With fewer staff in all broadcast clusters, quickly minimizing the weeds and fertilizing the flowers is metaphorically how a radio brand evolves.
Consider this weed analogy: Walk through a botanical garden and every plant looks perfect. Every flower is planted with purpose. Every hedge is trimmed. And every blade of grass seems to know exactly where it belongs.
By contrast, take a hike through a real meadow in the middle of spring, and you’ll discover something different. Wildflowers bloom in every direction, filling the landscape with color and life. Yet when you get down on one knee and look closely, you’ll also find dandelions, thistles, patches of crabgrass, and plenty of weeds.
The flowers are spectacular because they’re alive. They’re not perfect.
Great radio stations are no different.
The Sound of Success
From the listener’s perspective, the best-built stations sound effortless. The top personalities are entertaining and engaging. Moreover, today’s tools allow big imaging — even in small markets — creating momentum. The well-curated playlist, assisted by intelligent music software, allows the music to flow naturally. It all appears seamless.
Inside the building, however, every successful station has weeds. It could be rancor about the state of the business, launching of a new ensemble morning show, the sales effort at odds with talent, or dialogue on the strategic direction of a brand.
The difference between a station that’s growing and one that’s standing still isn’t whether weeds exist. Rather, it’s whether management is willing to cultivate the flowers while coaching through the imperfections — the weeds.
Cultivating Excellence
Years ago, I inherited an air staff that had become experts at protecting the playlist. Every break was technically clean. They “hit the post.” They read the liner. And they introduced the next song.
Mission accomplished.
The problem? Nothing they said gave listeners a reason to choose them over Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, or SiriusXM.
The talent “sounded good.” However, they did not create breaks that were memorable.
So the challenge I offered was to leave their fingerprints on every break. Get loose. Tell a personal story. Express an opinion. Put a smile on the listener’s face. Build one personality moment every quarter hour that could not be duplicated by an algorithm.
At first, the talent in the room got quiet. For years they had been conditioned to believe that the safest break was the shortest break. In reality, safe radio rarely builds passionate fans. Instead, it builds background noise.
The Path Forward
Eventually they embraced the challenge. At the onset, stories were too long. Some jokes bombed. Breaks drifted and, without a liner card, exits were unpolished. Those were weeds. That is part of the process.
One of the biggest mistakes programmers make today is confusing mistakes with failure. They are not the same thing.
Today’s radio operators have access to far more data than twenty years ago. We know the importance of minute-by-minute listening. Moreover, we are able to measure — with minute detail — social engagement. We analyze streaming sessions, podcast downloads, digital consumption, and web traffic. That is valuable information.
However, data should inform creativity — not replace it. When every break becomes a math equation, personalities stop taking chances. Then listeners stop paying attention.
Building Legendary Radio
The personalities who build loyal audiences are not perfect. They are authentic, curious, and locally engaged. No morning show became legendary by playing it safe. No great feature was brilliant the first time it aired. Everything memorable began as an imperfect idea.
Radio Hall-of-Famer and Barrett Media contributor Scott Shannon‘s philosophy has always centered on the idea that successful stations are constantly evolving. Scott has often emphasized that the best stations are never complacent. Greatness involves improving talent, music, promotions, and execution — even when they are already winning.
Scott is quoted as saying: “Great radio stations are never finished. They’re always a work in progress.”
Talent Coach Tracy Johnson relates that new shows are messy at first, and that’s normal. “Every new morning show is going to struggle at first. That’s part of the process. Don’t judge it by the first few weeks — keep coaching, keep refining, and let the chemistry develop.”
The Competitive Advantage
The best programmers I have worked with were not obsessed with catching mistakes. Instead, they were obsessed with developing potential.
Radio has never faced more audio competition than now. Every dashboard, smartphone, and smart speaker offers listeners unlimited choices. Additionally, algorithms recommend songs. Artificial intelligence can write scripts. Podcasts dive deep into virtually any subject.
Talent is radio’s greatest competitive advantage. Give them the space to stumble and grow. If your station never has weeds, it probably is not planting enough flowers.
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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.