Hollander also made international headlines by sticking up for WXRK/New York-based morning host Howard Stern. He said that he didn’t appreciate the way Clear Channel ended its relationship with the syndicated Howard Stern Show and stood by the Infinity air personality, saying, “Infinity has always abided by the law, and we will support Howard and our air talent 110%.” The comment attracted applause from convention attendees, as Hollander continued, “We’re talking about indecency on the radio, and I’m sitting here watching dead soldiers getting pulled out of a car in Baghdad.”

The NAB’s John David added that it is “unfair that radio is being singled out when TV has been the catalyst” for the latest push on indecency enforcement. “Self-regulation is more important to this process than legislation,” David said, adding that indecency will remain a “front-burner issue” through the presidential election in November. NARAS President Neil Portnow noted, “We can live with a delay on the Grammy Awards. We will not live with anyone telling us who can or who can’t appear on that show.”

Learning to live with indecency protection has cut into Radio One’s promotion budget, Sneed said. In fact, Radio One had to take away its ice cream trucks in both Dallas and Philadelphia since the money it usually spends on giving kids free treats during the summer was spent on the purchase and installation of seven-second-delay equipment at its stations nationwide.
In response to a question from an R&R Convention 2004 attendee at the State of the Industry session, Brown said audience erosion in the higher-end demographics can best be curbed simply by stations offering compelling content. “This doom-and-gloom attitude about radio is ridiculous,” Brown said. “We still reach 96% of the people out there, and compelling content is our salvation.” Sneed said that while XM and Sirius offer alternatives to traditional radio listening, she’s unsure if either is a viable long-term option. “[Satellite radio] doesn’t have the localism, and the formats offered by each aren’t so different to what’s over the air. And satellite radio’s business model is wacky.”

Finally, when asked by R&R Publisher/CEO Erica Farber for advice on how to eliminate some of the anxiety seen among many in the radio and records industries, Hollander joked, “Don’t drink.” Taking a more serious tone, he said, “You have to be able to accept change, and our business is changing rapidly. We can’t keep our head in the sand, and we have to be better managers of our people. We just have to learn with our constituencies a lot better and train our people.”

The NAB’s David implored those in radio to “get serious” about converting their stations’ signals from analog to digital, while Radio One’s Sneed boasted that she’s not anxious at all: “I’m having a great time — the best time in my life. I love radio, but being in a public company can be a pain.” Brown had similar sentiments. “Smell the roses,” he said. “I still think this is the most fun business to be in. To reduce anxiety, walk down the street and say to yourself whether you would rather be doing what those people or doing or what I’m doing.”

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