Have you seen the Nick Saban documentary on ESPN? Sports is life, and comparisons can constantly be drawn between what we do and sports. The obvious difference is that there is no disclaimer on the final score in football, baseball, basketball or hockey like the one at the bottom of every Nielsen report. Even more of a reason to buy into what drives Nick Saban — the “process.”
Ignore the Scoreboard
It seems Saban was focused on the win until he met a sports psychologist at Michigan State University. Coaches are judged by their won-loss record much the same way we are judged in media. When I programmed in Portland and got beat by KKRZ, I was a dumbass. However, the tide turned, and people thought I was smart when WLTW had 36 No. 1 ratings books while I was there. Same guy.
If you haven’t seen the show, here’s the gist: A sports psychologist got Saban to ignore the final score (as much as he could) and focus on each individual play. Seems a play was six seconds, and that was all that mattered in the moment. If the execution of each play went as planned, the end result would be a win. That’s not unlike each individual break on a radio station. While content breaks are longer, most song intros are in the six-second range.
Every Break Is a Play
In a football game, you can’t waste a play with a mistake. When first down and 10 becomes second down and 18, you’re in trouble. Same for a radio show. If a listener is giving you a nine-minute occasion and they hear one break, it better not suck. That one break may determine how people feel about your show or your station. Just like not every play in a football game is going to score a touchdown, not every break is going to be Marconi-worthy. But just as every play in a football game should be for a yardage gain, every break on a radio station should create a positive impression of your brand.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan ahead. Saban had plays he could pull out at any time, depending on the situation. You should have topical content and a plan for where to use it. Not to mention evergreen content waiting in the wings for when it’s needed. Saban also had plays he would save for certain opponents, the same way you should prepare content for the holidays ahead.
Trust the Process
We would all feel much better if we received a real final score at the end of every show, or every day as a programmer. One without a disclaimer about its accuracy at the bottom of the page. But as long as we don’t, trust the “process” of delivering great content with every break. If you continue to do that on a regular basis, the audience will grow. The Nielsen scoreboard will eventually reflect a win for you and your team.
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