Take control. Look for alternatives. Delete old ways.
For me, this is the challenge of today. All brands must evolve, especially brands with decades under their belts. Radio, like all media entities, is in a fight for relevance.
Recently, I worked with someone who needed help with messaging. He wasn’t a fan of my first or second attempt to meet his expectations. Thankfully, I’m rooted in my purpose. And by that, I mean I’m grounded in the path of always looking for new ways to connect with people. I’m up for the challenge and always want to be better at what I do.
Change isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. And because it isn’t easy, many of us try to avoid it. But I believe we—Urban radio—are overdue for a hard reset.
There’s so much happening in our country, our cities, and our communities that the time for review and reimagining is now. Imagine being able to strip your station down and rebuild it from the ground up. I recently said, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”—and that still applies.
But what is working, and what is it telling you that you can build on? What’s not working? What’s only there because it has history or time served on the station? And how does all of that align with the current and future needs of your community?
These are all questions you should ask yourself before you’re asked and don’t have an answer.
Think about what’s trending now in music, video, entertainment, and social media. Are you where your listeners are? And when you show up, how are you presenting yourself? Are you still showing up like your grandmother’s radio station?
This is where branding becomes critical.
There was a time when I didn’t view satellite radio as a threat. I didn’t think people would pay for something that has always been free and still is. But then again, I once thought the same thing about water. While satellite radio has its own set of issues, music variety is not necessarily one of them.
There was also a time when I thought nothing could replace radio as the first thing people turned on in the morning. It used to be the radio that woke you up. Now? It’s your phone on both counts. Social media has taken the role of telling you what happened while you were sleeping.
So, how do you make your morning show a must-listen for today’s audience? How are you enhancing the midday listening experience?
The bigger picture here is the community connection. With everything happening on the national stage, are you reflecting what’s happening locally? Are you informing your audience about healthcare changes or family support resources?
Are you holding your local elected officials accountable? Are you helping your listeners make informed decisions about voting? And keeping them aware of any changes in voting laws or procedures in your state?
Local TV may serve the general public, but who’s doing that for the urban community?
This is the challenge. And also, the excitement.
How do you make it all work together? How do you entertain, inform, uplift, and engage your audience every single day?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. How would you do a hard reset on your brand?
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Ken Johnson is an Urban/Hip-Hop columnist for Barrett Media. Born and raised in Washington DC, his career experiences include serving as VP of Urban formats for Cumulus Media, holding the Director of Urban Programming post at ABC Radio Networks, and programming stations in Birmingham, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City. He has also managed affiliate relations for the Nick Cannon show, and worked as the Executive Producer of The Hughley Truth Podcast hosted by comedian DL Hughley. Ken currently runs Mean Ole Lion Media, a content creation company and podcast network. He can be reached by email at ken@kenjohnsonmedia.com.
