The MD's Changing Role

Flow Is The Key To Longer Listening Spans

While there is no hard and fast rule about music director's duties in the urban world of 2008, one thing is certain; it's a position that carries a lot of weight and responsibility. The one thing that can make a difference and something the really strong MDs know is the ability to control and maintain flow which results in extended time-sent-listening (TSL).

The most successful MDs often go on to become PDs, simply based on their ability to research and schedule music. Today music directors have to be more than music librarians. Some MDs I have spoken with lately in various size markets claim they feel their hands are tied. If this is the case, you need to show the person you're working for how valuable you are. If you're a hard worker and good communicator, you'll will eventually gain the respect of your peers as well as your boss.

Many MDs also have to juggle an air-shift. They have to find a way to keep the station sounding fresh and expose new artists, while holding up their end as an air-personality. As MDs, they have to find, fill and balance the music and help to develop future artists because they're the future of our format(s).

How are these things accomplished? Some MDs have a policy to play a record a few days before they add it officially. That way they can make sure they're comfortable with it. Then, by the time they report it, they'll know if it's something they can live with for the next five or six weeks.

When I was programming, I used to grab my MD and get away every four to five months and review the entire music list and decide what to do. This tactic served two purposes. The first was to allow us to get away so that we could concentrate on the things that were really important, without the distractions. And second, we could be more objective and subjective about new policies and research applications.

As we begin to ramp up for the upcoming fall Arbitron sweeps, music directors need to look at how they can hustle their homies into listening longer. Great content and flow can make a big difference. The best way to capture new cume is to build a better on-air product. Some think it's better to protect what they've got. But the best way to do that is by presenting the best possible product on the air. All the elements, especially the music, must interact and contribute.

Focus On The Format

Radio in 2008, regardless of format, is arguably not the first choice among some younger demos for getting new music and lifestyle information. So the question becomes, are we in danger of losing the ears and loyalties of our Generation Xers, Yers or Joneses? And how have they changed? Well, for one thing, many baby boomers grew up immersed in racial bigotry. They were born when Jim Crow laws were still on the books, but their kids are growing up in what the pollster John Zogby calls a "beige America."

These kids have not had the instruction in racial hatred a lot of their parents and grandparents had. More than ever before Generation Xers and Joneses are the offspring of mixed-race and ethnically mixed couples.

More of them have been exposed to greater ethnic and racial diversity in their schools, in cultural interests and musical choices, at work and through the global reach of the Internet. This is the group that has made Will Smith the top-rated, highest paid movie star and Tiger Woods one of the most popular sports figures of their time. And this is the group that has made Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Kardinal Offishall, Ne-Yo and Rihanna major crossover superstars.

This is the first colorblind generation. These are young Americans who are acquiring an expansive world view as they mature. They will be better educated and more connected to the world than pervious generations. So it isn't just time and death that is reducing the number of bigots and making this country a more accepting society. This generation considers personal fulfillment a top priority. A lot of them are "music freaks" in a hurry and if we can appeal to them, regardless of whether they are measured by a diary or a meter, we can convert them. Then, once we do that we have to keep them. Even if we become their new P2 station, that can make a difference. So, what do we do to get them and keep them?

The answer is that we have to focus on the format and stay attentive. There have always been fragmentations in the urban format of disposable time whether it was television, cable, Internet, iPods, satellite radio, books or movies.

The current subscription models, even as they continue to gain in penetration, still have relatively small audience caps, relative to the reach of terrestrial radio. Up until now urban radio has always successfully co-existed with self-programmed entertainment devices.

As music directors, we've got to remember that we can't execute our way to excellence without a blueprint.

Part of that blueprint or plan or format focus this fall and winter should be on attracting those Hispanic listeners who like urban jams. America's Hispanic population is now over 42 million. Hispanic origin and age figures released recently by the Census Bureau include Hispanics who may be of any race and accounted for about one half of the national population growth.

Working-age Hispanic adults (18-54) year olds totaled 184 million nationally. Some 63% were in that age range. The proportions who were members of this age group ranged from 66% for Asians to 61% for blacks and Hispanics. Those heavily weighted Hispanic listeners can make a huge difference in your station's overall numbers.

Flow Factors & Daypart Indexing

Now is the time to follow up on your hunches or the results of your latest perceptual studies. If you think your late night music choices do better in middays and the research seems to support that theory, now is the time to make that move. It's all part of effective daypart indexing. This is a comparative technique developed by Arbitron to assist programmers to determine what dayparts are helping the station and which ones are not.

Your station's total share of audience is actually made up of multiple shares for each daypart. In other words, an average of morning drive, middays, afternoon drive, evenings and overnights. By creating an index that compares each daypart to the overall average, you can now see which time periods are under or over performing and then make adjustments.

Another flow factor to consider in daypart indexing is daypart relativity for each format. In other words, every format has its uniquenesses and anticipated performance curves. For example, middays on some mainstream urban stations are often lower than other dayparts. The reason is that those indexes often favor stations such as urban adult stations that target at-work listeners. This disparity is inherent to the format itself and should not be cause for concern.

For most urban and urban AC stations, nights are still the very best time to break and introduce new music. Nights are the most active listening period. Nights also keep the base audience, particularly for straight-ahead urban stations who need teens. You can get away with more at night than during any other shift.

Keep in mind daypart indexing is a great equalizer of information and a good way to look at your at your station and see what's pushing you forward and what may be holding you back. It also provides a standard point of comparison that brings each daypart's contribution into sharp focus.

Balancing Air Play

With many PDs overseeing two or more stations, in addition to an air-shift, they really don't have time to deal with music. They're forced to concentrate on the bigger picture - fine-tuning, ratings and promotions. That's a full time job. There's no way they can sit and listen to 30 new songs every week. There is no way they can take promotion calls. Sometimes MDs get nine or ten calls a week on the same song. That bogs them down to the point that they want to tell labels they've heard the whole story. But then something new breaks or a re-mix becomes available and at that point those relationships pay off.

All of this comes down to being able to take all this information and then balance the station's music. In response to label suggestions of expanding the number of slots on the playlist, the problem is the station expands light rotation any further, those lights won't get enough airplay in a week to justify a report or move the "passion score needle" in a call-out music test. Sharp MDs are looking for the growth of a record over several weeks. For new artists, they're looking for steady growth. It's negative to see a major artist slowing down after a few weeks. Callout input gives you an indication of the feel of a song. The key is to maintain a good balance between hits and familiar music that fits the format.

Hooks And Listener Benefits

Let's go beyond the music for a minute now and look at what else makes the ratings rise. Building great ratings depends on being able to consistently promote ahead to improve flow, extend TSL and even build quarter hours. This is especially true now with Arbitron's PPM, where cume is king. You should never go into a stop-set without teasing ahead. Giving listeners something to anticipate creates aggressive momentum and flow.

You increase TSL by constantly selling listener benefits. Doing this makes the show and the station more interesting and helps to create longer listening spans. One method I really like is one in which you have live liners that sell one of the station's unique music benefits several times an hour. This aids listeners to better use the station and gives them more reason to listen later in the hour and into the next day part.

Finally, urban radio's greatest strength still lies with its MDs making the right decisions on the music they play. The toughest job is finding and maintaining the right songs and then scheduling them at the right times. We still have to find them and then we have to make them flow so they will not only fit in, but also stand out.

Word!