The new year is a time for reflection, thinking ahead, and adjusting. It’s a time for fresh starts and new beginnings. We’re here to help. Mike Shepard, Andy Meadows, and I have compiled a short list of resolutions and recommendations for 2023. Of course, personality resolutions from last year are still valid. Keep working on those!
Think big, but be realistic. It’s better to reach too high and fall short than to set small goals and achieve them. What can make a meaningful difference to your year? For best results, identify resolutions that can make a meaningful difference and focus on it like a cheetah chasing down a gazelle on the Serengeti!
Recommendations and Resolutions For 2023: Don’t PIS Yourself
Mike Shepard has the best advice for all broadcasters and personalities: Don’t PIS (Play It Safe) Yourself. Radio has been conservative for far too long, overly cautious to avoid mistakes, and overreacting to a few listener complaints. It’s time to take risks and create attention. The radio industry has devolved into a wasteland because of the disincentive for content creators to experiment.
Stop being paralyzed by worrying if your idea will work. Instead, imagine the gains if it does work. What if you are the only station or personality willing to innovate?
Challenge yourself to put a creative stamp on each idea to stand out in a world of sameness.
We wish all broadcasters to commit to a defined structure with a system of incentives to create fresh ideas that encourage the brainpower of each employee inside that structure.
Two cautions:
First, don’t announce new ideas just because they’re new. All ideas must be vetted, and a strategy for success must be in place. Second, focus on one thing at a time. Build a long-term plan, but pour resources into each fresh idea. In other words, don’t try to do everything at once.
Develop Personalities
Maybe the best resolution for broadcasters is to commit to developing personalities. How long will it take to realize that while the music format alone may compete against other radio stations, you’re losing the battle for the audience? Personalities are the difference-makers.
Do it in stages, but start now:
It’s A Show, Not A Shift: Change the emphasis from working an air shift to performing a show. This isn’t a factory job filling slots. It’s a creative job in the entertainment business.
Raise Personality Profiles: Personalities need a much greater presence to attract a distracted audience that spends little time with radio stations.
Be Tight, Not Short: Short and Tight are different. Stop focusing on the length of talk segments. Focus on quality, entertainment value, and, most of all, efficiency.
Create a Hit: Great shows are usually built around a key, familiar feature that acts as the rocket fuel that unleashes talent. This has been a primary driver of Bonneville’s Big Bay Mornings. The KMVQ/San Francisco morning show has grown to the #1 position in the market with features delivered by outstanding personalities in an innovative, comfortable structure.
Think Outside
All resolutions and recommendations should start with an external focus, and that’s a challenge for most businesses (not just radio brands). We all think internally rather than focusing on how listeners use the station. This year, get outside the box and hear your station the way listeners hear it.
Beasley’s WROR/Boston morning show, featuring Bob Bronson and LBF, enjoyed a great year at the top of the rating heap, but 2023 is primed to be even better after an eye-opening project in December. The duo spent an entire morning experiencing life in Boston and listening to their show (and competitors) like an actual listener. Getting an outside perspective resulted in a brilliant list of adjustments and ideas they will implement.
A similar approach could lead to valuable adjustments for your show in the new year. For instance:
There’s no room for low-hanging fruit content. It doesn’t cut through and wastes segments. That may be the only time a listener hears you that day. Get rid of disposable content like weird holidays, today in history, horoscopes, and celebrity birthdays.
You’ve probably noticed the shift in TV news and sports coverage from reporting facts to conversation and opinion. Innovative broadcasters realize the
value of content curation. Personalities must invest more time (show prep) in developing content instead of regurgitating the most recent survey or list. Lists and surveys can ber a good source, but the content must be curated into ideas.
And finally, embrace radio’s strengths. The radio audience is aging. That’s okay. There’s life beyond 25-54 and a ton of money to be harvested by targeting disenfranchised demographics most likely to listen to the radio. Flood Communications KKPR/Tri-Cities (Nebraska) has created a unique brand and debuted at #1 in the market in many of their target demographics in 2022, increasing revenue by more than 50%.
Conclusion
These resolutions and recommendations consider the realities of operating stations in a challenging industry facing economic headwinds. Take an intelligent risk on hiring great talent, developing a sound strategy for success, and allowing creative freedom with guidance to grow and flourish. Radio can still be a great business but requires imagination and courage to innovate and grow. Let us help you make 2023 a great year.
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