Howard Lapides is a veteran of radio. As CEO of Lapides Entertainment, Howard is now managing writer/producers, talk show hosts, authors, comedians, and actors, as well as executive producing a variety of shows, like VH-1’s highly successful “Celebrity Rehab” franchise, Comedy Central’s “The Man Show,” and “LoveLine” on MTV. Among Howard’s first words to the audience: “Radio as you learned it is gone, but radio is not gone.” Howard is a keen observer of the radio space and a

Valerie Geller is a talent coach second to none. She works worldwide, coaching personalities in podcasting, radio, and television. In this standout Q&A from hivio, the audio future festival, I talk with Valerie about how to coach and develop great talent and where to find the future of audio talent. Among the questions we address: How can talent communicate more powerfully? How can talent tell stories without making it “all about me?” How to sustain engagement over a period o

In the latest episode of the excellent Re/code Media Podcast, host Peter Kafka (who will be onstage talking media with me at hivio in June) interviewed Peter Gould, the co-creator of TV’s Better Call Saul, a terrific show and the spinoff to the amazing Breaking Bad. One thing Peter said stuck with me: “The job of each episode is to make you want to watch the next episode.” You bet it is. But if you’re a DJ, do you see that as your job? Is it the job of every break to make lis

This week I was called by a radio industry trade and asked an interesting question: How should radio stations hire differently in this new age? In other words, what qualifications should we be looking for in talent, programming, and sales that are different from today’s conventional qualifications? This is a great question, so let me provide some answers. Today I’ll tackle how to hire radio talent. In a later post I’ll take on how to hire radio programmers and sellers. First,

So you think the future of radio is shutting up to play more songs? Think again. Dennis Clark is iHeartMedia’s secret weapon when it comes to talent development. In this rare appearance before a U.S. audience at hivio 2015, Dennis talks about the future of talent and how talent is at the heart of radio’s and audio’s future. Some of the questions Dennis addresses: How do you see the role of talent in radio and audio? What do talents most need to know that they don’t know What

hivio, the audio future festival, is LIVE THURSDAY and FRIDAY! You can watch it for FREE! Radio, online radio, podcasting, agencies, social media, brands, talent, and voices from transmedia brands like TV Guide and TheBlaze and a special appearance by Marilu Henner. It’s all happening at hivio. We’re live on Thursday, from 1 – 5pm PT and Friday from 9am – 1pm PT. Join us as we take the stage at the legendary Hollywood Improv. Just click the image below and click “add to calen

hivio is the audio future festival, and it begins THURSDAY! You can watch it LIVE for FREE! Radio, online radio, podcasting, agencies, social media, brands, talent, voices from transmedia brands like TV Guide and TheBlaze, and a special appearance from Marilu Henner. It’s all happening at hivio. We get started at 1pm PT / 4pm ET, Thursday June 4. LIVE from the legendary Hollywood Improv. Get notified when we go live! Just click the image below and click “add to calendar” or w

Last week the Internet melted. And if you’re a Star Wars fan, you know the precise moment: When the latest teaser trailer for the newest chapter in the long-running Star Wars saga was unleashed online. You’ve probably seen it by now. It has been watched more than 40 million times, so I’m assuming at least one of those viewings was yours. So I thought, what can radio broadcasters learn from the pandemonium surrounding this second in a series of promotional trailers for a movie

Is social media “a great wasteland” of the modern media age? And…why is MSNBC launching daily Facebook videos that have nothing to do with the MSNBC brand? It’s episode 15 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Tom rants and raves on platforms mistaken for brands. Mark rants and raves about the importance of Hollywood actors’ Twitter followings, how often you should (or shouldn’t) post to social media, and one new podcast that

One of radio’s greatest advantages relative to competing media are its personalities – or at least that could be an advantage. But a “personality” isn’t simply a voice on the air. For a personality to matter he or she must be a genuine talent, someone with “star power” who magnetizes an audience because he or she is just that good. Anything less is just a voice. So what personalities do consumers think of when they think of radio? I thought I’d find out. I did a flash study w

This is something of a tradition for me – to post one particular spooky video I produced about three years ago. Every year on Halloween I share it again. If you’ve seen it before please forgive the indulgence. The truth is that my list has swelled to about double what it was last year at this time, so this is new for many. It’s a lesson from one of Hollywood’s most famous monsters for all the radio and media monsters of today. Enjoy. And happy Halloween. #jameswhale #radio #t

Bob Lefsetz penned a great piece in praise of Howard Stern recently. I recommend you check it out. It’s great not simply because he hits all the right notes about Howard, although he does. It’s great because Bob deciphers the real secret to Howard’s success, a secret available to anyone who considers themselves “talent.” Says Lefsetz: Unless you have the confidence to woodshed in the wilderness until you’re appealing to the masses you’ll never become a legend. And this: When

I’ve watched with some bemusement a debate in broadcasting circles: Does it makes sense for broadcasters to embrace an abundance of digital tools – including video – to tell their stories and reach their audiences across platforms? Or should radio folks simply do better radio? After all, can you really compete with Hollywood? With ABC and NBC and CBS? Well of course you can. Indeed, people are doing it every day. And they’re doing it without the benefit of the magnificent sta

What makes radio talent great? Where do you find it? And how can you leverage it? Those are just some of the questions tackled by Tracy Johnson, CEO of the Tracy Johnson Media Group in this Q&A from hivio, the audio future festival. Tracy has a long and decorated career as a broadcast executive, specializing in programming, marketing, talent coaching and management, and he’s the author of three books about developing on-air superstars that have been described as The Bible of

The number one media brand in Australia is a radio show. Think about that for a second. The number one media brand in Australia is a radio show. So says Southern Cross Austereo’s Craig Bruce as he provides a master class on making great audio entertainment and developing and nurturing talent. There’s a lot U.S. broadcasters can learn from Craig’s keen comments and finely-tuned best practices, which he shared with all of us in his Q&A at hivio 2014, the audio future festival.

What’s the difference between a media brand and an individual with 50 million YouTube views? Nothing! Andrea Russett is a YouTube phenomenon. She has amassed over 700K Twitter followers, 1 million YouTube subscribers, 1.1 million Instagram followers, and 50 million YouTube views. Speaking with me at hivio 2014 with her manager Phil Becker, here are some of the questions that Andrea and Phil answered: How did you become a YouTube Star? How do you grow that kind of attention? W

It’s not about how little you talk, it’s about how much you say. Granted, the ratings generally show that less talk is better on music-oriented stations. Except, that is, when the talk is compelling and the person talking is someone listeners want to hear from. In other words, when the DJ is part of the brand rather than in the brand’s way, he or she is as much a part of what listeners look forward to as any song. You become worth hearing when you have forged a relationship w

There are three kinds of radio air talents: The kind who owns the audience The kind who works for a radio station that owns the audience The kind who shares ownership of the audience with the radio station Most air talents think they are kinds 1 or 3, that they either own the audience or share ownership. And most are wrong. In fact, the vast majority of air talents are either kinds 1 or 2: They either own the audience or they do not at all. Here’s how you know: If you switch

You know the routine. Your radio station introduces a new morning show and you sit back and wait for the magic to happen. And you wait…and you wait. Still, the audience doesn’t know them, doesn’t care about them, or knows them and still doesn’t care about them. Why is this happening? Six reasons: 1. Because they’re just not that good It’s true! Radio managers are not famous for spotting and nurturing talent. And a corollary: Being good is hard! There’s a reason why Howard Ste

I posted this for the first time a couple years ago, but I think it contains an evergreen message which is particularly appropriate for radio and for Halloween. Some great advice from a horror legend. Especially if you’re in the business of creating unique and compelling content. Enjoy. And Happy Halloween. #jameswhale #christopherlee #monster #radio #talent #audio #compelling #markramsey #legend #advice #Media #horror #williamhenrypratt #radioindustry #boriskarloff #markrams