Rip Wheeler is a lot of things. That dude is super loyal to his boss, has a singular focus on his wild bride, and watches over his men like brothers.
Also, Rip—a fictional character who manages the Dutton Ranch cowhands in the series Yellowstone—is a fixer. Rip fixes ruptured ranch relationships, attends to outside threatening forces, and seals fences – immediately.
Whether those fence holes are from an outside biker gang, a sinister perpetrator forcing outside animals to infiltrate his ranch, or rustlers who thieve livestock in the dead of night.
The first thing Rip orders is to get the fence fixed.
This is one of many reasons we pause and shake our collective heads when we see or hear others create the call to prepare their brands for an upcoming season change.
Their message is well-meaning:
- “The end of the year brings a great time to make brand adjustments…”
- “Change is voice talent is a great time to rewrite imaging copy…”
- (A favorite) “The spring Book is days away – is your station ready…”
Brand issues aren’t isolated to Adult Formats. Contemporary Hits, Classic Rock, Urban, Country – all formats – are susceptible to “holes in the fence.”
We often are too close to the product to ‘hear’ the holes, but the holes are there.
Everywhere.
Music
- As tech has evolved, building a music matrix for Adult Contemporary is cake. Last summer, we discussed the ease of building a solid library without research, while managing what you’ve built is easier than ever.
- Do you have a music strategy to create interest in your music outside of perfectly planned categories? Having a Secret Weapon strategic play is a smart, proactive music play.
- Tracking the efficiency of your planned rotations is a keystroke or two away. Hear a flaw in your music – mend that fence right away.
Imaging
- We tend to allow our imaging, especially when promoting evergreen station activities, to age into the background. Track the aging of your imaging and increase rotations of spots that promote a gateway to listening. Your brand app is a great place to start, as we find that more than 70% of listeners are hearing—or trying to hear—your product with the help of digital.
- The same flawless software that manages your music is also a tool to track the life of imaging. A few keystrokes will reveal the aging of your imaging—a timing thing that gets away from us all. Timing also includes urgency—do your time-sensitive imaging pieces create progressive energy—“This Friday—Tomorrow—Later Today”?
- In adult formats, we tend to shy away from self-promoting imaging. You have successful round-the-calendar events that, most times set fresh annual records, correct? Why not include those wins in your imaging around the calendar?
Talent
- Coaching talent is a priority and—as we’ve outlined before—should be at the top of your weekly to-do list. When you establish consistent scheduled talent meetings, course correction is ongoing, most of the time without surprises.
- Talent should exude local, even if Duluth is tracked daily out of Detroit. Local connections are easily executed, and sources for them are low-hanging fruit and easily found on the Internet.
- Does your talent add something to the lives of the listeners every break? We call it ‘meat-on-the-bone’. Are the words talent has chosen, or the story selected, adding to the listener’s experience? Give the listener meat.
Why wait at the end of a season, the end of an annum, or the start of an industry-induced ratings phase?
You hear that flaw in your presentation.
Fix the obvious holes in your fence.
Today.
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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.
