“If you’re going to invent, it means you’re going to experiment, and if you’re going to experiment, you’re going to fail, and if you’re going to fail, you have to think long term” – Jeff Bezos.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos created Amazon in 1994 – as a book provider – as books are the world’s largest commodity, hold broad appeal, and are easy to ship.
Books won’t break, leak, or explode. Easy.
As he toiled in his Bellevue, Washington garage – pot belly stove for warmth – his new idea was really an experiment.
One failed experiment. Again. Again.
Amazon didn’t turn a profit for – seven years.
Try to explain that to your Board of Directors.
As broadcasters, we tend to format, design, write, coach, and program like we were stuck in 1994.
Same radio – same rules.
Last week, a challenge was volleyed to wipe your brain clean of the ancient rules. The world has evolved around us.
Charging you with experimenting in which we I.D. the brand, present the slogan (do we need a slogan?), cull the hits, and rethink spot length.
Reassess The Basics.
Read that piece – here.
Consider today’s newsletter, Part Two, on what we covered seven days back.
Ready to experiment?
Talent
- This – is the BIG one. If you pick ONE item we have or will address, make it – talent. Talent is the largest differential from your competition. Coaching talent and recruitment is messy. There’s no cookie-cutter path for coaching talent. Experiment with recruiting non-radio talent to the industry. TikTok and Instagram are prime platforms.
- A large number of talented programmers avoid talent coaching as they are shrouded with Imposter Syndrome, lack soft skills to develop talent or are shy of the intimacy it takes to make it work. Experiment with coaching sessions by asking a seasoned coach to assist you in your approach.
Prep
- Fire your prep service. National prep services create lazy talent. More than once – while driving through the belly of America – we hear the same national content on morning shows. The broadcasting industry screams ‘local,’ yet we allow a story about a strange woman in Idaho when we’re in Indiana.
- Talent that mines their OWN content builds emotional equity in their product. This emotional feeling is exponentially greater with LOCAL content. Requiring talent to create LOCAL content glues their brand to the community. Experiment with forcing ONE local break every half hour.
Interaction
- The active listener – those who will be the first to react to content – number between 1% and 5%. When you construct a great story that resonates with your target, active audience reaction will follow. The flip side – a great story or powerful benchmark shouldn’t be judged by audience feedback alone.
- Even in 2024, phone service is mediocre – at best. Modulation levels are inconsistent, dropped calls remain a problem, and LIVE calls (Nope – don’t make me come over there…) contain variables including – losing the license. Experiment with a dedicated caller line. Recorded calls allow you to increase volume, apply compression, and sweeten the call with EQ. Your sellers will find this easily sponsored.
Talk
- Digital audience measurement didn’t exist when Arbitron Measurement Specialist Karen Young wrote – more than TWO decades back – “people discover new STATIONS by scanning the dial. Many diary comments are that people change the station when uninteresting talent comes on. You have constant opportunities to GAIN – and LOSE – audience (PPM data reveals about 7 seconds). Make every minute count.” Powerful.
- Bumper music. What. Are. We. Doing. Bumper Music was developed by Transtar Radio Networks in 1981, designed to have audio – not dead air – when local affiliates rejoined the network. LOCAL station deploying bumper music is burning content time. Worse yet – talent TALKS about and OVER bumper music. If I was your Sales Manager, I’d ask if I could SELL the :90 seconds of Bumper Music per hour. Bumper music is the largest timewaster in Talk Radio. Stop.
Social
- Treat your social platforms as you do your terrestrial signal. Your brand SHOULD have a well-developed – NARROW – target. NOT ’25-54’. That there is a family reunion – not a target. Use that same Metrix to develop your Social Media Strategy.
- Social Media platforms that have at least a million users are in the hundreds. Pick one – YES one – to own. A GREAT radio example of owning one platform and posting thousands of times – here. Experiment with different pieces of content and different ways to present that content. Oh – make it video – every time.
Reconceive everything you do. As if radio brands don’t exist today and you’re inventing it.
History is a great lesson – not a blueprint for the future.
Thinking again about every element – is the true path to growth.
Experiment – often.
Fail early. Then, run a new experiment.
Kevin Robinson is a passionate award-winning programmer, consultant and coach – with multi-formats success all over the country. He has advised numerous companies including Audacy (formerly Entercom Communications), Beasley Broadcast Group, Westwood One, Midwest Communications, Townsquare Media, Midwest Family Broadcasting Group, EG Media Group, Federated Media, Kensington Media, mediaBrew Communications, Starved Rock Media, and more. He specializes in strategic radio cluster alignment, building lean-forward tactics and talent coaching – legacy and entry-level – personalities.
Known largely as a trusted talent coach, Kevin is the only personality mentor who’s coached three different morning shows on three different brands in the same major market to the #1 position. His efforts have been recognized by The World Wide Radio Summit, Radio & Records, NAB’s Marconi, and he has coached CMA, ACM and Marconi Award-winning talent. He is also in The Zionsville High School Hall of Fame as part of the 2008 inaugural class. Kevin is an Indiana native – living near Zionsville with his wife of 39 years, Monica and can be reached at kevin@robinsonmedia.fm.
