The Rehr End and Radio
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There's no better time for learning in anyone's life than when it's time to back out. Failure builds character, if you're not too proud to admit to it. The lesson leaders of the radio industry should embrace, as well as David Rehr as he leaves the NAB, is that people see through charades.
"You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool mom" were the words Capt. Penny used to sign off of his daily children's show when I was growing up. In this case, "mom" is a metaphor for the NAB Board of Directors. It saw the catastrophic damage being caused by someone who started with high promise, but couldn't deliver.
We like to think David Rehr was an anomaly so we can move on to NAB's next president. But he wasn't. David Rehr is like most other broadcast leaders, which is why both television and radio are in such dire straits. Thinking only about about yourself (or industry), with so much distaste for what's right for the public, is inevitably going to expose your arrogance - and arrogance is where you listen to no one. It's a highly damaging character flaw when your position is to speak on behalf of the companies that are using the public's airwaves.
The man who led television and the radio industry for a brief three years represents the not-so-everyman who aspires to a 7-figure salary and standing on the stage. He's the type we all root for to succeed, yet damn when things don't go right. I wrote glowing words about the man I thought was the Savior of Radio shortly after David Rehr assumed control of NAB.
In comments about his appearance at the NAB Conference in September 2006, I wrote: As for David Rehr's presentation; viewing it brought to mind the opening scene of "Gladiator," that movie starring Russell Crowe. It images two warring factions facing off - with one leader embodying self-confidence, charisma, determination, and tactical knowledge. The battle's outcome is predicted.
David Rehr has all of the above, combined with a clear understanding of execution and the implications of using new media.
Radio has not launched into a war of survival, but of relevancy. To win, Mr. Rehr shows he's prepared to use organization in a way that was lost to previous NAB administrators. He will redirect many weapons that were placed aside for too many years; among them are communications, focus, purpose, and goals.
I was wrong. I learned.
While watching the Rehr End, I won't be as kind as the radio industry trade magazines. To me, it is beautiful to see him leave. David did more damage to broadcasting in his short tenure than Eddie Fritz. (Fritz led the industry through the peak years, before becoming an anchor and stopping it cold in the late nineties.)
NAB is treating this departure as if radio and television made great inroads over the past 40 months, thanking David Rehr for serving the broadcast community well. That's not the view from my perch. Over a relatively short period, we saw broadcasting fall from grace - not because it isn't capable of competing in this new media world, but because it refused to change and adapt. The responsibility for causing that change, when needed, lies on the shoulders of those who lead. David didn't deliver.
Instead, we saw the embrace of a failing technology (HD Radio), energy wasted fighting satellite radio, the introduction of the Radio Heard Here campaign (destined to fold faster than HD), and an agreement with SoundExchange for internet broadcasts that a seventh-grade math student could figure was poor business. And, don't forget that stance, "Pry those over-the-air royalty dollars from my dead hand," a course you had to avoid after standing on the sidelines watching every other music delivery medium being charged outrageous fees. Keeping your mouth shut early on proved unwise.
Arrogance shot down David Rehr, the man who will be remembered as doing things his way and failing at every step.
Now, in retrospect, I'm hoping the NAB Board will reassess its requirements for the next leader. It must seek someone who understands that life has changed to such a degree that it is demanded of leaders to listen and partner with others (not create their own islands).
The NAB was slow moving into the technological age, trying desperately to hold on to the past. Our next NAB President must move into the future and use every means available to conjoin broadcast and internet in the eyes of the public and its lawmakers.
We've had a charade that's crumbled over the past dozen years, with David Rehr and RAB's President, Jeff Haley, being the two men most recently responsible for lack of change in the radio industry. Radio CEOs added to the problem, but Rehr and Haley were expected to talk sense into everyone's opinion. (Jeff, you listening?)
Now we have to wait and see whether the NAB can be rebuilt into a respectable organization. If the NAB Board selects someone whose vision is that of a leader, not a lobbyist, it will rebuild. The former can do the latter. We just confirmed that it's not always the case in reverse, though.
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