Tom Taylor Honored

InsideRadio.com reports that the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is presenting its Spirit of Broadcasting Award to veteran radio industry reporter Tom Taylor at the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas. Taylor will accept the award Monday, April 8, at the NAB Show Opening. He retired at year-end after covering radio for three decades.

Taylor’s journalism career included serving as editor of the daily “Tom Taylor NOW” newsletter, launched in November 2012, published with partners Robert Unmacht and Kristy Scott. He also was editor of Inside Radio, M Street Journal/M Street Daily and the TRI newsletter from Radio-Info.com. INSIDERADIO

iHeart’s restructuring, post-bankruptcy, will likely include sell-offs and layoffs. It won’t be pretty. It ain’t over until the fat bean counter pencils in the numbers.

It looks like SMOOTH JAZZ is making a comeback in some markets. This, along with SOFT ROCK formats, is bringing mellow sounds back to the radio. Don’t look for BEAUTIFUL MUSIC or BIG BAND to make a resurgence. Those days are gone.

I received two “push” notifications that my Century Link bill was past due. That was helpful. What I don’t need are the headings on the account that say “MY Billing” or “MY Support”, etc. This labeling is found on many customer service websites. I guess it is to give a person a feeling of ownership or INCLUSION. I saw the beginning of this when AT&T began their “TRUE Rewards” program back in the 1990s. As an employee of Ma Bell, this caused me to have the sensation of acid backing up into my throat if you know what I mean. Behind this labeling is an idea, part of the dumbing down of society, that YOU, the customer, need to be pampered. Maybe you can’t fend for yourself and the corporation is there to prop you up. They have been spoon feeding you crap for years. Then along came TRUtv and MYtv. Feel better? It’s YourTV. It’s part of the advertising and promotion campaigns. You become a part of this. I recall the angry customers who complained that their REWARDS points (earned through continuation of AT&T services and adding new services, along with paying your bill each month) were not adding up properly (greed – they had already bought into the Rewards idea), or that the product they ordered, using the Rewards, like a Christmas ham, didn’t arrive in time or at all. That Rewards program still continues to this day, under a slightly different name. People are hooked. Did you know that many AT&T customers with landlines, still pay for a long-distance calling plan that they have had since the 1990s? They still pay the same high rates and AT&T doesn’t call them and tell them that rates have been lowered and they could be saving money. I guess some people just can’t fend for themselves. People have become blind to the way corporate America leads them around by the nose.

Not me, I am mad as Hell and I am not going to take it anymore!