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In broadcasting, reoccurring patterns of
counterproductive activity continue to appear on the radio
landscape. It seems like we are an industry that has difficulty
learning from our mistakes and many times disregarding what our
history has taught us. Imagine if today’s military leaders could
turn back the hands of time and fight in WW2 and they made the same
mistakes that happened the first time around or abandon the tactics
and strategies that were successful. The results would be
disastrous. Yet this seems to happen in radio very often. For
example, in many music formats, every 3-5 years it seems, core
artists start putting out inferior product plus a landslide of
disposable artistry comes into the picture. These songs still find
there way to the top of our play lists, but have a much lesser
impact on the average radio user. A radio station not utilizing
music testing can find themselves in a tough situation when this
happens.
Many programmers find it difficult to follow a
winning formula, simply because it isn’t theirs. I can recall a new
program director coming into a station when the ratings period was
over but the results had yet to come in. This program director
changed the entire direction of the programming only to find out
that the station leaped from 5th to 1st skyrocketing in cume, TSL
and share! The station has never recovered.
We continue to hope for the best without putting
our best effort into the process. I know many personalities who have
a hard time remembering the last time they sat down in a talent
coaching session. This doesn’t happen in many other professions.
Marketing is still viewed by many as a luxury and
not a necessity. Stations that consistently market well,
consistently win.
Leading by motivation is always better than
intimidation in the long run, but many still can only intimidate.
You can either MAKE people do things or you can make them WANT to do
things. You choose. It requires more management skill to be a
motivator but it works much better than being an intimidator.
Stabbing co-workers in the back has never been
beneficial to anyone in the long run, yet this happens all the time
in this industry. Those who shift the focus to others in a negative
way usually have something to hide themselves.
As we approach the days
ahead, let’s do everything we can to avoid making the same mistakes
over and over again. By doing this we will change the industry.
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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