Now, the station that plays the most music LOSES.

[Holland Cooke]

Playing “the most music” has been SO axiomatic to music radio stations, for SO long, that it was a common 1960s jingle lyric.

Stick a pushpin in the timeline:
As of NOW, the radio station that plays the most music LOSES.

Why: No matter how few spots you play, thousand-song phones, and iPod, play fewer.
And ALL the songs that phone and iPod play are listeners’ favorites.

It's me, Holland Cooke, the consultant, JUST back from the massive, mind-boggling Consumer Electronics Show in fabulous Las Vegas. I have spent most-of-a-week scouring 30 football fields' worth of Exhibit Hall floor space, and interacting with The Names in this $145 billion-a-year industry. I have seen the gadgets and gizmos:

a.) with which we compete for listeners' time-and-attention; and
b.) which smart stations will find more ENABLING than threatening.

If you’re a music station, that song you’re playing...right now?
You own it even less than a Sean Hannity Show affiliate owns Sean.
That song, and Sean, are also on satellite radio anyway.
And with Sean podcasting, he’s on iPod too.
As is Rush, who uses affiliates' air to persuade listeners to look-and-listen online instead.

Whether there will still be music radio stations in 5 or 10 years remains to be seen.

In the meantime, fellow consultants who specialize in music radio tell me of the urgency they are attaching to what their client stations do BETWEEN-the-songs.

Three recommendations:

1. Offer content that listeners can't find anywhere else, and BE KNOWN FOR what you do. Ideally, that'll be LOCAL content. Yes, there are lots of low-cost/no-cost ways to make your station more-relevant and useful and engaging to listeners and more valuable to advertisers. But spend some money too. The very clear sense radio people get at the Consumer Electronics Show is that – with competing stations mailing-it-in, and with so many other ways for listeners to acquire content you DON’T own – you will realize certain ROI by investing in well-executed local programming, something only you can do.

2. Read this book: "The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles," by Newsweek's Steven Levy (Simon & Schuster). Even before I myself read it -- based only on the Wall Street Journal review -- I bought a box of copies, and sent 'em to my clients. I just polished it off on the plane to Vegas. WOW. Thank me later.

3. See/hear my CES 2007 notes/pictures/podcast and read/hear/see keynote speeches, @ www.HollandCooke.com

And have a good weekend,
Holland Cooke
News/Talk Specialist
McVay Media
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FonOwlry9I

 

[lash]

Holland,

Yes, there are lots of low-cost/no-cost ways to make your station more-relevant and useful and engaging to listeners and more valuable to advertisers. But spend some money too.

Share some of the content beyond what we do with local news, weather, sports, PSA's etc.

 

[radioman1380]

Holland, (I hope it's OK to call you Holland)

I've heard that things go in cycles. I can only hope that it's the same for radio. While there are those like 'Lash' that keep it alive and well where it matters, the big boys in major and medium markets are relying on Jack or Bob, etc. Hopefully, things will come full circle and, someday down the road, someone will have the bright idea of putting personality back into radio, focusing on local community involvement, listening to listeners and appreciating clients.

You're right about the challenges that technology brings to broadcasters. You're also right that the one thing that broadcasters have over that technology is the ability to be that source for local content.

 

[Holland Cooke]

How much time ya got?

Holland, Share some of the content beyond what we do with local news, weather, sports, PSA's etc.

THAT'S the ballgame!
Here's the-next-level-of-detail answer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FonOwlry9I

Smart stations make even SYNDICATED programming sound more-like-a-part-of-the-station's-own-on-air-family -- and less like the-station-is-part-of "The E.I.B. Network." Much of my work for client stations is this sort of "branding."

But topic and technique are fundamental.
Merely staffing-up doesn't = effective local programming.
Lots of well-intentioned stations are boring-listeners-to-death with arcane, parochial local news blah blah blah.

EVERY ASPECT of the station needs to be INSTANTLY perceived as relevant, helpful, and engaging, by Homer and Marge Diarykeeper.

EVEN COMMERCIALS can be attractive programming, if done properly.*

And that includes commercials-for-THE-STATION-ITSELF, which we think of as "promos." But they're commercials, attempting to sell something (more AQH) to pre-exisiting cume. As you listen to YOUR station's promos, listen for this: Are they talking about A RADIO STATION? Or how-that-radio-station-fits-into-THE-LISTENER'S-DAY?

Getting everyone in the station to "get it" is the first step. And -- despite the icy reception consultants often weather -- it's still my favorite part of the job. When staffers are high-fiving each other because of what-just-came-out-the-speaker, I'm a happy guy.

HC
www.HollandCooke.com

* PS: About those commercials: If you'll be attending the RAB convention next month in Dallas, come to my session, eh? It's "Revenue...Right Under Your Nose!" (http://www.rab07.com/agenda_desc.cfm?id=309)