CNBC
featured a one hour interview
with Warren Buffet, the second richest man in the world who has donated
$31 billion to charity
Here are some very
interesting aspects of his life:
1. He bought his first share of stock at age 11 and he now regrets that he
started too late!
2. He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.
3. He still lives in the same, small 3-bedroom house in midtown Omaha that
he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has everything
he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence.
4. He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security
people around him.
5.. He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest
private jet company.
6. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He writes only one
letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals for the
year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis. He has given
his CEO's only two rules. Rule number 1: Do not lose any of your
shareholder's money. Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.
7. He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His pastime after he
gets home is to make himself some popcorn and watch television.
8. Bill Gates, the world's richest man, met him for the first time only 5
years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with Warren
Buffet. So, he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But when Gates
met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates became a devotee of
Warren Buffet.
9. Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his
desk.
His advice to young people: 'Stay away from credit cards and invest in
yourself and remember:
A. Money doesn't create man, but it is the man who created money.
B. Live your life as simple as you are.
C. Don't do what others say. Just listen to them, but do what makes
you feel good.
D. Don't go on brand name. Wear those things in which you feel
comfortable.
E. Don't waste your money on unnecessary things. Spend on those who really
are in need.
F. After all, it's your life. Why give others the chance to rule it?'
When it came to
selling on the airwaves, Arthur Godfrey was the
master. My mother will attest to that. To this
day she loyally enjoys the tea and soup that Mr.
Godfrey sold her on decades ago. That's the
power of personality.
It's
also the power of freedom. You see, Arthur
Godfrey didn't have the limitations of 30 or
even 60 seconds when it came time to selling his
sponsor's products. Each "commercial" took on a
life of it's own and had the audience laughing
for more.
That
was the 1950's and much has changed since
then.
Or
has it?
When
you stop to think about it, all the ingredients
for success are still with us: personalities who
care about their audience, sponsors who need
listeners to buy their products, and most
importantly, radio. So why don't today's
personalities have the freedom that one of the
greatest broadcasters of the 20th century
enjoyed?
Somewhere along the way, someone got scared.
They were afraid that too much freedom would
most certainly lead to listeners tuning out in
great numbers. Ratings would plummet. It was no
way to run a radio show, much less a radio
station. Let's face it, there will never be
another Arthur Godfrey.
Under today's terrestrial broadcast conditions,
that last statement is very true. Today the
emphasis is on brevity rather than
connectivity.
The
reason there are few, if any major leaguers
today like Mr. Godfrey is because there are no
longer any farm teams. Ask Glenn Beck and Rush
Limbaugh what it was like when they started in
this business and they'll tell you about someone
who gave them the freedom to grow....to learn
what worked and what didn't. Someone who wasn't
scared.
And,
now the good news. The radio farm team is
making a comeback. It's called The Internet.
Somewhere in cyber space at this very moment
another Arthur Godfrey is learning to
communicate. They are learning to savor the
sweet taste of the most magical of all mediums.
Someday soon, they'll be waking the sleeping
listener with a nice bowl of chicken soup.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Imagination
Station
While some may
argue that today's kids have got it made, in
reality, they may be missing out on one of the
most important experiences of growing up:
Imagination.
While
technology is light years away from a short 5
decades ago, what it may not offer is the
inter-active connection between invention and
fantasy.
Take a look at
the video on the left. It was produced in the
early 50's and offered more than the latest
technology at the time. It gave kids the
challenge (and satisfaction) of actually
building the toy (in this case, a radio station)
before playing with it.
Hard
to imagine anyone making their own iPod these
days.
So,
is this young creative experience a thing of the
past? Not quite. Herein lies a tremendous
opportunity. Introducing youngsters to how radio
works can help them to appreciate the wonder of
this incredible medium. In fact, I searched and
found that you can still buy a
Crystal Radio Kit
for about the same price!
When we transfer our
fascination with any industry or invention to a
young person, we pass on the pride and
excitement to be found in any respected
profession. This holds true whether you're a
teacher or a radio engineer.
It's too bad you can't
include your years of "pretending" on your first
resume. I would have had a 7 year head start.
But, then again, I did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
50 Years And
Still Rolling
A media icon an
fellow member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame is
celebrating 50 years on San Antonio radio and
I'd like to take just a tiny bit credit.
You
see, in 1972 when I was program director of KTSA-AM
here in the Alamo City, we were about to
celebrate the station's 50th anniversary and
thus, set out to find every personality who had
graced KTSA's airwaves in the past.
The
man who was unquestionably the biggest name to
fit that bill had retired in the late 60's and
was enjoying life on his ranch. I made it my
mission to find him and extend an invitation to
treat his fans to 2 hours of fun on this special
day.
He
was very gracious and said he'd be happy to be a
part of our on-air celebration.
When
the day came, (a Saturday) it was like he had
never left. The phone lines exploded with loyal
fans who had missed his legendary style. In
fact, things went so well that he didn't want to
stop the show and ended up doing two extra
hours.
The
experience had made this man realize that what
he was born to do was something he could do
forever. He had been bitten...again.
The
following Monday a gift arrived for our owner,
Bernie Waterman, as way of saying, "I'd like to
come back." It was a case of Lone Star Beer.
It
was around that time that Los Angeles was
calling me and I left to accept the job of
programming KIIS with Chuck Blore.
While there were no on-air openings at KTSA, the
"icon" joined the sales force and was very
successful. Still, that's not where his heart
was.
Finally, the opportunity presented itself and he
joined the air staff.
When
I returned to San Antonio in 1985, he was still
on and continues to this day. He is living proof
that what your heart desires and your talent
confirms should not be denied.
Congratulations to Ricci Ware on this
magnificent career and for listening to the
radio in his heart.
The
beat goes on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smelling The
Popcorn
There's one
thing that's always bothered me about movie
critics: For the most part, they never watch a
movie in the same environment as movie goers.
Often times they sit in a theater all alone or
in their living room watching a pre-release copy
of the film.
Granted, either a movie is good or it's not,
however there is something to be said for the
total experience. When you're sitting in the
middle of a crowed theater and the audience is
reacting with you, it's electric. Movie critics
don't usually experience or write about that.
The
same phenomenon can be applied to radio.
Listening to a morning show in the middle of
traffic is different than what you experience in
the studio. When you've got a day off, and you
happen to be in the car listening to your
competition during your time slot, you get a
totally different perspective of what comes out
of the speakers. Segments you thought weren't
long enough are now way over the time they
deserved. You suddenly realize how many other
distractions you're competing with.
Premiere radio consultant Lorna Ozmon points out
that the mind has 7 slots of perception. For a
commuting listener they can be what they see
directly, peripherally, sounds of outside
traffic, thoughts, how they feel physically, and
even the conversation of a passenger. When you
realize what you are competing with as they
"listen" to your show, you realize how important
it is to make every minute count.
While movie critics can choose to view
films in a moviegoer's environment, we really
can't do the same. However, just knowing you've
got more competition that you thought can help
you to wake up and smell the popcorn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Millionaire
Minds
One of the
services our company provides is helping clients
to get the most out of their media dollars. We
make it a point to monitor success in areas
beyond radio. Often this barometer can offer an
insight that can be translated into success for
our clients and our company.
Recently, Entrepreneur Magazine interviewed people who were
not only doing business on the web via eBay, but
have become millionaires in the process. So what
sets them apart from countless others? Perhaps
their secret lies in the following statements:
·
“I do whatever it makes to make my customers
happy.” – Sells jewelry and sometimes starts
auctions at .99 cents.
·
“I push my business forward on a daily basis. To
a large extent (in my mind) there is no finish
line.” – Sells refurbished computer disk drives.
·
“You have to perform quantitative and
qualitative reasoning to determine what you
sell.” – Sells men's fashions at 40% to 80% below
retail.
·
“We see everyone as our potential client, from a
grandma on the street to Nordstrom.” – They run
an eBay drop off store.
·
“Our biggest motivator is providing our
customers with good service.” –They sell audio
and stereo equipment on the web.
·
“Find a niche, something that you have knowledge
and passion for. And, find good help. You cannot
do everything yourself.” –Sells toy trains.
·
“A lot of the rules of the stock market apply
(to selling on the web) – Don’t flood the market
and don’t show your hand.” – Sells accessories
for cell phones and digital cameras.
·
“We’re in the business of saving our customers
time and trouble.” – Own an eBay consignment
store.
·
“The key to success is finding items that sell
and sell often. If you have 10,000 items listed
and they don’t sell, you’re losing money.” --
Sells iPod accessories.
Keep in mind that these are self-made
millionaires with an average age of 25
years! What I keep hearing in their insights and
in what other successful entrepreneurs often
reveal are two things:
1.
Have the attitude that you will go out of your
way to please each and every customer.
2.
Do your homework. Success that happens by
accident usually does not last. You must have a
why before a when, where, and how.
Every business transaction, from a kid selling
lemonade on a neighborhood street corner to
selling diamonds on the web to selling time on
your station has one thing in
common: Your customer will either be happy and
possibly tell others or unhappy and almost
certainly tell others.
There in lies the secret of millionaires.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Point of Power
II read a powerful
statement this week that speaks volumes about
how to communicate effectively, both on and off
the air. It applies whether you are a
personality talking to your audience, or a
manager communicating to your staff. The
statement reads, "Communication is a transfer of
emotion."
That simple thought can be
the difference between connecting and not
connecting with your listeners.
We can learn from speakers
who use visual aids to present their ideas in
front of a live audience. Presentation
coach, Seth Godin, points out that many
presenters fail miserably when giving a
PowerPoint presentation because as he puts it,
"PowerPoint itself is a dismal failure. The
reason can open your eyes to how to fine tune
your on-air communication."
"Microsoft has built wizards
and templates right into PowerPoint. And those
helpful” tools are the main reason that we’ve got
to live with page after page of
bullets, with big headlines
and awful backgrounds."
Our brains have two sides.
The right side is emotional, musical and moody.
The left side is focused on dexterity, facts and
hard data. When you show up to give a
presentation, people want to use both parts of
their brain. So they use the
right side to judge the way you talk, the way you
dress and your body language. Often, people come
to a conclusion about your
presentation by the time
you’re on the second slide. After that, it’s often
too late for your bullet points to do you much
good.
The same goes for delivering
your thoughts on the air. Your words paint the
picture that you give the right side of your
listener's brain. Lists and facts are just that
without your description and, more importantly,
your emotion. And, just as a live audience would
size you up by appearance and manner, radio
listeners do the same by the words you choose and
how you say them.
More powerful than a list of
bullet points on a screen is a picture that
conjures up an emotion. When you're behind the
microphone, that screen is your listener's mind
and your picture is the story you tell.
Ever had a listener come up
to you and relate a story you told on the air
years ago? That's the power of your word pictures
and emotion.
That's the power of radio.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sweet
Serendipity
(Click Play To Listen
To This Blog)
It isn’t very often that those who play the songs
on the radio have a hand in changing the tune of
its future. What you’re about to read is a story
of a song serendipity as sweet as its lyrics.
In the 1970’s, my radio home was KMPC in Los
Angeles -- one of America’s great personality
radio stations. I was a kid, surrounded by the
likes of Dick Wittinghill, Wink Martindale, Gary
Owens and other radio superstars.
On Mondays, the record promotion people would
visit hoping to get their music played and it was
one of those Mondays in 1971 that a record by an
unknown talent on caught my ear. The singer had
been captivated by another artist at the Troubador,
a famous Hollywood night club.
"From the moment he walked on stage, I was
spellbound. I felt like he sang to my soul," she
would relate years later.
Mesmerized, she returned every night that week.
She jotted down her feelings on a napkin and later
took the rhyme to her record company, where a
well-respected songwriting team finished the song.
It was included in her debut album and as a single
recording in 1971, resulting in yet another song
lost in the shuffle.
I phoned the record company to let them know I
would be playing it on KMPC.
After sharing the story and the song with my
listeners, I received a call from a company that
produced music programs for the airlines wanting
information about the recording that it might be
included in one of their programs.
Two years later, well known artist was traveling
from New York to LA and happened to hear the
program with the song by the unknown artist. By
the time her American Airlines flight touched down
at LAX, she was convinced she should record it as
soon as possible.
Days later, she was in the studio interpreting the
haunting lyrics in her own inimitable style.
Almost as quickly, it seemed, it became the top
song in the nation and later became the Song of
the Year.
Who can really say how one event will lead to
another?
And, who knew that what Lori Lieberman felt when
she saw Don McLean at the Troubador that week in
1971 and eventually described to Norm Gimble and
Charles Fox at Capitol Records would lead to
Roberta’s Flack smash recording, “Killing Me
Softly With His Song.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Rocket
Radio
While technology has come
a long way, I find it interesting that just
about every radio ever built would still work
today. My first was a crystal radio shaped like
a small rocket. What looked like the
antenna on my new Rocket Radio was actually the
tuner and the wired clip was necessary to pick
up nearby stations. There was no volume
control and amid the crackling sound you could
listen to your favorite DJ delivering music
through this tiny invention.
Back then, it wasn't about
the quality of the sound. It was about what was
coming from the other end: a person, a show, a
feeling.
I recently was given one
of these vintage radios and thought I'd see if
it still worked. Nothing seemed to bring in a
signal until I found a piece of metal
railing to attach the small clip. There it was
all over again. That crackling. That sound.
I still find it amazing.
This decades old
technology still works and even the dynamic of
radio's appeal and purpose is still intact.
That's the exciting part. No other medium can
touch our imagination like radio. The real
question lies in how we choose to use this
electronic miracle.
I'll keep this plastic gem
on my desk as a reminder.
The audience is waiting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ten-Way Tie
Thinking about
your ratings? Consider the following...
As the story
goes, at a charity walk/run sponsored by a radio
station in Seattle a
few years ago, a group of youngsters taught the
crowd a lesson they will never forget.
The annual
event raised thousands for the National Down
Syndrome Society and gave children with Down
syndrome an opportunity to have a race of their
own.
As was the
custom, about 12 of these kids lined up to begin
the race and when the signal was given to start,
they took off, running as fast as their legs
would take them. That is, all but one little
girl who tripped and began to cry. Hearing her,
the others (one by one) stopped and turned
around. When one of them came back to help her,
the others followed. They comforted her, patting
her back and saying, "Don't cry. We'll help
you."
Then these 11
precious souls did something that those in
attendance will never forget.
Together, they
locked arms with their little friend in the
middle and together they walked to and across
the finish line.
Perhaps the
race to our daily finish line can benefit from
this story. Someone once said, "When you help
others to get where they are going, you help
yourself to get where you want to go."
We must
remember that before we are competitors, we are
broadcasters. How we succeed is more important
than that we succeed.
Success can be
even more exciting when everyone has a
reason to celebrate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Radio Hope
While the debate over satellite company mergers,
Google radio ads, and Internet broadcasting
occupies the minds of contemporary radio types,
there's something going on in a little corner of
the world that is perhaps more relevant than any
modern day broadcast controversy.
Radio 4VEH in Haiti offers
hope to listeners whose lives are filled with
difficulty, desolation, and despair. In an area
where the average wage is $360 a year, this
radio station uses its AM/FM and short wave
bands to change the world one listener at a time.
The historic irony is
that, at one time, this "Pearl of the Antilles"
was perhaps the richest colony in the world in
the days of Christopher Columbus.
Radio 4VEH, “The
Evangelistic Voice of Haiti” (La Voix
Evangélique d'Haiti) was founded in 1950 by Rev.
G.T. Bustin to "bring light into spiritual
darkness."
That, they have done.
Today the operation
embraces all technology to offer its programming
via satellite, webcasting, and a self-created
network in partnership with many US stations.
What is most impressive
about this magnificent project, operating solely
on prayers and financial gifts, is their creative
way of serving their extremely poor audience.
In the early 1960's they
began distributing fixed-tuned radios, free to
thousands of villagers. They even revisited to
change the batteries and later converted to a
solar powered model. Beginning in 1999 through
today they have offered sponsorship of these
radios at $30 each. The campaign has been so
successful that enough has been raised for
new facilities, which now include satellite
downlinks.
I invite you to take a
few minutes out of your busy day to
watch a video
that puts the power of broadcasting into
perspective. (There is a touching moment when an
elderly man wants desperately to say thank you for
his new radio.)
Perhaps it will serve as
a reminder of what we can do with this magical
medium.
The medium of hope.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Radio Island
The NBA has discovered
it's potential; so has IBM, Bank of America, and
a host of others: It's Second Life. Created by
Linden Lab in San Francisco, the virtual world
of
SecondLife.com boasts over 7 million members
and grows daily. While it may, at first, seem
like a virtual reality novelty, once you visit
it is easy to see the potential and the
impressive use by those companies "who get it."
In Second Life you create
a virtual identiy or avatar that can
travel the world to
islands created by companies and individuals.
There in lies the opportunity for fun and
business.
Radio can certainly be a
part of this exciting new platform by having yet
another stage to wow listeners.
SonnyRadio.com, with the
help of visionary Dan Atkinson of Sacramento, is
building Radio Island: A virtual media center
complete with studios and performance venues.
When finished, Radio Island will invite
listeners to exclusive live online concerts,
celebrity interviews, and more. Our "signal" is
broadcast throughout the island as visitors
explore the "acres" of our virtual paradise. The
possiblities are limited only by our
imagination.
If your station already
has a major online presence (and even if it
doesn't), Second Life can give your product just
that: a second life.
Think about the last
concert you station sponsored and then imagine
doing that on the web, virtually.
And, don't leave out your
advertisers. They can benefit by the traffic
with virtual storefronts, complete with links to
their sites and products.
The face of radio
continues to change, but the magic of our medium
remains the same: emotional contact with the
listener.
Build it and they will
come.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
String of
Connection
The other day I
asked my 16 year old son what his current
favorite song was and got
an interesting answer. He said he didn't have a
favorite song, but mentioned a group he really
liked. Then I asked how he found out about the
group, he said his friends had turned him on to
their music and web site. Before I had a chance
to ask my next question, he had produced their
list of songs downloaded from I-Tunes. Notice
something interesting here?
No radio.
The entire process from
introduction of new music to it's purchase
happened without the use of radio. And, while
this phenomenon is nothing new, it's becoming
more of the norm these days. Fact is, teens
today do not know a world without the Internet.
So how does radio plug
back into the mix? Chasing after another
technology is not the answer. Using it would be
a better choice. Sure, you can simply stream
your station and promote it heavily on the air.
But, does that really do anything to roadblock
listeners like my son. (BTW, these listeners
exist in all demographics)
My opinion is that
stations need to become pro-active on the web,
much like they were selling a product. Email
marketing, web advertising, etc. should be a
part of how you promote your station.
Take your core artists and
create fan pages that exist only your station
site. Give you listeners something that will
enhance what they already want. Then, use
everything from blogs to Craig's List to
get the word out.
Today's listeners are like
private investigators. They will sniff out
product and talent in a Google nano-second.
Using web tools as a billboard gets you back in
the loop by creating your own string of
connection.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coach of the
Year
Watching the NBA
playoffs got me thinking about what the game
would be like without a coach. Imagine two teams
making decisions without a leader - an authority
figure. Someone to call the shots, and more
importantly, fire up the team - both
collectively and individually.
Isn't that what a
program director does, or should be allowed to
do? Those of us who have been on both sides of
the desk know the rewards of each role.
I had the good
fortune to work with two of the greatest
programmers our industry has ever known: Chuck
Blore and John Rook.
During our "NBA
playoffs" in radio, both did what great coaches
do - they led and inspired. Then they got out of
the way. Just knowing they were listening made
the game more exciting. The hotline was a source
of connection between player and coach. It was
our electronic time out.
When Chuck Blore
would get that sound of wonder in his voice, you
knew something great was about to happen.
John Rook's
calculated calls to the control room were
conversations I will never forget. Once, while
on the air at KFI, I called him to get his
blessing for a bit I had prepared. He simply
said, "I guess I'm going to hear it."
There's no
telling what great athletes or broadcasters
might have been without their Coach of the Year.
While not every
personality is a Michael Jordan, nor every PD a
Phil Jackson, there no denying that every talent
deserves a coach and those chosen to direct them
should be given that opportunity.
The results can
last a lifetime.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forward
Thinking
As I always heard it told,
Gordon McLendon's (the radio pioneer)
philosophy was always to do three things when it
came to promoting your radio station: Tell them
what you are going to do, tell them what you are
doing, and tell them what you did.
As simple as that strategy
sounds, it is as valid today as it is was in the
1950's and 60's.
Another time tested
listener-builder has been to ask your listener
to tell a friend about WXYZ Radio.
Each approach works
because, all in all, listeners (especially the
loyal ones) are good audience members. They will
gladly support their favorite station and/or
personality.
Now, can you imagine, if
those listeners could pick up the phone, push
one button, and instantly contact everyone they
know to ask them to listen?
While it wasn't possible
back in Gordon's day, it is a reality today.
It's called email forwarding and
listeners are virally spreading the word to
millions around the world as you read this.
From videos to jokes to
information you need to know, we all receive it
from a friend, digest it, and often pass it on.
At least someone is taking
advantage of the world's best advertising
machine: Yahoo. Ever notice the little wording
at the bottom of most email that simply says,
"Do you Yahoo?" It links to a page that lets you
set up your own Yahoo email account.
It's no accident that
Yahoo remains the number one site in the world
according to
Alexa.com.
What does this have to do
with your radio station? Everything. To begin
with, visit Alexa and type in your station's
site in the Traffic Ranking window. Anything
under 500,000 is respectable. Fact is, most
station sites are nowhere near that rating.
The reason could be that
they are going about promoting the site using a
1950's approach by promoing the site heavily on
the air. This does nothing but tell the
listeners they already have to do what they are
probably already doing.
Why not have those
listeners become your viral work force by
bringing thousands of others to the party. By
making it easy for visitors to instantly forward
a feature, video, audio clip, etc. to a friend,
you give them the opportunity to act
immediately. Included in that dynamic should be
a way for the recipient to sign up for more fun
from your station.
The result can be a solid
"opt-in" email list beyond your wildest dreams.
I know first hand, having grown our
SonnyRadio.com
member list by 500% in the last month alone by
giving every listener an opportunity to
instantly share what they found or received from
our site.
I shutter to think what
Mr. McLendon would have done with this modern
day "tell a friend" technology.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Making A
Difference
As a writer, my challenge
has always been to share stories, observations,
and good news that will hopefully make the
reader feel better about being alive. Awhile
back, I wrote a piece for the San Antonio
Express-News that has resulted in response
beyond my wildest expectations.
Countless readers from all
walks of life have made a point to tell me how
much the article touched them and many have
mentioned that they actually carry it with them
and read it often.
In many ways these words
apply to how we in radio treat our listeners and
fellow broadcasters.
Several years ago, I was
handed a small card and offered God’s blessing
by a gentleman in Alamo Plaza and, thinking it
was an advertisement, I stuck it my pocket
expecting to later throw it away. When I finally
read the printing, I realized what a treasure of
wisdom I held in my hand. Here are the exact
words:
Make A Difference – Six
Rules
Rule One
- Take responsibility for your life. Stop making
excuses. Make yourself responsible for your
thoughts, words, and actions.
Rule Two
- Be a majority of one. Do what is right and
good. Don't worry about being popular.
Rule Three
- Don't let the fact that you can't do all you
want to do, stop you from doing what you can do.
Do something.
Rule Four
- Don't hate people who use violence. Evil only
begets evil. Love those who don't agree with
you.
Rule Five
- Always be involved in helping someone. Use
your life to enrich those around you. Be a
nourisher.
Rule Six
- You can make a difference if you fill your
life with love and service. Our true wealth and
greatness is the good we do.
The kind soul who took it
upon himself to print his advice to the world
and hand-deliver it to one fellow human being at
a time is not a member of the media. He doesn’t
have a radio show or a newspaper column. And
yet, his action has made a difference.
If you believe, as I do, that God sends us His
message when we need to hear it most, perhaps it
is no accident that you chose to read this blog..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At Your Service
I am a big fan of
service that goes above and beyond what a
customer might expect. A few years ago, on my
way to the station, I stopped at a local drive
thru to pick up some breakfast. It was 4:15 AM.
The voice at the other end of the speaker said
politely and clearly, "Good morning and welcome!
How may I serve you?" I thought it was a dream.
Surely this was not what I was used to,
especially at this time of the morning.
When I reached
the window, a delightful lady named Ruby
introduced herself and in a very mom-like way
announced, "We're making some fresh bacon for
you, so it will be a second. Now, you said you
wanted two sugars?" All the while, she was
actually putting the cream and sugar in the cup,
stirring, and even pulling back the opening on
the lid. (Mind you, this is not exactly
Starbucks.)
I couldn't wait
to get on the air to share the experience with
my listeners and write a letter to the
president of the company she worked for.
Every morning
thereafter she would have my order waiting. Then
one morning, Ruby did something that taught me a
lesson I will never forget.
Since we give
away so many prizes on the radio, it is not
unusual for listeners on the street to stop us
and ask for a CD, etc. After handing over my
order, Ruby asked, "Sonny, I was wondering
whether or not you had tickets for tonight's
(San Antonio) Spurs game?"
I thought to
myself that if anyone had a right to ask, it was
Ruby. I shook my head and replied, "No, Ruby I'm
afraid I don't." She then reached into her
pocket and said, "Good! Because, I would like
you to have mine. You see I was chosen Employee
of the Month and given theses tickets. And,
since I can't use them, I would like you
to have them. After all, you are my best
customer.
As you can well
imagine, Ruby did not last long in that
position. She now has daytime hours as a manager
for our local City Public Service. Cream rises.
The opportunity
to deliver surprisingly great service is
available to all of us, especially in radio. We
are in the people business and can learn from
other industries how to make a listener for
life.
Imagine calling
back a listener who checked in on one of your
talk shows and asking if they found the producer
to be courteous, similar to the calls major car
manufacturers make after a client has brought
their car in for servicing.
To this day, I
make it a point to stop everything when a
listener calls asking for the title of a song
"that was played sometime last week and has the
word love in it." I especially enjoy
getting their address, purchasing the song (if
we don't have it), and mailing it to them.
Ridiculous?
Outrageous? Yes, but that's what "At Your
Service" is all about.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Born To Broadcast
Jim Rose is a broadcaster.
From his home in Houston twice each week he
passionately edits a newsletter that is read by
many of the most brilliant minds
out-of-broadcasting. That's right. I said, "Out
of broadcasting."
Each week as I read Jim's
wonderful newsletter I can read between the
lines of the countless emails he shares. They
are the words of some of the best talents ever
to grace the airwaves. They write about the fun
they had and how much they loved working side by
side. Their unselfish tributes to their mentors
speak volumes about why they chose radio in the
first place.
I find it ironic that they
no longer do what they were born to share.
Somehow, something happened along the way. These
magnificent communicators were silenced and sent
on their way. Forget the fact that they weren't
through giving it their all.
I dare say that if
you asked many of them this question: "If you
could make a comfortable living doing your kind
of radio again, would you consider coming
back?", the answer would a resounding, YES!
Imagine the program
directors who still know how to create
excitement; the general managers who thrill to
letting their competition know that their
station will not be outdone; and the radio
personalities who can still touch one listener
at a time.
Imagine what
listeners could experience once again.
Radio is something
you never forget how to do. It gets in your
blood and runs through your soul. It can't be
explained; only experienced.
Perhaps one day
soon, some brilliant mind will tap into this
goldmine of talent and passion. Perhaps someone
will realize that how someone listens to
our beloved radio has nothing to do with why
they listen. Ipod or transistor, the dynamic
remains unchanged. People still laugh, cry, and
are moved for the same reasons. Many of those
who learned how to do it haven't forgotten how.
Nor have they forgotten the day they realized
that they were...born to broadcast.
