Thursday Thoughts

The Four M’s – An up-date for 2010 on an ageless set of standards for contemporary radio

• Morning Shows need to be focused on the audience and the Country life group, riding the roller coaster of emotion, laughter, serious and comedic. Real people talking about real things. Squeaking by talking about Taylor Swift on Redbook and Martina McBride's Sunny D commercials break after break is inside and music industry related. Real people/listeners don't care. Country music listeners are not Country industry followers. Entertain, inform and communicate. No more needless and useless talk. Focus on brevity.

• Marketing: So we don't have giant promotions dollars, new media marketing means more than banner rolls and bumper stickers. Are you embracing social media, using Facebook and Twitter as a line of communications with your audience? Posting real time events and local happenings. Omit "Win Alan Jackson tickets at 7:55 with Lefty". Social connections are real people talking about real things. Are you producing videos for Facebook and links to the videos on Twitter? These videos should be the most entertaining and creative ways to sell your Country Music Radio station. Video record listeners at events and when they pick-up prizes. This would make killer Social Media Promos.

• Music: Grab your email database, text database and social media database and talk to them about music styles, eras of acceptance and flow of music. The end result will be a CMR that delivers a consistent music product hour after hour, day after day. Make sure you are not "younging down" your station. Our goal is still to attract 25-54 Adults. The proper balance of new and familiar music. We are not here to be cutting edge for the music industry.

• Money: Yes, now we have 4 M's. Work with the sales staff to find clients that you enter into sales and programming relationships with. Work with the sales staff and GSM to find out the needs of customers and then put the CMR to work for the client. The days of selling are over. We are entering into relationships with customers, solving their needs on a local direct and regional level. This is how we are going to make more money. Traditional sign the contract pitches are done, stick a fork in them.