Posted on 03/15/2005 5:52:09 PM PST by joesbucks
Love Of Radio Endures For Randy Michaels
The former Clear Channel Radio CEO, now President of start-up broadcast company Radioactive LLC, made his first public appearance since leaving America's largest radio-station owner at a TRS keynote luncheon held Saturday. Michaels was honored with the R&R 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award for his role in the development and evolution of Talk radio, and he said radio of the spoken-word variety is still his favorite. "If you want to communicate something that moves people inside, spoken-word communication is they best way to do it," Michaels said. He also downplayed recent attacks on the radio industry by the media by saying, "People are down on radio. But if it's over I'm in good company! Radio is dead, but it's always changing. There is no question that today's radio model is a leaky bucket."
Michaels said people today are being entertained different, and that's a problem for radio. "The way people get their entertainment and information is changing, and radio better adapt to the changing ways and look at what's happening." Michaels said satellite radio had a lot going for it, and there will be growth among satcasters. "They eventually will win the battle to place local content on terrestrial repeaters," he said. "But by the time a profit is made satellite radio will be eclipsed by something more profound." Namely, Internet-based radio stations available nationwide thanks to wireless broadband technology. "Radio is going to be interactive, and it's not going to be delivered just by transmitters. It's scary, but it's going to be good for you. The next thing is not satellite, which is another form of point-to-multipoint technology. It will be interactive, two-way communication that's available to everybody that is the next big thing." To Michaels, radio companies will have no more defense in defending their business than the railroads did when airplanes came in and took their freight business.
As for his predictions on FM radio, Michaels foresees more Talk stations on the FM, many of them geared toward women. "When you look at spoken-word radio, there is Sports and there is Angry White Man," he said. "We've chased the women all to FM!" On progressive Talk, Michaels said it was "an absurd proposition that all kinds of views won't work on Talk radio." But at the end of the day, progressive talkers need to get ratings, sell a lot of commercials and make money — as opposed to focusing primarily on getting a liberal candidate for office elected.
I hope this guy is better in person than he sounds in the article. Mr. "next big thing" sounds like a boob.
He is the guy who pushed the envelope with the FCC with regard to peeling back decades of rules, made the real big break in talk radio (Rush was the top host, Randy was the strateigst that melded all the big signals that solidified Rush). It was his company that bought the rights to syndicate Rush, plus Dr. Laura, Art Bell and some others.
Thanks for the information. I had never heard of him before seeing this article. Good to know.
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