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Yes, there were exceptions, and I'm not going to get into the debate (which I kind of started last week) about how radio did with the story. It seems like every market had its first responders and its laggards, and there were, to be sure, news reports where the cameras showed a DJ talking up "Thriller" or "Man in the Mirror" or something, but most of what I heard was talk about TMZ.com and Twitter and that kind of stuff. Newspapers were shown as way behind, TV was late, and radio? At least radio wasn't called out much for being late or wrong, but it wasn't brought up much at all, good or bad. Out of sight, out of mind. Yet, as discussed here last week, some stations were on top of things, and, surely, there were radio talk shows that jumped on the story and broke the news to a huge audience and provided listeners with a place to get the information and call in to express themselves. Wasn't that worth a mention?

But it's the same as any other story. If you don't tell people what you're doing, they aren't going to know. I see this happening all the time. Some stations and hosts are great about this -- they pepper trade reporters like myself and TV and newspaper assignment editors with press releases and calls. The stations immediately make sure that the local TV crews know they can get lots of b-roll or interviews or whatever, right away. If there's a promotion, they tell everyone when and where and who and how.

And then there's the rest of you. Something happens, and there's silence. Schedule changes come and go with no acknoledgement. People get hired and fired and it's like pulling teeth to get anyone to admit it. There are entire groups of stations -- you know who you are -- over which descends the Cone of Silence whenever there's news, good or bad. There are hosts who go into witness protection when they've been let go, or their schedules have been changed. And in cases where publicity is cheap and easy -- like, say, a really famous entertainer died and you're talking about it on the air, with VU meters wiggling and all the phone lines blazing -- they don't make the phone call to the local TV news department.

Then they wonder why radio isn't getting its due.

I know that staffs have been pared back to the marrow, and there may not even be a marketing department at your station. But when something big is happening, you have to tell the world what you're doing. That should be part of your station procedures for major events and emergencies: Put someone in charge of calling and e-mailing all the local TV stations, newspapers, major websites, and trade reporters (ahem) to let them know what you're doing and that they can come to the station to get video and pictures and whatever else they need. Maybe you didn't break the story like TMZ, but your goal is to make sure that the public notices the hard work you did. So make those calls.

The same goes for all of you on a personal level; If you're doing something worth bragging about, brag. Filling in for someone? Doing a guest shot on some local TV show? Gotten yourself appointed to a municipal board of some sort? Spread the word. That's how you get noticed. That's how you get more work.

Radio just doesn't do a great job overall of tooting its own horn. Look, radio's problems will not be fixed by a public relations campaign. (The less said about "Radio Heard Here," the better) And getting mentions in the paper, or 30 seconds of your afternoon host on the evening news, or a link from a popular website, well, they won't change public perception of radio overnight. But there's no reason your hard work should be ignored, ever. We're in the communications business. Communicate.

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I'm going to be taking the next week off to decompress, read a few good books, sleep a little later (if my cat will let me), and celebrate my birthday (I can't stand birthdays... what? Cake? Ice cream? Well, then happy birthday to me!). During that time, I won't be updating Talk Topics the way I usually do, but I'll probably drop in from time to time and post some stuff, because I'm not really well-versed on this "time off" thing. The rest of the All Access staff will be on duty, though, and you'll find continuing coverage of all things talk radio in Net News and all the other great resources and information for which you depend on All Access, so keep coming by as usual. It's still free, you know.

1. Practically everyone was careful to note that until there was confirmation from a more trusted source, like an established news organization, one shouldn't assume the news of Jackson's death to be true. That says a lot about the value of an "old media" news brand, even in the new media era. (And the trustworthiness of sites perceived as "real news" versus "gossip sites," but that's another topic)

2. Nevertheless, the first place a lot of people seemed to go this time was to the Internet. The exchanges on Facebook and Twitter were where news was being disseminated, and where conversations were being held.

That second point is something radio should be looking at. People have more choices on where to go for breaking news, and for a place to talk about and commiserate over events. And since that's the world you live in now, you have to answer this question:

When the news started breaking, and people were tuning in to your station to find out what was going on, did you have the information? Did they immediately get the latest?

If the answer was no... yeah, well, see, that's a problem.

The argument here isn't over whether the media overreacted to the news of Michael Jackson's death. It's about what your listeners want, expect, and need from you. With all the talk about wanting to reach people under the age of Medicare, this was a perfect example of a story that hit the sweet spot. People who were in high school when "Thriller" came out are in their mid- to upper-thirties today. To them, Michael Jackson was Elvis. He was iconic, whether they were big fans or just casual consumers. Add to that the controversy and just plain weirdness of his life in the intervening years, and you didn't have to be a radio genius to see that it was time to drop everything else and talk about this one for a while, whether you liked him or not.

In my informal talk radio scan of the local dial, many stations here did that. At least, by 3 pm Pacific, they did. A few stations stuck with syndicated hosts, one of whom was talking about health care proposals and the other of whom was railing about the president. But even the sports stations were on it for a little bit. It was that big.

Yet the fact that there were shows that DIDN'T go with the biggest story of the day -- a story guaranteed to make worldwide headlines -- troubled me. And the way some shows seemed a little uncertain of what to do with the story also didn't quite sit right. Everyone should have a plan for stuff like this. And here's that plan:

1. Huge news means bailing from "regular programming." If someone tunes into your station, they need to hear talk about that story immediately. Not after the next news, not in the next hour, but right away. If they don't hear that right away, they're gone. And, next time, chances are they won't turn to you.

2. Someone should be assigned to sit in front of a computer and just troll the Internet for information. They need to have Twitter Search, Facebook, Google Trends, and several browser tabs going at once. In fact, let's face it, in 2009, radio stations should have someone doing that 24/7. Even if it's an intern, there should be someone looking for news on a constant basis. You can't wait for the thing to move on the wires; your listeners hear about stuff from the Net way before that.

3. If you don't have a lot of material yet -- if, like in this case, the news is dribbling out without detail or in some cases confirmation -- go to the phones. When something like Michael Jackson's death happens, people are looking for someplace to just express themselves about it, whether it's grief or anger or indifference. They can do it on Facebook, but radio's still a contender in that category, because it's easier (not to mention safer) to call in while driving than to post a tweet behind the wheel, and the sound of people exchanging their thoughts about huge news is a strength of the radio medium. Use that.

Simple. So... is your station ready for the next huge story?

While you think about that, I'll take the opportunity to plug All Access News-Talk-Sports and the Talk Topics column, where you'll find material for any show from big stories like Michael Jackson and Iran to poop jokes. Eclectic, that's what we are. This week, the topics include the other huge celebrity death -- no, we do have Farrah, but that's not what... Ed? Got that too, but no, we... well, all right, I was talking about Sky Saxon, from The Seeds of "Pushing Too Hard" fame. Hey, you have your celebrities, I have mine. Plus, there's an apt political commentary from an incontinent monkey, some very bad mothers (shut your mouth!) (sorry, couldn't resist), Gov. Sanford's Argentinan odyssey, strip searches, pistachio recalls, North Korean threats, the landmark case of Kookaburra v. Down Under, a consideration of why Eddie Murphy keeps getting work in movies, the USA soccer upset win, the greatest toilet-related invention maybe ever, a DUI on a golf cart, a joyride on a steamroller, expensive knee surgery for a cat, a naked statue, the Naked Cowboy's controversial homecoming, cell phones for four-year-olds, and the best idea for a sports mascot yet. Wow. You'll also enjoy "10 Questions With..." Illinois-based regionally syndicated talker Michael Koolidge and the rest of All Access with the radio and music industry's best, most complete, most accurate coverage, columns, ratings, job listings, and lots more, all free.