Does radio finally have a leader?
In the past we’ve lamented radio’s lack of visible leadership. Two years ago we wrote:
Where is the leadership? Who speaks for radio? We need someone willing to defend radio and put it back on the radar screen.
Leadership for us is showing a sincere belief in radio and its future. Leadership is understanding radio’s strengths. Leadership is defending radio against baseless self-serving attacks from new-media stakeholders and radio critics.
Leadership is understanding that the Internet is an opportunity for radio, not a threat.
In the brief time since joining Clear Channel Pittman has demonstrated those skills, managing to appear in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Variety, and Yahoo finance with an upbeat and positive outlook for radio.
Pittman has the credibility to say that radio has a future and back it up, having come full circle from radio to new media, and back to radio.
Pittman’s message is that broadcast radio listenership continues to be strong, but it has an image problem, a belief held by many people that radio is in decline:
Half the story is telling the story. We’ve got the consumer base. We just have to offer them the features.
In barely a month Bob Pittman has accomplished more than the NAB, RAB, and CEO’s of the major groups have done in the past three years in pushing back against the digital cabal and their attempt to misrepresent broadcast radio’s continued strength.
Maybe radio finally does have a leader.
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