Sunday, February 3, 2008

Living with 18-1

A few minutes ago, Super Bowl 42 ended with the Giants winning 17-14 as more than 94 million people watched in the US alone. With (according to the US Census Bureau) 303,366,304 people in the US that means almost 1/3 of Americans watched the game.
Why doesn't radio have this kind of "must listen" programming? You can't tell me Clear Channel, Entercom, CBS or other large radio operator can't put together a Woodstock-like huge concert and simulcast it over all their stations. By not selling the TV rights you're guaranteed a huge audience. Yeah, I know..the TV rights would be worth a fortune. Maybe, but what would airtime on all 1100+ Clear Channel stations cost? Ironically, CC owns LiveNation, which promotes concerts and even owns 117 arenas (75 in the US) including 2 festival sites.
Radio needs to stop believing it's a bastard stepchild to television. Change will only happen from the inside, but courageous managers are the exception rather than the rule.

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