ABSTRACT

Two things directly contributed to the rise of radio consultants: more stations – from 2000 in the 1950s to 12,000 in 2000 – and more formats – from a half dozen to several dozen during the same period. Broadcast consultants have been around almost from the start, but it was not until the medium set a new course following the advent of television that the field grew to real prominence. By the 1960s, consultants were directing the programming efforts of hundreds of stations. In the 1970s, over a third of the nation’s stations enlisted the services of consultants. Today, the field of radio consultancy has shrunk substantially due to the corporatization of the radio industry. The ranks have dwindled to half of its former number. Says former top radio consultant Kent Burkhart, “Since consolidation many of the small consulting companies have shut their doors. Most of the large consulting companies with lots of assets (meaning an exclusive format, research partners, marketing connections, etc.) have done well financially…but not as well as before. Prior to consolidation our company (Burkhart/ Abrams) was charging a certain fee for each station in a group. However, since consolidation many groups have hired one chief programming executive for a lot less money than the aforementioned fee per station. I thought consolidation would change the face, operations, and efficiency our consulting company and others. It didn’t sound like fun to me, so prior to the consolidation rollout I sold our consulting company in 1995.”