Sure Cure For The Summertime Blues

How Is The Summer Audience Different?

Obviously the question is not is the summer audience different, it is how is it different? For one thing, they have different needs in the summer. They're in a different mood. Right now they're hot. The country is suffering from one of the worst summer "hot spells" most of us can remember. Probably nothing would be more welcome that a cool thought or two about how to keep these overheated listeners happy.

Should you suddenly give away a lot of cool prizes? You know, things such as air conditioners, refrigerators, or maybe even a new house that is fully air-conditioned? How about some up-front tickets to a really cool concert. Now we're not saying you shouldn't do any of these things, only that at best, they're short-term fixes. The big question is will people who get a diary remember that you tried to keep them cool and write your station down, even though they listened to your competition? Maybe, but you're betting against short odds. What's better is an extended cure for the summertime blues, so that when the weather changes, you're still a "major player." They key is to really understand what summer means to your entire target audience. How do the folks who have ordinary jobs and lead fairly mundane lives feel about what their favorite station is offering during the current heat wave? They want some relief whether they live in town or they've moved to the suburbs. Some of them are young and restless and radio gives them something to do after work.

Summer brings about a change in listening patterns, time-spent-listening and the overall attitude of the audience. Lot of listeners are on vacation. The kids are out of school. People tend to be happier in the summer. If you're a programmer who's holding the summer reins for the first time or you've just moved up to a larger market, I've got a couple hot tips for you.

There is a theory that says if you really know good radio you can do any format any time. You can adjust, compromise, and still win. Part of knowing good radio is understanding summer differences. During the summer months, you don't just compete against the other urbans, smooth jazz, or Top-40/Rhythmics, and in some cases, Jacks in the market, you continue to compete in the marketplace as a whole. Some programmers and consultants say they always look at a market and try to figure out how to compete against the other urban formatted stations. You should certainly do that, but you also have to take stock of the entire market and look at those stations that you share even a few quarter-hours with.

Single Professionals

One of the new groups that many urban stations share limited listening time with are the single professionals. They're following the jobs, but in a recent survey these Generation Jones were found to be different from the married professionals and feel slightly out of place in a conversation about children, a new minivan and the whole "we're headed for Home Depot" world. Can you become their favorite station this summer? Because if you can satisfy that niche and super serve them without losing your core audience, it could pay big dividends. And besides, it's great practice for the coming PPM. Here's how it works.

In order to attract and maintain a strong summer following, you must have a current image. I know, you're saying, "Tell the GM and the sales department that. They're all screaming 'Get me more 25-54s if you want to stay in that job.'"

But guess what? Those 25 plus demos they think you should be chasing don't want to hear a steady diet of oldies and ballads, no matter how much research forced them on the menu. This is especially true during the summer. You might think that the best way to grow a summer audience would be to play some cool music, and many of the really cool songs are ballads. That simply is not true. Whether you're a straight ahead urban station or an urban AC, the smart thing to do this summer is to freshen up and some add currents and some tempo, in the case of the urban ACs. Remember, not everyone, especially the young professionals, who listen to your station is going to the clubs or being "shouted out." Check the latest population figures and see what the trends are in your market. Have there been population shifts? How many twenty-somethings will start to work this summer? And check the average age of these new suburbanites. You will probably find their median age is around 30. That would put them smack dab in the middle of the most desirable, saleable demographics. They're changing the culture and the color of the suburbs. Can you flava the format a little so their fickle fingers will fix on your frequency? The fact is that there are thousands of them our there and we're missing out on them.

Recent studies conducted in several major and medium markets have shown that, by the time these young professionals are ready to drink wine with the year on the label, they're ready for a station that not only plays their favorite jams but treats them like an adult. If they're going to listen to and enjoy the same station their kid brother or sister listens to, it better be jammin'. And there are markets and stations that have figured out how to capture this new suburban cume. You see them at the top of the ratings at various times all over the country. The problem is that sometimes these stations put the right combination together accidentally. Then when the book comes out and they're way up they can't remember what they did. But we're not talking about having an accident; we're talking about creating a summer buzz.

Buzz is the word, and you can start one this summer. It's a lot of hard work and you have utilize everything at your disposal, including the liners, interns, van and website. The key is consistency. The billboards, bus-backs, television spots, direct mail, website all have to be saying exactly the same thing. Same logo, colors, graphics and image lines.

Think about other industries that have experienced the same things. Take the athletic shoe industry for example. Both Nike and Reebok are looking a little worn about the heels these days.

Despite the tremendous amount of advertising they do, they've both been hurt by the sudden shift to grunge fashion, few really hot new shoes and tight consumer spending this summer. Some industry observers say Nike and Reebok are out of step on the fashion front. Now they're both still making money, but not as much as they had hoped for. Not as much as they had projected. Despite big sports theme marketing efforts that focus on show performance, it's fashion, not performance, that will spur most summer athletic shoe sales.

What's taking the place of high fashion kicks this summer? Alternative footwear, regardless of cost. You see examples of it in music videos and artists' public appearances constantly. And it's not just rappers and those who want the "White Tee" thug look who are shedding their sneakers. Those single professionals we mentioned earlier are wearing these hip, alternative shoes on the weekends and after work. They'll do the same thing if you suddenly become their favorite radio station. And all you have to do is recognize them. Say and do some things on-the-air that lets them know that you know they're out there.

The Daypart Difference

What kinds of things do you say and do and when do you do it? You start off by establishing your morning show and then follow with lots of current hit jams throughout the rest of the day. Notice I said current hit jams. Now that doesn't mean you can't play an occasional former number one, or throw in an active re-current joint now and then, but if there's one thing that can bring these single and married young professionals to your side of the dial it's freshness. Looking at it from a pure day-part standpoint, you want to be about 80% current, familiar and up-tempo in the morning. Then you should move through middays about 70% - 80% current with a slight tempo shift. Afternoons should be at least 80% current and nights should be 90% current. Nights is where you introduce the new music. The day-part difference should probably be high profile artists. The idea here is that during these hot summer days listeners love to hear fresh, new music by their favorite artists -- the ones they're going to put on their iPods.

Remember, BET, MTV VH-1 and some local channels will be playing to this summer audience, too, Some of these video outlets often get and air these music videos before radio does. Radio is waiting for the results of their call-out research. Don't wait this summer. You don't want your station to be at a competitive disadvantage. You want your summer listeners to be able to come to you for the new music; they want to hear the latest releases as soon as they are out. You have to take some occasional chances and summer is the ideal time to do it, for the sake of freshness.

The answer is to stay close to your listeners and understand what they want. Do that and own a position, and you're that much ahead of the game. The stations that own a position this summer are the ones who are going to score. Play the best possible current music and make the station sound interesting. This means that the part-timers who fill in for vacations have to be really familiar with the way the station has to sound. It also means extra effort and talent development sessions to ensure that the station remains consistent.

Finally, you have to stay focused. If you can do all these things and add focus, you may not cure the summertime blues, but you can certainly treat them effectively.

Word.