As we celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of the next, I want to thank all of you who return to this blog over and over.
It has blossomed into something much larger than I ever expected. At the recent NAB Radio Show several folks told me either my name or the name of this blog came up in every third panel session. In case that's true, I'm really proud of it. And if it's not, I'm really proud anyway.
I have tried over the past year to provide you honest opinions with a marketer's perspective on the issues and opportunities that face radio.
I have tried to be fair while pulling no punches.
I have tried to disregard any potential fallout from would-be clients, because I'd rather wake up every day, stare into the mirror, and know that my intentions are honest and true and I have the best interests of all of us in radio at heart. That is way more fulfilling than telling the Emperor with no clothes that his clothes look great.
I have tried to clue you into things that either matter now or will matter to us soon, always with a tone that is constructive.
I have tried to offer my point-of-view in a style that's to-the-point, fresh, clear, and with a tiny bit of humor.
Most of all, I am very aware that every single one of you subscribes to this blog voluntarily. I feel a tremendous obligation to avoid wasting your time. If it isn't important for you to read, I will not write it, and it will not clutter your in-box.
I close this year and open the new one with a special gift. It's a chat I had a while ago with radio legend Norman Corwin.
You don't know Corwin? Think of the most important person in radio you have ever known – Corwin is more important.
It's not every day you can chat with the most legendary force in radio in the first half of the 20th century, a man who used to tell the great Orson Welles what to do (and Orson listened).
Corwin is well into his 90's now. And he's a living reminder of the miracle that happens between your ears when the sound emerging from the radio speakers is pure magic.
Happy New Year.