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The End Of The Mays Era

The year was 1979, and I was consulting KITY and KONO in San Antonio, which competed with Lowry Mays' single station, WOAI. Even then, his name was legendary in San Antonio. He had owned the station forever and was a formidable competitor. That's my first memory of encountering the Mays name in radio.

Yesterday I was reading a paragraph written by our editors for our coming "40 Most Powerful People in Radio" issue, and I added the line, "Since the resignation of brother Randall Mays earlier in the year and with the strong direction being pushed by Clear Channel's new owners, I anticipate that Mark Mays may soon step down as CEO of Clear Channel." I had no idea that would happen before those words even made it to print.

Mark Mays will continue as Clear Channel's chairman, just as Randall continues as vice chair. But when Mark Mays, the last of the family left inside the daily operations of the company, steps down at the end of this year, it will be the end of an era.

Who Invented Consolidation?
Radio consolidation was not invented by Lowry Mays, but he was the first to build a significant group of stations, thanks in part to the acquisitions of Jacor (Randy Michaels and company), AMFM Inc. (Jimmy de Castro), Capstar (Tom and Steve Hicks), Paxson, and others.

Several years before anyone was thinking about widespread industry consolidation, Steve Hicks discussed the idea in the pages of Radio Ink, responding to an editorial I'd written about the possibility. Bud Paxson made the first move, convincing the FCC to allow him to LMA radio stations. But it was Lowry and sons who built the Clear Channel empire, consolidating the consolidators. Lowry Mays had a big vision, and he came a long way from that single AM station in San Antonio.

The Evil Empire
It's been a wild ride for Clear Channel, which quickly became known as the "Evil Empire." The industry wanted to cling to its creative past and didn't like continual budget cuts, voicetracking, loss of localism in many markets, nationalized programming, and other perceived negatives. Most of those negatives have been softened or disappeared over the past few years -- though echoes of old issues continue to be heard, including some old news about an alleged lack of local coverage after a 2002 train derailment in Minot, ND, that came up at an FCC hearing in March (Clear Channel fired off a letter to the FCC to once again attempt to correct the record). Perhaps the image has softened because of industry acceptance. Or perhaps Clear Channel has shown that they are continuing to evolve and innovate.

A Kinder, Gentler Clear Channel?
Today some are celebrating that soon, no one named Mays will be operating Clear Channel. Others, perhaps more informed, know that Bain Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners are a force to be reckoned with, and they have their own ideas and initiatives to pay down the debt and squeeze out a profit. Will we see a kinder, gentler Clear Channel with the Mays family out of the management suite?

I suspect that if we do see a gentler Clear Channel -- and I think we already have, in the last year or so -- that is a result of being out of the public markets, where the pressure to perform quarterly dictates difficult decisions.

A Dream To Take Over The World
I've always had mixed feelings about Clear Channel and have written many scathing pieces over the years, including one about how Lowry had a dream of taking over the world. To his credit, when I saw him face-to-face after writing it (which is always difficult) he was a perfect gentleman, as he always has been. When there was an occasion for a thank you, I always received a personal phone call.

Yet for all the things we've found wrong with Clear Channel over the years, there are a lot of things the company can be credited for doing. In spite of our disagreement about how radio stations should be operated (it's easy to be an armchair quarterback), the fact remains that they pulled off an amazing feat, creating the ultimate radio company, with the most radio stations.

Though I've always fantasized that, when I'm invited onto their board, I'll get Clear Channel to understand that investment in talent, entertainment, localism, and local management autonomy will bring them more profit in the long run, I also know I might not have been able to handle the pressures of the decisions they were forced to make to survive.

Goodbye And Good Riddance?
Perhaps others will say goodbye and good riddance, but I've never been one to stomp on someone's grave. We should be grateful for the spectacle Clear Channel gave, for the positive things they've brought the industry and the employees who remained, and we should understand that the Mays family are not at all evil people.

On the contrary, they are wonderful people, who like the rest of the industry had to learn how to consolidate and keep Wall Street happy while feeling their way in the dark. Though many, including myself, have demonized them for decisions we didn't agree with, they made history, changed the face of radio forever, and opened the door to many innovations, good and not so good.

Someone was going to fully consolidate radio, and it just so happened that Lowry and sons pulled it off. And chances are the radio industry would have demonized whoever made those decisions.

So Long, Farewell
Today feels like the long-anticipated last episode of Dallas. Everything is big in Texas, and the Mays family, good Texans, built the world's biggest radio company. But, like all dynasties, this had to have a closing episode. So as Mark, Randall, and Lowry ride off into the sunset, let's tip our hats and wish them so long and farewell.

Eric Rhoads
Radio Ink

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Are You The Best Radio Has To Offer?

I used to attend radio industry events where it seemed like all the awards were going to the old guys who were about to be put out to pasture.

Don't get me wrong. These people made incredible contributions to the radio industry, and they were deserving of their rewards. But it was my opinion that the success of these radio luminaries was built around the people operating at the station level and the street level. So I wanted to create an award to honor the people who were making everyone else rich and making radio great.

I had just started this magazine, and I approached the RAB about presenting our Radio Ink award at the annual RAB conference, and they agreed. And about that time I learned that one of my mentors and the person who helped me know how to navigate the industry and launch this magazine had been diagnosed with cancer. Because he represented the people of the industry, and because he represented the highest standards of professionalism for radio and spent his life trying to turn a seat-of-the-pants industry with a bad sales reputation into an industry of professionals, I decided to name my new awards after him.
 
I launched the "Radio Wayne" awards in honor of "Radio Wayne" Cornils, who at the time worked for RAB and before that had worked for the NAB and of course in the radio industry. Everyone loved this man and what he stood for. The honor for me was naming the award after him while he was alive and giving him the public recognition he deserved.

Wayne beat the cancer and lived several more years and always joined me onstage to pass out the awards. The most difficult day of my career was the onstage speech I had to give at the awards the year Wayne passed away. There was not a dry eye in the place, and I pretty much lost it.
 
Now in its 19th year, the Radio Wayne Awards continue to be about the people who make this industry sing loudly and proudly. It is a chance to reward and recognize the best of the best in this industry and give them the praise they deserve. And, to my surprise, this award has become a big deal in this industry. People fly from all corners of the earth when they learn they've been nominated. I've seen people fly their entire families in so they can be there if they by chance win the award. (We never ever tell anyone in advance that they have won.)
 
The reward of this award is all mine, frankly. As I travel, I see Radio Wayne awards proudly displayed in offices. I've seen search firms seek out Radio Wayne award winners and even nominees because they know about the reputation this award creates.

But this award is a reflection of you, the people who make this a wonderful industry. It's not about the big shots who usually get all the attention. It's about the folks who show up every day to call on clients, to meet with salespeople, and to make their radio stations operate like well-oiled machines.

The Radio Wayne Award is not a popularity contest. We make nominees prove they are doing great things, in the interest of building the good name and reputation of radio before promoting their individual stations. We believe if you sell the value of radio first, that rising tide raises all ships.
 
Once nominations are received, we ship the nomination information to a panel of judges we select. They never see your name, so they're not tempted to promote someone they know. They only see your track record and why others believe you deserve this industry recognition.

Who do you believe are the very best radio has to offer? Is it you or someone who works with you? We want to know.

Please go to this link and fill out the form to submit a nomination. We will hold the awards September 30 at noon, at the new Radio Show (NAB-RAB). I want to honor radio's best on that day. I hope you'll join us. (By the way, we need to unify as an industry at every opportunity, and I hope you'll attend this new Radio Show.)
 
Here are the categories. If you know someone who is the perfect representative for a category, please nominate them and tell us why they are special to you. And please forward this to others in the industry. Note: This is a Radio Ink award and is not affiliated with NAB or RAB.
 
Categories: 2010 Radio Wayne Awards
America's Best Broadcaster
Director of Sales of the Year
General Manager of the Year
Market Manager of the Year
National Sales Director of the Year
Sales Manager of the Year
Interactive Salesperson of the Year
Streetfighter (Account Executive)

Go to this link now, and give us your nominations.

 
Eric Rhoads
Radio Ink

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You've Come A Long Way, Baby

As a man, nothing will help me completely understand circumstances outside my own personal experience. And, early in my career, I watched radio's "good old boy" system take advantage of women throughout the industry.

At a radio station I worked for in the early 1970s, the program director used to throw glass ashtrays at his secretary. Female employees were met with sexual offers (one woman actually called the guy's bluff, and he backed right down) and asked to show their body parts. Terms like sweetheart, babe, honey, and sugar were status quo.

I saw one of my closest friends, a woman on the sales team, reduced to tears on a regular basis when the sales manager suggested she should "make the ultimate sacrifice" to close a sale. He was dead serious. He would also smack her on the butt when she walked by his desk.

These things bothered me — not because I understood sexual harassment, which no one had heard of at the time, but because I was raised to respect women. Yet this was the norm in the radio business in the 1970s. I was so disturbed by it that the first issues of this magazine featured a column titled "Women in Radio" that addressed the challenges women faced and how to respond to them. It was perceived as a slap in the face to the good old boys club, and we faced significant resistance from men and women alike.

Later, in an attempt to promote women in the business, we created a Radio Wayne award for radio's Woman of the Year, which I rapidly dropped because I was told women didn't want to be singled out. In fact, one of the people who told me that that still doesn't allow us to use her name on our current Most Influential Women in Radio list because "you wouldn't do a list of the most influential men in radio."

Columns, awards, stories, lists designed to combat the issues women face have met with mixed reviews. What matters is that this industry continues to be dominated by men, with a set level beyond which women very rarely rise. Though things have improved, women are not paid equally to their male counterparts in exactly the same roles at some broadcast companies. Radio Ink strives to effect change in all areas of the industry, and I'm proud to say that the magazine's general manager, associate publisher, editor-in-chief, and managing editor are all women -- hired not because they're women, but as proof of our commitment to hiring the best available person for every position.

Inevitably, when we publish our annual 40 Most Powerful People in Radio list in July, we receive criticism for not including more women and minorities. My response is the same every year: We are reflecting the state of the industry as it is today.

As the cigarette ads used to say, "You've come a long way, baby." In the case of the MIW group, we've seen a spectacular effort to mentor younger women in this industry. That effort results in stronger, more prepared executives who do not have to pioneer, as many of the women on this list have done. Hopefully, these women will eventually run radio stations, radio companies, and private equity funds and banks involved in radio.

Though the process of singling women out is offensive to some, our intent is simply to show that we believe women deserve equal opportunity, and that it really should be about the best executive for any job — whether the candidate is male or female. The growth of this list reflects the progress that has been made. Yet there are mountains still to climb and inequities to be overcome.