Upgrading Your Programming

Avoiding The Monument To Sameness

Now that we're in the midst of Fall Arbitron sweeps, this is probably as good a time as any to look at where we are with our programming strategies. We have to ask ourselves: What we can do to be different and distinguish ourselves from the rest of the format-similar stations in the market? Chances are, if you listen after 10p, you will hear a monument to sameness with most of the music stations in continuous music sweeps, with little content and virtually all the air talent simply segueing and reading liner cards. Those are the live ones. If the station is being voicetracked, those moments are often ever more meager.

Before we look at who is to blame -- and there are many of us included in that group -- we probably should really just blame ourselves. We decided that we wanted minimum talk. We decided that a mid-morning musical jukebox would find those fickle format fingers flocking to our frequency. In some cases, the decision descended from a corporate force from afar, who also decided that middays could be voicetracked.

But wait, no programmers have said, "Just read the liner cards and don't say anything else." Regardless of what we say we want, what we really want are jocks who can be distinct, compelling, or even funny while keeping talk to a minimum. That means they can personalize the weather, kid with the callers and do a bunch of little things that won't take up a lot of time and can be done meaningfully.

Unfortunately, instead of following the path of creativity or looking for an edge, we've allowed ourselves to be led by a fear of being different. So we reduced talk to absolute minimums. The results, according to recent research results from focus groups to listeners' panels, have shown that the respondents all feel that stations sound alike and that they perceive radio as boring. Another result is that our TSL keeps dropping.

Can we improve our TSL by upgrading? Well, to borrow a line or two from the airlines, as close as three weeks out, we have to check availability -- in this case, the availability of information. Our salvation rests with our ability to make our stations distinctive, compelling, and stand out from the crowd.

Improving Talent Development

One of the toughest, but most effective, ways to score this fall is to improve the talent that is already on our stations. First, we have to recognize the talent. Then we have to understand that talent by its very nature never stands still. Talent involves creativity, evolution and even some risk. Risk has now become a dirty word, and the ensuing response from America's "buzz fuzz," the FCC is pretty explicit. Fines are being increased. Yet we can channel the risk-taking, guide it, foster it or thwart it. We must control it -- especially these days.

Another problem in Urban radio lately is that a lot of PDs have little or no experience in managing or developing major talent. In many cases, these former MDs (or former air talent themselves) try to avoid situations where they have to deal with talent. The program director should be hired, in part, for his or her ability to work with talent. PDs need to guide talent with frequent, regular feedback and to act as coach and even psychiatrist when needed.

We should expect more from our air talent than becoming liner card readers. Every jock, including weekenders and part-timers, should be required to do daily show prep. The question is always how much? While there is no set answer, the reality is that they have to do enough daily show prep to accumulate more new things of substance to say than he/she can use in each day's show. Even so-called "continuous music stations" can benefit from air talent who make emotional contact with the audience.

Another major problem has to do with the frequency of the critiquing sessions. They can't occur only when the jock is in trouble. By that time it may be too late -- for both of you. As a consultant, what I try to do is observe each situation and treat it accordingly. The most common problems I have found are jocks who concentrate on simply reading the liners, brevity and other boring, mechanical aspects. I try to spot talent on the way up and tell the program director about someone I feel is really talented and advise them to make sure that talent is nurtured, encouraged and rewarded.

Assessing our station's talent level should be the first step in determining the style or approach we use to improve them. We want personalities who are mature, but hip,

regardless of market size. Chances are we will have talent at significantly different levels. They need to be coached and improved accordingly. It is important to understand that regardless of how we personally feel about this aspect of our job, it must be done! The fact is that few, in any, individuals or teams ever become champions on their own without good coaching. If students could lean from books alone, there would be no need for teachers.

Finally, there are programmers who say, "I know I ought to schedule some aircheck sessions, but I just don't have the time. They've got me watching three stations now and it's all I can do just to get the music scheduled." That may be true, but that's a weak cop-out! Our ratings depend as much on what happens between the records as the records themselves. Our air talent need to know that we are there to support them, offer them ideas, guidance and provide guidelines so they will know just how far to stretch the envelope.

If we want extraordinary ratings, we have to do extraordinary things, even if we have ordinary people. A little work in the right areas can make them sound extraordinary. Even if we get the music right, if the rest of the station is average, we can only expect average results.

Arbitron numbers, whether it's a meter or a diary, are prone to fluctuations and wobbles, and even the best stations suffer through or benefit from an unusually strong or weak book or trend on occasion. Improving our stations by improving our talent allows us to put ourselves in a better position to attract new cume or extend our TSL. Upgrading in the areas we mentioned above will definitely widen our station's overall appeal. Finally, we must remember service elements such as traffic updates continue to be important, too. The time of day with the slowest traffic is still called "rush hour."

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