BUSINESS, PASSION, & BEING THE BEST you can be, ALL the time

[Wildstyle K]

Ok, so the other post was fun & interesting to play with and read and provided mostly for your entertainment, but now, lets get serious. Maybe I need to start this entirely NEW topic without a biased opinion and speak in general about since the other one was a little skewed and about 72% misunderstood. Read further if you wish.

BEING THE BEST YOU CAN BE, ALL THE TIME...

I never understood how & why people would be in a business they aren't too passionate about to begin with, OR how they could be passionate, but not feel the need to be the best they can be, all the time. I've heard numerous times over the years about stations / owners that choose not to perform the best they can - because they KNOW they have no direct competition and people have NO CHOICE but to tuned to them. What kind of thinking is this? Where does this type of mentality come from, where you just say "well I'll settle for mediocrity/deliver basic level entertainment whether or not I know I can do better"? Then when people talk about it, instead of improving or taking ideas, people want to get upset at others for pointing it out. I know it doesn't help when a bunch of people are complaining, talking about "they suck.. that sucks... why do they do that?" then don't even bother to at least explain what they mean specifically, but this is still no excuse for not being the best you can be, ALL the time!

I mean, think about the most fun stations out there to listen to. Think about all the on air programming, specialty programmings...etc or whatever floats your boat and makes you say "I love them, because...". It's not that many of those stations HAVE to deliver those extra things, they CHOOSE to do it because it adds spice. They have PASSION, therefore, they make things happen (hence, the lack of 18 new posts in that section about how the SAME station sucks...etc). Of course, the listener doesn't know any better, so they are not going to come out and demand anything. It's up to the entertainment provider to HAVE PASSION and BE AS ECONOMICALLY ENTERTAINING/FUN AS THEY CAN BE. If you're in it ONLY for the money, my advice to you is please leave as soon as possible - regardless of what field you're in.

Notice how well the Urbans are doing here. I've seen 0% complaints on the Urbans. Why is that? maybe because you can detect the quality and passion they put into making their stations the best they can be. Do they really have to do EVERY SINGLE THING they are doing to add spice to their stations? No, but they CHOOSE to. Do they really have to play exclusive urban hits in a mix? No. They may not be perfect and may only deliver one type of sound, but they do it with ENTHUSIASM with extra added spice.

So, the BOTTOM LINE HERE is BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE, ALL THE TIME. Don't wait for someone to FORCE you to have to do it. Maybe you think when I use my ideas as an example (then copy and paste it somewhere else), it means I want everything identical to specifically how I like it. Nope. It's just more convenient for me to use things I like to make an example. What do you expect me to do? think "Well, I know based on experience how its been in Atl. over the past few decades when it comes to rhythmic top 40, and that's also a sound I like and I know I may be moving back there soon, but... let me go present ideas about saving Jazz to Wisconsin and Vermont instead.."? Of course not. Of course I will not only use my preferences as an example (especially if that is also the sound that's lacking), but I'll also do it in a town I will / may be part of. What? Am I supposed to go to L.A. or Phoenix or Miami and say "you should get a proper rhythmic format"?

Anyway, take what I'm saying or leave it, but.. WITHOUT EVEN NAMING ANY NAMES, I'm sure you can just listen to certain stations that just sound incomplete or off the wall and wonder "what the heck are they doing?" I don't even have to say more, because many of you are ALREADY SUBCONSCIOUSLY thinking of a dial position RIGHT NOW, AS YOU READ.

It's time to change the game. You can't change the whole Unites States, but you can improve Atl. radio (outside of Urban, and even Urban itself). Lets get it tattoed in the brain or mark it on a wall somewhere and focus on BEING THE BEST YOU CAN POSSIBLY BE, ALL THE TIME, in ANY way you know possible. Ask yourselves, "am I providing at least a little more stimulating entertainment that I am capable of providing than I really have to? Would I have to "step up" my game to win if there was competition? Did I stop doing something that I once was doing when I knew I had to be better to beat my competition?"

THINK ABOUT IT.

You can still be the best you can be, have fun with it, AND be successful. This goes for both providing for EMPLOYEES and LISTENERS. I know there are many stubborn folks out there who have the Fidel Castro fixed mind set of this is how it's going to be whether or not I like it, but.. I still said what I had to say - with my name, contact info, and everything posted right there to figure out exactly who I am. Maybe this will inspire at least one "person" to IMPROVE THEMSELVES (radio business-wise, I hope!).

ENJOY YOUR DAY FOLKS!

 

[bturner]

I agree. Why would you choose to do less than you are capable of doing.

I can see staying a couple of rungs lowewr on the ladder than you can. This is an insurance policy of sorts. Part of having a winning station is always improving. Once you've done everything you can do, how do you top that and keep yourself 'fresh'.

The rest of that mentality is never having to take a step back. Take a step back and the station goes from winner to loser in the eyes of the listener and advertiser, so be it an economic downturn or new competitor, forward motion should always continue.

So, I guess I fully agree with being the very best you can be. I just think it is best to hold a couple of cards back so you can play them later. This doesn't mean doing as little as you can.

At one station the owner told me if I thought of a bit or something creative to do on the air I should save it for the next station. I had to ask why. He said he was paying me 'peanuts' because he couldn't afford more and if I tried to be an air personality versus an announcer, he'd have hell finding to find someone who was more than just an announcer at the pay he could offer. I don't know if that was to make me think good or if he really meant it. Another boss told me a good margin was to do 80% of what a station could do and improve a little every few months.

 

[Tom Wells]

Well, you can try, but human shortcomings insure that our best efforts are not our maximum potential.

The shortcomings of our superiors ( or the way a business is run) may convince us that nothing is ever good
enough and we might not care to play "our best" in situations where the deck is marked.

In a supportive environment, or where one's best is not limited by artificial constructs, go for it.

In a repressive, onerous environment, doing one's best only sets expectations higher.
Such situations call for carefully measured efforts.
This is not the same as working for a financially poor business that can't afford much...I'm referring to
workplaces that are actually cruel and repressive. They exist, and don't desere anyone's best efforts.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

I never understood how & why people would be in a business they aren't too passionate about to begin with, OR how they could be passionate, but not feel the need to be the best they can be, all the time.

Just sitting in a discussion group, I agree with you.

When I was finishing up my degree I was down to the point that every remaining course could by an elective, ANYTHING I wanted. I was tempted to enroll in a course they offered for people who needed to deal with PERFECTIONISM in their life. But I decided my bent in that direction was so strong that it was a problem.

I've got a LOT of miles on my chassis since then, and it is my observation that only a minority of successful business operators even understand the concept of perfectionism... or "being the best they can be" as you have expressed it. It get's in the way of making money.

I have been in a number of situations where the old saying: "Good Enough... never is." is not part of their philosophy. Much of the business world today operates on a concept that says: "Good enough means you just spent a little too much, you just spent more time on the project than you should have."

Back in the early years of radio... before the spectrum endured a "populaltion explosion"... each station operated in just enough of a vacuum that each operator could establish his/her own measure of quality and direction. I worked for some broadcasters who expected nothing less than the best. On my day off I would travel around searching to find broadcasters who had figured out what "better and best" consisted of. Today, I think it would take miles and miles to locate very many examples of "doing it best". It is much easier to find "doing it profitably".

An interesting study for some college research group would be a survey of radio listeners and potential radio listeners. Craft careful questions and find out if listeners have any pent up demand for "best". Find out if listeners have any pent up concept of even knowing what "best" is.

Will listeners demand it, or tune to it, if they don't even know what the definition of best is?

Do we who participate in this discussion have the ability to define what "being the best you can be" means in broadcasting?