XPost: alt.radio.broadcasting

RadioInsight

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Infinite Dial: Radios Hardware Problem Deepens

Posted: 16 Mar 2022 03:27 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/221381/infinite-dial-radios-hardware-problem-deepens/


Even as many people spent much more time at home during these last two
years, many more people now report having no radios in their home,
according to The Infinite Dial® 2022, from Edison Research and sponsored
by Wondery and Art19.
In the 2020 Infinite Dial, performed before the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic, just under one-in-three Americans age 12 and older reported not having a single radio in their home.  Two years later, that number is now
39%. Fourteen years ago, only 4% of respondents said they had no radios at home.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the numbers are particularly acute among younger people.  Fully 57% of respondents age 12 to 34 reported having no radios at home.

These are two of the many findings to be released on Wednesday March 23 at
2:00 pm when The Infinite Dial premieres at Podcast Movement Evolutions in person or available live via webcast.
“Of course, nearly all cars have AM/FM radios easily available, and people can listen to the content of radio stations on their phones or smart speakers,” says Edison Research President Larry Rosin. “However the elimination of the standard, single-use radio from so many households makes
the challenge that much harder in the location that most people spend the
most hours.”
Many radio companies believe the smart speaker brings the radio “back into the home.”  New data will be revealed on smart speaker adoption – including
in no-radio households, in The Infinite Dial 2022 presentation.
For more information on The Infinite Dial 2022:

https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial-2022-save-the-date/


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Hayden Green Adds WYZB Program Director Duties

Posted: 16 Mar 2022 03:20 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/221378/hayden-green-adds-wyzb-program-director-duties/


Cumulus Media has announced that Hayden Green will take on the additional duties as Program Director and midday host at Country Nash FM 105.5 WYZB
Mary Esther/Fort Walton Beach FL.

Green, who has been with the cluster since 1993, has served as PD/afternoon host of CHR Z96 96.5 WZNS since 2003 and previously programmed AC Coast
93.3 from 2008 to 2014. He was also Operations Manager from 2015-16 and
interim PD of CHR 97.5 WABD Mobile AL in 2014-15. Green has been interim PD
of WYZB since February 2021.

Cumulus Media (NASDAQ: CMLS) announces that it has appointed veteran radio programmer Hayden Green as Program Director for Country station NASH FM 105.5/WYZB-FM in Fort Walton Beach/Destin, FL. He has been Interim Program Director for the station since February 2021. Green will continue his
duties as Program Director/PMD for CHR-formatted sister station Z96/WZNS-FM.

Green has been with Cumulus Fort Walton Beach/Destin since 1993, holding various on-air and programming roles. In addition to programming top-rated Z96/WZNS-FM and hosting afternoons on the station, Green lends his talents
to Westwood One’s Total Formats Hot AC at night. The multi-talented Green will also host middays on NASH FM 105.5/WYZB-FM.

Ashley Allegretto, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Fort Walton Beach-Destin, said: “Hayden has proven himself with every project and
station we have asked him to manage or program. His skillset makes him the perfect person to guide NASH FM 105.5 to its full potential.”

Chris Kellogg, Operations Manager, Cumulus Fort Walton Beach-Destin, noted: “Hayden’s ability to focus and consistently program top-notch radio stations will give our cluster a big player with NASH FM 105.5. His
enthusiasm is contagious!”

Green commented: “I look forward to putting in the hard work on another
great Cumulus station and I’m excited to continue working with Charlie Cook and Doug Hamand on WYZB. Their support makes the station sound great and
makes me look good, too.” 


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Live 101.5 Phoenix's Morning Mess To Move To B96 Chicago

Posted: 16 Mar 2022 01:51 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/221369/live-101-5-phoenixs-morning-mess-to-move-to-b96-chicago/


The Morning Mess is relocating from Audacy CHR Live 101.5 KALV Phoenix to
B96 WBBM-FM Chicago.

The show features Joey Nachoo Rodriguez, Jeana Shepard, Aneesh Ratan, and
Karla Hernandez. The show has been together in its current form since
January 2019 and had been syndicated to 97.1 Los Angeles from August 2020
until the stations flip to News 97.1 KNX-FM last December.

The foursome will relocate from Phoenix to Chicago where they will debut on Monday, April 4 while continuing to be syndicated back to Phoenix. They
will replace Gabe Ramirez in the morning slot. Ramirez has been with
WBBM-FM since 2008 and has led the morning show since February 2019 and by himself since the departure of Nina Hajian last September. Ramirez will
remain with Audacy Chicago in a role to be announced.

Audacy’s “The Morning Mess” will move to B96 (WBBM-FM) in Chicago as the station’s new morning show. Beginning the week of April 4, “The Morning Mess,” featuring Joey Boy, Aneesh Ratan, Jeana Shepard and Karla Hernandez, will be heard weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. CT.

The show, which will also continue to be heard on sister station Live 101.5 (KALV-FM) in Phoenix, will originate from Chicago with popular segments
like “Nachoo’s Revenge,” featuring Joey Boy’s alter ego prank calling unsuspecting listeners.

“After a long search we are thrilled to bring ‘The Morning Mess’ to Chicago,” said Rachel Williamson, Regional President and Market Manager, Audacy Chicago. “This show is a fun, energetic and close team who embrace their diverse cultures and lifestyles to bring lively and relatable entertainment to listeners every morning.”

Joey Boy joined the company in 2013 as an original co-host for “The Morning Mess” on Live 101.5. Considered the ringleader of the show, Joey Boy is
never afraid to share his family life and stories on air.

Aneesh Ratan joined the company in 2015 as an original co-host on “The Morning Mess.” Ratan is an avid advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and considers himself a top-of-the-line twerker, body positive, retro gaymer.

Jeana Shepard, is a young mother of a two and three-year-old and is looking
for any excuse to get out of the house. Shepard started with the company in 2014 and joined “The Morning Mess” in January 2019.

Karla Hernandez is a young and fun Mexican-American beauty queen who enjoys giving listeners a sneak peek into her dating, partying, and personal life. Hernandez joined the company in January 2018 and became part of “The
Morning Mess” in January 2019.

“We are all beyond excited for this opportunity – mornings at the iconic B96,” said Joey Boy. “The mess team is the hardest working and most talented ensemble I have ever worked with, and they are my dear friends.
‘The Morning Mess’ is ready to embrace Chicago and become part of its vibrant and diverse culture; thanks to everyone at Audacy for the
incredible support.”

“After many years of the same morning show choices for contemporary hit
music fans, we believe Chicagoans will be excited to have a new, fresh
option to wake up with and to energize their mornings,” said Greg Solk,
Vice President of Programming and Operations, Audacy Chicago.


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Is It Still Groundhog Day At Radio?

Posted: 16 Mar 2022 09:00 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/blogs/220767/is-it-still-groundhog-day-at-radio/


Over the last 15 years, I’ve usually balanced my dual roles as music lover and music researcher by defaulting to “play the hits.” Playing the hits is the basis of all “radio law.” Espousing “play the hits” proves that one understands the difference between themself and the listeners (and thus the difference between a station’s air staff and listeners, when it comes to being tired of a song). 

When PPM measurement took hold, programmers became almost existential about playing the hits. Rotations on powers went up, even as the number of songs deemed power-worthy slowed down. More stations played the same songs and
the difference between major formats blurred further. We found that average listening occasions were nine minutes, and our strategy was not to program
for longer listening occasions, but to increase TSL with more nine-minute visits.

For years, I have felt that the nine-minute listening occasion might be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Over the last two years, as radio usage has
continued to decline and COVID has affected listening patterns, I have
asked:

What listeners want during the workday now;
Are format that are more traditionally programmed for TSL gaining traction?
How to best balance strength and freshness;
What is the relationship between CHR stations’ rotations and ratings?
Playing songs 130x a week was not, as it turned out, an automatic route to
PPM success, especially as those songs turned over less. Since then, WHTZ (Z100) New York has cut its powers back to 85x a week, among other changes,
and has mostly flourished in PPM.
Have programmers destroyed the value of the recurrent through overuse?


That last article led to an interesting Twitter exchange with Hall Communications VP of programming Bob Walker. Recurrents have been the glue
of Country radio for many years and Walker was one of their proponents. But last week he tweeted, “Yes @RossonRadio. The once powerful recurrent
position in your radio format clock is now the most dangerous—especially in Hot AC and Country. It’s populated with fried and/or weak songs not worthy
of that tactical clock position.”

And now I’d like to add a few personal experiences of recent months to the discussion:

One of the stations that I personally schedule music for is an AC station
that was taking longer to get traction than expected. We were all happy
with the feel of the music and the radio station. There are a lot of
reasons for PPM success, but it came to this station after we became more diligent about how songs played (or didnt) on consecutive workdays, even
with the knowledge that workdays were no longer traditionally structured.

I don’t schedule them, but I work with another Mainstream AC that was plotting its current songs the way a Hot AC might. While there are some
very successful ACs that will allow a current at 11 a.m. Tuesday and 10
a.m. Wednesday, this station saw sharp increases in TSL and share after loosening up.

I do schedule a Classic Hits station that has been successful in a very
crowded PPM market. At a time when some stations are playing powers 3-4x a
day, they have done very well without aggressive rotations (They also
diverge from the current Classic Hits model in a number of other ways.) 

As somebody who first scheduled Classic Hits (before going on to Adult
Hits, Hot AC, Adult R&B and other formats), I had been entirely comfortable with “day-and-a-daypart” or even twenty-hour separation on the hits. In recent years, some successful stations obviously have gone far beyond that.
But I’ve come to feel that avoiding the “Groundhog Day” experience is important, even if the song you’re likely to hear every day is “Eye of the Tiger” and not “I Got You Babe.”

At Country Radio Seminar in February, NuVoodoos Ratings Prospects Study
asked Country radio users about their reasons for tuning out. The “songs repeated at the same time from one day to another issue” issue turned out
to be a significant offender—comparable to complaints about songs turning over too quickly. In the past, broadcasters have dismissed concerns about repetition with “well, of course they’re going to say that.” Now, Country radio feels musically claustrophobic and listeners seem to agree.

Its hard to isolate any one issue for radio’s travails (or even come to a full consensus that such travails exist). But there’s still a balancing act between reliability and predictability that demands further attention.
After working with radio research for 19 years, I believe more than ever
that playing-the-hits-just-aggressively-enough gives you the “hit insurance” to play intelligently chosen variety in between, which, in turn, creates enough freshness that you can “play the hits” without the Groundhog Day effect.

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Audacy Promotes Micah Goldberg To Denver SVP/Market Manager

Posted: 16 Mar 2022 07:26 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/221356/audacy-promotes-micah-goldberg-to-denver-svp-market-manager/


Audacy has announced the promotion of Micah Goldberg to SVP/Market Manager
for its Denver cluster.

Goldberg has been with the companys Denver stations since 2018 first as
General Sales Manager and then Director of Sales. He began his career as an Account Executive with both Cox Radio Houston and CBS Radio Phoenix before joining Clear Channel/iHeartMedia Phoenix. He spent eight years there eventually rising to General Sales Manager of Country 102.5 KNIX before transferring to Denver as FM Sales Director. In 2016, he was promoted to
the dual role of Regional Senior VP/Sales and Colorado Springs Market
President until joining Entercom/Audacy.

John Fullam, who came out of retirement to serve as interim Market Manager
in July 2021, will return to his executive coaching business.

Audacy has elevated Micah Goldberg to Senior Vice President and Market
Manager of its Denver market. In this role, Goldberg will oversee the market’s portfolio of stations, which includes 99.5 The Mountain (KQMT-FM), Alice 105.9 (KALC-FM), KS 107.5 (KQKS-FM), The Bet 1430AM (KAMP-AM) and
Comedy 103.1 (KQKS-HD2) effective April 1. He succeeds John Fullam, who had been serving as interim Market Manager since July 2021 and will be
returning to his executive coaching business.

“There’s no better feeling in this industry than being able to elevate your own hard-working talent into leaders. That’s exactly what Micah Goldberg is,” said Doug Abernethy, Regional President, Audacy. “Micah understands what it takes to win in this market and we fully trust his ability to step
into this role and take our collection of brands to the next level. We’re looking forward to watching him ascend into this much-deserved next step in
his career.”

“Team Audacy is second to none,” said Goldberg. “The pride I feel being able to continue contributing and leading a team I have such respect for is nearly indescribable. Following in John Fullams footsteps is no easy task,
but I know Audacy Denver will continue to make him proud. Thanks to Audacy, Doug [Abernethy] and Susan [Larkin] for all the support and for this
amazing opportunity.”

Goldberg had been serving as Director of Sales for Audacy Denver since
2020. He joined the company in 2018 as General Sales Manager. Prior to
that, he spent the last 12 years with iHeartMedia, holding various sales
and business development roles in Denver and its Rocky Mountain region, including as Market President from 2016 to 2018. Goldberg also served as a Senior Account Executive for CBS Radio in Phoenix from 2002 to 2004 and an account executive for Cox Radio in Houston 1998 to 2002.


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SiriusXM Launches Joni Mitchell Channel

Posted: 16 Mar 2022 07:17 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/221353/siriusxm-launches-joni-mitchell-channel/


SiriusXM announced today the launch of The Joni Mitchell Channel, a limited engagement channel featuring the music of iconic musician and songwriter,
Joni Mitchell.

Listeners can hear The Joni Mitchell Channel starting today, Wednesday,
March 16 through Thursday, April 14 on the SXM App and on satellite (ch.
105) starting Wednesday, March 30 through Tuesday, April 5.

The exclusive channel coincides with Mitchell being honored as the 2022
Person of the Year recipient at The Recording Academys MusiCares charity
event on April 1st, raising funds for vital programs and relief efforts for
the music community.

The Joni Mitchell Channel will feature the prolific artists timeless music, including home recordings, live performances, and other rarities from the recent Joni Mitchell Archives series, as well as interpretations of her
music by a wide range of artists including Chaka Khan, Elton John, Norah
Jones, Annie Lennox, Brandi Carlile, Bob Dylan, The Byrds and more.
Listeners will also be able to catch guest hosts sharing stories about
Jonis impact while selecting some of their favorite songs.

Joni Mitchells career spans decades and includes her daring musical
ventures into multiple genres. While her music is often categorized as
folk, her sound draws as much from jazz, classical and rock, and often encompasses bespoke tunings and song structures that defy categorization.
She has also helped redefine the role of women musicians by overseeing all aspects of her albums, including songwriting, arrangements, performance, production and artwork.

Joni adds MusiCares 2022 Person Of The Year to her vast list of accolades including multiple Grammy Awards, the Polar Music Prize, inductions into
both the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame and,
most recently, the Kennedy Center Honors.

Its a thrill to have my own SiriusXM channel, says Mitchell.

Joni Mitchell redefined female musicianship with her songwriting,
complexity, and voice, which has had a profound influence on musicians that have followed her said Steve Blatter, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Music Programming, SiriusXM. Not only is this channel an ode to Mitchells integral impact on music and her timeless songs, but also a
carefully curated collaboration we are honored to be a part of and have our listeners experience.

In addition, Pandora listeners can experience Joni Mitchell on Joni
Mitchell: A-Z, where Pandoras expert curators have assembled her greatest
songs into one playlist.

SiriusXM is available to subscribers in their car, on their phone and
connected devices at home with the SXM App. Streaming access is included
for most subscribers. Go to www.siriusxm.com/ways-to-listen to learn more.

For more on Joni Mitchell, please visit www.jonimitchell.com.

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Domain Insight 3/16: What's Next For SBS' Acquisitions In Orlando & Tampa

Posted: 16 Mar 2022 07:00 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/netgnomes/221315/domain-insight-3-16-whats-next-for-sbs-acquisitions-in-orlando-tampa/


As Spanish Broadcasting Systems prepares to acquire 95.3 WPYO
Maitland/Orlando and 97.1 WSUN Holiday/Tampa from Cox Media Groups CXR
Radio divestiture trust, lots of domains have been registered in spurts
over the past month to different registrars, but clearly pointing towards a certain brand over the others.
This content is for Premium Annual and Premium Monthly members only. Visit
the site and log in/register to read.

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Burns Seeks To Bring Social Radio Stateside

Posted: 16 Mar 2022 04:00 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/221312/burns-seeks-to-bring-social-radio-stateside/


Following the success of the Today Radio and Now brands in Canada focusing
on personal interaction between hosts and listeners, Alan Burns and
Associates has announced its intent to market their variation of the
concept domestically.

Burns is launching what they call Social Radio and has trademarked that
name along with The Social FM, The Story, You FM, and Join The Conversation
for use with the product. In its marketing page, the company states the approach can work with different music mixes and strategies, while
emphasizing the personalities and listener stories to differentiate itself
from streaming and other jukebox with commercials station presentations.


One of radio’s biggest problems is that it has done a poor job of focusing
on listeners, says Alan Burns, President of Alan Burns and Associates. “Consumers want products and services that focus on the consumer’s needs and desires” he says, “but what do music radio stations talk about most? Themselves. And who do our highest-profile personalities talk to most? Each other. We can and need to do better at putting the audience first.”

To meet that need Burns and Associates is introducing Social RadioTM, a music-and-talk model which has proven to be successful in Canada. According
to Burns, the first two stations adopting this approach have achieved years
of consistent #1 Adults 25-54 shares – almost ten years of non-stop #1
books in the case of the first-in station.

“Social Radio is compelling because of the power of personal stories” says Burns. “Humans are hard- wired to tell and listen to stories, and Social Radio is driven by listeners contributing “what happened to me when” stories by phone and text. This is radio’s version of the user-generated content model that made companies like Facebook and You Tube so successful.”

“Both listeners and advertisers love this approach” adds Burns VP Jeff Johnson, “listeners love it for the entertaining stories and music, and advertisers because it’s a very highly-engaged audience.”

This concept is going to have a huge impact on American radio” says Burns, “and our company is leading the charge.”

Early stations in the model have been branded as “Today” or “Now” which Burns says are “fine names, and we have trademarked additional language including ‘The Social FM,’ ‘The Story,’ ‘You-FM,’ and ‘Join the conversation’ to insure they are available for our clients’ use.

Interested broadcasters can hear a sample of Social Radio at www.burnsradio.com/social-radio.

For more information, contact Alan Burns, President of Alan Burns and Associates, at (251)243-1592 or via alan@burnsradio.com


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KSPN Extends Los Angeles Lakers Rights Deal

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 06:14 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/221328/kspn-extends-los-angeles-lakers-rights-deal/


Good Karma Sports ESPN 710 KSPN Los Angeles has announced it has extended
its deal to remain as radio home of the NBAs Los Angeles Lakers.

KSPN has held the radio rights for the Lakers since 2009.

ESPN Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to extend their
radio rights agreement, continuing a long-standing partnership. ESPN LA 710
AM will carry all regular-season games as well as all preseason and
post-season games. The station has served as the official radio broadcast
home of the Los Angeles Lakers since 2009.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with the Lakers and look forward
to building our relationship with such an iconic brand,” said Sam Pines, market manager, ESPN LA and senior vice president of Good Karma Brands,
which recently acquired ESPN LA 710 AM. He continued, “The Lakers are a best-in-class organization and brand, and we are thrilled to bring our fans Lakers basketball for years to come.”

Returning to the broadcast are veterans John Ireland, currently in his 11th season as the Lakers radio play-by-play announcer and Lakers legend and two-time World Champion, Mychal Thompson who is in the midst of his 19th
season as the Lakers color commentator.

Ireland co-hosts the Mason and Ireland Show which airs on ESPN LA 710 AM, weekdays from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. PT. Fans can also tune into hear “Lakers Talk” with Lakers pre, half and post-game show host, Allen Silwa Monday’s from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.

“We are delighted to further our long-standing radio partnership with ESPN
LA and welcome Good Karma Brands to the Lakers family,” said Tim Harris, Lakers President of Business Operations. “Lakers fans will continue to receive a first-class broadcast experience for every game throughout the
season with their favorite duo behind the mic.”

Tune into ESPN LA 710 AM to listen to all Lakers games, and to receive the latest sports news from Los Angeles and around the world.

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Audacy Seeking New KROQ Programmer As Mike Kaplan Will Focus On WNYL

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 04:41 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/221320/audacy-seeking-new-kroq-programmer-as-mike-kaplan-will-focus-on-wnyl/


Audacy is seeking a new Vice President of Programming for Alternative 106.7 KROQ Pasadena/Los Angeles.

SVP of Alternative Programming Mike Kaplan will step down from managing the day-to-day operations at KROQ, while remaining with the company to focus on
Alt 92.3 WNYL New York. Kaplan joined the company in May 2018 to program
WNYL and added oversight of KROQ in February 2020 following the departure
of longtime programmer Kevin Weatherly. Prior to joining the company,
Kaplan programmed iHeartMedias Alt 98.7 KYSR Los Angeles from 2013-2017

In a statement to Variety, an Audacy spokesman wrote, Mike Kaplan has
decided to step down as KROQ Brand Manager. Mike has come to the
conclusion, personally and professionally, that this is best for him. He
also believes KROQ deserves a Brand Manager solely dedicated to the brand
and one that lives in Los Angeles 24/7. Mike will continue on as Brand
Manager at New York’s Alt 92.3 and as Audacy’s Alternative Format VP. Our search for a new VP of Programming for KROQ begins today.”

Those interested in pursuing the position can apply here.

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Brett Beshore Joins Alpha Media As Dayton SVP/Market Manager

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 10:07 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/221304/brett-beshore-joins-alpha-media-as-dayton-svp-market-manager/


Alpha Media has appointed Brett Beshore as SVP/Market Manager for their
Dayton OH properties.

Beshore most recently served as Market President for iHeartMedia
Indianapolis from January 2018 until March 2021. He also has served as
Division President for Clear Channel Outdoor Indianapolis, Region President
for Adams Fairway Outdoor Advertising, and VP/Market Manager at Clear
Channel Hudson Valley, Times-Shamrock Scranton, Cumulus Media Danbury CT,
and Sabre Communications Muncie IN.

He succeeds Keith Wright, who had held the market leadership position since 2017.

Brett Beshore has been named SVP/Market Manager for Alpha Media’s Dayton,
OH stations. Beshore has 25 years of leadership experience and most
recently held the position of Market President with
iHeartMedia-Indianapolis, where he has been for the past 10 years. 

He also served on the Indiana Broadcasters Association’s Board of Directors and was a finalist for Radio Ink’s Market Manager of the Year in both 2019 and 2020.

Alpha Media Regional President and Chief Compliance Officer Bill McElveen commented on the announcement, “Since our former Market Manager in Dayton, Keith Wright, announced his retirement earlier this year, we’ve been searching for the best possible candidate to lead our awesome team in
Dayton, and Brett brings all of Alpha’s core values to the market. He knows how to lead a team and serve a great market and we’re excited to welcome
him aboard.”

 

Brett Beshore stated, “I’m thrilled for the opportunity to join ‘the Pack’
at Alpha Media.  Alpha’s Dayton stations have a highly talented team and a solid track record of success in the market with heritage brands such as WDHT-FM, WROU-FM, WGTZ-FM, WCLI-FM and WING-AM.  I look forward to serving
our advertiser partners and providing great content for our listeners. I can’t wait to tell the story and find ways to use our stations to build and promote the great city of Dayton.”

 

Beshore’s first day with Alpha will be Tuesday, March 15.


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First Listen: The Zach Sang Show on Amp

Posted: 15 Mar 2022 09:00 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/blogs/221066/first-listen-the-zach-sang-show-on-amp/


“Hello, beautiful human,” said Zach Sang. “This is night two from my house.” On that second night on Amazon’s Amp, launched March 8, Sang noted that he was not only waiting for his permanent studio to be finished, he
was waiting for his temporary studio to be finished. He did have co-hosts Daniel and Jordan with him. He did not yet have the ability to talk over music. 

When Amp was announced on March 8, it immediately struck me as Amazon’s answer to Spotify’s Music + Talk, which lets users intersperse podcasts
with songs from the ISP’s music library. When radio trades or radio people wrote about Amp this week, often before they were able to use the service themselves, they were more likely to emphasize the “new radio rival” aspects, particularly because Amp’s own press release described it as radio “if you were inventing the medium for the first time today.”

In my first 18 hours with the beta version, Amp came off a lot more like
social audio amp Clubhouse, but with the ability to deejay your own
sessions, and without some of Clubhouse’s other functionality. There was no search bar. There were no archived shows, only a handful of currently
playing or scheduled shows with one-sentence descriptors. (There is a
longer description of upcoming shows on Amp’s website.) There are
established broadcasters like Kat Corbett, but she wasn’t doing a show
today. (Corbett was, however, one of many creators who posted a sign-up
code on Twitter, allowing me to get on first day, instead of being on
Amazons wait list.)

It has been a year since Clubhouse truly looked like the next big,
devastating thing for radio, and a major new vehicle for radio people. I
can now disclose that during the few weeks of Clubhouses greatest industry heat, reader engagement with Ross on Radio actually went down for a few
weeks, then quickly rebounded. But there are still a handful of
broadcasters, particularly syndicated host Rick Party and consultant Loyd
Ford who remain advocates and have found a home there.

In its first days, Amp was, surprisingly, not a vehicle for promoting
Amazon Music, which has made inroads as a result of smart speakers. Users looking to launch a session have access to a music library but not, say, to Amazon Music playlists. You can create a show, which currently goes away
when youre finished doing it. What users cant create yet is a radio station.

I’ve spent the last eight years telling broadcasters not to get too hung up on “what is radio?” If you can’t listen to both media at the same time, any
new platform is a competitor. But what I want from radio is that produced, shared experience programmed with aforethought. People who don’t write
radio newsletters might be less hung up on this, but I want radio stations. Like Apple Music, Amp’s units of currency are shows and content creators,
but without the organizing principle of Apple’s three main stations.

Just before Sang’s session at 6 p.m., there was an “Amp Support” session with two staffers giving users the mic for questions. By that time, it was obviously clear to the Amp people that users wanted to search shows and creators, as well as the ability to save shows and to share them to social networks. Those were “high on the priority list.” One user said that they had played a three-song set without speaking and been kicked off for inactivity. They were asked to report it.

Its important to note that the users I heard sounded enthusiastic. A few
came from Clubhouse. One self-identified as an audio influencer. “I love radio and this is so easy. I can sit on the beach and do a show,” said the first user. Like a Clubhouse session, there were a few participants who
ended up “on the air” more than once, or who had been on a similar morning session. This session didn’t sound like radio. The host immediately

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