How Churches and Their Members Use Social Media
A just released National study by BuzzPlant shows that churches across America are not taking advantage of the social networking phenomena that has revolutionized interpersonal communications in the 21st Century.

Country PD’s Need to Wake Up
Mike McVay on why many Country Programmers still don’t get it when it comes to understanding who decides what is played on their stations.

New From the Promo Lab
Every ratings contest known to man...and Paige Nienaber provides the ideas. Client Exclusive

Working With Sales On Promotions
In most operations the days of having a big promotions budget for a contest or funding an event have faded away. That doesn't have to stop you from building some creative on-air promotions and also helping the sales team work with some very valuable clients.

The Hard Work Never Ends
Have concerns about becoming redundant or outdated in the changing world of radio? Radio vet Marty Forbes sees a recipe for success in passion blended with old-fashioned hard work.

Pea Pods and the Pareto Principle
It's important to know which of our clients make up the 20% that produce 80% of our station's billings...

Where Have All the Sellers/Flowers Gone
With apologies to Pete Seegar, Ira Rosenblatt offers the following tune for radio sales people who wait for leads to come to them.

Dan Halyburton Joins McVay New Media as Digital Strategist
McVay New Media announces Dan Halyburton as McVay New Media VP/Innovation, working with broadcasters to innovate beyond current traditional business models to more profitable digital multi-media models. Halyburton will work with broadcasters and technology companies to grow their revenue.

What Should Not Be Said On The Radio?
One thing we’re learning from PPM audience measurement is that listeners’ attention is fragile. Watch and listen as Talk Radio hosts and station owners discuss potty-mouth, trash talk, and bad grammar.

July McVay Media Almanac

McVay Media Monthly Memo July Edition
Mike McVay provides an indepth look at why "Radio is Tough" and provides insights into talent development.

July Sales Promotional Lightbulb

July Dates & Celebrations

July Sports Calendar

Classic Hits or Oldies?
The conundrum for me is that listeners don’t refer to what we play as “Classic Hits.”

Front of the Line, or Playing Catch-Up?
When all of this social media and digital technology collides it's easy to get caught up in the eye candy and miss the reality of what's taking place.

Two Things To Include In Every Anchor Intro
Pay special attention to the first and last line of the news anchor intro.

Cost Per Point
Here’s something that I found/used years ago to best describe the problem of how our product is being bought by the largest spenders.

The Crowded Web Running Out of Room!
This is going to remind you of Y2K, but it is a fact this time. We are running out of room on the Internet for IP addresses. The current system is based on an addressing scheme designed in the 70s called IPv4 and it has room for around 4 billion addresses. Well guess what - we are almost there and they figure we will run out of IP addresses in the next 18 months, maybe even sooner.

New in the Promo Lab
Discover Radio GaGa...and why ladies should drink free until Midnight.

We Get Letters!
A reply to Mike McVay's thoughts on "reinventing radio."

Strawberries & Service
So often we lose customers due to how we handle, or don't handle, problems when they occur.

Being Local and Responsive
Have we as an industry forgotten how to build audience and take ownership of opportunities in our markets?

Talent Coaching and Management
We've all heard that on-air talent that just seems to flow on the air. They sound comfortable, prepared, spontaneous, plugged into the audience and entertaining. So what's their secret and how can you spread this good virus to the rest of the staff?

The Performance Rights Act
This proposed act will force radio stations to pay record labels a tax for the privilege of playing their music.

Forty Hour Weeks Are For The Weak!
Jim Glass asks, "If you are not able to manage yourself, how can you
manage the benefits you have to offer your clients?" Some great organizational tips for radio sales people.

Is Sarah Palin...Over?
Maybe for now, but not forever, according to McVay Media News/Talk consultant Holland Cooke on MSNBC's "The Ed Show.

We Get Letters!
A morning show personality comments on Mike McVay's take on programming to win!

Summer Music for Multiple Formats
For you convenience, here are top lists of great Summer songs for the AC, Olides, Country & Rock formats:
AC Summer Music
Country Summer Music
Oldies Summer Music
Rock Summer Music

John Test Radio Show Launces "Adopt A Fisherman" Humanitarian Effort in Louisiana
Program is designed to help families who've lost livelihood due to oil spill

On-Air Talent: Your Survive-and-Prosper Repertoire
Still working? Or looking for work? Lately, it’s a thin line. Doing a better show – “the fundamentals” -- has never been more important. McVay Media's Holland Cooke offers specific tips to be more-engaging, more-listener-friendly, more-useful. Do this stuff and you WILL get better ratings.

Remembering the Wisdom of John Wooden
Mike McVay reflects on the wisdom of the coach who believed that no detail was too small.

Summer Liners 2010
Suggestions for positioning your station on the airwaves over the sizzling summer season.

Donny Dominates The Globe
The Donny Osmond Show, the daily radio program from McVay Syndication, has launched in Australia.

Broadcast Journalist Rita Cosby Releases New Book About World War II
Broadcast journalist Rita Cosby's new book QUIET HERO: Secrets From My Father’s Past reminds us all what it really means to be an American. Rita is proud to be is partnering with the USO on a massive, new campaign called Operation Enduring Care, which will help wounded warriors and their families.
Book proceeds will go towards this $100 million initiative, as well as two museums in Poland, the Warsaw Rising Museum and The Museum of the History of Polish Jews, which is being built where the Warsaw Ghetto once stood.

Listener Driven Radio Announces 22 New Affiliates In Their Latest Wave of Radio Station Launches
Listener Driven Radio (LDR), the digital platform that allows listeners to program their favorite radio stations, boasts 22 new stations in North America including new arrivals Now 96.3 FM (963now.com) in Minneapolis, stations within Citadel Broadcasting, CBS, Peak Broadcasting, Border Media, and Gap Broadcasting.

Summer Songs 2010
Recommended songs for the AC radio over the summer months.

One Year of Oldies Theme Weekends
Download McVay Media's complete guide to theme weekends from May 2010 to April 2011. Client Exclusive

Pay-To-Play Music Radio
Is Talk radio ready for when this happens?Updated to feature video of Holland Cooke discussing the topic on MSNBC's "The Ed Show."