It’s not just radio. There are many industries where “consultant” is considered a dirty word. But speaking from more than a decade of personal experience on the matter, I believe when consulting is done right, it can be a valuable service, especially given the way today’s radio industry is structured.
One of the best in the business is Harv Blain. He’s been a part of Vallie Richards Donovan Consulting for more than 27 years and had his own business before that. He agrees effective consulting can be beneficial for a station and believes it starts with having a relationship that goes beyond radio.
“With a lot of clients, you’ve worked with them for so long you know the Program Director’s kids and remember when the first one got married. You know all about that stuff and that kind of personal relationship is helpful in actually getting things done.”
Part of building those relationships is being involved regularly, not occasionally. “I visit some clients every four to six weeks. So, it’s not like Harv’s coming here with a big list of things we need to do. We’ve set goals and are working toward accomplishments, which is a lot different from flying in once a quarter.”
Keeping the Strategy on Track
During those visits, Blain’s role revolves around making sure the station stays on target. “We’re there to keep the strategy on track. That should be the number one thing we do. That means guiding, coaching, nurturing, and even talking people off the ledge, sometimes,” Blain says. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t roll up his sleeves and dive in. “Educating, interpreting data, and being creative are also all very important.”
Weathering the Nielsen Storm
One of the biggest things Blain can do for a station often involves helping it weather the tropical storm known as the Nielsen ratings. “Nielsen is the most unreliable thing ever. So, it’s important stations understand the need to watch trends. You can’t panic over one month, one book, or a series of monthlies,” he says.
He believes the best way to understand Nielsen results is to learn how the sausage is made. “I think having a basic understanding of how ratings are compiled — both in PPM and diary — is very important,” Blain says. “What do P1 and P2 mean? How is time spent listening calculated? How are all these things put together to make a quote-unquote report card for how the radio station is doing?”
But even with that knowledge, ratings will fluctuate. What matters, Blain says, is focus. “What we can do is make the product as strong as we can, song to song, element to element, and put together a playlist and a station that gets people to return on a frequent basis. They need to know what they’re going to get when they tune in. When you go to McDonald’s, you know what you’re going to get. When you come to this radio station, you need know that too.”
Decades in the Trenches
Beyond the strategic focus, Blain brings value to stations by simply drawing on his long years of experience. Over the course of his career, he’s seen so many unique situations that he can help with almost anything. “We’ve been in the trenches at a number of stations as they went through everything from format takeovers to, recently, a well-known morning show host who took her own life. With everything we’ve seen over the years, we generally will have had some experience somewhere that can help.”
Of course, Blain’s breadth of experience can also land him in some unexpected situations, such as helping out with two Latin Tropical-formatted stations. “I don’t know what the music is saying, but I can read M Scores and a chart. And I can still talk about the basics like are we rotating the music properly? Because there was a time that there were like, 30 A’s,” Blain says. “In this case it’s about bringing some simple basics that we all know to a different format.”
Lessons From Overseas
While the Latin Tropical stations are in the U.S., Blain’s consulting work extends overseas as well. That affords him unique experiences that provide perspective on what’s happening here in the States. “I recently went to Greece, and I felt like I got in a time machine and traveled back fifteen to twenty years. There’s no concept of voice tracking, commercial loads have a limit with minimum added value, and perceptual and music testing is still seen as a necessity.” But not all foreign markets are the same. For example, he says London and Paris are more similar to America — “they are very corporate.”
But seeing those operations is a good reminder of some universal truths that he brings back to clients in the States. “Something I see from guys in other countries is that they are there for the community. There’s a focus on doing things that help the listeners in some way. Reminding them we’re their champion; we’re trying to do good things for you. I think sometimes we lose that, in the U.S.”
Staying on the Brand Path
Further diversifying his worldview, Blain has also spent the last 10 years as lead in-store music curator for a number of brands, in categories ranging from fast food to hardware stores and more. Selecting the music played at brick-and-mortar locations starts with determining what the brand wants to portray from an overall sound perspective. “We want to play the hits, and have the customers feel good about being in this particular shopping experience.”
A good experience can mean taking subtleties into account that might not be obvious at first. “We do one of the biggest jewelry retailer companies and we have to be disciplined to what that brand is portraying. Even though there are tons of huge hits that would sound good in their stores, many are about a relationship that’s gone astray. I don’t think the customers want to hear that sort of song playing while contemplating an expensive diamond engagement ring,” Blain says. “You have to stay on the brand path, which is something radio stations need to remember as well.”
Making the Case for All-Christmas
As we hit the beginning of November, it’s a busy time for Blain, who is also one of the country’s leading experts at executing the all-Christmas format. He believes the format will be as big as ever this season.
“2001 was probably the biggest year for all Christmas music. We had just experienced 9/11 and people were searching for comfort and nostalgia, which is exactly what Christmas music delivers,” explains Blain. “And I’m not trying to make a political statement, but this year, with the war, the cost of gas, the uncertainty around the election and jobs, I think the format is going to be highly successful.”
But for anyone who is still skeptical about the idea of going all-Christmas, Blain recalls a unique spin he once put on the recommendation. “I suggested to a client that we should go all-Christmas music on an AC radio station, and the manager wasn’t sure about it,” he remembers. “My response was, guys, I’m Jewish and I get it. You should go all-Christmas. It will be a great thing for your audience, and it’ll create a benchmark for the future of this radio station. End of story.”
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