Program director duties are what exactly?

[gr8oldies]

Seems like I remember in the pre-consolodation era that an Operations Manager might program an AM and FM, oversee traffic, billing, the engineer (contract or otherwise) and pretty much everything but sales, which was the sales manager's domain. There may or may not be a PD working under him/her.

 

[Kelly A]

Interesting list! If one has a music director do they do this step?

Many of the local Music Director positions are either going away, or part of a larger group hub/consolidation. In fact, fewer and fewer individual stations have a PD per format. Most PD's are either doing multiple formats in a market(s), or regional markets, or programming a single format in multiple markets. A lot depends on the market size and the group owner.

 

[TheBigA]

A lot depends on the market size and the group owner.

It really depends. I see a lot of ads looking for people who can work with Selector and integrate syndicated or VT hosts and local music. Somebody has to do the work. It's too menial for a PD, but too involved for anyone else. Kind of a special talent to program the computer for 24/7 operations.

 

[davideduardo]

Seems like I remember in the pre-consolodation era that an Operations Manager might program an AM and FM, oversee traffic, billing, the engineer (contract or otherwise) and pretty much everything but sales, which was the sales manager's domain. There may or may not be a PD working under him/her.

You hit on an important point in mentioning consolidation.

Very often in the past a station with a selling manager would have an operations manager to allow them time to call on accounts. The OM did all the office work to free up the GM.

As several have said, every station group organizes a bit differently.

 

[davideduardo]

Many of the local Music Director positions are either going away, or part of a larger group hub/consolidation. In fact, fewer and fewer individual stations have a PD per format. Most PD's are either doing multiple formats in a market(s), or regional markets, or programming a single format in multiple markets. A lot depends on the market size and the group owner.

With the improvements in the last decade or so in Selector and MusicMaster, the daily log is a lot easier to do and to do well.

A number of group owners won’t use Selector just because IHeart owns it.

 

[TheBigA]

With the improvements in the last decade or so in Selector and MusicMaster, the daily log is a lot easier to do and to do well.

That's what the job entails. People think a music director listens to music. A music director or program director or whatever you want to call him is primarily a computer programmer who integrates music, commercial, imaging, and hosting elements in a format. There's a technology aspect to all of this. Some colleges are teaching this approach to integrating technology, media, and music. As I often say, radio is not in the music business. If music is your love, go to a record label. Of course if you do, then you discover you're mostly in the marketing business, because that's what record labels do.

 

[Kelly A]

That's what the job entails. People think a music director listens to music. A music director or program director or whatever you want to call him is primarily a computer programmer who integrates music, commercial, imaging, and hosting elements in a format. There's a technology aspect to all of this.

Exactly, more science than art involved.

 

[seatownmedia]

And in medium and small markets the PD is also expected to have internet, website, and social media expertise, more than large markets because those usually hire someone who focuses on those segments. Atleast that was the case when I retired five years ago. Don’t know if still true today.

 

[TheBigA]

And in medium and small markets the PD is also expected to have internet, website, and social media expertise, more than large markets because those usually hire someone who focuses on those segments.

I am of the view if one is supposed to supervise someone, they should be able to perform that function.

 

[vw86]

Small market stations are where you can really see where some groups/stations have absolutely no experience with social media and/or an even remotely decent website. It's interesting to see where certain small market stations stopped evolving 20 years ago. You can hear it in their product and see it on their internet presence.

 

[davideduardo]

I am of the view if one is supposed to supervise someone, they should be able to perform that function.

... although not necessarily to perform it well. I always tried to hire department heads that did their job a lot better than I could, so you could say my skill was in hiring the right people and giving the team direction to win.

 

[The Media Observer]

At the end of the day, it is callous and uncaring, and while the people making those decisions might feel bad about it, they do it anyway. Lightly or not, they cut the head count as instructed.

I remember having a long conversation with someone on my staff who was frustrated over his inability to get a bump in his salary after years of service. He thought that working hard and doing a good job was enough. It wasn't. I explained that to "corporate," he wasn't a person. He was an entry on a spreadsheet. If the number on one square that represented his pay went up too far, someone up the food chain would have to answer for the increase.

I had to tell him "I'm sorry you're thinking that busting your ass and doing a good job doesn't matter, but it doesn't." Because that's true. He finally got that bump in pay not because he was working harder, but because he got a slightly different job description. The home office looked at him not as a person who had been promoted, but as a new position that was a different entry on the spreadsheet.

That's callous and uncaring. I get that. I understand what's going on. But I'm not going to pretend it's anything other than a necessary evil. At some point, we have to evaluate whether ruthlessly cutting staff over and over again is a good idea, and treating people like an entry on a spreadsheet is the proper way to grow a business built on talent and creativity.


At the moment, other models are cutting into radio's market share by offering alternatives, and radio's response seems to be "well maybe if we cut staff even more, we can compete!"

WOW, spot-on! Well stated Deus. 😮...😎