TV, go online etc but all I want is for them to make us part of their day. They're just so many choices out there anymore, things get lost in the fray."

What recommendations do they have for students?

• Where and how can students get started?
• How important is experience and what is the best place to get experience?
• What qualities/characteristics are important for someone getting started in the industry?
  
• Is there an Industry Journal/Trade Publication they would recommend reading?
  

Students can get started by calling up local radio stations and inquiring about internships. "Radio stations want people who'll work their ass off" Quite simply, "age and college degrees are important but not deciding factors" in what radio stations are looking for. People wanting to get into the industry should be team players, hardworking and most of all diligent. In this interviewers experience, radio is incestuous - so network and get your name out there! As for radio and trade publications - Race didn't give me any - music magazines are key to knowing an audience, not an academic journal.

IPad blurring the lines

Link:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/technology/26apple.html

This article is about the much hyped iPad. Developed by Apple, a company that has changed the way we listened to music and turned phones into web browsers, cameras and music players has brought us its newest creation - the Ipad. The device "which is a 9.7 inch tablet computer, could influence a new era of publishing". The Ipad has its critics that say the device will never sway people away from there already purchased e-readers or notebook computers. Others say that the devices will be portable enough and fully customizable to influence people to purchase yet another Steve Jobs related apple product.

I fully expect the Ipad, much like every other Apple related product to change the industry and become a massive seller. Instead of having to purchase a Kindle and a notebook laptop and a cell phone, people will enjoy the convience of one device doing everything for them and further retreating into an electronic world.

I do wonder if Apple will start monopolizing the the media industry. Will their products with the promise of customization and devices that can do everything for you, will people even care for Amazon's Kindle in a few years? Or will Steve Jobs and Co. take over the portable media industry?

Speaking of media - what will become of concepts such as ratings, and formats? Will the iPad, like Hulu and youtube allow people to watch what they want, when they want? How is TV going to survive the takeover?

More Commercials than ever for Super Bowl

Link: http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/national-broadcast/e3ib96053a9e47796d71ebdb2fe8f774188

In this article from Media Week, we're told that there were enough commercials to make up 3 quarters of a football game at 47 minutes and 50 seconds. The primary culprits were the usual suspects of dotcom businesses - 8 of them, 5 auto companies and beer coming in 3rd. The one steep drop this year was in movies as "not a single full length trailer was shown"and movies on took up 2mins and 45 seconds. Along with the Super Bowl being the most watched program of all time "CBS likely matched or slightly exceeded the $213 million NBC booked against Super Bowl XLIII."

The reason this article is important is because it proves that despite all that is said about TV being obsolete, it proves that people still get together as a whole to watch television in prime time and that "top network sports events (are) enormously valuable" (214) because of larger male audiences on weekends and there interest in more "big ticket items like cars and sporting equipment" (214)

This along with the subsequent article about ESPN being the second most watched cable channel in January, could be taken as proof that like in radio, sports will always have a place. The sports audience might be smaller than the prime time TV watchers or sitcom watchers in general but it's a far more loyal and group oriented audience to sell specialty products to. While more traditional sitcom or even reality TV has taken to the internet and to mobile phones, its something that is more primarily enjoyed alone, unlike sports which is something done amongst a group (primarily male but I think football especially can be argued). Either way, sports are here to stay and are keeping TV afloat.