“What Makes You Think You’re So Special?”

As I careen through my 19th year of writing this blog, I always appreciate running into people who read and enjoy it. Some want to talk about a particular post that perhaps resonated for them. And then, there are the occasional questions. Aside from “Why do you do it?,” I would say the most frequently asked question is this:

“Where do you come up with the ideas and inspirations to write a daily post (except for #ThrowbackThursday)?”

And while I usually make up something or other than sounds plausible, I’m going to come clean with you today and reveal how I really do it. The truth is I steal a lot of the ideas from all over the worldwide web.

Actually, that’s not really true, but I do run across stories, articles, and anecdotes that I love to spin to make them interesting for you. And some clearly come from someone else, and in those cases, I always make it a point to quote, attribute, and supply a link to the original source.

And so, that’s the genesis of today’s post, something derivative I read yesterday that was actually written by a very close friend:

Buzz Knight

In yesterday’s Radio Ink, Buzz’s post was cleverly titled, “Differentiate or Die!” a variation on the “innovate” theme we hear quoted all the time.

But the focus of Buzz’s article was the need for radio brands to stand out against all the other players not just on the radio dial but all the other audio competitors going after the consumer’s time and attention.

Buzz reminded his readers how they can be different – not just with unique personalities that set stations apart but even with the commercial content they program in their stopsets.

When Buzz and I worked together, first at Saga, then Infinity, Greater Media, and Beasley, we talked about the need for brands to find a way to stand out – a lot.

Later, Buzz used this topic on a tweet that recalled Tony Soprano’s mother, Livia, who while sick in bed had a famous tête-à-tête with young A.J. Soprano.

Livia – played by the brilliant Nancy Marchand – annoyed many fans of The Sopranos, but she had some incredible lines, many of which live to this day on the Internet.

The one that Buzz mentioned came after A.J. confessed to “borrowing” the family car and getting into a little accident. His grandmother wasn’t happy, admonishing him with this great line:

“What makes you think you’re so special?”

And doesn’t that sum up what we’re all trying to do – to set our brands apart in a good way?

I thought of this will reading a recent story about Sphere in Las Vegas in Digital Music News. JacoBLOG readers may recall some of the content we posted about this amazing venue. Our CES attendees were treated to an evening at Sphere last January to enjoy the incredible film, Postcard From Earth.

When Sphere opened to the public over a year ago, many predicted it would end up being a white elephant in Sin City. At a cost of over $2 billion, this was a concept you couldn’t pretest.

For its most recent quarter (April-May-June), Sphere cranked out more than $151 million thanks in no small part to its Dead & Company residency, “The Sphere Experience,” and Postcard. With the Eagles starting a residency soon, EDM shows on the way, and an unannounced Country booking as well, projections are looking good.

To make optimal use of the venue, there are hints that concert specials will soon start being recorded at Sphere, opening another revenue bucket.

When MSG hears the question, “What makes Sphere so special?,” the answer is an easy one. There’s absolutely nothing like it in the entertainment and event environment. And the effect trickles down to Las Vegas which now can talk about one of their differences – a venue that New York, London, Rio, Hollywood, Abu Dhabi, and Disney World don’t have.

“What makes you think you’re so special?”

That’s the question we should be asking ourselves yesterday, whether we’re thinking about the other stations in our metro or the myriad options for people’s ears – streaming, podcasts, video games, YouTube, etc.

And when you consider the day to day competitive battles in radio, it’s the brands and personalities that are different or special that stand out.

After all, those are the names and stations we talk about decades later – Paul Harvey, Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern. They all talked about and we talked about them. 

Today, there seem to be fewer of those “conversation piece” personalities on our FM airwaves, but that doesn’t mean we should stop looking for them. Greg Beharrell, Charlamagne tha god, and Hubbard’s new entry, the Professor of Rock, Adam Reader.

They sound different from those who came before them, and that’s what makes them special.

We should be striving to find that next generation of personalities because they will be the ones that keep radio special.

One last note about the aforementioned Buzz Knight. Those of you who know him are aware he eats his own dog food. Three years ago, he set out to create a podcast that would be different. 

He and I had numerous discussions about the world of podcasting, and why so many were making podcasts with so little impact. After walking the streets of Chicago at Morning Show Boot Camp in 2021, Buzz hatched the idea that became “a musical history on foot.”

His conversations with the famous, the interesting, and the movers and shakers in the music world are always insightful and warm, showing us a side of these talented people we rarely see.

Now hosted by iHeart Radio, Takin’ a Walk has spawned a second podcast, Music Saved Me, already off to a great start. And Buzz’s newest innovation is a “Takin’ A Walk Icons” audiobook he talks about here:

New Announcement-Coming soon the Takin A Walk Icons Audiobook. Available at Audible, Spotify or wherever you get your audiobooks. ⁦@audible_com⁩ ⁦@Spotify⁩ @paulrodgers ⁦@JormaKaukonen⁩ ⁦@FelixCavaliere⁩ #audiobook #icons pic.twitter.com/CVrZYgHCbA

— Buzz Knight (@TheBuzzKnight) August 19, 2024

Buzz is highly active with Takin’ A Walk, often flooding the zone with great conversations with fascinating music makers that include Jelly Roll, John Oates, Felix Cavaliere, Jorma Kaukonen, Henry Diltz, and the list goes on.

What makes you think you’re so special?

While so many in podcasting struggle with this Square One question, Buzz is proving that being different from the pack is a smart business strategy, whether you answer to Livia Soprano or Julie Talbott.

It’s a question we all need to answer about our own brand.

So, what is it?

Here’s the scene from The Sopranos. Some say it may be one of the toughest in the entire series. It’s just :40 but it packs a punch.