Monthly Archives: July 2015

Why won’t Donald Trump play by the rules? Why does he continue to make his blustery comments, creating a firestorm of pushback from the traditional political sources? Why did the Huffington Post decide to cover Trump’s campaign as “Entertainment” rather than “Politics”? So many questions.

Tim Moore is a nationally-known broadcast consultant and managing partner of Audience Development Group. His “Midweek Motivator” newsletter, copied below in bold print, is Copyright ADG 2015. Well worth the few minutes it takes to read.

Relax…this is not a political column. For years we’ve advised our programing clients to follow the rules of the mind. Harry Beckwith wrote about it: instead of trying to convince people your brand is “better,” you need to convince them you’re different. Countless focus groups reinforce this rule of survival in the marketing war.

Here in the stone center of summer Donald Trump is on everyone’s mind; the buzz is everywhere; a sort of Howard Stern of current political times. Like all compelling, dominant personalities, Trump is polarizing. Yet, after months of political discourse even the media still doesn’t get it. They seem perplexed that this proverbial bull in the Tiffany’s showroom can create such a firestorm of attention. They search for answers and seem most comfortable with the rationalization that he’s a side show, part butt-clown, part tycoon, all bluster. They’re missing it by a mile.

Like others before him from Mick Jagger to Mohammad Ali, Trump is real; he’s sucking all the oxygen out of the political ecosystem because he’s DIFFERENT. Under no pressure to play to a faction, temporize his language or become the season’s champion sophist. He’s worth a stated 10 billion and in that sphere, needs no favors and pulls no punches. He’s different from them all. Not since Ross Perot has anyone enjoyed that position; no holds-barred, no markers-owed, no serpentine generalities when asked about the border, congress’ fecklessness or China’s aspirations. He may not go ten rounds, fading as the pundits predict by late year. Maybe. But on the ride, he’s shaken the stodgy, boring, mildew caked predictable campaign trail with blunt Trumpisms. Polls? Nielsen? What’s real?

What we’re seeing here-love him or hate him-is a guy who says what he believes, standing long arm’s length from politics as we know it.  What does this have to do with the radio fraternity? Lots. In markets large and small, radio executives continue to pitch their ratings future on the “better” claim and in the doing, seldom own anything! In the real word of “differentiate or die,” the really smart people have come to accept unless they’re famous for a compelling difference, they’re not famous.

It’s still uncommon in America to find that rare person who comes along, sticks it big, and is different in every way. It’s what the best talent, sales managers and CEO’s have in common; polarizing, different.

Who can say if Donald Trump can sustain his meteoric trajectory. Considering his global footprint it’s fair to say he hasn’t missed many calls. Trump is where he is, however tentative, based on what he’s famous for: he’s different.

What’s your brand famous for?

(The Midweek Motivator column, posted in bold above, is written by Tim Moore and Copyright 2015 Audience Development Group.)

Posted by Tim Morrissey

There’s not much good news for print journalists in this year’s annual survey of staffing levels of print versus TV journalists. Read a summary here.

Posted by Tim Morrissey

According to the RTDNA, newsroom employment was up 1.1% over last year. Reporters were the most frequently hired new personnel.  See for yourself here.

Posted by Tim Morrissey

One of the toughest things for a lot of people to do is separate their opinion from what’s factually accurate. If you have newsroom responsibilities that include writing stories for the web, or taking a shift monitoring your station’s social media sites, you invariably get some commenters who will post something contrary to the facts, and when challenged, will say “well, I’m entitled to my opinion.”

This brief article from the Houston Press has a bit of punchy language (it’s safe for work or I wouldn’t post it) but it directly addresses the frequent clash of opinion and fact. As our parents told us, everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but for those of us who report the news, we learned a long time ago that opinions are not necessarily fact-based.

Posted by Tim Morrissey

Three-time Emmy Award winning sportscaster Alanna Rizzo, who spent time in Wisconsin as a Madison TV sportscaster and is now with the Los Angeles Dodgers game-day broadcast team, has some straight-up truth about what it really takes to make it in “the biz”. She pulls no punches when addressing students about what it takes to get a top-rung job in sports broadcasting in this article from Cablefax.

Alanna has also worked on-camera in the nation’s largest market, for MLB-TV, and in the article she addresses the perception that many women are hired for on-camera positions in pro sports just to be “eye-candy”.

It’s a quick read and a very interesting perspective from a woman who’s paid her dues in full and holds a top-notch position in the business of sports broadcasting.

Posted by Tim Morrissey

It’s an age-old question that has new meaning today, with our 24/7/365 news cycle, and instantaneous news on social media: what’s a reasonable amount of time to give someone (or some organization) to comment on a story you’re going to run? Often, our deadlines are much more pressing than the timeline for a person or organization that isn’t accustomed to operating in an instantaneously changing environment, but what’s fair?  This article, from an Emmy Award-winning investigative TV reporter in San Diego could spur discussion in your newsroom, and with your news management team.

Posted by Tim Morrissey

The RTDNA is out with the latest installment in its annual survey of broadcast news, and the numbers in this summary indicate positive news for women in the industry, but not such good news for minorities in the profession.

Posted by Tim Morrissey

The annual Radio-TV Digital News Association’s annual salary report is out and the bottom line is, things are about the same.

This is what the Association itself says about this year’s annual report: “Research by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) shows television newsroom salaries made gains in the past year, while radio newsroom salaries slipped. TV salaries were up an average 1.9 percent, and radio salaries were down an average of 4.1 percent. The annual salary survey also showed a growing gap between reporters and multimedia journalists (MMJs), with MMJs being paid significantly less than reporters in all market sizes.

Overall, salaries have been pacing at or above inflation for most positions, but news producers and web-related positions have not. Starting pay for entry-level employees in radio and television rose slightly in the past year, with MMJs and news producers being the most frequent new hires in television; reporters and web personnel were the most common new hires in radio.

The number of newsroom employees under contract with non-complete agreements held steady from the previous year.”

You can read the entire report at the link above.

Posted by Tim Morrissey

This happened a few days ago in San Francisco. You may not have heard the details, which are here.

Posted by Tim Morrissey

It’s not the first time it’s ever been done, by any means – a college teacher spending time in an actual, working TV newsroom. Plenty of Wisconsin’s higher educators have volunteered time to work hands-on in a TV newsroom. But this young Ph.D. is documenting her story, as her life took her from the newsroom back to the classroom….and back to the newsroom again.  Read it here.

Posted by Tim Morrissey