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2011

  • WHY SO DOWN? 7 Tips for Scheduling Music in a Down Tempo Cycle

    • 02/15/2011
    • Posted by: Mike O'Malley
    • Category: country music, country radio
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    Every year has music cycles where the currents are be too “something” – too fast/slow, male/female, poppy/twangy, etc. We’re now in a cycle of down-tempo current music. More than half our currents are down-tempo and we’ve been ballad-heavy since at least the first of the year. Still, there’s no reason for your station to take

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  • The Long Life Span of Kind Words and Dismissive Behavior

    • 02/09/2011
    • Posted by: Mike O'Malley
    • Category: air talent, country radio, DJs, radio programming
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    Last week I got the chance to say thank you in person to Willard Scott for a simple act of kindness and professional courtesy that he did more than 20 years ago. It was 1987 and I was the new PD at WYNY in New York City. That night at midnight, we’d flipped the then

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  • OPEN WIDE: How To Be Welcoming To Country’s Diverse Cume

    • 02/06/2011
    • Posted by: Mike O'Malley
    • Category: country radio
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    Country cuts a wide demographic swath attracting roughly equal cume ratings 18-34, 18-49, 25-54 and 35-64. In fact, the cume rating among 18-34s and 18-49s is slightly higher than even 25-54 or 35-64 (Inside Radio/Research Director Inc. PPM Format Norms 2010 Study).  Run an Audience Composition Report and review how your station’s elements are aligned with your cume

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  • Albright & O’Malley’s Pre-CRS Seminar Lineup Announced. Wow!

    • 02/01/2011
    • Posted by: Mike O'Malley
    • Category: country radio
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    I hope you’ll bet at CRS 2011 in Nashville March 2-4. It’s a great agenda so come prepared to learn and share. And if you’re in Nashville Tuesday, March 1 (hopefully to attend the Country Radio Hall of Fame Dinner –yes it WILL be a special one), I hope you’ll join us earlier in the

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  • You’re Invited to the Seminar-Before-the-Seminar

    • 01/27/2011
    • Posted by: Mike O'Malley
    • Category: Uncategorized
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    26 years of picking up my badge and welcome bag hasn’t dimmed my excitement about attending CRS 2011. Not one bit. From panels to informal talks over a beer (or two), the give and take of ideas with others who share the same passion for what we do and a desire to be the best

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  • A Business Class from “Professor” Zac Brown

    • 01/23/2011
    • Posted by: Mike O'Malley
    • Category: country radio
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    The Zac Brown Band made the front page of USA Today’s Life section this week but it could have just as easily been the business section. The piece offered a look at some of the band’s goals and visions which read like a “how-to” on how to please the fans you have and grow by

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  • On Being Boring, Interesting or Fascinating

    • 01/12/2011
    • Posted by: Mike O'Malley
    • Category: air talent, country radio
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    Facts are boring. Stories are interesting. Stories with surprises, twists and emotion and over-the-top presentations are fascinating. Someone repeating what you’ve heard is boring. Someone sharing a new perspective or putting a unique twist on a familiar subject is interesting. Someone sharing a new perspective or putting a unique twist on a familiar subject and

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  • Better Than Resolutions: Three Words for 2011

    • 01/02/2011
    • Posted by: Mike O'Malley
    • Category: radio programming
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    I was never into the resolutions thing. Resolutions are too restrictive, too negative, and too artificial. However Chris Brogan’s recent post about picking three words and using them to help focus your (our your businesses’) actions for the coming year struck me as practical, positive, and encompassing, promoting self-improvement, growth, forward progress and experimentation. Here are three words

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