Today’s State of Radio: Losing the Industry, Finding the Podcast :: Ep 32 Circling the Drain Podcast cover art

Today’s State of Radio: Losing the Industry, Finding the Podcast :: Ep 32 Circling the Drain Podcast

Today’s State of Radio: Losing the Industry, Finding the Podcast :: Ep 32 Circling the Drain Podcast

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Summary

 Johnny and Jim talk candidly about the state of radio today, the toll of bad management, and how podcasting has become a lifeline after nearly 50 years on the air. They share raw stories about being let go over Zoom, losing close friends and mentors like Phil Valentine and Dave White, and trying to find purpose again in a fractured media landscape. Guest appearance by longtime radio pro John David Wells, who breaks down what every radio company must give its talent to survive: money, opportunity, training, and respect.From Jesse Jackson on Radio Row to meeting your heroes (and being disappointed), to why personality is still radio’s last great hope, this episode is a love letter, a warning, and a blueprint for what comes next.Timed highlights (for show notes / description) 1:25 – Welcome back to Circling The Drain and where’s Jay Harper? 2:10 – Losing Phil Valentine, Dave White, and nearly 50 years in radio 3:24 – Radio as an abusive ex-wife you still miss 4:29 – Ratings wins, zero attaboys, and keeping the team’s morale up 6:00 – What good leadership and a healthy culture actually look like 7:58 – Phil Valentine’s “horse blinders” lesson and controlling what you can 8:59 – Getting fired over Zoom and bizarre comments from management 10:21 – When bosses praise your work… and still cut you loose 11:00 – The managers who shielded talent from corporate chaos 12:29 – The GM who fired Johnny after “Googling” him 13:33 – Setting boundaries and standing up to bad management 14:25 – Producing ratings but not getting respect or revenue credit 15:35 – Realizing the audience loves you (thanks to a grocery store trip) 16:33 – Depression after losing Phil and radio, and not knowing what’s next 17:53 – How this podcast became purpose and therapy 18:21 – Radio vs. podcasts: competition in a world of millions of shows 18:52 – Favorite episodes so far: guests, dads, and forgotten artists 19:53 – Interviewing drummer Sandy Gennaro after seeing him as a fan 20:48 – Why the pedestal for stars has crumbled (and that’s a good thing) 21:34 – Social media access, DMs, and how expectations of artists changed 22:55 – “Don’t meet your heroes”: when radio idols disappoint 25:01 – How rude encounters can kill your enjoyment of a personality 25:34 – The responsibility that comes with being meaningful to listeners 28:21 – Working in Vegas with “star” programmers and becoming peers 29:17 – Dressing up as your PD for Halloween and winning the contest 28:48–31:30 – (Overlap) Unassuming talent versus people “too busy being fabulous” 29:53–31:30 – Nashville’s unassuming radio community 29:59 – Jesse Jackson at the 2004 DNC and being “Johnny B, you the man” 31:11 – Remembering a polarizing figure by a single human moment 31:24 – The conversations we need to have to bridge the political divide 33:02 – Trump, scapegoats, and the WWE-ification of politics 34:30 – Voting for people you don’t hate and missing the Clinton years 35:34 – Accidentally talking politics on a non-political show 35:49 – Why Johnny still loves radio, even after everything 36:30 – Losing touch with former coworkers and the rarity of true friends 37:27 – Dave White and Phil Valentine as real, lifelong friends 38:15 – What Phil might have done next and the push toward podcasting 38:59 – Campbell’s talent and why he needs to be creating again 40:33 – Spotting that Campbell was born for the mic 41:25 – Campbell shadowing Johnny and realizing what the job really pays 41:59 – The hard problem: how do you actually monetize this stuff? 41:56–43:23 – Pitching advertisers: there is an audience here 42:19 – Radio people vs people who just work in radio 43:11 – Why former talent talk about radio like a mourning process 43:23 – How corporate radio could still save itself (if it wanted to) 44:58 – Losing syndication, coming back local, and a totally different show 45:15 – Pamela Furr, shifting roles, and not wanting to be just a button pusher 46:01 – First-ever live call-in: introducing John David Wells 46:48 – The four essentials of radio: money, opportunity, training, respect 48:24 – If you have none of those, you’re probably at Clear Channel or Cumulus 48:28 – Wells’ blueprint for saving radio from corporate debt 49:56 – Why big groups should cut loose signals to new owners 51:02 – Dad predicted deregulation’s fallout decades ago 51:37 – Talent loss, debt, and running stations into the ground 51:55 – Where is the new investor class willing to rebuild radio? 52:00 – Personality as the last, best differentiator for radio 52:43 – Talk radio is the hardest and most expensive format to get right 53:08 – Gratitude for Jay Harper and the “stars aligning” for the show 53:37 – Dreaming about a ...
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