Today marks the beginning of a week-long music radio series, “Countdown to Summer.” I’m setting out to explore how five stations change or adopt programming as they roll into summer, and how the market reacts differently to programming or promotions.
Phoenix is a market where it’s always summer. So, I thought it would be interesting to begin the series there and see if the normal summer shift in the market was as prevalent as it might be in a more typical four-season market.
David Moore is Brand and Content Director/Operations Manager for Hubbard Radio Phoenix and Classic Rock 100.7 KSLX.
With Phoenix being unique in both geography and climate, I asked Moore what summer programming meant to KSLX.
“The unique thing about Phoenix is that summer is for locals only and is actually a little slower than the rest of the year due to the intense heat.”
The heat hasn’t prevented the station from being out for big events.
“We still show up at all the big shows, and Karen Dalessandro has done live shows from outside of big concerts when the afternoon temp was around 110.”
Summer promotions are often the focus for many stations. For Moore, his most memorable did not take place in Phoenix but in a very different climate in Anchorage, AK.
“The most memorable promotion I was part of was ‘Reuniting the Beatles.’ This was in the pre-Internet early 90s in Anchorage, AK. We purchased four classic VW Beetles, named them John, Paul, George and Ringo and registered people all summer to win all four cars.
Moore admits that this type of promotion might lead to legal issues in this day and age.
“Pretty sure we would get a cease and desist if we tried this promotion today.”
“Mike Stern was the promotions director for KBFX at that time, and it was his responsibility to get the cars out in the market. And we only sent them out in a group, all part of the reuniting concept.”
Some formats and stations experience a slight shift in music, with certain songs being played more frequently during the summer months, which are often associated with a more summery sound.
For Moore, again living in perpetual summer, those adjustments are few.
“Other than a few summer-type tracks, I don’t make big musical adjustments.”
The same holds true for on-air features.
“I can’t think of anything we do differently in terms of features.”
I wanted to start this series in a market like Phoenix, San Diego or Las Vegas to allow for comparison and contrast with markets where those three or four months make all the difference. When I worked in Wisconsin, the joke was that we had six weeks of summer. We had to make the most of them.
For a couple of Midwest clusters I worked for, the summer months were peak revenue months. While not specifically music related, an example is when I was OM for NRG in Omaha. We considered the College World Series in town the 13th revenue month.
It was most concentrated on 1620 The Zone, as it was the flagship station for Westwood One, covering the games; however, it also spilled over to the music stations, with sales to bars, restaurants, and local tourist services.
For Moore, generating revenue is a year-round thing and doesn’t accelerate in the summer.
“We are always focused on opportunities for revenue. But nothing that is summer-specific.”
Over this week, I will highlight stations in different parts of the country. To gauge their summer plans, regional challenges, and opportunities.
In the meantime, I would love to hear your promotional plans for your market and what changes summer brings. Email me: jeff @barrettmedia.com
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Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
