Format Make-Or-Break Moments

Sustainable Positions Fueled By Narrow Focus

We've been saying for some time now that Urban programmers need to narrow their focus as we move deeper into the Spring ratings sweeps. For those in small and medium markets there are some dangers and risks connected with bringing major-market cookie-cutter programming ideas in and expecting huge instant shares.

Certain aspects of cookie-cutter programming may work if they're just good radio basics, but it's localization that's still very important, especially with all the syndicated programming now being offered. You need to reflect the mood and attitude of the market. Successful programmers listen to their stations and then do their own one-on-one focus groups, often in lieu of a research budget.

Urban radio ends up like dogs chasing their tails, with so many small-market PDs imitating major-market stations instead of paying attention to local needs. Audiences tastes can change overnight and we need to focus on those changes. Too much of anything is not good for you or your audience. It's up to programmers to find the best available music and content for their market and present them in ways that appeal to the masses. You can't simply blindly follow the niche your research department defines.

Emotional Bonding & Left Flank Attack

Another thing that has surfaced as we attempt to re-focus the format is the overwhelming importance of creating some sort of strong emotional bonding with the listener. I'm convinced that the Urban formats have a great potential to garner that relationship because Urban listeners are so loyal.

The left flank attack with a combination of strong, local and nationally syndicated air personalities can still be very effective. The key is to first make sure the station is perceived not only as the one for music and entertainment, but also as the station that's always on top of what's going on in the local market as well as the national music and artist arenas. The station should always have a cause it's pursuing. The higher-profile station needs to remember that Urban listeners not only want to have fun, but like to help someone who deserves help. This notion goes a long way in either holding your mountaintop position or digging away at the other guy's perch.

Another area that is becoming increasingly important is the digital department for those stations that need to take their online efforts to the next level. You want to be able to take what is happening on-air and match it hand in hand with your online presence.

Niche Radio is Here To Stay

Urban radio needs to come to terms with the fact that a mass-appeal Urban or Urban AC station is a niche format. And there is no new "one size fits all" quick fix that GMs are always looking for. Some of these "fad formats" will prove to be a disappointment. They can be easily blocked by effective defensive programming. In the long run, if a mainstream or adult-leaning Urban station is focused, they can make some effective moves to slow down or stop a competitor, which is depending solely on its music to win. Sure, there will always be a few fringe-flavor records and artists that cross over. But a well-programmed, focused mass-appeal Urban station can "block many shots," especially if they truly understand niche defensive programming.

With the bulk of the population growing older, Urban stations will have to focus and concentrate increasingly on teens and young adults. Teens and sub-teens, which are now going to measured by Arbitron's new PPM, may seem less important from a sales standpoint. But for ratings purposes, they cannot be ignored.

This is a decade of more bottom line-oriented stations. With some of the newly purchased or traded stations, owners may feel that they won't be able to make much money with teen numbers. But the reality is if teens carry a meter and keep your station on, those numbers could swell -- and very quickly. Remember, there is a lot of unintended listening that could result from teens and sub-teens not only being measured, but also keeping everybody in their immediate vicinity exposed to your station. Even if you're an adult-leaning Urban station, we don't advise going after a hip older audience with a steady diet of ballads and oldies. Play the jams adults like that also have teen appeal. And the formats can overlap on both sides.

Straight-ahead Urban stations should never concentrate on just 25+. Those stations will always be an 18-34 format with some teens and some older listeners who want the hipness thrown in on the side. Certainly there are 25+ listeners, lots of them, who fall in the Urban psychographic, and as the population bulge grows, the format's listenership in that cell will grow as a result.

Mainstream Urban stations will still program with the operation manual it's always used. Emphasis on the hits and balance achieved by callouts, along with retail sales, gut feelings and station sound parameters will continue.

The glory days when great 12+ ratings meant everything are gone. There are still some stations that, regardless of their target audience, spill over and expand into wide demographics. But as advertisers become sharper and programmers become smarter, the demographic pie is being sliced into smaller slices. The goal is to be as mass appeal as possible and take full advantage of some of the secrets revealed above.

There probably isn't a single programmer who hasn't had to defend the format, either from inside their own station or elsewhere in the industry. The economy is down and billing is off by as much as 30% in certain markets. Owners and managers want answers. Yet some of the format's make-or-break moments are actually moments of choice. Urban stations today face a daunting array of choices and the real challenges have never been greater. But what if we could reduce the risks by putting in place the right elements designed with the use of real data mining and sophisticated, real-time analytics? Such imaginings are now possible.

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