Originally published on July 06, 2007

Joe Barone

Bar1
Owner

Though you may not have heard of him, Joe Barone is one of commercial radio's best friends. The owner of Bar1 creates effective audio messages that sell product, in 30 or 60 seconds. And Barone has won just about every advertising award there is, including a Radio Mercury Award every year since its inception.

Getting into the business: I listened to WABC/New York when I was a kid. I was always drawn to radio—it's more personal. I went to Hofstra University because of its radio station.

Then I fell into a job at WABC. I was hired as a temporary relief engineer, and they wound up keeping me for nine months. They had to fire me because of union rules.

And then I fell into advertising. I started at DDB Needham, doing a ton of radio, writing and then performing.

Business focus: Bar1 does anything with sound—any sound-based product in advertising, or for short or animated films that we write and direct. Our client base is primarily advertising agencies.

Radio vs. TV: I believe radio is more difficult. Not technically [but] creatively. A picture is worth a thousand words, and in radio you have to create a picture in a lot less than a thousand words. To do good, creative radio is difficult, and most people don't know how.

Future of audio: Video killed the radio star, but it really didn't. You'll always need radio. Advertisers will always want radio commercials because it's cost-effective and can reach a specific target. Or they can throw a wide net, depending on what the product is.
The agencies and the budgets are getting tighter, but there is still demand for good radio spots and good radio.

What makes a great radio spot: It can be a number of things. It can be ear candy—something that's fun to listen to, either dialogue or the sound design under it—or just an interesting voice.

Most of the time, people want to be entertained, and it's very cost-effective to do something entertaining in radio. You don't need a big set, you don't need lights or cameras. You just need a good voice, an interesting piece of music, maybe a dialogue, some interesting effects and an interesting sound design.

Do you agree most radio spots are terrible? I do agree, but I agree most television spots are terrible. A lot of local shop owners put their voices on it, and they don't really know what they're doing or they're yelling at you, and it's terrible.

Biggest challenge: Trying to get people to think with their ears. I've had scripts with the sound of toast burning—the sound of stuff that doesn't make sound. So they're obviously thinking with their eyes and not their ears.

Even when agencies have good writers, they're much more visually oriented people. They just won't write very good radio, and you can tell by the effects they put in: "Open on sound of a certain city." Modern cities all sound alike. The subtlety of the different horn of a certain car is not really going to [convey] that you're in a different city.

State of radio: In New York, I have to say it's awful. The shows that college radio puts on are much more interesting than what the commercial stations are doing.

In a market like New York, you can't really blame them because they don't want to scare anybody by introducing anything too new too quickly, so the music stations go over the same things—very formatted, no more DJs.

Then I leave New York, and I'm like, "Oh, it's not that bad." There are places that don't have to vie so hard for every dollar, and they get a little creative or they take a different path. And I get back, and I forgot I like radio..

Career highlight: Going out on my own. I decided to leave corporate life and start a little piddly company and it managed to grow into—well, it's still a little piddly company, but we have fun. We get opportunities and we do the best we can. Fortunately, it's been working out, and I work with a lot of great people.

Career disappointment: There are no regrets. You can make more money directing television, but a lot of times it's not about the money. With me, it's about being able to laugh and working with good people.

Most influential individual: Jeff Krauss. He's no longer with us, unfortunately, and it was a great loss for me. He was a professor at Hofstra who ran the radio station. Everyone was afraid of him because he was so mean.

We wound up hitting it off. He pretty much got me my job at ABC, right out of school. He gave me a boost and a step in the right direction.

The other person was my mother. I didn't want to take the job at DDB because it was paying $14,500 a year, and she said, "Just get your foot in the door." And I was like, "I can't afford to work to get my foot in the door," and she was like, "Just do it." And I did.

Advice for broadcasters: Don't be so worried about the numbers, and format more creatively.

Liner Notes
Profile: Joe Barone
Title: Bar1 owner
Favorite radio format: Alternative
Favorite TV show: "I watch movies on TV, but I don't watch television shows."
Favorite song: "Something from David Bowie, but I couldn't tell you what."
Favorite book: "A Clockwork Orange"
Favorite movie: "Arthur"
Favorite radio commercial: "One of the [National Thoroughbred Racing Assn.] commercials."
Least favorite commercial: "Right now, it's Major World. It's for this auto place where they just yell about how low their prices are and how great the place is. It's just god-awful. I turn the station every time I hear it."
Favorite restaurant: The Union Square Café
Beverage of choice: White Russian
Hobbies: "My hobbies are listening to music and driving my Lexus. I am the most boring person you know."
E-mail address: jbarone@bar1nyc.com

"Video killed the radio star, but it really didn't. You'll always need radio." — Joe Barone