As someone who has spearheaded the launch of 2 FM sports stations and been responsible for creating and debuting countless talk shows, I think I have an idea or two about what goes into unveiling a brand new program. I say that not out of cockiness, but out of recognizing the details that go into everything you do to make a show matter and gain an impression from Day 1. Believe me, I’ve missed plenty of times and have made numerous mistakes so I’ve learned things that do and don’t work.
While I’ve modified my approach over the years, the importance in having a plan and going through every detail still factors into how I launch shows today. I believe first impressions still matter and you’re only going to help yourself by having your ducks in a row as opposed to working it out as you go.
First things first is identifying who your host or hosts are going to be and what the mission statement is going to be for the show. As a Programmer, you should have a strong idea of who it is you’ve hired. Then comes the challenge of deciding how to brand that personality’s style and presentation. This step is super critical because every aspect of what you do with a show is going to connect back to the overall theme. From the website to your social media platforms to your on-air imaging and external marketing, when you mention the (insert name here) show, your goal is for the audience to identify with the talent and be able to recall something about it.
From there, you can dive into what content items matter most in your market, how the flow of a show should go, if guests matter or not, which ways you’ll interact with an audience, and which qualities about the host(s) resonate and which characteristics have less appeal. I’m a firm believer in using a white board and engaging talent in discussions on these questions because the more they’re involved talking about it, the more they see it and remember it. I can recall numerous sessions where I’ve spent 3-4 hours in a conference room with a show unit and after listing strengths and weaknesses, guest ideas, features possibilities and strategy ideas to build awareness for the show it’s carried directly over to all involved with the show.
As a rule of thumb, I try to keep a show off the air for at least 1 week and go through every single scenario possible before releasing them into the wild. Most radio people just want to go on the air, do the show, and do the least amount of analysis possible before getting started. That’s because it’s not always comfortable or easy to think about who you are, why you matter, what the theme of your show is, what strategy you’re going to implement to help the program reach a level of success satisfactory for everyone involved, and what the audience does and doesn’t value. If I had more time I’d probably give a show 2-3 weeks of strategy sessions before launching it but in the radio world, that’s an eternity and unrealistic. That said, I do believe the time you invest in understanding the goal, the people involved and the direction for where you’re headed pays off for you in the end.
Ironically enough though, the one form of media which we’re lumped in with most (TV) seems to put the extra detail into what they launch and after weeks of buildup via promos, interviews, social takeovers and numerous other marketing opportunities, they have a pretty strong impact on getting consumers to sample their brand new offerings. For radio though, it’s usually a case of hire the host, connect him or her with the producer, figure out a couple of topics and guests for show #1, and off you go. That process though is why shows usually come out of the gate unfocused and without a specific purpose.
Take a step back for a second and picture yourself in the shoes of James Gandolfini or David Chase. You’ve got a brand new show debuting on HBO and you’re the creator (PD) and the lead character (on-air host) of a program titled “The Sopranos”. Would you launch the show on the day you were hired? Would you just go in front of the camera and figure it out on the fly? Would you leave it to the consumer to figure out what the mission statement of the show is? When I hear radio people mention “we’ll get that sorted out afterwards, let’s just get it on the air” it makes me crazy. Using that rationale, a show like The Sopranos would have been a radio dud. However, because a strategy was in place, the show’s mission and audience target were understood, and the content was crisp once it hit the air, people had an expectation of what they were going to see. They then bought into the messaging, the characters, and consumed the content. The result was one of the most iconic shows in television history. Here’s the promo leading up to Season 1 on HBO. This is why radio shows need the extra detail invested in them before they even touch the airwaves.
So you’re now going to tell me that the Sopranos are an entirely different deal and not a fair comparison right? Ok then let’s take the entire movie industry. You head out on a weekend to watch a 2-hour film. What’s the first thing you watch when the lights go off? Previews! They run usually 1-2 months in advance of when a film is released in the theatres. Most film companies buy a heavy advertising schedule a few weeks prior to the release to get you interested in going to see it. Heck when you’re in the theater and the preview is done, half the time you can’t shut up about whether or not you’ll go see it once it’s released. Is there really any difference between launching a new movie and a new radio show? Actually there is. The film has spent time going through every detail and establishing what they want people to take away about it whereas most radio shows do not.
One could also suggest that the film is planned out and only 2-hours long whereas radio shows sometimes deliver 10-20 on-air hours per week. But this isn’t about how much time has to be filled, this is about drawing interest to a new show, having a creative direction and plan for where you’re headed, and understanding the roadblocks ahead you’ll have to navigate in order to achieve success. Here’s the Transformers 4 trailer. Watch it and see if you can come away with what the focus of the movie is. I’m sure you will, and like most people on this planet, you’ll be heading to the theater to watch it soon and making it the #1 film at the box office on the weekend it’s released.
It seems simple and it should be, but strategic planning doesn’t happen often yet it’s an essential focus for the launch of any new show. I believe it makes a HUGE difference between having short-term and long-term success. If you can spend time with your talent and production staff and go over what the main hook of the show is going to be and illustrate a plan for how to create something which is going to matter to the local audience, then your chances of success are much higher.
I also find that most of your staff will appreciate the time you took to analyze them and provide them with ammunition helpful to their future success. Subconsciously they’ll end up recalling parts of what you taught them and that’ll carry over to their conversations without you needing to say anything further. They may not want to spend 3-4 hours trapped inside a conference room but those who understand the big picture of what’s being created will adjust and they’ll be thankful later when the audience shows up to listen.
For a closer look at a day to day game plan and what’s required to launch an effective show click on the link below!
Additionally I’ve attached a few promos which my former Imaging Director Jeff Schmidt produced to help launch some talk shows on 95.7 The Game. Typically I like to promote a brand new show for at least 2 weeks prior to a launch. If time allows to do it even longer I don’t see any negative in building even deeper suspense. I believe a new show should be given a ton of promotional support prior to hitting the airwaves, so from a promo standpoint a healthy number to schedule is somewhere between 100-125 over the span of 14 days.
The main goal when launching a new show is to generate curiosity to make people sample. Then it’s up to your talent to deliver on the expectations that have been positioned in the promos, and make sure that the hype created for the new program is warranted. You’ve heard it time and time again, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, so get your details together, have a focused plan and understand what you’re trying to create and tap into before you do it. You’ll be much further along this way then if you tried to figure it out as you go!
Haberman & Middlekauff – Launch Promos:
Damon Bruce Show – Launch Promos:
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Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
