The Ten Commandments of Fall 2009

Here’s how to make your station sizzle and wrap itself in fun, showbiz, entertainment and scream local, topical and connect with your listener: 1.) Take every liner out of the studio and let the talent talk about what’s important to the life group and the listeners. Work with them everyday to improve their on air posture and don’t give up, make sure it happens. Teach them how to talk to the listeners sharing emotion, laughter, fun, excitement and belonging. 2.) Make use of social media, make sure you have a FACEBOOK page and TWITTER page. Encourage them to use it every hour and make sure the social media is compelling and not just “follow me on TWITTER”. 3.) Do not make them talk about the station web site. Use recorded sweepers or promos to solicit web usage in fun and creative imaging. Extraneous breaks about web solicits are boring and offer no traction. 4.) Turn every day part into a representation of reflecting what the listener is doing during the prospective time slot. At work should be centered on the typical at work listener and what their world is like. Avoid during work (in weather breaks talking about what a great day it is and get out and enjoy it). You would be surprised how many talents do this in the middle of the work day. Learn from AC and the way they relate to the workplace. 5.) Use the phones and talk to the listeners, great interactions beget great interactions. Conversations between two people about what’s going on make for considerable entertainment value. If you are voice tracked and need phones, look into RADIO VOODOO or switch the request lines to a voice mail with cool greetings from all of the staff. Don’t let it slip away. 6.) Imaging and sonic sound needs to change from slot to slot. Simply playing back sweeper after sweeper (in the same style) makes the station too predictable. Work on an imaging matrix or clock that replicates your music clocks, balance the imaging between jingles, sweepers, male and female voices, listeners, artists and create the fun that never stops effect. 7.) Your morning show has to be captivating, making connections every break, turning every quarter hour into a mini-show within the show. Don’t let them beat something to death all morning long. Morning commuters, listeners and PPM-holders are busy with the world, they need to blend into the listener’s world and not make the listener become part of their worlds. Most often, these are radio morning show worlds and offer very little of what’s real and not. 8.) Become part of the community, experts of what’s happening on news, sports, weather, lifestyle and COUNTRY P-1 level across the city. Too many stations and talents have no idea what’s happening in their own backyards. They are too busy with administrative duties and writing useless blogs on the station’s website. Do not let social media start controlling localisms or we are done. 9.) Forget contests, nobody cares any longer. Most communities have casinos, states have lotteries, every media platform is promoting something, and no one will hear it except contest players. Major contests do not affect ratings – Great radio stations do! 10.) Become driven, passionate, dedicated, and creative and do not let anyone make you take your eyes off the prize.