Page Title

Programming Philosophy

THE JOB IS TO DELIVER THE LARGEST POSSIBLE AUDIENCE WHILE MAXIMIZING REVENUE FOR THE STATION.

With the changes of consolidation, programming is more intense than ever. Cooperation and protection of musical turf for sister stations means creativity is a necessary ingredient to success. A Program Director will present ideas, but will execute the battle plan from on high. It's a team project.
Look for the niche. Establish your identity and presence. Super-serve your niche. Make sure the imaging matches the product. It's a waste to have clever spots on TV that tell the listener you're "green" only to find out you're "blue" when they tune in.

In Classic Rock, the potential for the "stale factor" is high. You combat that with fresh imaging that is relatable and timely. You stay up on production techniques and values. The audience may prefer the music of a certain period, but they haven't necessarily been stuck in a time warp. "I'll watch 'Casablanca' on my big screen surround sound Dolby pro logic TV, thank you"

One key factor is your people. Everyone needs to be pumped and involved. Hire good people, tell them what you expect and let them do their jobs. I'm not in favor of hotline attacks or micro-management. If they mess up, deal with it in the appropriate way, at the appropriate time. I think the best motivation is give them a good reputation to live up to. "This is Joe, the best production guy in the biz." Not empty praise, but acknowledgement of strengths and work on the weak areas in a constructive fashion.

The receptionist is the off-air face of the station. Keep her up on promotions, screenings, concerts and contests. Let sales and programming be close. It can only benefit the station to help each other. Talent can make extra cash, sales can have a "Star" along on a cold call. Instill goals in both departments. It could be the key to that extra revenue. Listening to traffic and production for input makes for a more efficient business as well as happier people. These people will help me be successful, I want to treat them well. Money is not always the prime motivator. Give them a great workplace and you will have better workers, more output, and yes, better cash flow. It's radio, it's supposed to be fun, serious fun.

MUSIC

Own at least one strategic position. For two or more they must be strategically combined so both formative listeners are satisfied. My formative choices are Classic Hits, Classic Rock, Active Rock, AAA, AC and CHR. Striving for quality and freshness, but, I like the "A known song will beat an unknown song, every time" approach, safe, yet not stale or boring. A good, smart, lunar category will help here. Highlight your deep cuts and "oh wows" when played, but give 'em meat and potatoes. Showcase new songs to ensure familiarity. Strive to construct flow and placement but not at the expense of "Core" artist balance. Give them what they want, creatively, but deliver the goods. Balance your rock and pop artists. If your playing a Bad Company or Led Zeppelin, make sure you back it up with an Elton John or Billy Joel. If you're going deep, back it up with something solid. Focus. People don't go to McDonalds for lobster. If you've done your homework and decided a course, keep your integrity. Brittany Spears and Megadeth don't mix. A great plan, execution, imaging, tools, good jocks, music structure and maintenance are the keys to good TSL and dominance in your target demos.

POSITIONING

Establish your niche and dominate with attitude, and execution. Aggressive positioning is the headline that sells the paper, the picture that moves the magazine. Imaging is a very important part of the equation. Your jocks are on for a few hours, your imaging is twenty-four / seven. Look at the success of NBC with their imaging. Brooke Shields would have taken a dirt nap much sooner if she hadn't ridden on Jerry Seinfeld's coattails and been properly promoted. Production is key here. Worse than a lame song, stopping the music for a commercial is death. Stopping the music for a lame promo is suicide. Both can be attenuated. Establish your benchmarks so the audience has no doubt as to who is the "Concert Station," the "Let's Go Skiing Station" the "did you hear what those guys did this morning station" etc. Attitude is key.

MARKETING

Good programming will get you great marketing, word of mouth. But it needs assistance (especially in those upper demos), and wasted energy is senseless. Focus your dollars with information to find your audience and figure placement of billboards, print, direct mail, TV, and promotions. Get a grasp on the quarter hour punch in / punch out habits of your audience. Good on air cross-promoting and imaging help here. TV is a prime tool, but can only be used after the other pieces of the puzzle are in place. You don't open the store until there's stock on the shelves. Another very effective tool is the Internet. It's a reasonably priced convenient method of contact that can be used in a lot of ways. It's growing steadily, but is still being sadly under utilized. I have experience here in html, ftp, graphics, image mapping and Java. I also have education in CorelDraw and PhotoShop. (The net can also be an effective database tool). All this is affected by the current market conditions. Are you under attack, on the offensive or flanking to squeeze the dominant station at the time.

PROMOTIONS

They don't have to be expensive, but they do need to be fun, focused and compelling. Promo Inventory is one of the most sought after products, treat it as commercial inventory. Give it a value, package it's power, limit availability and reap profits. Promo Inventory is worth more than commercials. Station endorsement makes it something money can't buy. Current events, sporting events, concerts, and community concerns can all fuel the fire. Work with key advertisers for added value to them and cost dispersal for the station. One constant problem I've seen is people showing up only to find an intern at a card table taking registrations. What a let down for your potential loyal listener who came out of their way! Let's not forget this is show biz. Go the extra step and package them properly. 1/4 hours, cume, and TSL are the results of usage recall, which comes from listener loyalty. To achieve loyalty, establish trust, the integrity that underpins the relationship with listeners, clients, community and shareholders. Tie in with community service, for many beneficial reasons (not the least being a good Ace-In-The-Hole when your morning show steps over the line). Work in local stars. Above all, make them sound exciting on the air. Get your talent to sell it! Generate features (while watching out for clutter) to enhance loyalty, TSL and revenue. Above all, it has to benefit the station.

AIR STAFF

Get passionate, knowledgeable, talented, hungry, and aggressive personalities who are willing to do what it takes to win. Work with them, challenge them, push them and listen to them on and off the air. (In The case of the all important morning show, have incriminating pictures of them with animals, so they don't get too out of line.) Provide an environment that will foster talent maximization. Get them the tools they need, share that information and encourage their ideas. Cross-promote to enhance name recognition. Competitive teamwork, setting high expectations and recognizing a job well done can net good results.

RESEARCH

The tail should not wag the dog. Research is a valuable tool that should enhance the vision of the station. Not tainted, ignored or selectively taken out of context, but used objectively to strengthen the course of the station. Get some face-time with listeners to study their usage. When do they tune in/out? How long is their commute? TSL is not just the length of listening, it is also the number of occasions (plug afternoons in AM Drive to recycle audience. Enhance your habitual listenership and recycle into the next day). Share these results between the PD, GM and Corporate to maximize resulting implementation.

OUTCOME

Ratings, revenue, a great adrenaline rush and a bottle of Dom every three months.