The 30/70 Ratio For Radio

Every radio station, personality, and imaging piece fits into the DNA of a brand. It’s what you become known for.

CHR/Top 40 has a party atmosphere.

The AC “at work station” is good company.

Country relates to a certain set of values and lifestyle.

The Contemporary Christian station strives to connect at a deeper level.

THE CONSULTANT CAME TO TOWN

A few years back when I was PD at a Contemporary Christian station our consultant came to town. After we caught up about family, flights, and hotel accommodations he said this to me, “Todd, you’ve done a great job at infusing listener stories on the air, but most of them spend 70% of the time talking about pain, which only leaves 30% left to mirror your values of uplifting and encouraging. I think you should reverse that.”

I took his advice to heart, walked my critical ear into the production room, and listened to every single one. He was 100% right. In our effort to create a ton of relatable listener stories we unknowingly gave center stage to some very heavy scenes that exuded much pain and sorrow.

THE OPPOSITE OF UPLIFTING IS “DOWN PUSHING”

By editing out many of the painful, detailed parts of their stories, we were able to flip the 70/30 ratio to 30/70. That matched what we were trying to accomplish much better: Uplifting & Encouraging.

HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY

Put your brand, DJs, and imaging under a microscope to see if your ratio needs adjusted to better match your strategy, goals, and objectives.

Todd Stach is the Contemporary Christian Format Editor at AllAccess.com as well as coaches and consults with his business, Beyond615.com, where he strives to build confidence with clarity and creativity. He and his family live in the (615) area code, aka the heart of the CCM industry.