8/26/1994
Since its inception, Network 40 has made subtle shifts and changes to reflect the needs of our readers. The past year has seen massive changes in our industry, both real and perceptual. The move to actual airplay in the form of Plays Per Week (first championed and debuted by Network 40 over two years ago) has virtually rewritten the rules we had become accustomed to following. The entertainment industry as a whole has had to redirect its efforts to deal with reality. As a mirror to the industry, it was obvious to us that many of these changes should be reflected in our magazine.
We’ve spent the past few months researching new and innovative ways to feature our information. During that time, we spoke with virtually all of our friends in the radio and record industries (unlike our competitors, who seem to make almost monthly revisions that best suit their needs). We asked you to help us design the best industry trade magazine available. This week’s issue debuts the changes you’ve suggested.
It starts with the cover. No, we’re not demanding that all of our cover features appear in drag…though we did discuss it. We just wanted to make sure you noticed the changes. This cover makes us impossible to miss. Future issues will feature people in the radio and record industries who are making the news. Since we depend on your thoughts and ideas, we thought it only fair to use your pictures as well.
You’ll notice the new logo design (jingle package) and the cover spread. But there’s a lot more than just rouge, lipstick and fake fingernails.
The regular features you’ve grown to know and love remain the same. You’ll still find the industry’s hottest gossip on Page 6. The Editorial, Interview, Conference Call, Station Spotlight and Promotions pages follow.
An in-depth look at music begins on Page 20. Network 40 remains the only trade magazine to spotlight new music before it comes out. You can check on records you might be considering by studying Network 40’s research across all formats. Our new A/C Chart debuts next week. This week, take a good look at all the new A/C stations in our reporter base. It’s a new section many of you have requested and we’re especially proud to debut it in this issue.
Following the A/C section is the Crossover Section, the Alternative section and a new exclusive Retail section that charts actual record sales nationwide and highlights the hottest sellers across the country. Our retail information features many outlets that aren’t a part of SoundScan. Real sales are highlighted here.
Show Prep is on Page 32. It is what it says: A feature to help prepare your talent for their air shift. We highlight different artists each week with facts your listeners will enjoy knowing. Its companion piece is “Rimshots,†whacked-out observations on the news of the weird from the cracked minds of a couple of our staffers.
Our exclusive Overnight Requests follow with listings of the most requested songs on the nation’s hottest stations along with featured night jocks, artists and the biggest Buzz records.
Our in-depth research section follows. You’ll find playlists from our hottest reporters by market size: Major, Large, Medium and Small. Then, a “Now Selling†list featuring sales charts from selected record stores across the country.
The biggest changes come next with our Spin Cycle. Here you’ll find everything you need to know about every charted record: Plays Per Week, the total number of stations playing the record, how many adds, how many drops, requests ranking and the average PPWs. Is there anything else you could possibly want? Oh, yeah, an index that lists the page number where there’s even more information on each record.
The Crunch Page is next. It’s a quick look inside the numbers, listing the Most Added records. There’s also an Accelerated Airplay Chart that shows the Top 20 records ranked by the most increased airplay of the past week.
And on the black page is the heritage part of our stats: the Mainstream Chart. It’s a compilation of the top records in the nation, ranked by Plays Per Week according to Network 40’s reporters…the most Top 40 stations of any trade.
You’ll find the new Network 40 easy to read. If you’re interested in just the facts, start with the Mainstream Chart, then work you way backwards through the Crunch Page, Spin Cycle and Playlists. If you’re interested in the features, start on page 1. Either way, you’ll find that Network 40 provides you with all the features needed to keep you informed and make your job easier.
Although the look of Network 40 has changed, our attitude hasn’t. We’re different from every other trade magazine in a lot of ways, but in once specific way that we are particularly proud of: Every person who works for Network 40 has radio experience…from the receptionists to the VP/GM. No other trade can make that statement. We don’t write about radio, we life it…and continue to live it daily with our constant networking.
We may play the music too hot, talk up every vocal and oversell from time-to-time, but it’s something everyone connected with radio and the record business can understand. It’s a personality oriented, up-tempo attitude we share with our readers and reporters.
The growth of Network 40 and the changes debuted in this issue are the culmination of literally hundreds of conversations. It would be impossible to list everyone who has contributed. It sounds trite, but we want to thank all of you.
But there’s one I must name and thank personally. Scott Shannon and I started our careers about the same time many years ago. Scott was a baby deejay in Nashville, Tennessee…I started in Jackson, Mississippi. Both stations shared the same AM frequency and when one of us forgot to lower power, we jumped on the other’s signal. A friendship somehow developed and over the years, through all the successes and failures, we’ve somehow managed to fight through our egos and tell each other the truth, even when we sometimes didn’t want to hear it. Scott’s insights have been invaluable, given without any ulterior motive except to help me succeed.
To him I give a special thanks and, in return, he will be the first of many radio people featured on our cover…after me, of course, continuing the long tradition of his futile attempts to follow in my footsteps!