There is a level of brilliance that we all possess. Working in spoken word radio, whether it be news/talk radio or sports radio, we are often credited for being somewhat of the egghead type. I recently saw a documentary on Albert Einstein. There are lessons for all of us and you don’t need to be a genius! It is called a Train Thought Experiment. Albert Einstein was big on these and this skill is important for radio.
Every action has an opposite reaction. There is a big truth to this. You want to go on vacation to an exotic location. You charge it and will pay it later. I have done this and probably you have as well. I am not trying to sound too much like Dave Ramsey here, but if you cannot pay off the debt immediately, you will be carrying a balance. This will create an interest charge on your account. Your interest rate? I have really good credit and am paying in the high 20s. Interest charges can lower your credit score and cost you real money each month.
Was the vacation worth the debt? I don’t know. I am not your personal life coach. What is the plan to pay it back as soon as possible? I just moved and added debt to my card. I have a three-month plan to pay it off. You may have really enjoyed your time away. Who doesn’t love a fantastic vacation? Now, if you and your spouse or partner weighed the anchor of the debt before jumping into this vacation, would you have gone? Did you have a concrete plan to pay off the debt?
I have found that sometimes life gets in the way. There may be an unexpected expense that pops up its ugly head. I have been there! If you think through the reaction to your expense, would you have saved first for the vacation?
Albert Einstein would imagine himself in a scenario. Einstein would think through all the probabilities, problems, and challenges. I have a friend who is an inventor. He has the patents to prove it. He was explaining that he would close himself off for a few days to work through a problem, weigh each scenario, and ask all the questions while working through the issue. Most of the perceived scenarios of this problem lead to a dead end. Yes, I am going to tie this to radio. My friend, the inventor, sometimes unplugs for days walking his way through the problem. Steve Jobs would go on hikes alone and come up with amazing ideas after shutting all the distractions off.
When have you done this? If you are anything like me, there are two or three screens in front of you all the time, plus monitoring one or more radio stations. You are receiving calls and texts. Albert Einstein figured out the theory of relativity. Are you creating the environment to innovate on your show, station, or life? Are you carefully weighing the options?
Let us discuss our profession. Nearly everyone working in the programming department at your radio station has more than one job. We are busier than ever. If you are a Program Director, you have tasks to complete for your corporate programming people, Market Manager, and/or consultant. You may have to type out a weekly or monthly report. You need to fulfill corporate mandates on a wide range of initiatives that may or may not benefit your station.
If you are a host, you are nervous because of ratings challenges or revenue headwinds. When was the last time that you took a few hours to focus on your show or station without any interruptions? Are their ratings and revenue opportunities that are being missed?
There are two things that are undeniable: we are regressing or growing. This is true with your personal, financial, and professional life. The competitive pressures for ears and advertising have created a real need for innovative thinking. Humanity has many weaknesses. We often hate change unless we are forced to do it.
Well, read the room! We are being forced to change. I happen to think that everyone reading this column has the ability to move our industry forward. What is or what should be your “Train Thought Experiment?” Nearly every world religion teaches about having time to meditate. These moments of meditation allow the adherents of that particular faith to reflect on themselves or on the Supreme Being of their choice. Nearly every time that I have charted a new path in my life, it has followed moments of quiet reflection. I bet this is true for you as well.
Radio demands your experience and brain power. You cannot grow your platform just by following what worked a decade ago. That ship has sailed. We must focus on not what is working today, but what will work tomorrow. Media consumption has changed dramatically in the last few years. How would Albert Einstein address this problem? What is your “Train Thought Experiment?”
Ultimately, this is all about ratings and revenue. Ratings sources have changed. What are your radio station’s streaming stats? Are they up or down? You can watch and assess in real-time. If your numbers are down, what is going on in the news cycle? Are you focusing on things that few care about? Be radio’s Albert Einstein.
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Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He recently served as program director for WHO/KXNO in Des Moines, IA. Prior to that role he held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Little Rock, Greenville, Hunstville, and Joplin. Peter has also worked as a host, account executive and producer in Minneapolis, and San Antonio. He can be found on Twitter at @PeterThiele.
