|
I prefer some music on in the background during
dinner in the evening. My wife doesn’t. So we compromise. She
gets the choose the music on any day that ends with any of 25
letters in the alphabet. I get to choose on any day ending in a
“y”.
On the days it’s my turn we’ll sit down to dinner and I’ll
Inevitably turn on DIRECTV’s Sonic Tap channel 851, their version of
smooth jazz, of which we’re both fans. Within just a song or two
we’ll inevitably look at each other with that “WOULD YOU PLEASE TURN
THE CHANNEL?” look on our faces. Now understand, we’re both fans
of the music. We actually WANT to listen to this channel. I worked
for many years in the smooth jazz format, I’ve been on a Caribbean
cruise with the artists, (yes, I’ve seen Richard Elliot in a
Speedo!), and I’m all too familiar with how to program the format
successfully.
But the some of the music we hear on Channel 851 is so void of any
structure or melody it reminds me of what my old boss Al Brady Law
at The Oasis in Dallas called, “improvisational whaling.” Their
selection in music makes it almost impossible to listen for very
long, even if you’re a fan.
What’s this have to do with your station?
People want to love your station. If programmed correctly, your
Christian music station is already about the things your listeners
care about most. Even if you have an abbreviated signal, or you’re
on the non-commercial end of the radio dial down with the public
broadcasting and Spanish stations, people will seek you out.
People WANT TO LOVE YOUR STATION.
What if the success of your station isn’t just about attracting
more listeners? What if your station’s success was just as much
about not chasing them away?
John is a partner in Goodratings
Strategic Services, and has been a successful major market disc
jockey and program director for such companies as CBS, Cap Cities,
Westinghouse, Sandusky, Gannett, and Alliance during his 38 year
broadcast career. John joined Goodratings’ partner Alan Mason in
1999.
|
