Steve Tyrell

It's been a while since a concert, a night out, was in the budget. Starting a new business changes your life, especially when you're underfunded and fighting an uphill battle, programming music basically abandoned by the mainstream radio biz. Especially when conventional wisdom in the radio biz suggests that "There's no there, there." Anyway, there was a time when we went to a lot of concerts ... especially Steve Tyrell shows. Steve is the "Poster Child" for the revival of what is commonly called The Great American Songbook. And he's one of us. Steve is a Baby Boomer with great rock/pop credentials. He is the epitome of what we're doing - reintroducing some of America's greatest music - to a generation that once dismissed it as their parent's music. Having artists like Steve, his pal Rod Stewart and others like them recording these songs, makes that reintroduction make a little more sense.

Friends Jazz up our life. Last night, Saturday, October 17th, we went to see Steve with long time friends and Lounge Lizards in Exile Gary and Sue Rakestraw. Gary's a little like me ... grew up on rock 'n roll and top 40 music and somewhere along the way his tastes change - or broaden. As a generation, most of us still have our Rolling Stones and Beatles albums. But there's a time for everything, and music for every mood. There's something about Steve Tyrell, and an ice cold Ketel One martini at Catalina's Jazz Club in Hollywood. I still like rock 'n roll ... a lot of today's pop music too. But that martini in Hollywood ... nothing completes the picture like Steve Tyrell doing The Way You Look Tonight or I'm in the Mood for Love ... cocktail music!

Smile. Steve's Saturday night show at Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood ended the way many Steve Tyrell shows in the past, started. When Steve returned to performing after the passing of Stephanie Manteris-Tyrell, his wife of almost 3 decades, he opened his shows quietly walking on to a dark stage to the opening notes of "Smile." Clearly, my friend Steve was singing ... and smiling ... through the pain of this profound loss; the loss of his wife, best friend, mother of his children, and an accomplished professional colleague. Saturday night, Steve Tyrell closed his show with that same song, cut 17 of his debut album, A New Standard. I smiled, with tears in my eyes. I've missed Steve's performance of those songs. Don't get me wrong. I've loved just about everything Steve has done since that first album. But those 17 songs, that album ... that's how I was introduced to Steve Tyrell, and re-introduced to this music - inspired, and convinced that there is an audience and a business here.

Renewing himself. Since the September 1999 release of A New Standard, Steve has released 6 albums (Click here to see all 7). I've really enjoyed the way he has integrated songs from the new albums into his shows. Most recently, Steve has introduced songs from an upcoming album, songs that introduce some of us to songs he didn't previously record, songs in which he played a role as writer, producer or some other part behind the scenes. One of those songs was one of two hit pop duets Steve produced for Linda Ronstadt.

Underneath the same big sky. The first date for Karen and Brad Chambers came in 1986. We had tickets for a screening of An American Tail, the animated movie that featured as its theme song, Somewhere Out There performed by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram. Our screening was a Saturday matinee. I sat on the aisle. Then my two kids and her two kids. Two 5 year olds, two 3 year olds. Then Karen. That Saturday afternoon, the movie's theme song became Our Song.

Serendipity. Fast forward to 2003. With help from friends like Burt Bacharach and his wife Stephanie, Steve Tyrell was working on his This Guy's in Love album. Steve invited me to stop by his Sunset Boulevard studio after work. As I walked in I saw a picture of Steve and Linda Ronstadt. He explained that they had worked together on Somewhere Out There. He told me the story behind the song, co-written by his then partner Barry Mann. I thought back on the 6-months that led up to this moment ... this whole relationship was meant to be! Karen had "Discovered" Steve Tyrell (with a little help from Martha Stewart) and was playing his A New Standard CD in her Boise, ID antique store. I had just launched Clear Channel's XM Satellite Radio channels and The Toad, a Classic Country radio station in Riverside, CA and my next assignment was to create a more contemporary version of the Adult Standards radio format, for use on Clear Channel's KLAC-AM in Los Angeles. I went home to Boise one weekend and heard the music Karen was playing in her store... this soulful guy injecting some R&B and a real contemporary feel into these timeless songs that are decades old. I got in touch with his record label, arranged a meeting and Steve became The Voice for the radio station. And this evening in early 2003, I'm in his studio and find out it's all come full circle - not only does he give us these great contemporary interpretations of timeless Standards - BUT HE PRODUCED OUR SONG!

Somewhere Out There was not part of last night's show. But that's ok. Steve Tyrell doing the songs from his album, A New Standard ... including 3 songs from the Father of the Bride movies, Irving Berlin's Cheek to Cheek, Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields' I'm in the Mood for Love, Duke Ellington's Don't Get Around Much Anymore and closing with Smile made for a really special evening. We're still smiling.

Thanks Steve.

Click here for Steve's itinerary on our website.

Our Baby Graduated from High School

It Happened So Fast! I know we all say the same things. Where did the time go? It seems like it was only yesterday. For me, it was 36 years ago. North Salinas (CA) High School Vice Principal J. Wayne Kurlak was at the podium when I walked up to snatch my diploma. I reached out for the big handshake and he held back a moment, said "FINALLY," then shook my hand. I guess I was relatively well known around campus, maybe too familiar around the office.

For Bailey it's the beginning of what has to be a brighter future. The past 3 years have not exactly been easy on Bailey or the experience I wanted to provide to the "Ours," in the "Hers, Mine and Ours" menagerie Karen and I created with our marriage July 2nd, 1988. Karen brought to the marriage her daughter and son, then 7 and 6. My contribution was my son and daughter, 7 and 5 on the day of our wedding. On December 2nd, 1990, the "Ours" arrived to increase the population in our Fresno, CA home to 7. And on Thursday, June 18th, she joined 840 classmates graduating from El Camino Real High School.

In 2006 as we prepared for Clear Channel to sell the radio station I helped create, "Fabulous 570/690," there were opportunities to stay with the company. They all involved moving.

Again. From 1988 through the station's sale, we had moved from Fresno to Dallas to Nashville to Harrisburg (PA) to Boise. I worked in L.A. for over 2 years before we decided to bite the bullet and move Karen and Bailey from Boise to L.A. Actually, Clear Channel Radio President John Hogan practically insisted on the move. He didn't mind my commuting back and forth while I was traveling, doing project work for the Clear Channel corporate programming staff. But once I was officially reassigned to the L.A. radio stations, Mr. Hogan thought my family and I should be living in the same city. So despite the station being sold, Bailey's here. She has adjusted as well as can be expected to L.A. schools, has a lot of friends, and we're not moving her.

Enter MartiniInTheMorning.com. Even before committing to stay in L.A., a number of people in the industry had encouraged us to do something similar to the old radio station, but on the Internet, to keep alive the modernized version of the genre we had created. So who knew that a year into the life of this Radio-Internet hybrid, the U.S. would slide into a recession making it very difficult to find capital for a new business? OK, the truth is, no one, least of all me, knew much, if anything, about raising capital. Everyone that has been involved in this effort is good at what they do, and they are all passionate about the Martini Mission. In fact everyone involved from the beginning to today, started out as a listener, lovers of the music and the Lounge Lizard Lifestyle. But the fact is, none of us really knew how to ask people for a bundle of money, no matter how OBVIOUS the opportunity; the audience for what we're offering.

As parents, we want things to be better for our kids than they were for us. That's human nature. It's not that my brother, sisters and I had it that bad. I just wanted to do more for our kids. Radio has never been an easy business, and my experience would suggest a stubborn determination to succeed despite every sign suggesting I find a new line of work. It got so bad at one point that after losing a house in a fire, my kids and I spent a night with all the possessions we could haul out of the house, in our car. That was a real low point and I was determined to never let my family down like that ever again. We had a couple more low points. We were never homeless again, but it hasn't been easy. So we REALLY wanted Bailey's high school experience, especially her senior year, to be something REALLY special.

As it turns out, it was special. Despite our inability to make it materially special, this past weekend WAS special. It reminds me of my oldest son's pre-school graduation. His Mother (my ex-wife) moved just before his graduation. He was crushed. Just minutes before this special ceremony, my Dad, Sister and Niece all walked in the door. When my son saw them, you would've thought he was graduating from college with honors and a job paying a 6-figure salary. Same story this weekend. It was our oldest son, my Sister, Karen's Sister (affectionately known as 'Granny Psycho') and her daughter. I hope having close family here for Bailey's special day might have made up for some of the difficulties over the past year.

It's not just material stuff. When Mom and Dad are stressing over their businesses, struggling to make ends meet, everyone feels it. It affects everything. Despite it all, Bailey has been pretty amazing. Maybe she learned by watching some of the mistakes and struggles her older half-brothers and sisters lived through (and survived). And despite the fact that the "Haves" at her school (not to be confused with a strong contingent of "Have Nots"), were getting graduation presents ranging from new BMWs to vacations abroad, Bailey seemed content with a few cards, a little cash, and a scrapbook her Auntie Kay put together from pictures spanning from December 2nd, 1990 to the present.

I am in awe. Living through the last 3 years, the struggles, the deals that went wrong, the deals that never became deals, and the deals that aren't done yet (we're holding our breath), Karen and Bailey have been unbelievably strong. I thought things had been tough for the older kids...divorce, remarriage, step and ex struggles, moving here, moving there, new schools, new friends, leaving old friends behind...but as her childhood wound down, Bailey has turned into a pretty amazing young woman. Karen and I are so proud of her, and hope she lands a really good job because Mom and Dad might need to borrow some money. Kidding. Sorta.

What a Wonderful World

IT IS! I'll admit, the last 2 1/2 years have been a struggle, as we work to sell our new vision for programming and monetizing radio. Whatever it's been and whatever it becomes, I'll always call it RADIO. My first opportunity to turn on the microphone switch at a radio station occurred in April, 1971. I was almost 16 years old and until I got in trouble for bad grades, rode my Kawasaki 90 to work. For most of the time from April 1971 until Clear Channel was forced to divest Fabulous Radio (originally 570 KLAC, 690 XETRA at the end), I made a living turning on a microphone, teaching others to turn on a microphone, and creating programming that compelled folks to tune in. But these last 2 1/2 years, not so much. I'm doing all the same things and more. Just not earning a living. Karen reminded me last night that it hasn't been much fun for Bailey in this, her senior year in high school. We had opportunities to move with the company, but decided to stay put. Bailey has moved enough, Fresno to Dallas to Nashville to Harrisburg to Boise and now L.A.) and as her older brothers and sisters have proven, moving around with Dad's career is not always conducive...to anything. A lot of kids survive it. We just decided not to do it with Bailey. So she struggles with Mom and Dad.

WHY IT IS A WONDERFUL WORLD.

Jan in Los Angeles has been through a lot. Many times, shortly after playing What a Wonderful World, I'll get an email or a note through our request link. Jan is thanking me for playing it, and reminding me, IT IS A WONDERFUL WORLD.

In 2003, Steve Tyrell played Fabulous 570 KLAC's Mistletoe & Martinis concert.

Rod Stewart, two albums into his Great American Songbook series, came to the show primarily to hear and meet Steve. Not long after, Steve was asked to produce Rod's third (and eventually fourth) Great American Songbook album. On a visit to the station, Steve brought rough mixes of songs to be released on Rod's Stardust: Great American Songbook Volume III. I took Steve upstairs to play them for Roy Laughlin, longtime General Manager of Clear Channel L.A./KIIS-FM. Steve commented that when completed, one particular song would have Stevie Wonder playing harmonica. That song evoked a reaction I hadn't seen in all the years I'd worked for Roy. What a Wonderful World brought Roy to the brink of years. Neither Steve nor I had any idea that just a few years earlier, Rod Stewart performed that song at the wedding of his friends Roy Laughlin and (Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM sidekick) Ellen K.

Early in our effort to get MartiniInTheMorning.com rolling as an Internet radio station and ultimately a network providing this music to radio stations, one of our partners lost her Father. At his memorial service, to celebrate his life while mourning his passing, they chose What a Wonderful World.

I find it amazing that a song that celebrates the life while mourning the loss of a dad, husband, and grandfather; is the same song that celebrates the culmination of a love affair, the beginning of a family; and the same song that celebrates life, recovery and renewal. The very same song touches the hearts of so many, in so many different ways. Another example:

MICHAEL BUBLE'S HOME gets airplay elsewhere, so we've never given it as much attention as his Standards. Mainstream Adult Contemporary radio is so afraid of sounding OLD that most would never consider playing Michael's Orange Colored Sky, Mack the Knife or I've Got You Under My Skin, despite the fact that with David Foster's production, they're as cool and hip (more so in my humble opinion) as Michael's self-penned Home. We started getting requests for Home some time ago. Chris Johnson, an IT pro at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital requests that we play it until They're All Home, a reference to American service men and women serving in the world's most dangerous places. The real kicker was when a Major in the US Army emailed from a place called Qayyarah Airfield West. The airbase is about 180 miles north of Baghdad and for the US men and women serving there, a million miles away from HOME. Major Dean Huard requested the song for the US troops in his command who longed for HOME.

Friday, March 31, we lost Tom Johnson. His son, Lounge Lizard in Exile Lance Johnson sent this email over a year earlier, January 24, 2008.

Love your station. It is rare when I do not have it streaming and
enjoying the music. I live in Austin, Texas but have been spending the past
several months in Gonzales, Louisiana with my dad. I entered a request for
Michael Buble, Best is Yet to Come online but wanted to give you more detail to my request. I am getting married on Feb 16 to a wonderful woman named Janet. The song was to be our "first dance" at our wedding which was originally scheduled in June and was to a be a huge event. Recently my dad was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer which he is battling admirably (we also lost my mom to cancer in August). As a result we decided to have the wedding sooner and make it a small, intimate gathering at my Aunt's home in Baton Rouge.

It will be a special, yet bittersweet occasion. So, the best is yet to come for all of us. My life with Janet and a better place for my dad when that time comes. I am hoping we have him for many years to come. Thank
you for the wonderful music!

Then, one year later, February 19, 2009, Lance wrote:

Hi Brad/Michelle,
Well, we made it an entire year! Feb 16 was our 1 year wedding anniversary.
We spent Valentine's weekend in the French Quarter and had an awesome
time. Janet had never experienced that part of my hometown and she really
enjoyed the sights, sounds, food and craziness of it all. She was also able to
spend some time with my Dad in Gonzales.

My wife flew back home to Texas on the 17th. I have remained behind with my Dad once again. We celebrate the time he has had. It has truly been a gift and we are not giving up. So, as I spend more time with Dad and listen to Martini in the morning, send a few good vibes our way. Take care guys!
Lance & Janet

Then, Monday, March 30, this:

Brad/Michelle,
I wanted to let you know that my father lost his 16 month battle with cancer on Friday night (Mar 27) at 9:19pm. We were all together as a family and he was comfortable and peaceful. Thank you for your support and kind wishes throughout this journey. Dad is now "Home" with my mom.
Take care,
Lance

They say HOME is where the heart is. We are blessed to be able to play music that touches the hearts of so many; None in the same place or in the same way. That's the beauty of this music. Lance and Janet, Major Huard, and everyone whose life has been affected, even in a small way; YOU are the reason we fight this fight to overcome that CONVENTIONAL WISDOM that suggests this music is just for old farts and has no place on today's contemporary entertainment scene.

YOU are the reason I say, WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD.

Modern Day Miracles

I'VE WORKED WITH TECHNOLOGY FOR A LONG TIME. My first experience with broadcast studio automation very early on. Computers in the studio. No CDs, no tapes, no records. It was a strange and trying time for everyone in radio. I had the privilege of working with some of America's top radio personalities in some of the most listened to radio stations in the country, as they made the transition to today's high tech radio broadcasts. From Rick Dees in L.A. to Elvis Duran in New York, to talkers like Bill Handel, John & Ken and others, whom I was also proud to add to Clear Channel's XM talk channels. Reducing the amount of technical stuff the personalities and their producers have to do, allows them to focus more on content. As a personality who was never the most technically adept, I was proud to play a role in this process. That was, for the most part, in the late 90's, early 2000's.

FAST FORWARD TO 2009. Bailey, our 18 year old daughter, says I can't say OMG! in my Facebook and Twitter posts. She didn't say anything about my blog. OMG! Long time Lounge Lizard in Exile/Martini in the Morning listener Reverend Jim (Jim Thomas from Bethel, VT) commented accurately that it "Takes paint drying to a whole new level." But as technology goes, it was pretty exciting. With a little modification to the operating system, my Apple iPhone became a mobile TV station. Ustream, the streaming technology behind the video streaming from our studio (about as exciting as watching paint dry), has come up with a new, albeit unofficial, iPhone application that turns every iPhone into a mobile TV station. OK, so it's not high end, high quality video. But what if, today at the Ventura (CA) Antique Show, we had run into one of its more frequent shoppers, legendary comedian and actor Jonathan Winters? We could have logged on and talked to Mr. Winters - who wanders around the antique show waiting for someone to recognize him so he can do an impromptu, totally improvisational, comedy show for all fortunate enough to gather around him. WHAT IF we had a cool star spotting? This camera thing is better than the vulture paparazzi zooming around L.A. following even the most tarnished stars. Karen's antique shopping opens up all sorts of possibilities. A few weeks ago at the Santa Monica Flea Market, Marissa Tomei, most recently of Wrestler note aside a resurgent Mickey Rourke, was shopping sans make-up, making this rarely starstruck 53 year old a believer in natural beauty. Who else? Oh, at a recent Rose Bowl Flea Market, the Granddaddy of them all, Corbin Bernson was hauling off some man's trash - his newest treasure.

I'M NOT TURNING PAPARAZZI ON YOU...but how 'bout Grand-Paparazzi? One day, when we get this freakin' radio thing to start making money (or losing less would be nice...), we might get to visist our 4 Grandsons in Boise, or better yet, bring them to Southern California to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and Goofy (the Disney Goofy...they already know their Grandpa!). Imagine being able to stream that directly to the Internet. It might not mean a lot to you, to our Lounge Lizards in Exile, but for my Mom (on a good day when she remembers them) or my Dad traveling the world in his 45 foot motor-castle or Karen's folks or, well, you get the point. This is breakthrough stuff. And not just for family stuff, but for SO many businesses!

THERE'S AN APPLICATION FOR MARTINI IN THE MORNING! I'm not sure what it is yet, or maybe more importantly, I'm not sure what it's not. Daniella Chaso, listening and watching from London, UK said This could turn into your very own weekly reality show LOL. Perhaps call it the 'Brad Around Town Adventures.' Once again, I'm not sure anyone would watch, but there's something there. Reverend Jim, spotting one of the items that showed up on camera, added, Hey, Brad, pick me up that Mercedes grill! lol. And Steve Thom in Indianapolis spotted a booth at the antique show, full of antique gas station pumps; Haha! yeah, i'll take that gas pump for $550 if it still runs! of course; doesn't everybody need a working gas pump?!

HMMM - If not a Martini in the Morning app, maybe Karen features a different antique show each week and our viewers text in when they see something they like, we buy it and ship it to them.

WATCH FOR MORE 'BRAD CAM' Monday, March 30th! We'll try it out during the show, and when Renee Olstead visits our Lounge! Visit http://MartiniInTheMorning.com, click on the MartiniVision link, then the Guest Cam button.

So It Comes Down to This

YOU. We've done our part.

REMEMBER James Earl Jones in the movie Field of Dreams...BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME. We built it. You're here. But that's where it gets complicated. I've built dozens of radio stations over the course of my nearly 40 year love affair with radio and the people who love listening. Ten years ago, I was on a conference call with some higher-ups, and the decision was made to switch a rock station that wasn't doing well, to Top 40. The call was on a Tuesday. The launch date for the new format was the following Monday. Not trying to shy away from a challenge but concerned about the short fuse, I said something to the effect of "Boy is that fast." A Senior VP with the company chimed in and said "Bradley, we've made a decision on Thursday to flip a format on Monday. This is easy!" It wasn't easy, but we pulled it off, and many others just like it. Just a couple years later, I inherited the launch of 7 satellite radio channels, part of my employer's equity deal with one of the (then) 2 satcasters. There were so many moving parts - it was a real challenge. It wasn't pretty, but we got it done. In fact I was still programming or overseeing several of the channels when asked to created "The Toad" (a Classic Country station) in Riverside, CA, and KLAC/Fabulous 570-690 in Los Angeles.

THE POINT TO ALL OF THIS IS THAT WE KNOW HOW TO BUILD IT. Frankly, YOU have played a HUGE role in how http://MartiniInTheMorning.com has been built. In fact, YOU are the reason we built it. When Clear Channel was forced to divest our old station here in L.A., I could have moved on to something else with them. But the more I got to know YOU, the more I realized there is a HUGE audience for this music. So much so that I felt compelled, obligated, to launch the station online with an eye toward getting on as many radio stations as possible. Just a few years ago, there were over 1000 radio stations broadcasting some flavor of Standards. By most estimates, there are now fewer than 300. Our goal is to reverse that trend for YOU.

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME. We built it. You're here. So it's you and me against the world. Now what? Hollywood is so good at Fantasy. IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME. Without advertising? Marketing? Smoke signals? THAT has been a real challenge for us. That and raising money to pay for it. We'll save that for another discussion. But getting the word out...IF we had the aforementioned cash, that too would have been much easier. We don't. BUT, we DO have YOU, US. And we all know a few people. Some of us fear that We're Weird, and that none of our friends share our taste in music. Maybe we are Weird. But you'd be surprised how many of Us have migrated to this music despite having grown up on rock 'n roll or top 40. So weird or not, if each of US were to send a quick note, email, Facebook, Twitter, snail mail, or even make a phone call to a few of our friends, THAT'S ADVERTISING.

Today is a very critical day for our little community. We are constantly being evaluated, re-evaluated, and unfortunately, undervalued. Today, especially. Our genre is constantly being written off as music for old farts like me. The fact is, even in this lousy economy, 40+ consumers who make up roughly 75% of our audience, control 57% of all discretionary spending. To get the attention and appreciation we deserve, we have to speak up. It's time to shout it out, borrowing here from the late Peter Finch in Network, I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

WE BUILT IT. And now more than ever, we need YOU, our marketing department. Click Here for a list of things you can do to help spread the word so when evaluated by those who dismiss the format as too old, or irrelevant, we can prove otherwise. Not much on the list...yet. Got something to add, send me an email. Please!

I Listened to a Cooking Show

ON MY WAY TO WORK THIS MORNING...I wanted to listen to the radio. I listened to the 10 am news on CBS Radio's KNX-AM here in L.A. - then it was Melinda Lee's cooking show. I listened to it all the way from Karen's store to our NoHo Studios. Sure, I'm interested in cooking...actually, it's the eating I love most. But I listened to the cooking show because there was Nothing else on. There are some great talk stations, but I'm so stressed out as it is, I don't need someone yelling at me. The other CBS news station KFWB-AM runs infomercials all weekend. That's the last thing I want to listen to. As for the music stations, I still have many friends at the Clear Channel music stations, from my 6 years with CCLA. CBS has some fine music stations too. I hear Bonneville's new station The Sound is good, and Saul Levine's Go-Country is a good Country station. But NONE of them are what I want to listen to.

MAYBE I'M TOO OLD FOR THE MUSIC STATIONS. I don't think that's it. But it's like a sweater that's just a little too big, or too small. There's nothing that's a really good fit for me. I think a lot of people are experiencing that. We were listening to KOST 103.5 earlier in the week and they were playing something I KNOW isn't targeted to a 53 year old guy (me). So here I am listening to a cooking show!

MILLIONS OF 40-PLUS CONSUMERS, RADIO LISTENERS, HAVE ABANDONED MUSIC RADIO in favor of talk or other spoken word formats. Is it because the suddenly don't like music, or prefer cooking shows? Or is it because there's nothing on that they like, so they listen to talk?

I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE but I'm betting it's the latter. When we were involved in the launch of several channels on one of the big satellite radio companies (I probably shouldn't say which one, but there's an "X" in their name), they discovered that the young adults originally thought to be the most likely early adopters for satellite radio, weren't. The problem was that young adults are generally well served by mainstream over the air radio. They might not be thrilled with certain aspects...short playlists (repetition), too many commercials, etc. But they're not mad enough to buy new receivers (originally a couple hundred dollars each plus installation for cars) and spend $12.95 a month for what they've been getting for free.

THE GOOD NEWS that came out of that research was that there was a group that was "Mad as Hell," and wasn't going to take it any more (Goldie Hawn borrowed that line from the 1976 movie Network in an interview with AARP-The Magazine on the occasion of her 60th birthday, referring to the lack of entertainment targeted to older consumers). The satellite radio company discovered that 40+ consumers were feeling disenfranchised, ignored by mainstream, youth obsessed radio. Despite the fact that this group represents 29% of the US population and controls 57% of all discretionary spending, most ad buys are targeted toward 18-44 year olds. In its current form, radio has no choice but to aim their programming at an audience it can monetize with commercials. So we were asked to re-aim 2 of our channels on this satellite radio service, toward 40+ consumers. Satellite radio wasn't worried about selling commercials. They needed to move satellite receivers gathering dust at Best Buy, and sell monthly subscriptions. Here was a group that was "Mad as hell..." (motivated) and had all that discretionary spending power (means). They had the means to act on their motivation.

IT WORKED. 40-PLUS CONSUMERS RESPONDED. Now, broadcast radio has a real problem in that HD/FM Multicast radio, created to compete in the digital landscape with satellite radio, isn't taking off like the industry had hoped. There are HUNDREDS of new digital quality radio stations available that NO ONE IS LISTENING TO. There are 25 in Los Angeles alone. 23 in the NYC area. Maybe if there were something on these new stations, different enough, something not readily available on mainstream AM and FM radio, something targeted to folks who have the means and the motivation to go out and buy new receivers (with no monthly subscription necessary), maybe HD Radio would fulfill its promise.

MAYBE IT'S http://MartiniInTheMorning.com! There is no doubt in my mind that we could sell HD receivers and give radio's digital initiative a shot in the arm. I wish we could afford to make house calls. But with our financing, someone will have to bring them to the clinic for the medicine necessary to heal what ails them. The doctor is IN!

This One Will Be Shorter. I Promise!

I FIGURED SOMETHING OUT - And I think it's part of the reason big radio has trouble taking us seriously. We're not a Format. When you talk to someone in radio who thinks in radio's traditional "Box," they ask what your Format is. I have a tough time explaining it because the traditional labels have a black eye in the industry. Not as much with listeners. I think, as singer/songwriter Tony DeSare said when he was in our Lounge last week...it's not about labels. It's about entertaining people. As long as you have great songs with interesting, meaningful lyrics, strong melodies, great performances of the music and lyrics, people will listen. But labels ARE significant in the radio industry. If we say we're a Standards station, that's radio-speak for OLD. The accepted industry Format listing is Adult Standards. That's industry speak for REALLY OLD. As I said yesterday, we believe that's more because the presentation, the way the music was delivered, became old and stale...and not a reflection on the music.

WE'VE TRIED TO NAME THIS FORMAT but it defies definition. Truth is, it doesn't really matter what we call it, at least not to the people who really matter - listeners. Probably more than any other Format name, we've called it Contemporary Standards. The approach, the way we try to deliver this is in a contemporary package. There's no reason this music shouldn't be presented in a way that is as modern and fun as your kids' favorite Top 40 station - maybe not as obnoxious - but fun, modern, even hip. Cool.

WHATEVER YOU CALL IT, it's still not a Format by traditional radio definition. IT'S A LIFESTYLE. The music and everything that goes around it, on the air, is the Soundtrack for YOUR Lifestyle. It's the music and so much more. The music becomes part of your life. It's music that feels right for the way you're living. Sure, there are times when, if you're a boomer like me, you're likely to get in a crazy mood and drag out an old Stones album, or hearing Rod Stewart do a Standard will make you yearn for Hot Legs. Ok, maybe not that one...Maggie May or Tonight's the Night. Or Stay With Me. BUT, more often than not, as you live your life, run your routine, do what needs to be done, you'll be listening to OUR MUSIC. Your friends will come over to play cards, have a cocktail, whine about the kids, and they'll hear your music, and ask What's that you're listening to. You'll tell them and they'll say...Cool.

To that we say, Live, Love, Lounge. Oh, and Listen!