why don't local stations do specialty shows?

[Link]

I never see local stations do specialty shows that are not brokered. Why don't they put on interesting local people for a few hours on the weekend to draw listeners to the station?

There must be something that I am missing. Don't you only have to track full time employees for FCC if you have 5 or more? Or does this FCC reporting requirements affecting this? It would seem stations would want to use alot of part timers.

 

[davideduardo]

I never see local stations do specialty shows that are not brokered. Why don't they put on interesting local people for a few hours on the weekend to draw listeners to the station?

There must be something that I am missing. Don't you only have to track full time employees for FCC if you have 5 or more? Or does this FCC reporting requirements affecting this? It would seem stations would want to use alot of part timers.

Going back to American Top 40, the idea of syndicated specialty shows is that part timers that are good are hard to find, take as much airchecking and training as fulltimers and create lots of paperwork. If there are good shows for your format, why not put them on on the weekends in dayparts where "holding the format" is not critical, such as Sunday morning, or when there are usually nearly no listeners, like 7-Mid on Saturday and Sunday. This makes for better programming, less personnel and supervisory issues, and is variety for the listener.

 

[Link]

Thanks for the reply david. I would imagine the reason not to use them full time is because the station cannot afford to do so. The stations I am thinking of are probably off the satellite and perhaps only have a local morning show. Most people that would do this p/t need m-f business hours to make a "real" living.

 

[redneckriviera]

David touched on a core idea--"holding the format"--that probably answers your question more directly. Even in non-rated markets, most radio executives (owners, GMs, PDs) fear that having something dramatically different from a station's basic format--even for just an hour or two... even during "low listening" times--will chase the regular listener away.

And there is some truth to that. When a listener tunes away, they don't necessarily just turn the radio off. They may choose to listen to another radio station, and if that station doesn't screw-up, they may never come back.

But that risk is minimal. Most listeners have 3 or 4 favorite stations, and bounce back and forth between them.

And then there's the other side of the coin: the opportunity to "bring in" new listeners with your specialty programming.

We have a Country-formatted Class B in a northeastern rural/unrated market where we air a Sunday morning Polka program, hosted by a guy who has been doing it for 30 years. It sells out at more than a grand a week. Well worth the bother. And "regular" (Country) listeners seem to accept it. No complaints.

 

[Link]

I think you are right about holding the format. An certainly its the right thing to do with the major signals in swmost medium to large markets. Its the mantra of radio, yet NPR does not do it. In smaller markets and marginal signals in bigger markets, it seems stations would want to do this. The fact this is so rare, is so interesting. Your example of the polka is perfect, you would do these programs to earn $$$. It gives you something else to sell. Does that de-value the normal product?