It was March of 2002 when Howard Kroeger and his team launched the first BOB-FM station in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since then, Kroeger, now the President and CEO of Kroeger Media Inc., has had his sleeves rolled up and been involved in the format daily. So, when I got a chance to talk with him about the state of Adult Hits, I jumped at the opportunity.
We wound up having a wide ranging discussion about the factors that led to the launch of BOB-FM, the state of the radio industry, what his next project is going to be (more on that later) but a lot of what we talked about focused on how he approaches imaging for BOB-FM which really is a major piece of any successful Adult or Classic Hits station.
In Kroeger’s experience, it’s also one of the biggest mistakes new Program Directors make when they take over a station. Quite often, the first thing they do is change the station’s voice. Then go crazy writing clever new copy for the radio station.
“But usually that ends about two months in,” says Kroeger. “Because they get tired of it and they can’t figure out how to keep it going.”
After doing this for 23 years, he says one of the secrets his team has learned is how to “regulate creativity,” putting their writing onto a schedule. It starts with knowing how much new material they need and writing beyond that point every month. So that only the best stuff winds up being used. Most of the new copy is written by the 10th of the month, which gives them a solid two-week window for production.
Asked what he focuses on writing about, Kroeger says successful imaging for BOB stations comes down to two main areas: setting up the music and keeping the station contemporary.
The first piece, setting up the music, is important because it’s what sets great radio stations apart from what Kroeger describes as “sterile” streams. He believes the streaming services have whetted people’s appetites for a lot of the music BOB plays, and radio needs to take that interest and build on it.
“The one thing streaming can’t do is tell the stories that go with the music.” So, for radio to survive, we’re going to have to be better at packaging the music than we’ve been before.”
The second piece, keeping the station contemporary, matters just as much, if not more, because “people hire us to give them a format that is entertaining and fun,” says Kroeger. “And there is an argument that we need more fun today than we ever needed before.”
Interestingly, with all the polarization in today’s world, I assumed Kroeger would suggest avoiding politics altogether, as many stations do. To his credit, he views the challenge of addressing the state of the world differently.
“You’ve got to acknowledge things because the minute you address the elephant in the room is when you can get along to business.”
Considering that stations like BOB attract people from both sides of the political spectrum, it’s important to be careful that you are not offending either group.
“We’re not picking sides,” Kroeger says. “Some people might argue that we should be, but that’s not what people hired us for.” Instead, Kroeger and his team focus on addressing what’s going on in a way that everyone, no matter what side of the political aisle you reside on, can relate to. Here are a few examples he shared:
Playing the best of the 80s, 90s, or whatever until the end of the world, which should be here any day now.
When things are going crazy, turn your knob to BOB
Distracting you from the collapse of society with the best of the 70s, 80s, and 90s
When the world seems just seconds away from a total collapse, it’s good to know you’re just seconds away from another great song on BOB FM
Playing the best of the 80s and 90s and whatever while waiting for AI to take over the world.
After 23 years of the BOB format, it’s likely Kroeger’s ability to tap into what listeners are thinking and feeling that sets his work apart.
It also plays a big role in his plans for a new product. If you want to know where he’s headed and what world he’s going to shake up next, come back next week.
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Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.
