#SMALL-01

Where Did the Callers Go?

Where Did the Callers Go? Good listener/talent interaction with “the phones” is content that adds energy and engagement.  Good callers can be funny, crazy, relatable and entertaining.  But in recent times there seems to be a lack of callers on non talk radio outside of morning drive.  And in some cases even on morning shows. I have queried PDs about this and hear, “the phones are…

Respect The Music

Respect The Music When programming music stations back in the day, our internal slogan was “Music Is The Star”.  It was meant to make a point, that the music was critical to our success.  Hits get you ratings. In recent years I have amended that slogan to, “Respect The Music”.   Playing the hits, no matter the format is job one, but the personalities providing entertainment, companionship…

Are You Evolving or Stuck in The Past?

Are You Evolving or Stuck in The Past? When I was programming day to day at WPGC in DC I created an acronym, I.L.T.E. We pronounced it Ill-Tee and it stood for: Interesting, Local, Topical, Entertaining. This was the filter that content had to go through to make it on the air. We preached this motto consistently throughout the programming team. In aircheck/coaching meetings with…

It’s Time To Be Optimistic

It’s Time To Be Optimistic Is it just me, or are you having trouble sleeping, feeling anxious and a little scared about catching this illness despite staying home with sanitized hands? And what about the economy?   Every social media site and news outlet is blasting negative headlines about flattening the curve, doubling of cases, shortages of masks…….the list goes on. Don’t get me wrong,…

The Traits Of A Great Program Director

The Traits Of A Great Program Director I love watching the Oscars because I love movies. I love the creativity that goes into writing and directing this type of art form. There is nothing better than watching a movie, becoming absorbed in the story, invested in the characters and, for a couple of hours, escaping. This leads me to the focus of this article, the…

Effective Teasing

Effective Teasing In response to Monday’s Jeff McHugh column (Why You Should Not Tease), there is an art to teasing and promoting upcoming content on your radio station. “I’ve got some Janet Jackson coming up next” doesn’t get it done, and I hear that kind of thing often. Actually, I am not even sure what “some Janet Jackson” means.   Why do we tease and…

Why Customer Service Counts

Why Customer Service Counts When was the last time you had great customer service, at any business, where it was so good you had to tell your friends and maybe you even flagged down the manager to alert them? If you’re like most of us, you really have to think about it. Here are some interesting stats from American Express: – More than half of…

Have Fun!

Have Fun! As managers and leaders in the radio business, having fun can sometimes become difficult. A lot is being asked and expected of you and it grows daily. But somehow through all of this you, need to be the CEO of fun and positivity. Fun is a vibe that permeates the workplace and when people are having fun, they are generally super-focused on creativity…

Power Of Feedback

BusinessDictionary.com describes feedback as the information sent to an entity (individual or a group) about its prior behavior so that the entity may adjust its current and future behavior to achieve the desired result. We all crave feedback, but, more specifically, your employees crave it and deserve it. In our business, everyone is so busy that the pre- cious time you once had to provide…