Craps

3/9/1999

Welcome to (The Magazine That Doesn’t Care About) Radio & Records, The Bellagio of trade publications.  You can only play if you’re in markets #125 or better. Come on in and play our wonderful games of chance.  We’ve only got one name, actually.  Craps.  Hey, #126, get away from the table.  You can’t play here anymore.  We used to let you play, but now you’re not big enough. You’re not good enough to play with us anymore.  There was a time when we pretended to like you…but those those times are gone.  We don’t like you anymore. Get out!

The controversy surrounding R&R’s alliance with Mediabase and the ultimate downsizing of their charts continues.  I get glowing praises for ‘telling it like it is.”  It’s almost sad that in our world of bullshit, the occasional honest opinion sticks out so blatantly.  We’re so politically correct.  Wouldn’t it be nice if you could always say what you really feel?  If you could tell the PD the radio station really sucks? Or if you could tell the promotion executive the record really blows?

All too often, we couch our opinions in the soft velvet cushion of political correctness instead of letting the chips fall where they may.  Jack Nicholson’s lines are never more appropriate than when used in connection with the radio or record industries: “You want the truth? You cant handle the truth!”

With the accolades for saying what needs to be said comes the occasional complaint that I go too far…that I get too personal.  Radio people understand.  When dealing with your competition, it is personal.  It’s all about counter-programming.  Can I help it if I’m a better PD than Sky or Tony? Please.

Decisions made by those in power at R&R are personal, no matter how much they profess the opposite.  Every PD knows that.  Every PD knows the agony of begging R&R to grant status, even after qualifying under the ever changing criteria.  Every PD knows that those in the executive tower at R&R are patently unfair and use the power of the position to further their private agenda.

It would be different if the self appointed dictators at R&R were actually qualified to make such judgements.  By and large, they aren’t.  Mediocrity rules at R&R.

But this isn’t an Editorial about mediocrity.  It’s about trying to make those responsible for detrimental changes in the lives and times of radio and records take responsibility for their actions.

The dictators at R&R have made a decision to change the reporting status of many of their reporters, but they aren’t telling you exactly what’s going on. Do you know why?

Could it be about money?

I don’t hold making money against any person or company.  Greed is good.  If I was against the concept, I would write more Editorials about Hits…and I don’t.  Capitalism is cool.  If Network 40 wasn’t profitable, you can be sure I wouldn’t have this forum.  You would be reading my opinions, if you cared at all, on some obscure website in cyberspace.

There are a couple of questions that haven’t been answered in my precious Editorials.  Surprised? Me, too. I thought all the ground had been covered.  But many of you have written in with questions.  I’ll continue to beat the dead horse as long as you supply the whips.

R&R says it will still care about smaller markets, even though markets below #125 won’t be used in making up the charts.  We’ve already given you our reasoning on this ridiculous concept.  The only thing more irrational than R&R making this statement are those few stations below #125 who actually believe it.

Don’t you wonder why R&R is waiting until June 11 to let you know exactly what they’re doing?  You know the dictators have already made their decisions., so why the foot-dragging in telling the rest of the industry?

Could it be that R&R is waiting for those convention checks to clear?  You can bet on it.

Network 40, in conjunction with the Nevada Sports book, is starting an over/under betting line on the exact date when R&R will let you know how badly they intend on screwing you.  We’ll let The Monitor hold the money.

There are also parlay bets on the following: Since R&R “conviction, “ I mean convention, begins June 10, will they have the guts to show a list of the small-market losers before the event and then catch heat from those suckered into coming to the “concussion” for nothing?

Will R&R show the list at the “confession, “ but have some sort of Trojan Horse panel that shows how “virtually important” their importance is?

Or will R&R be totally gutless and withhold the list of losers until after the convention is over?

New shooter coming out.

Its R&R.

Bet the Don’t Pass.