Radio and Records Magazine's Talk Seminar

That is yours truly, Kirk Tanter, on a panel titled: "Did you hear that? How to listen to your station more effectively," telling it like it is. However, in all, or should I say most of the panels at the Radio and Records Talk Radio Seminar last weekend at the Marriott Hotel in Marina Del Rey in California, the discussion turned into addressing the PPM Ratings system.

The experience talking to fellow Talk Radio Programmers, Talent, Consultants, and Managers was valuable. Most there seemed concerned with the direction of talk radio, both past and future. I say past because most of the talk stations are political in nature. Forgetting the exact percentage number, I can say for certain that the majority of today's talk stations are Conservative talk.

Witnessing the Fairness Doctrine panel, where liberal talk show advocates complained about Conservative talk radio stations not adding Liberal Talk to the stations' mix. The conservative response was "Tough". In all "fairness" any radio station Owner can play what he or she wants to play on their radio station, and so should you when you commit to paying for a radio station. I do not think that the Liberal Talk representation on that panel understood that. It is my opinion that having a Conservative talk show followed by a Liberal Talk Show, is like having one very different music format follow another. In other words, listeners from the previous show will all change the channel when a totally format comes on. To a station owner that is a ratings disaster. A Liberal Station will have to live or die on its' on, and so does a Rock and Roll station or a Hip Hop/R&B station. You will never see a classical show followed by a country show on radio.

However, overall I was pleased with the information that I brought back to Syndication One News-Talk Network. Special thanks to Mike Stern, News-Talk format journalist for Radio and Records magazine, for inviting me. The convention was high class and ran flawlessly. The tribute to Paul Harvey was incredible. Thanks again Mike, and I look forward to next year's convention.