THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN RADIO ISSUE 2180 NOVEMBER 7 1997 Three Steps Toward Station Dominance A Conversation with Ted Bolton of Bolton Research Plus: A Comprehensive A) New Release Guide www.americanradiohistory.com the new single,. anytime The Follow Up to the #1 hit S;ngle "you should be aline" Irmo the Mercury CD & Cassette anytime 314 536 215-2/4 Produced by Brian McKnight Management: Herb Trawick/The Trawick Company 1997 Mercury Records hey //wwwmercuryrecordscem/mercury www.americanradiohistory.com First Person Inside 4 News 7 That's Sho-Biz 8 Friends of Radio Ke'cin Bacon Reed Bunzel 47 Classifieds 32 Steps to Success On Radio, Change, and the Industrial Evolution i.i Lilitor Kent Zimmerman and hi.c truste' brother Keith examine Change is nothing new to either the jobs-and grow both personally and .l o areness. Imaging. and radio or record industries-and as professionally. To that end. I've Mantling the three tools necessary G417N looks ahead to its 40th compiled a short list of questions I'd to stake l'ourstado,, tops. Plus. a anniversary in 1998, it's quite clear like to ask about a number of Com[uebe'tzcil'rgnide tu_4$ i'leaseN that both segments of this business things...and I'd like to hear your through the end a( the year. are changing at an increasingly answers: FORMATS rapid pace. Consolidation is creating *What sections of GAVIN to you a radio marketplace unlike anything read or use the most...and why? 9 Top 40 lin/ Bol Takes on the industry has ever seen, as groups When you open your GAVIN the I3iy 7ïnn' acquire and cluster stations in an envelope, where do you turn first? Top 40 Profile: No Authority attempt to build market share and *What subject matter could GA\ I\ 11 Go Chart create format (and demographic) cover in greater depth? 12 Hot A/C dominance. Meanwhile, record Likewise, what sections could \\c Hot Stuff to;lu rlr_-tl,il.1 labels struggle with evolving con- eliminate...or restructure? 13 Adult Contemporary sumer tastes, a changing retail land- How could GAVIN'S "presenta- Inside A/C on what scape, new technologies, an over- tion" be changed to make it easier A/C Profile: l'al Benatar abundance of artists vying for a to use or more fun to read? Reed Bunzel 16 Alternative finite of radio airplay, What do you think GAVIN'S overall quantity and ' Static The Bake Sale other vital business issues. It is in this heels of consolidation has ÍC\\litten "mission" to the industry should be? 18 Gavin Rocks spirit of change that Galzv last week the job descriptions of most PDs and Despite all the uncertainty follow- Radioactive I(oraoti/''C.'rort'd announced a new editorial direction MDs, which means that they-you- ing consolidation, one thing remains Active Profile: Caro/ine S Spine with G9 VIN GM Editor Reed Bunzel at now are involved with virtually all clear: those of us who work in radio the helm. aspects of programming a station (or do so not because of the money Hard Kopy Eire/ Net ust over a year ago, I was stations, in many cases). (well, most of us, at least), but 22 College lukeho.vl/c'roes asked to come aboard and You need to know about all because we're passionate about 24 A' Album Adult Alternative help create GAVIN GM, a new aspects of perceptual and music what we do for a living. Most of us 46 Smooth Jazz & Vocals radio business publication designed research. You need to understand got into this business because we On Z Corner ilr,,,h/cOS/ to provide in-depth analysis of the critical relationship between loved the music, and we stayed in it ,1 ',declare Gets Rad industry issues. This monthly maga- sales, marketing, and programming because it became our lives. If it's 48 Jazz zine specifically targeted group at a radio station. You need informa- true that we are defined by what we 49 Urban Landzcape heads, radio executives, and general tion about the wide variety of inde- do, then it could be said that we're Urban On-line managers, and presented a fresh pendent all passionate radio junkies. programming available The Voice (Ole Co'!rrnier outlook on the many facets of radio from networks and syndicators, and What it all boils down to, of 54 Gavin Americana ir, The New Gut' finance, management, marketing, you need to be updated on non-tra- course, is change. As the radio and 55 Country and programming. Now I've been ditional revenue strategies that record industries continue to change Country Notes Promotions given the opportunity to help steer directly affect your on -air product. at a near -exponential pace, we need With a 7'n'(ct `big GAVIN" through the Dardanelles All this on top of the music data to adapt our own lives to change and to chart a new course as the you've come to expect from along with them...or this passion 58 Rap radio and record industries tackle GAVIN...and to trust. that has consumed each and every Like That! 7h' .Vecru-.tlatkeling :he challenges of change. Of course, we all like to think we one of us will simply pass us by. (17(1llrvt,1;c What does this mean? Many things, have a strong fix on what we're Please...let me know how you Rap Profile: \-I:cutioue'rc n fact. It means -hat you should doing and where we're going and, think we at GAVIN can better help expect to see GAIN expand its edito- in most cases, we do. But we at you cope with all this rapid-fire evo- NEXT WEEK rial focus to inclLde all issues of GAVIN also realize that we need to lution so that your passion for what Breaking Bands, importance to radio programmers communicate with you, our readers, you do-what we all do-never Breaking Barriers and music directors. The "new radio so that we provide the informa- fades. Call me at (415) 495-1990. or can I' lbc: lclit e RockJiu'nial ertutiu- paradigm" that his followed on the tion that hest will help you clo your fax the at (415) 495-2580. GAVIN tie's 1,, grow. main' Ilan! Rock coo' a,!isl.i arc./c'c'ling the lote. Gwyn Rocks Edilot Rob Hein( c'.tplows First Words he c roscorc'r pheuontrnc» l and checks afro hands on the retge. It should be easy to write for you radio and record industry ments which merely use the newspaper as the carrier. guys because, according to veteran L.A. Times writers Perhaps, Bob and Chuck, you might want to turn your analy- Robert Hilburn and Chuck Philips, you don't know what sis skills into a memo for your own industry's management. you're doing anyway. How does this relate to Gavin'? It boils down to the fact 14n111clt,l he Bill Ori1)-19ís In a lambasti ig "analysis" last month (reported in GAVIN that people are busy and can only really spend time with a GAVIN news, October 24), they focused on "a wide range of deeply - select few trusted sources of information and insight. We Inihli,h,l 5n ...r6. u yv.n I'nJ:n rrl car h rooted problems" of the record industry and dismiss radio intend to continue to be one of those primary sources for Pcc'h ,uh,rrilrlir,n Raft, .INu as "a fragmented wasteland dominated by debtridden the radio and music communities, and that's why Reed fin - uc. .uh,.ripwm .unl r u,nl.mrn inyuiric, 115r Ir15 199i ,t II right,,, nny all ul Ihc unvvn. Bunzel wants your views account as we reshape conglomerates." to take into uf thln puhlir:niun .ur rr,cnc.l. Alulcri:d, ni,1 md hr Well, guys, I've got some flashes of Insight into the news- GAVIN for the future. rcprn.lu, :im tunn wilhnul lhc puhll.hcr'. paper business for you. It has been forced to consolidate to pcnui..inn F. 199- e'r:\\ IN, Miller Frn,nnn FnlertnlrnVIII (;rnup where, in are no more the point fairly large cities, there I0 .rrrm.l tilrrcl, Y.111 Ii:mr ixu than one or, perhaps, two daily titles. They have generally c.:11i1mi:1 )1 11/5, I'S,\ slashed editorial resources and live off advertising supple- David Dalton, CEO Miller Freeman A United News & Media company mue INK GAVIN NOVEMBER 7, 199î www.americanradiohistory.com "You really have to create a multi -dimensional station character that goes way beyond music." GAVIN NS - Ted Bolton, Page 32 Mergers drive public Brooks Rolls Senate discusses "Sevens" At radio gains in 1996 Capitol record lyrics, crime BY REED BUNZEL over the last five years (1992- Garth Brooks has added a A Senate sub- behind its vol- '96) increased at an 18.9 per- new hat to his collection: committee is untary parental Don't be misled by the 34.9 cent compound annual rate, that of "the man who saved hoping to raise warnings that percent increase in 1996 rev- substantially outpacing the Christmas" (or at least the a national dia- are now car- enues reported by publicly 9.1 percent compound annu- holiday buying season). logue on the ried on CD traded radio companies in al increase in U.S. radio Brooks announced Wed- correlation and record the Veronis, Suhler & spending during that period. nesday that his new album between youth covers and Associates' Communications But the 200 percent increase "Sevens," completed but crime and vio- planned to Industry Report, released in public company asset withl'eld from EMI's lent music lyrics take that posi- earlier this week.