According to Forbes magazine, more Americans listen to the radio each week than use Facebook. Despite this, people continue to wonder if radio is still relevant in the digital age.
The co-founder and guiding light of KHUM radio in Humboldt County works to keep radio relevant by making it less predictable. JPR’s Michael Joyce wraps up his series about craftsmanship in the context of the four classical elements with -- AIR.
Air - passing over vocal cords - to make sound. And sound- transmitted electromagnetically through the air - to make radio. That makes Cliff Berkowitz's voice possibly the most recognizable in Humboldt County.
Cliff describes the day the radio station first hit the airwaves.
“It was January 7th, 1996. It was in the afternoon. And we throw the switch, it’s on the air, it’s working …And we already knew what the first song was going to be: James Brown’s ‘I Got You.' And we were all just dancing around the studio and it was amazing what a magical moment that was”
Cliff co-founded KHUM - or Kay-HUM as its called locally - twenty years ago this month. His goal was to create a station that was hyperlocal, unconventional, and deejay-driven.
“It’s actually very new music- oriented. But not being hemmed in by various different playlists. The idea is that the deejays have complete freedom to play what they want. It’s up to them to make it sound cohesive."
Bayley Brown is one of those KHUM deejays. Before being hired earlier this year she interviewed Cliff for the radio trade magazine, RadioInfo.
“Cliff said: ‘Always remember that content is king. And always remember that announcers come a dime a dozen. True personalities that can think on their feet are rare.’ And I think that Cliff is one of those true personalities that thinks on his feet."
Many in Humboldt think the station is popular because the freeform style has a sort of anti-establishment edge to it. Others believe it’s simply the music which is new, hip, very diverse, and delivered with a kind of informal randomness. Dennis Real, owner of Los Bagels Cafe, thinks it’s more about hyper-localism.
“Community," he says. "They are the ultimate in community radio station. I go to them if there is any kind of event going on in the community."
Dennis has advertised on KHUM since soon after it went on the air.
“What it’s done is instill an amazing sense of pride in this community. And people feeling proud of what they have, and that connection that they have. That’s the difference.”
And this is what Cliff thinks will keep radio relevant despite a host of competing options.
“So how are you relevant? And what makes you relevant in a community?" he asks. "Is to be part of the community. Is to reflect what the community is all about. Talk about what is going on and be ready to respond instantly when something happens that is of importance to the community. Who’s going to tell you that? You’re not going to find that on Pandora!”
And you would think that with Pandora, YouTube, Spotify, and iTunes that radio would take a hit. But a Nielsen report found that in the second quarter of just last year more people were listening to radio then ever before. Rather than just say radio is ‘dead’ it might be more accurate to say radio has ‘evolved’.
Every spring the Pew Research Center releases its annual State of the News Media. This past year here were the main findings: First - ‘News, talk, and information’ remains the most popular format. Online listening has doubled since 2010, and most of this was via smartphones. Oh … and podcast listening has also doubled in less than a decade.
The thing about radio is that - unlike other forms of media - it’s readily available worldwide. It’s “free” and can be quite local and very immediate. Finally, as many of you know right now, it’s the only car-friendly medium out there. Cliff Berkowitz knows all this. He teaches it to college students when he’s not on the air. And when students ask about the future of radio here’s what he tells them:
“Don’t worry about radio," he says. "You’re hung up on the delivery system. Who cares about the delivery system? You are in the business of creating content. There will always be a need for content. Whether it comes over FM airwaves, or digital airwaves, or through a stream. I think it is alive and well.”
Even after 20 years, Cliff says the fun of being on the air never fades.
“I love it. It’s different every day. I don’t know too many people who wake up every morning and say ‘I get to go to work today’. I wake up every morning and say ‘I get to do a radio show today’. It’s fantastic! I absolutely enjoy it. I mean why in the world do I get up at 4:30 every morning?”
