There are many distractions in the lives of the audience. Radio isn’t as important to them as it once was. Those factors alone are reason for stations to invest in talent. What should really get the attention of radio is that several of the streaming services are adding air talent to their streams. Personalities who create a connection with their listeners build loyalty. Loyalty creates repeat tune-in. Repeat tune-in builds ratings.

In some cases, we’ve given away our audiences because we’re no longer creating the dependency that listeners once had for our stations. You can get the weather, the time, news stories, Amber Alerts, EAS and social media on your phone. There have to be on-air personalities to deliver that information. If you’re voice-tracked or automated, then what’s your plan to deliver crisis coverage? Services are available. Systems exist. Unfortunately, there are some stations that have no plan for extreme situations.

It is arguably more important than ever that air talent be show-ready to put on a show. They are well prepared before they arrive at the station. So much so that when they turn on the microphone, they snag the audience in the first seconds of a break. It takes about that long for a listener to make a decision as to “do I listen or do I reach over and push the button on my radio?” You have to be well prepared, regardless of the shift you’re hosting, because today’s audience is less patient and far less tolerant than in previous years. You have to do a Show and not a “shift.”

Instant gratification is important to our busy audiences. If you’re on a music station, play the hits frequently. If you’re on a spoken word station, then the hot topics are your hits. Talk about those topics frequently. The personalities, who can create entertainment over song intros, entertain and build a connection with the audience, will be successful. Personalities who can present content that is compelling and brief are the individuals that will perform best in the ratings.

If yours is a critical radio station, meaning that it is critical that your station perform well in a cluster of stations, then you need at least one radio star on your station. That star, and your station being the place to hear that star, makes your station a destination. If you don’t have a star, you’re not a destination, and you’re not going to be consistently high rated. Radio stars build loyalty. They create day-to-day tune-in. That’s the secret weapon. Get a star. If you have a star. Keep them. That’s easier than trying to find a new star.

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The post Why On-Air Talent Matter first appeared on CMB.

The post Why On-Air Talent Matter appeared first on CMB.

Start the reboot by asking yourself … What’s the benefit to an audience member by listening to your radio station? Is it to be entertained, informed, have fun, create interest, provide news updates, commentary relaxation, background music, or white noise – or is it simply for companionship? Why should someone listen to your station? Don’t point to a liner or sweeper used in content as that benefit. What is it really? What would a focus group participant say is the reason that they listen to your station?

We find a large number of Americans now listening and working from home or in transit. Consider turning to Total Line Reporting with Nielsen. That is to say that I strongly believe you should be in a full-simulcast with what’s over the air onto all other platforms where you deliver audio. The reason is otherwise you are missing out on the audiences that are hearing your station elsewhere. Fewer people have a radio in their homes than ever. Your audience is listening to your radio station live over the air, online, on mobile devices, and via smart speakers. They also listen on-demand via podcasts or delayed products. Get credit for the size of your audience.

Make The Product Better

Connect the dots between content and your rating results. There comes a point among really good programmers, that research, marketing, contesting, and building a strong format clock are just a part of the cost of entry. Over the years, I’ve sat in meetings where executives demand that the ratings improve, but they’re unwilling to make the necessary changes to improve them. Always remember these words … it is not your birthright to be number one. You have to earn it.

Commercial Loads

Spot loads need to be lowered. No one has the stomach to take the revenue hit, especially not in this economy, but as an industry radio plays too many minutes of commercials. We air too many units when we do play commercials. We should give higher value to the live commercials we air and we should continue to sell and execute live appearances at a premium. Commercial production needs to improve. Promotional messages need to be viewed as if they’re commercials and counted as a part of your spot-load. Same as a promo for a podcast. The audience hears them as commercials. 

Unleash Your Creative Animal

Surprise the audience in a positive way with ear candy. Develop unique ways to share messaging with the audience. Encourage your personalities, producers, and sellers to think as if they’re on a different platform. Eliminate the shackles of traditional OTA radio and imagine that your station is a streamer first … that is also heard Over The Air. It’s a place to start the creative process.

Don’t Hire An Announcer

Hire a personality. No one needs a nice voice that lacks an engaging personality or strong content. Not in this era. You’re worried about Artificial Intelligence? Then your talent need to do more show prep. Their content needs to be better. Talent need to be aware of your audience’s tastes and likes. They need to understand the art of performance as a personality. Put on a show. Connect to the market and the listener. Be efficient. Know how to get to the point without being too abrupt. Conversely, don’t be verbose. 

Local Versus National

I can point to talent that voice-track into a market from elsewhere who are more entertaining and prepared than the locally live talent. It is a privilege to speak on the radio today. Don’t take it for granted. Know what matters to your audience. It’s not always the same thing as what matters to you. I’ve run into talent who are proud of the fact that they don’t watch the shows that their target watches, see the same movies, or do what they do for fun. That’s a failure on the part of the talent. You don’t have to like the same things, but you have to be aware of those things and know how to truly communicate them in a way that’s connecting.

Build Buzz

Creative, “spur of the moment” programming should be the norm and not special. It has to make sense and have a purpose, but we should always be prepared to break format and do something entertaining or informative. What can you do that encourages a listener to repeat tune-in to your station or create word-of-mouth buzz? There is value in bringing back radio features and unique weekends. These make your radio station a destination. 

It’s Not The Prize, It’s The Experience

Promotion on-air and in your community must be unique. Research always shows that money is the #1 prize desired by listeners. How do you compete with Powerball? Deliver to your audience the chance to win experiences, concert tickets, theatre, and sporting events. Make fantasies a reality. Enrich their life experiences. Promotions at this level need not be expensive. Think of it … then create a fantasy around it. Experiences have longer-lasting value and can create listener loyalty, more so than awarding prizes that have no residual word of mouth.

Go Direct

Marketing that connects to a community is most important. The pandemic changed where people listen and how they use radio. The way you reach a listener has also changed. Social media can be used effectively to reach potential listeners. It should be a part of every marketing message you deliver. Social media alone is not enough. Direct marketing as a part of mass marketing is very effective. In times like these, when an audience is searching across multiple platforms, leadership within a market can change. The product must be on-target and better than your competitors; if it is, market it. Scream it from the rooftops. Invest now and increase your chances to realize dramatic returns in the future.

The post It’s Time For A Radio Reboot first appeared on CMB.

The post It’s Time For A Radio Reboot appeared first on CMB.