Harrell Media Group

Holiday Celebration Opportunities? It’s Not New. It’s Human. Uncover the nostalgic traditions of holidays, from Veterans Day to Christmas and the media's role and opportunities to create community.

Radio’s acknowledgment of holidays hasn’t changed much.

Digital media provides more content opportunities to recognize those holidays. But the human connection is the real opportunity in the AI era.

The “Christmas Music on the radio” season begins!
105.3 The Breeze WNOH, Hampton Roads, and 96.1 WTSS, Buffalo, flipped at Midnight EDT.
Friday, Star 93.3 WAKW, Cincinnati, fired up the Yule Log. #Christmas

FM Is Leaving The Dashboard. No Worries. AI Needs Us. It started with a futuristic Sunday football listening experience with no FM. Then, it evolved to hope for creatives in the AI takeover.

Now, Tesla is dropping FM radio?
Well, this really smart professor says Creatives are immune to the AI takeover. That's hope for radio content creators. tr.ee/FM-Tesla-AI

“Before The Next Teardrop Falls.” Freddy Fender. The OG Bad Bunny. #AT40

When is the last time you devoted HOURS of critical weekend listening to your radio and audio brands?
Radio programmers and brand managers don't get the full weekend off.
It's some of the best listening you'll do.
Oh, and get ready to be frustrated. It means you're finding improvement opportunities.

Lots of cross-pollination with their other brands.

After months of the same songs on the Hot 100, 'Billboard' tweaks its rules Billboard has revised its system of removing songs from the Hot 100 singles chart once they've gotten too old to qualify as contemporary hits.

Billboard has revised its system of removing songs from the Hot 100 singles chart once they've gotten too old to qualify as contemporary hits. n.pr/47jHqut

What If The Ratings Disappeared? Imagine a world without ratings. Learn how this scenario could reshape audience engagement and sales strategies.

Movie trailer voice: "In a world without ratings...would your brand survive on story alone?..."
My thoughts triggered by an industry news story late last week. tr.ee/Ratings

Four Gen Z’ers on their way to a Lumineers Concert, and Taylor Swift on the radio The four Gen Z'ers were on their way to a Lumineers concert when I asked, "Have you heard the new Taylor Swift album?"

For someone, today is the first time they're hearing or seeing your message. My focus group experience with the new #TaylorSwift album. Don't forget the normal people.
tr.ee/Taylor-Swift...

Diane Keaton. She had the gift of making her characters likable, even if you didn’t want to like them.

Radio Was The Original On-Demand. We Just Forgot To Keep Telling The Story. There’s a term I use in text or email that requires more explanation than it used to. “I’ll call you […]

tr.ee/on-demand

Leave The Game Early or Focus & Grind? When do you focus and grind or relinquish and stop the process or the project? Sunday night's historic NFL game inspired three observations.

I gave up and took the dog for a walk with 10 minutes to go.
The Sunday Night Savior turned out to be an instant classic ending.
When do we hang in there or cut our losses?

tr.ee/SundayNightS...

Winning Sounds Better Opening weekend of college football. Revival, renewal, revenge. But the most noticeable emotion is the sound of winning from the pressbox.

College football is back! I share an opening weekend listening experience and show you how my mother used to prepare for her team every weekend. tr.ee/Winning

Okay, SiriusXM. I know radio programmers give you the critical eye at times. But high-five for playing Parts I & II of “The Love I Lost.” @siriusxmprog.bsky.social

Old Timer Joins Talent Coaching Team The iconic Old Timer joins Harrell Media Group to mentor talent with a wealth of stories and professional tips.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Old Timer comes out of Cracker Barrel animation to join Harrell Media Group. tr.ee/OldTimer

Celebrating an enduring medium. #NationalRadioDay

Manage Monday: Jargon—The Native Tongue of Meetings You may want to circle back to this column and leverage these scalable terms. Or, just put a pin in it. Refresh our business jargon!

“Let’s circle back and leverage our bandwidth before we put a pin in it.”

We all use the business catchphrases and roll our eyes at others who do. How do we replace cliches with clarity? How do we have fun with it?

It's this week's Manage Monday. Read it and share with your “augmented workforce.”

Talent Tuesday: Annalisa Paints Pictures On 93XRT Talent Tuesday lands on 93XRT and Annalisa connects with the music and leaves a lasting visual branding connection through her words.

This week's Talent Tuesday linked to 93XRT in Chicago to hear Midday host Annalisa paint pictures in one simple but powerful visual break.

Cover Songs. Why Challenging Original Ideas Extends The Concept. Uncover the surprising connection between cover songs and improved management skills in daily life situations.

The baristas were signing along to the hook of the popular song.

My observation created a cover song discovery. That turned into thoughts about why leaders should encourage teams to interpret the original idea.

It’s a 4-minute read and includes a cover song I didn’t know existed. 🙂

The Coldplay Kiss Cam: We Couldn't Look Away Explore the Coldplay Kiss Cam incident that became a viral sensation. What can we learn about stories from this unforgettable moment?

One of the most viral video moments this year. It contains ageless, basic elements of popular stories.

If you're a content creator, are you chasing the story or leading the story?

The Coldplay Kiss Cam viral incident got me thinking about where we look for those stories.

If TLC “Waterfalls” fits your radio format, play it. Every GenZ barista at Starbucks was singing along with it just now.

No Funding? Fine. We'll Raise It Ourselves. Explore the implications of government funding cuts to NPR and discover three key points to navigate budget cuts effectively.

Budget cuts? Look out. NPR affiliates took that fast ball to the fence last Friday.

If you want someone to give money, give them a reason to give.

I offer three insights in this blog for commercial and non-commercial brands to consider when acquiring audience and facing budget cuts.

It will be interesting to see how advertising agencies shift the demo targets.

The UK will lower its voting age to 16. Could the U.S. follow suit? The British government aims to make all 16- and 17-year-olds eligible to vote starting in the next U.K. general election. Some voting age limits are changing in the U.S., but only at the local level.

The British government aims to make all 16- and 17-year-olds eligible to vote starting in the next U.K. general election. Some voting age limits are changing in the U.S., but only at the local level.

'Nick' was transparent with his personal information on the phone.

This week's Sunday Story Finder is a reminder of the accelerated generational differences in the digital-first era.

How do we better manage cross-generational teams? tr.ee/wEMOs5Eet3

July 5th. The signers of the Declaration of Independence woke up the morning after the 4th and thought, "Now what?"

If you're a visionary, a risk-taker, and a leader of people and projects, the "day after" is your day.

The adrenaline shifts from emotional hype to Focus & Grind.

One Big Beautiful Bit: A Radio Contest Creates Development Beyond The Obvious Benefits. Explore 'One Big Beautiful Bit' as we analyze the benefits of a simple radio trivia contest on The Bobby Bones Show.

Radio benchmark contests: nearly as old as the medium.
I had a listening experience this week with the @bobbybonesshow.bsky.social that reminded me why these features go beyond the tactical advantages.

Bonus: I was able to get a current events image for this blog.
tr.ee/YjvYft

Lost in Translation: Rideshare Soccer Fans Taught Me Messaging Clarity In This Week's Story Finder Follow my ride with soccer fans. Sometimes, being lost in translation can lead to memorable travel and Story Finder moments.

The ride started as a lost-in-translation moment. However, I learned something about the importance of clear messaging as we build community and relationships with customers and audiences.
Read this week's Story Finder moment.
bit.ly/4epzKKn

Humans Made The Difference. This Week's Story Finder Heroes Created Three Reasons Why They Matter. Discover how the human difference transformed a challenging travel day. Flight delays make for interesting stories and connections.

My travel delays and cancellations last week were minor compared to those of most travelers. But three people didn't treat my problems lightly. They're the subject of this week's Story Finder moment, and why it matters for anyone wanting to impact customers and clients. @americanair.bsky.social