It’s finally summertime! The kids are out of school, people are going on vacation, and the big summer Hollywood blockbusters are rolling out. Seems like a perfect time to talk about focus and making sure your product doesn’t wander off course. Fun, right?! Stick with me and I’ll try to make this lesson enjoyable by (poorly) adapting some movie quotes to fit the theme.
I was inspired to write this column by an article on the SmartBrief website by Katy Myers Allis titled Why Leaders Abandon What Works. Her premise is that as businesses change — and radio surely is — it takes discipline for leaders to keep whatever the main thing their organization does front and center as the main thing.
She points out that when progress — or in our case, ratings — stalls, the instinct is to change and do something different. But leaders often mistake movement for improvement. Too often, that leads a business away from the main thing that really drives its success.
The Classic Rock/Hits Trap
In radio, I find this to be especially true in gold-based formats like Classic Rock/Hits. It’s hard to keep grinding the same library of gold records. Moreover, the allure of adding new music, playing deeper cuts from core artists, or widening the sounds heard on the station — especially when ratings slip — is hard to resist.
But as Myers Allis notes, there has been tons of research showing that the problem companies run into usually isn’t their strategy — it’s execution. Furthermore, considering we know that well-executed Classic Rock/Hits stations can get ratings, if a station has an issue, it likely has more to do with execution than with the format itself.
So, following her blueprint, here are five suggestions from the article that I’ve adapted to focus on what it takes to maintain and improve Classic Rock/Hits stations. If it comes to it, try these before making radical changes that could derail the format.
Don’t Get (Too) Distracted
Throughout the industry, there is a lot of pressure to embrace new initiatives. New digital products, content for social media, video strategies, and podcasting efforts are all important to our future. However, it’s crucial to prioritize these efforts so the main product isn’t allowed to suffer or be diluted by shiny new objects.
Stay Firm Through Discomfort
I know I promised movie quotes, but here’s one first from the article: “friction is not failure, it’s feedback.” Every station goes through bumpy times. Don’t let that change your core identity. Instead, let the challenges guide you toward improving your core product.
Keep Refining Your Approach
Now to the movies. Specifically, the original Top Gun, when Commander Mike “Viper” Metcalf is counseling Maverick. He says, “a good pilot is compelled to always evaluate what’s happened so he can apply what he learned.” The same goes for the Program Director. Always try to learn more about what’s happening with your product and use that information to refine your daily execution.
Eliminate the Extraneous
As noted earlier, Program Directors will consistently be tasked with launching new initiatives in today’s radio industry. Additionally, let’s not forget there are probably leftover bits and pieces of older initiatives that didn’t work out. Those should be cleaned out to help maintain focus on your main format.
Remind Everyone What Matters
This time I’m going to steal from the Marvel movie Black Panther. During the scene when T’Challa is losing a fight for the throne, his mother yells, “show them who you are!” That’s a great reminder that collective belief in the goals of the station will lead to success. Making sure everyone who touches the station — programming, sales, and management — knows the focus and how you plan to achieve your goals can have a huge impact.
Consistency Is the Winning Formula
History shows us that the most successful stations in every market are generally the ones that have been consistent — always focusing on what they do and how to do it better.
Consider the wisdom shared by the ultimate galactic consultant, Yoda, who told Luke he wouldn’t be a Jedi because he lacked focus. “All his life has he looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was.” If Yoda worked in radio, he would have finished his speech by saying, “A Program Director must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. Deeper libraries. Heh! Format changes. Heh! A Program Director craves not these things.”
And if that’s a little much, maybe just take the advice of Rebel pilot Gold Five from the first Star Wars movie. During his attempt to blow up the Death Star, as he faced impossible odds, he kept repeating the most important mantra of all: “stay on target!”
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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.
