Programming Takes Cunning & Conniving

As radio evolves, there are many nuances and realities that have to be faced. All of them come into play when an air personality reaches the point of wanting to try their hand at programming. Getting the opportunity to grab the reins is the first obstacle and the second is when someone finally says yes.

I can hear it in the voice, see it in the eyes, or pick up the vibe from an e-mail when an air personality is going to ask me how to go about getting a programming job. They always ask how I started and I tell them the story.

It Just Popped In My Head

I remember having just finished my air shift and thinking, "I love being on-air, but programming the entire station would be fun." Honestly, there was no storyline, nothing personally earthshattering, nor did I have a visit from heaven's radio angels. I just said to myself, "I think I should program." That was pretty much it.

Remember Valuable Contacts

My first thought was who can help me? So, I gave a call to a PD in Los Angeles that I had turned down for an on-air job. Over time he and I had built a relationship. He immediately put in a call to his National PD and the three of us had a conversation. The very next weekend I was flown to Memphis to talk to the GM. Looking back, I was brutally honest in accessing the station and was aware our meeting was out of courtesy to the National PD. The GM was upfront that another gentleman was the front runner for the job and I was a dark-horse candidate.

I Got My Wish...

A strange thing happened - three weeks later the GM called and asked when I could start. I can still remember the out-of-body experience of realizing I was about to join the fraternal order of PDs. Then four months later I lost the job because I didn't understand how to work with the sales department or the important contributions of various departments outside of programming.

My lack of knowledge outside of music and personalities was the catalyst to becoming a well-rounded programmer. I became obsessed with learning how every person and a staff contributed to the process of programming a station.

Now that I have confessed my early sins, I can now address this question from an air personality.

Jock: Sales and promotions seem to run our station. My PD is always giving into them for a remote. Last week I did a remote from a location where we could not listen to the station. It was embarrassing and when I called my PD from the place, he said do the best you can. Too much crazy stuff like this goes on around here. I want to program, but if sh#t like this is what it's all about, I don't want to ever do it.

Coach: There are always various factors the personalities are never made aware of. Unfortunately, it's the personalities and promotions who catch all the flack at the remote location. If your PD is like many, he or she probably just absorbs it and doesn't show how upset he is about a less-than-stellar remote because sales forgot to mention a few things; even worse, they are at the remote to handle damage control. If you ever become a PD, you will see a whole new side to things and realize it's a process to successfully keep a station from shooting itself in the foot.

Jock: Okay, well let's say I become a program director. What would you advise me to do about sales promotions?

Coach: I would suggest you make a conscious effort to make friends with the Promotions Director. The Promotions Director is busy with sales promotions and doing the bidding for programming. He or she is the key to turning your share of sales promotions into a collaborative effort as a programming tool for marketing image and rating.

Jock: How so?

Coach: I would argue that the majority of sales promotions, with little or no programming input, are a direct result of a neutered Promotions Director; they just take orders from the Sales Manager. You can empower him or her by propping them up and showing them how important they are to helping you program. It is walking a fine line, because you also have to make nice with the Sales Manager, too. It will take constant effort, but you must find a way to take sales ideas and turn them into a programming benefit. Something that will kill two birds with one stone; drive business for a client while at the same time potentially help position the station with your audience. Try and take crazy sales marketing schemes and turn them into a promotional/programming bonanza. These days, too many Promotion Directors feel like a foot-soldier for sales, it's your job to help promotions realize their actual worth to programming.

Jock: All that is a part of programming?

Coach: It's not for some, but yes for those who want to have some longevity in this business. It's a process with huge benefits -- better focus, happy clients, make the station money, and manage to increase ratings.

Jock: What's the best way to approach a Promotions Director if I ever get a PD job?

Coach: Take the Promotions Director to lunch and explain your philosophy on balancing the station's public image with programming directives. Let the person know that you can't do it alone and need help in understating the mindset of the Sales Manager. Once the Promotions Director realizes how you operate, working close together will make your programming efforts much stronger and sales will be smiling all the way to making budget. Don't get me wrong, it won't be a like fairy-tale ending all the time; but eventually, with each successful remote, you'll gain more believers.

Conclusion:

Future PDs, programmers, brand managers, or whatever the next designated terminology is for the job, it takes some cunning, knowledge, keen observation and pleasant persistence before you get the hang of being the programming boss. Thank God for failure, or most of us would never learn anything.