Just launched: A home base for celebrities on MySpace.
It’s an obvious magnet for MySpace and for the stars who participate in it. And it elevates the relevance of MySpace in an era when social networks are landing by the boat-load.
It is here we learn, for example, that Matthew McConaughey is both a “philanthropist” and an actor, although some would argue I’ve placed the wrong label in quotes.
So what, you ask?
My first book, Fresh Air, argued strongly for the importance of “star” talent in radio’s future. “Stars” are the equivalent of human “hits.” Except they are much more scarce and precious. They can be owned by one station in one market exclusively and they have their own natural audience magnetism.
And you can’t create a thousand splintered versions of them on the Internet the way you can with a music radio station.
You don’t need to train a talent to be a “star” because stars are, for our purposes, already made, not born. Of course, they need to create a good show; that goes without saying. But celebrity opens the door and invites the audience inside. Only then does the good show keep them there.
What you need to do, however, is open the checkbook.
For example, please tell me why we don’t find one of radio’s biggest stars, Ryan Seacrest, on more radio stations, but we can find plenty of lesser personalities syndicated all over the country?
Truly, we can be our own worst enemy.
