One of the most important areas of your radio station is VISION, your ability to keep your eye on the target. Our experience shows us that the stations that are able to stay focused and have fun doing it, are the stations that are consistently winning. Over the years we have seen stations lose that vision and subsequently lose their position in the market. Some radio stations come out of the blocks with all of their attention and energy focused on the station they want to defeat in the market. Because of this determination and focus, a fabulous product is put together and the competition is beaten.

After this great victory has been accomplished a strange thing can begin to happen inside of the radio station. The energy that was used to beat the competitor is somehow redirected inwardly, from one co-worker to another. Egos begin to get in the way, working conditions are criticized, team-work erodes, friendships disintegrate and many people verbalize how they would like to move on. By taking their eyes off the target, they become their own worst enemy. At this point only two things can happen...

1. The station gets refocused and they will continue to win.

2. They will continue on their slippery downward path and will eventually lose their market position and then wonder what happened. If you have every asked the question, “I wonder what happened to (radio station), they used to be on top of the mountain, now they don’t even seem to be a factor?” Usually the answer is, they lost their vision.

Losing your vision can happen at any stage of your stations development; however it usually happens after a certain number of goals have been meet. As a manger, one of your top priorities is to constantly reinforce & identify your stations vision and the steps needed to get there. Never assume anyone will stay focused on their own, this is part of the coaching that is necessary in a competitive arena. It is important to instill the belief that your station never “arrives” anywhere, instead you only visit various plateaus. Be very specific, with each individual on your staff, as to what their tasks are in reaching these goals and how they can help every one keep in step. It is not enough to simply tell people to keep their vision clear, you must show them how.

When a person’s point of relativity has changed, he/she can rationalize all kinds of destructive behavior including accusing people of things they know are not true only to win the “I know the most dirt” image at the station. Being unfocussed can be as destructive as being focused is productive. Today would be a good day to check everyone’s vision.

Brian is a 30 year radio veteran who has successfully served many companies over the years as Program Director, Operations Manger and VP of programming. After many years of success working for individual radio stations and clusters, Brian Joined one of the most trusted consulting firms in the country, Audience Development Group. For the last 15 years Wright has enjoyed building alliances with scores of stations in the US & Canada helping them grow in ratings and revenue. Contact Brian at brian@audiencedevelopmentgroup.com
 

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