2010 is a long time to wait…

Wednesday, April, 9, 2008 by Mel Phillips.

That’s the year the BIA Financial Network says the radio marketplace is expected to improve by a whopping 0.9%.  Radio revenue took a hit of 2.3% in 2007 and it should dip even more this year with an anticipated loss of 3.1%.  Not exactly the news radio was waiting for but that’s the way it reads in Mediaweek.com …

Mark Fratrik, VP of BIAFN puts it this way:  “While it has been a rough several years for radio, the efforts it is making to engage its listeners online and through the digital airwaves will hopefully come to fruition in the next few years”…

The total numbers add up to $17.9 billion in revenue for radio in 2007, compared to $18.1 billion in 2006, 2005 and 2004…

This situation will only turn around if the people running radio stations make the Internet a necessity in order to promote their stations and hire a good, knocking-down-doors, pounding-the-pavement sales staff who go back to selling the way they sold when they didn’t have any ratings.  Of course, it couldn’t  hurt if the economy turns around too…

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1912]  Red Sox paint the town red:  The first baseball exhibition game is played at Fenway Park with the Sox beating Harvard 2-0 in a game played in the snow…
2. 1913]  Bums already:  The Dodgers  play their first regular season game at Ebbets Field as nearly 12,000 fans watch Brooklyn lose a 1-0 game to the Phillies.  The year doesn’t get any better as the ‘Bums’ finish 34 1/2 games out of first place…
3. 1959]  The Right Stuff:  NASA announces the selection of America’s first seven astronauts a.k.a. “The Mercury 7“…
4. 1962]  Oscar time:  “West Side Story” wins 10 Academy Awards…1972]  Jane Fonda wins an Oscar for her role in “Klute“…
5. 1965]  First home run indoors:  Mickey Mantle hits the first Astrodome home run in an exhibition game between the Yankees and Houston…
6. 1974]  Ham-filled Chicken:  College student Ted Giannoulas answers a radio station ad for a mascot in San Diego and becomes the ‘San Diego Chicken’…
7. 1976]  Rock & Roll tragedies:  Songwriter/performer Phil Ochs who suffers from manic-depression, takes his own life at 35…1988]  Dave Prater of Sam & Dave is killed in a car accident at 50…
8. 1992]  Guilty as charged:  Former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega is convicted in Miami of 8 drug and racketeering charges and is sentenced to 30 years in prison…
9. 2001]  Wedding Bells:  American Airlines acquires TWA and becomes America’s number one carrier…2005]  Britain’s Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles, who takes the title, ‘Dutchess of Cornwall’…
10. 2003]  Partay in Baghdad:  The Saddam Hussein statue in Baghdad comes down as Iraqis celebrate the collapse of his regime…

Music Memories:

• 1965]  A new ‘boy’ is born:  Bruce Johnston officially joins the Beach Boys…
• 1966]  Released on this date:  “When A Man Loves A Woman” - Percy Sledge…1973]  “My Love” - Paul McCartney…
• 1970]  You say hello and I say goodbye:  Paul McCartney quits the Beatles…

Commentary:

Billy Buckner showed tons of class at the Red Sox home opener at Fenway yesterday by throwing the ceremonial first pitch of the game.  It couldn’t’ have been easy for the goat of the ‘86 World Series to even show up, no less toss the opening pitch and then watch the Red Sox receive their World Series rings.  Let’s hope this erases his error and ‘Hall of Shame’standing in Red Sox history or at least eases the pain…The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will present an evening with John Gorman, former program director of WMMS in Cleveland.  John will discuss his book, “The Buzzard: Inside the Glory Days of WMMS and Cleveland Rock Radio” on April 16th at 7 p.m. in the Museum’s 4th floor theater.  Admission is free of charge.  Congratulations JG…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday”:

Keshia Knight Pulliam (”Cosby Show“) (29), Jenna Jameson (34), Cynthia Nixon (42), Jeff Zucker (43), Dennis Quaid (54), Peter Gammons (63), Michael Learned (69), Cheeta (76), Tom Lehrer (80) and Hugh Hefner (82)…

Timeline Countdown:  1 day until the first round of the Masters Tournament, 10 days until Passover and 24 days until the Kentucky Derby…

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