There are a variety of tricks PD's can employ to drive the perception of more depth in their playlists on rock stations.
One major element is to talk up deep programming that actually occurs outside the 6a-7p M-F prime sales daypart as if it was an integral part of the station, but in fact isn't, per the songs played in prime dayparts. For example, if you do a midnight album track feature--there's no way you'd play deep tracks from albums in mornings, middays, or pm drive--but if you talk about it in morning drive or middays (i.e, promote it) being done at midnight, it feels like the station is all about that kind of exposure for the album vs. the hits from the album (and when I say hits, I mean hits as defined by the target audience--Baba O'Riley by The Who wasn't a "hit" in the Billboard Top 100 sense of the word, but is major power rotations song with classic rock audiences). Same thing with special weekends. It's a no-brainer to promote an all AC/DC weekend and go deep on their albums over the weekend, when the ratings aren't as important as M-F 6a--7p.
Smart stations stay safe in the prime dayparts musically, but bang the hell out of the features available in off-hours. This helps gin up the feeling that the station is all about "deep tracks" when in fact the next song you're gonna hear M-F 6a --7p is "Stairway To Heaven".
One major element is to talk up deep programming that actually occurs outside the 6a-7p M-F prime sales daypart as if it was an integral part of the station, but in fact isn't, per the songs played in prime dayparts. For example, if you do a midnight album track feature--there's no way you'd play deep tracks from albums in mornings, middays, or pm drive--but if you talk about it in morning drive or middays (i.e, promote it) being done at midnight, it feels like the station is all about that kind of exposure for the album vs. the hits from the album (and when I say hits, I mean hits as defined by the target audience--Baba O'Riley by The Who wasn't a "hit" in the Billboard Top 100 sense of the word, but is major power rotations song with classic rock audiences). Same thing with special weekends. It's a no-brainer to promote an all AC/DC weekend and go deep on their albums over the weekend, when the ratings aren't as important as M-F 6a--7p.
Smart stations stay safe in the prime dayparts musically, but bang the hell out of the features available in off-hours. This helps gin up the feeling that the station is all about "deep tracks" when in fact the next song you're gonna hear M-F 6a --7p is "Stairway To Heaven".
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