Not that long ago, it was common for a station to have a local show on Sunday nights. Maybe it was called Locals Only. Maybe it went by something else. Whatever the name, it usually ran anywhere from an hour to two.
Some of those shows still exist. But they’re getting scarce these days. So are a lot of other things.
More Than an Hour of Airtime
A local show does a lot of heavy lifting for one night a week. First, it’s a reflection of the community the radio station serves. It puts the town’s own bands on the town’s own station.
Second, it serves as a conduit into the music industry. When a local band starts to catch fire on your air, the industry notices. And when listeners discover that band through you, they vouch for your brand.
All of that is on the table with a Sunday night show — or even a periodic roll-in of a select local track into regular programming.
That’s How We Find Hits
I’ve seen my share of it. When I was at WRAS, Collective Soul came out with “Shine.” It was the number one phone record at the college radio station, long before it ever ventured onto the radar of Atlantic Records.
Many of the programmers reading this have the same kind of experience. A band nobody knew. A song that kept lighting up the phones. A record you got behind because your audience told you to.
Hey, everything’s got to start somewhere.
Why Let Spotify Take the Credit?
So why are we waiting for Spotify, or somebody else, to take credit for breaking a hit?
I get playing it safe and playing the hits. Nobody’s asking you to blow up a music log that works.
But providing a local resource — particularly on Sunday night, for an hour or two — is a different conversation. Give local bands a place to come out and play, either live on the air or recorded. That seems like a small amount to give for a tremendous upside in image and credibility for your brand.
Doing the Right Thing for the Brand
I know the first question that gets asked in the building: Can we sell it?
That’s a fair question. But it can’t always be “can we sell it?” It’s also got to be “are we doing the right thing for the brand?”
Radio has always been at its best when it knew its community and was willing to take a chance on something homegrown. The next “Shine” is out there right now. The only question is whether your station will be the one that plays it first.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
