How to improve the sound of your weekend programming

Planning for 2011 needs to include weekend programming, no matter the market size and station. For some reason in smaller markets, programmer's feel they have to wrap the station around syndication. When you employ syndication, you are not local, you are not talking about the community and the radio station. The average CMR has 21 hours of syndicated programming in relevant hours every weekend, not including a syndicated all night show, that would be 33 hours, more than half of the entire weekend. 

Some radio station have no live programming on the weekends, but remotes and maybe a live Saturday 10a-3p, not to entertain the life group, but to board-op remotes. 

Look at the syndicated programming you carry and ask yourself if you really need a Bluegrass show for a couple hours or a Saturday Night oldies show? If you run Kingsley you can play him Saturday morning and Sunday morning, or better a replay of your morning show on Saturday morning and Kingsley twice on Sunday. Also: An immense amount of syndicated shows takes up inventory.

Introduce a series to song titles over the weekend, that are up-beat, tempo driven, secondary songs that feel weekend. Your imaging should include weekend vibe sweepers and promos. Last month I told you about some live stations in Southern California on Sunday. Sure sounds good to have that live body interacting with listeners at work and play.

If you are short talent for weekend day parts, image up! Sunday Mornings 6a-12n could be called Sunday Morning Comin' Down on 107.1 The Wolf. Just music with a Johnny Cash name. Lot's of Southern CMR's could be using: Sunday In The South on XXXX-FM.

Think out of the box and do not give your listener's programming they don't expect to hear.