Audience Development Group hopes you had a wonderful holiday season with your family. We also hope you had time to think about this New Year we are in. Audience Development Group has always said, “What was good enough to get you where you are today will not be good enough to keep you there.” I believe this statement to be very true for you and your radio station(s). What can we do at our radio station to improve the overall product? Maybe it’s the way we manage people? Maybe it’s the way we look at and do our marketing? Maybe it’s the way we hold our meetings?

The truth is we can find many ways to change which could be beneficial to us but just don’t change for change sake. The first steps to take in this process of change are to find out what things need changing and what things don’t. Here’s how you determine that; Make a list of the areas where you were least successful in 2013. You will probably come up with a list of about 5-6 things. Then develop a plan for 2014 to approach these things from a new or adjusted angle. It doesn’t have to be dramatic change but enough to get noticed. For example, if one of your least successful things in 2013 was the lack of a strong marketing campaign, then you need change the way to budget for it or find a way to partner with clients to make it happen.

Of the things that were successful in 2013, there will be no need to make significant change. It can be as small as changing where you have the meetings or the order in which you go over the agenda. Remember, even the successful steps you took in 2013 need to be improved to some degree

The most important area for continued change is in the way we deal with the people we work with. In this day of multitasking and tight schedules we can quickly turn into people that simply “give orders” without taking the time to continually mentor and develop each person we deal with, not matter what their experience level.  This lack of care and attention has caused big problems with countless radio stations all over the country. It is the primary cause for stunted radio growth everywhere. Remember, your people are a product of the quality time you spend with them. When you intimidate them you'll get only the minimum performance. If you take the time to work with them and encourage them they will out-perform expectations. Leading by inspiration and encouragement always results in long term growth. Leading by intimidation and fear, usually leads to minimum standard achievement at best.

Take a deep breath and find ways to do things in a new way in a new year. It will lead to a profitable new year in so many ways.

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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