If ratings were based on production, many brands would be in trouble. I’m an imaging nerd. I believe elite production can make a good station sound great. But bad production— thin, loose, mismatched VOs, or trying too-hard imaging makes a good station cause eye rolls.
Radio should start fining people for redundancy. Why? Because we hear or read these statements, over-and-over, on a weekly basis:
- “Music is everywhere, no one needs Radio for music.”
- “Radio’s secret sauce is what’s between the records.”
Yes, music is everywhere. It has been. I had an iPod 20+ years ago. CD players and Walkman’s before that. My parents had 8-Tracks in the car and albums at home.
Radio has always been there and was never alone. Yet Radio is still a leading destination for music. But for how long?
While those “music is ubiquitous” takes are true, let’s give the doom squad their day and play it out, hypothetically:
Music is a wash, no one gets a ratings edge for music.
Now the “what’s between the records” team gets their spotlight. Imagine if ratings were based on production.
Congrats, your Prod Ninja is also the Morning Show, PD and Marketing Director (sorry to those who are doing all four already). Sweepers, Promos, Commercials. If they’re all great — your brand rules the ratings.
I’ve moderated enough focus groups to know listeners don’t geek out on Radio production/imaging. Outside of opinions on music or talent, no one is raving about the promo that ran between Green Day and Ozzy.
It’s because most production is “who cares” to normal people. Bad commercials. Boring, burned-out positioning pieces. Over-hyped promos for prizes they won’t try to win. Copy that is no longer funny. That’s how many listeners describe what they hear.
Those of us inside radio obsess over imaging. We hang on every word and share our epic creations like we’ve just solved all tune-out.
For regular listeners, though — our zips and zaps are just commercials. And the big voice guy doesn’t stop them in their tracks.
They. Just. Don’t. Care.
The logical question: how can we make them care? In most cases, we can’t. It’s how people consume things.
- When you watch a game, you’re not analyzing transitions in and out of commercials.
- When you binge Sydney Sweeney, you skip the intro editors lost sleep over.
An old research friend, Chris Ackerman used to say, “Every song you play is a marketing statement.” He’s right. But so is every element.
This doesn’t mean punting on imaging. It also doesn’t mean we’re going to get listeners to choose a brand on imaging alone. It’s a reminder that “what’s between the records” shouldn’t ever be an afterthought.
A killer-sounding sweeper with a who cares message isn’t killer — it’s who cares. A great message surrounded by mediocre sound can get lost. Copy, voice and sound should all work together — like guitar, bass, drums and vocals (and maybe keyboards, but that’s debatable).
Production is a Key Driver in Station Personality
Formats like JACK have it dialed. Not flexing over “being #1” or “45-minutes non-stop.” They’re mocking themselves, poking pop culture, just trying to make people laugh between records.
There are RockTernatives that put a lot of effort into making sure imaging meets the chaos of the music and isn’t just keeping the trains on time. KISW, WRIF, KIOZ, WJJO and several others. You can hear the effort — and it can make a difference.
And there are minimalist brands — some at Alternative, non-comm, or small markets — that have punted on most imaging for financial reasons or they use the lack of it as a differentiator.
As you plan for 2026, make sure Production/Imaging is on the agenda. Music brands play almost as many imaging pieces as songs. And if we add commercials, it becomes lopsided — far more produced pieces than songs each day.
Artists remix and remaster records so they sound better. How can your brand remix and remaster the production so it’s a clear advantage?
Don’t ignore commercials. Code spots so the best play first (in the cart days, you’d get reprimanded for not playing the concert spot first). And work with AEs and clients to produce better copy and spots.
I’ll repeat what I said at the start of this column, if ratings were truly based on production, many brands would be in trouble.
It’s like a house:
- Music is the format — the foundation every home needs.
- Production is the walk-in closet she can’t live without.
It’s the little, but important things that elevate asking price.
BTW: it’s fine to geek-out over a promo. Just remember, the listeners won’t.
Keith Cunningham is a music industry and Rock/Alternative columnist for Barrett Media and the founder of Black Box Group, a modern-modeled creative & strategic consultancy built for brands that need strategies with teeth. He’s the former Master of Mayhem at 95.5 KLOS-FM in Los Angeles for over a decade, a nationwide consultant, and has been repeatedly voted one of America’s top Program Directors and strategic thinkers. Keith has built his career by taking multi-million-dollar brands from worst to first and leading Marconi & Gracie award winners along the way. A data nerd with a rock-and-roll heart, he is an advisory council member for St. Jude fundraising, a fantasy football champion, and lover of his daughters & dogs. Reach him at keithblackboxgroup@gmail.com or on LinkedIn or X.
