RELENTLESS RADIO

 

Author:	Jerry Williams
Published:	February, 1999

 

It's coming and there's nothing you can do to stop it. You can only hope you're as prepared as you can be. No, we're not talking Y2K, we're talking ARB, S99. The Spring 1999 Arbitron Ratings Period. It begins Thursday April 1. Music If you haven't tested your library within the last 12 months, now's the time to do so. No single programming element is more central to your effectiveness than the music you play. Styles evolve and listeners tastes change, even in the AC arena. Artists fall in and out and back in to favor, get overexposed and can become tune outs if heard too frequently in your higher visibility categories. Some recent research we've seen suggests that may be happening to some degree with Steven Curtis Chapman (why do you think he's taking that hiatus?). And as you grow your listenership you're being sampled by people who have never been exposed to your power gold rotation. You'd better be sure those songs are truly the ones that can image your station. In addition to playing the right songs, you want to be sure you're rotating them effectively. If your library is too large, listeners won't be hearing their favorites often enough. If you're playing too many currents then those songs aren't getting enough spins to make an impression and won't test well when you move them into gold categories 18 months from now.  Talent Jocks crave FeedBack. If you're not already regularly meeting individually with each jock on your staff for critique sessions, now is the time to institute such a system. Make sure your entire air staff knows who your P1 is. Not just what demo they fall in to, but what their concerns and lifestyle are. Get a part-timer to cover your midday shift one weekday and take the full time air staff on a road trip around your market to give them a tangible picture of who you're targeting. Set staff wide and individual goals, and monitor progress. These can be anything from putting a little bit of life into the delivery of the liners, to making each break relevant to your specific target. Don't neglect your part-time air staff in those goals. With the proliferation of hard drive/automation/voice track systems, chances are your part-timers (if you have any left) are feeling a tad insecure. Make sure they understand the direction you're taking, who you're attempting to reach, and the strategy you've chosen to accomplish those goals. While scheduling conflicts may make it difficult to meet face to face on a regular basis with part-time jocks, you need to give them some sort of FeedBack on their air work as well. That could take the form of a monthly written critique, or, if you have an APD or music director who has aspirations and some demonstrated ability, you may consider turning over some of the responsibility for critiquing the part-time staff to that person. Promotions Between now and April 1 Promotions Directors should be putting the finishing touches on the major spring promotions. That includes: Communicating to the air staff all the details of how the promotion works on air. Producing one sheets for the sales/underwriting department to work from when securing sponsorships. Writing liners and promos, and getting the promos produced and scheduled. Securing all prizes and inventorying them in house before the promotion begins. Write and distribute press releases to industry publications (including RELENTLESS RADIO) and your local press. In addition to focusing on the major spring promotion, Promotions Directors need to be sure all the day to day details are taken care of. Check your stock of premium give aways (key chains, refrigerator magnets, etc.), bumper stickers, banners. Check your remote kits and make sure they're fully stocked. Keep up to date on special guests and features and contesting needs of the morning show. The spring book is not the time to let any promotional activity slide through the cracks. Production If there's one area where Christian radio has been uneven at best, this is it. Few stations have the luxury of a Production Director who doesn't also do an air shift. Pressures and the time crunch of last minute spots often mean that production is done in a "just get it on the air" manner. Today's listener is increasingly sophisticated, exposed not only to the stellar production work of your market's mainstream AC, but also the splashy, MTV style production values of network TV. Make no mistake, your listener knows the difference between great production and adequate production. If your station is going to move to the next level and compete in your listeners' minds as a "real" radio station, your production must be on a par with or better than the best stuff being done in your market. The Production Director and PD must unite to educate the sales/underwriting staff and the GM that production has to be a priority. That means budgeting for capital improvements in this area, as well as farming out voice work and copywriting duties if you can't afford to hire in house people dedicated exclusively to these areas. Outside Marketing If you haven't already made plans for your outside marketing for the spring book, forget it, you're too late. Start planning today for the fall.  The suggestions listed here don't need to be overwhelming. While the upcoming Spring Book is a great reason to focus on these things, the goal is to be doing them on a regular basis year round.

 

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