Ten Rules for Successful Radio
By Gary Begin/Identity Programming

 

1).    DESIRE:   

        A radio station must want to win, and have the intense desire to create something very special.  Listeners can perceive that burning desire to be good at what we do.

 

2).   CONSISTENCY:

      The number one enemy of success is not sticking with The Plan, worse yet, not having a plan at all.  Establish a game plan and stick to it!  Inconsistency is frequent changes caused by:

• Impatience

• Boredom

• Lack of commitment

• Lack of confidence

• Desire to be different

• Distractions

     
     Successful radio today is not always produced overnight.

 

3).   SIMPLICITY:

      Great stations are simple stations.  We never confuse the listener.  This means, play the right songs!  On a music station 70% or more of any hour is music, but often little or no investment is made to ensure the station is playing the right songs.  How do wrong songs happen?  A number of reasons:

 

4).   KNOW THE MARKET:

      Do you and your staff really know and understand who your target audience really is, and what their needs are?  Successful stations use a variety of research tools to better understand their market, competition, listeners, strengths and weaknesses.  Research allows you to benchmark your progress and determine if you are cutting through, and how your target audience perceives your programming.  This includes:

5).   BE LOCAL:

       Great radio stations know one of the ways to winning is super serving their community.  Having staff and air talent who live, love and play in your community is critical.  Be tapped into what’s going in your community, then deliver this information in a useable and interesting form to your target audience.

 

6).   PROTECT THE PRODUCT:

       Successful stations have an acutely strong vision of what the station should sound like and they protect the product at all costs.  They protect:

7). BUILDING PRODUCT LOYALITY:

      One that great product is in place you can increase cume by building product loyalty.  Successful stations understand the importance of P1 listeners and have a “personal relationship” with them.  P1’s are your “Best Customers”.  They are the 36% of your audience giving you 72% of your quarter hours.  Giving your P1’s the special attention they deserve is achieved through a variety of methods:

8).   ADVANCE PLANNING:

       Successful stations plan well in-advance so the most important—not necessarily the most urgent—strategies are executed first.  The most positive results of Advance Planning are:

     Some of the basic tools successful stations use to plan include:

 

9).   GETTING CREDIT:

        Too many radio stations miss a great opportunity to get tics in an Arbitron survey diary for all the great things they do on and off the air.  After all, we are also in the diary influencing business!  Simply attaching your name to all contests, features and events will make a huge difference, providing it’s done well with good production values, a good voice and hopefully some clever copy.  Your brand needs to be on the top of mind both on air and in your market.  Get your logo at all the places your listeners frequent. 

 

10).   GOOD ENVIRONMENT:

          Successful stations are professional, forward-thinking organizations that hire and train the best people, and keep them happy.  They have great chemistry.  It’s much more difficult to find great staff in the new millennium.  As we all know it’s not always about the money,….it’s benefits, the work environment, and the level of fun that all lead to job satisfaction.  This is the key to retaining a great staff, so when someone offers them a job they are less likely to even consider it.  When your station creates staff loyalty it makes it difficult for existing or new competitors to come after you.  A loyal staff that works together as a team doesn’t just happen!  It takes leadership!  Once the team is in place, motivation, inspiration and gratitude naturally follow.   This is best achieved through: