Possibly one of the most interesting phenomena in Rock radio today is the runaway success of AAA stations in many markets across the country. Look at the ratings for both non-commercial outlets like KUTX/Austin and commercial stations like WXRT/Chicago, and the success is astonishing.
To Matt Reilly, Program Director of KUTX, the formula driving success for his station and others like it is fairly simple. “AAA connects with the audience in a way that other formats don’t. Because you feel like you know your DJ and they’re into the same things you are.”
He explains that focus comes from an internal branding exercise. “You know how when you do that type of exercise you often have to select words? One of ours is connection and we see it in three ways: audience to artist; artist to audience; and audience to audience.”
The easiest example of that three-way relationship is when the station puts on a live show with a band. “We’re connecting the audience with an artist they may not be familiar with. The artist is getting new audience because we brought them together. And you could very easily strike up a conversation with the person standing next to you and wind up becoming friends.”
Sounding Like Where You Live
On the surface, that sounds straightforward, but there are a lot of layers that play a part in creating those connections. It starts, he says, with the thing that has powered successful stations since the advent of broadcasting: being local. “AAA stations do a really good job of sounding like where you live. Of connecting. Which is different than a lot of commercial stations. They’re KISS FM, or Bob or Jack, or whatever. They could be anywhere.”
For KUTX, sounding local is driven by the air staff, who Reilly says are encouraged to be personalities. “Fifteen years ago, when the industry started getting away from personality and saying hosts should, ‘talk in tweets,’ we went the other direction. We’ve always had big personalities and that works to the whole station’s benefit. It just creates more connection with the audience.”
Hosts Help Pick the Music
Taking a different approach to music is another piece of what connects the station to its listeners. While most commercial stations continue to tighten their rotations, stations like KUTX have expansive libraries, with some categories that include hundreds or even thousands of songs that hosts can choose from.
Reilly explains that current titles are scheduled into each hour to keep a regular rotation, which helps with industry relations. Beyond that, each hour has a template for the hosts to follow, but they select close to half of the songs. “They have to follow a clock but get to choose the sound of their show, and it works. Each host has their favorites, and this provides them the space to incorporate them. Because of that you can tell who’s on when.”
The result is a mix of songs that alternates between familiar and unfamiliar. Reilly believes that recipe works well with the audience. “People will say, ‘I don’t like that one song you’re playing,’ but they don’t leave because they want to know what’s coming up next.”
He also says the styles of music represented on the station have changed over time, becoming younger and more diverse. “At first we were playing in the safer AAA pool, and we skewed a little bit older with blues and Classic Rock. But over time, mostly due to the air staff changing, there’s a lot more hip-hop in the daily mix, and more metal. We’re getting louder, and more diverse.”
Meeting Listeners in Person
Music is only one piece of the KUTX strategy for connecting with people. The station also focuses a lot of effort on live events. “We’re meeting people in person. And I firmly believe that can tie back to rating success,” Reilly says. “Because you’re active, you’re real, you’re tangible human beings. Over time, that builds awareness and you become indispensable in your market.”
As an example, Reilly points to the Rock in the Park series, which takes place in spring and fall. Incentives for listeners to attend include free beer and other sponsor activations, along with two bands and an early start time. “We created this thing when a lot of us who work at the station were young parents. We had little kids and still liked music, but we couldn’t go out to see local acts that would be playing at midnight. So, we created an event that starts at 6.30 and always begins with a kid-friendly band.”
Staying Nimble After Funding Cuts
Beyond building connection with listeners, events like Rock in the Park also generate more than $200,000 a year in sponsor revenue, which became even more important following recent cuts to government funding of public radio. Reilly says at the time of the cuts there was a big surge in listener donations, but that wave has crested.
“We definitely got a bunch of one-time gifts when the rescission happened and since then some of those people have gone away,” Reilly says. “But it’s okay. We’re figuring it out, and thankfully we’re both pretty nimble and very creative as an organization. So, we have decided to not stand pat in these financially troubled times.”
That means looking at every option for generating funds, big and small. “We just did a modest membership drive. We needed about $350,000 and we wanted 500 new members, and we hit our goals,” says Reilly. “We’ve also started looking for new revenue streams. That could be monetizing YouTube, for example. It’s not going to save us, but it’s not going to hurt us either and little things can add up.”
They also launched four different email newsletters, which have thousands of subscribers, and a station ambassador group. “It’s folks that love the radio station. We kind of train them to evangelize for us and we reward them with swag and concert tickets. But they mostly do it because they love it. For them it’s a form of volunteering.”
The operation is also heavily invested in podcasting, with more than 40 shows on its website. That includes rebroadcasts of station shows and original content. Many are music-related, but some take on other issues, like “Tacos of Texas,” which sounds like it’s about food but is really focused on immigration. “All of these efforts are additive. We don’t look to hit home runs all the time. We’re just looking to hit a bunch of singles and hope they add up.”
Finally, Reilly points to one more thing that sets KUTX apart and plays a big role in its success: internal culture. “We have strong Gen X energy here,” he says. “There’s a lot of energy around creating and everybody here gets along. It took a long time to get here. But our previous general manager did a great job of fostering internal culture including a workplace culture committee that makes sure having fun is baked into our mission.”
And for anyone who thinks a commercial station can’t have the type of connection — and fun — that KUTX has, Reilly notes that the station’s original blueprint was largely based on a commercial station.
“My career started at KGSR here in Austin and a lot of what we’ve done comes from what I learned at that commercial radio station because they did it very well. They owned the market. Even my Mother-in-law. who is now 82, used to talk about KGSR and say, ‘well, I don’t like every song they play, but I see them as a force for good in the community.’”
All the effort and audience connection over the last 13 years have put the station into rarefied air along with other legendary AAA stations like WXPN/Philadelphia, WFUV/New York, and KCMP/Minneapolis. “It’s all these stations around the country that are doing what we’re doing, and the result is that we have passionate, loyal audiences that actually donate their spare income to the station. That’s amazing.”
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