Welcome back. Hope you had a great holiday weekend. I can’t believe I’m saying this but, with Labor Day over and the kids back in school everywhere, it’s time to focus on finishing the year strong. I’m not sure how that’s even possible but it’s real so it seems like a great time to share some secret free advice to help you get there. So just for you, here are five easy-to-execute ideas your radio station can use between now and the holidays.
Celebrate The Bands We Barely Knew
Thursday September 25th is National One-Hit Wonder Day. It should be a great excuse to highlight a lot of great tracks on your station. Start early in the week with a social post about the greatest one-hit wonders of the Classic Rock-era. Let people post their suggestions and chime in for their favorites. Then feature these songs all through the day. All you need is a little production and a smile while you play the usual suspects plus a few that don’t normally make rotation. My vote is for “My Sharona” to make an appearance.
Light a Candle for Eddie
Hard to believe October 6th will mark five years since we lost Eddie Van Halen. This one is hard to talk about but not hard to program. The easy way is playing songs at the top of every hour or more. But consider going further. Play an entire Van Halen album at some point and edit together all of Eddie’s best solos into a one-of-a-kind mix. Don’t forget to change the colors on your website to match his guitar. Post the same pattern on your socials.
The Boss Goes to the Movies
This one is a little tougher to deal with. On October 24th, the Bruce Springsteen biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere hits the theaters. Once of the biggest stars in the Classic Rock world, Springsteen’s outspoken political stance has, without a doubt, had a big effect on his status. Depending on what part of the country you are in, this is either a great chance to do something around a major artist or a small, background promotion. Either way, keep in mind two things: Springsteen still sells out arenas in markets all over the country and these biopics do tend to breathe new life into older acts. Plan accordingly.
Celebrate the Heroes
Very few groups profile as positively with Classic Rock fans as veterans and first responders. Don’t miss the opportunity to lean in by preparing a good promotional effort around First Responders Day on Tuesday October 28th. I realize it’s close to Halloween but nothing will localize your stations more than finding a great way to honor the people in your community who run toward dangerous situations instead of away from them. Send pizza, do shout outs, find a way to say Thank You.
Bang the Drum All Day
One more easy to celebrate holiday that fits our format perfectly is National Drummer Day, which crashes onto your calendar on Saturday, November 15th. That makes it a great excuse to go off script over the weekend and feature songs with great drum solos. A little later in the day, when listening levels are lower, maybe even break out “Moby Dick” or “YYZ” which is something we never do but your listeners love. Not matter what, the production absolutely needs to feature the iconic moment from “In the Air Tonight.”
I realize that none of these are the most ground-breaking ideas. They do however check a few important boxes. They fit the Classic Rock format, are easy to execute with minimal effort, and don’t cost anything. Plus, they are free. Put them on your calendar now and write some lines for your voice talent before the fall really ramps up. You’ll have easy opportunities to make your station sound more vibrant than just another day of playing the music log.
Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.
