Laying Out The Liners Whether it's "Blazing Hip-Hop and R&B," "Jammin' 96 The Best Mix," "My Magic 102.3," or some other slogan or positioning statement, it's time to look at how the audience really perceives these liners .Right now so many stations are using so many ...

And What If The Ninth Caller Is An idiot? You know, strong show prep, solid basics and fully-researched music are extremely important, whether your market is currently being measured with the diary or the meter. But in response to your e-mails, texts, Twitters, once ...

You Have To Stand Out, Make It Memorable And Make it Last For years now, Urban radio has been known for its extensive involvement in the community. Through well-established benchmark promotions and innovative marketing, many successful Urban stations have closely aligned ...

Can They Make A Measurable Difference? In a culture that relentlessly celebrates youth, choosing the right passion picks can still make a difference. For ordinary listeners who don't own their own companies or have enough cash to start a hedge fund, barriers to staying ...

Urban Is Not A Format In a Box There is an opportunity for an Urban format that is contemporary, but not "audio wallpaper," to really score -- providing it can meet or exceed the expectations of the audience. The format has to be hip and have the production values and ...

Re-Writing The Rules For Electronic Measurement In response to the many who have e-mailed me, Twittered me and inquired about it, here is the first in a series of editorials totally dedicated to Arbitron's PPM and how the meter has already changed Urban radio ...

Retooling The Edge For many of us, the year 2010 has been one of promise and frustration, challenge and mediocrity. For others, it could well have been the turning point in their career - or the end of it. When we attempt to judge how good or bad a particular time or ...

Player-Coaches Forced to Lead By Example According to a recent poll, a growing number of Urban programmers are doing daily air shifts in markets 35-100. Although there are exceptions; usually the larger the market, the less likely it is that programmers will pull daily ...

Avoid Self-Imposed Traps Some of today's most knowledgeable and skilled Urban programmers have been experiencing ratings dips lately. Naturally, nerves are frayed and questions are being asked by their managers. They want to know why has this happened and what are we ...