The Small Market Radio Newsletter was founded in 1983 by Bob Doll, a small-town station owner who felt there was a need for a publication to serve radio broadcasters in smaller markets. “Most trade magazines and associations cater to the larger-market broadcasters who provide most of their support,” Bob said at the time. “The small market guys are forgotten.”
There are still broadcasters around the country who remember Bob and his wife Barb pulling up in their trusty Buick on his nationwide tour of small-market stations. “Whenever I saw a tower I stopped in to visit the station, talking up my newsletter idea.” After three rocky years, the Small-Market Radio Newsletter became a solid hit.
In 1993, Bob sold the publication to Jay Mitchell, himself a small market station owner and consultant. Jay recalls, “We wanted to make the transition as smooth and unobtrusive as possible; we didn’t want to mess with the success that Bob had built.”
However, over the years the newsletter has evolved to reflect the changes in the radio landscape and the shifting priorities of radio operators. But one thing that hasn’t changed — and never will — is Bob’s original mission: to provide operators in small rated and unrated markets – and those in larger markets who rely on local direct business – the tools they need to serve their listeners, advertisers, and communities better, and enjoy greater profitability in the process.
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