Throwing Stones?

Tom Taylor's blog today reported on some of the "cliches" pointed out at the recent annual Conclave by ex-XM and now Tribune-based Lee Abrams. It is another example of the excellent content Tom comes up with. And Lee is one of the all time legends and best programmers of our industry. Still, it is fun to pause and ponder.

I'm not sure that all of these are valid. What do you think?

1. “Every station is ‘the best’ – it’s BS"

Really? If my station has a specific target audience, with a particular lifestyle and taste in music, why can't I do the best job of providing them with the entertainment they want? I can, and indeed I must. This criticism fails. There is more than one definition of "best".

2. ” And “‘10th caller wins’ – there’s gotta be a different way to give away a prize.”

Depends, doesn't it? Creative is good. But a simple call-in is less disruptive. If every prize we gave away was truly compelling, and there weren't dozens of these throwaways - er, giveaways - every month, then we could embellish them all. Otherwise, just keep it clean. If you're sending listeners to Hawaii along with the morning team, yes, do something far more engaging. This criticism is half right.

3. “station vans…the van was supposed to be cool, but get a hearse, anything but a van.”

What, the prize patrol didn't stop for him? Personally, I want something that won't be a target (like a Hummer), which can be locked up, with the expensive contents hidden, and which has enough room for people, prizes, banners, tables, and remote equipment. Can you say "van"? This criticism fails.

4. “Star Wars sound effects…Darth Vader’s dead, can’t we move on?”

I think we can embrace and expand on that one. Gratuitous sound effects and music are legend in our industry. Noise substitutes for true energy. Music beds hope to distract us from bad copy. This criticism is valid.

5.  “rock stations still being pissed off – ‘we’re better, we have to prove we’re real men’…and the whole sex thing – ‘We rock harder’ was cool in 1981, but now?"

Hello? Has testosterone suddenly been outlawed? Have young men stopped dreaming of young women? This has very little to do with us. It has to do with the fantasies of the listeners. If there is research to show that the 15-30 male rock station demographic has morphed into a bunch of metrosexuals, then okay. But I have my doubts. My suggestion: Be more effective, not different. With an admission I might be missing something, this criticism fails.