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Programming By Committee ... Total BS
May 29, 2018
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When it gets too quiet around the building, it's always good to find out why. Don't get paranoid, but just make sure you are aware of everything going on around you. Hopefully your situation is not like this gentleman's.
OM/PD: My GM thinks I should include the staff in all the programming decisions before I institute them. I am not sure what prompted this since the ratings have been up or flat over the last two years, but never down. I am in a two-book market and we are beating our direct competition. So, I am not sure why this is happening.
Coach: It sounds to me as if you have some folks trying to stab you in the back. Programming by committee does not work. Look no further than baseball's Chicago Cubs of 1961 and '62. The owner, P.K Wrigley, instituted "The College of Coaches." Instead of a manager, from game to game eight coaches rotated as the head coach for the day. When Wrigley came up with the idea he said, "Managers are expendable, I believe there should be relief managers just like relief pitchers." The result of this experiment was chaos and low morale among the players and the organization. The '61 club was 64-90 and in '62, 59-103; in last place and six games behind the expansion team the Houston Colt .45s (Astros).
What I Witnessed First Hand ...
The anticipation of new ratings coming out can cause a lot of anxiety. It is even worse if the results are less than expected. Years ago, as an air talent, I experienced radio's version of the Caine Mutiny at a station. The ratings came out and the GM called an emergency meeting. Every employee, including the janitor, could voice an opinion on programming. The PD and our air staff had to sit through this unnecessary and painful ordeal. Understand, this was one book, the previous two had the station up in the ratings and this one was flat. The morning guy and I were recent additions to the air staff and we voiced a show of support for what the PD was trying to accomplish, but it fell on deaf ears. It was as if we were speaking a foreign language. He and I looked at each other and realized the inmates were about to take over and to survive we had better act as if we were on board. I felt bad for the PD because this coup was partially to blame on the spoiled crew he had inherited.
Failing Ratings ...
They fought change, even though the station had been underperforming prior to his arrival. To make matters worse, the GM allowed the malcontents a voice, and by doing so he legitimized their propaganda. As I look back, I realize it was a ploy by the GM to get the PD to voluntarily move on. For a short period of tim,e mob rule existed as programming by committee. The PD was eventually fired, and the committee thing went away when one of the leaders of the discontented was promoted to the programming position. By the way, over time, he systematically got rid of most of his co-saboteurs through trumped up non-performance issues.
Always Remember Your Lessons ...
Years later, I was a new PD coming into a situation with a group of underperforming air personalities who had been there for years. There was a lot of push back and whining from a couple of full-timers about doing some things they did not understand; despite my efforts to explain the benefits of adjusting. I could see they had gathered some allies from sales and trouble was ahead; forget the fact I had been brought in to get the ratings up. My first two ratings books were flat. The disgruntled were mounting an offensive and my intuition told me to placate them until the Fall numbers came out. To satisfy the GM and the complainers, I created a series of "I am listening to you" meetings. In fact, I had scheduled one in my office on the day and time the new ratings were due out.
Seize Those Moments ...
It was a set-up on my part, I had seen enough indicators to know the numbers were going to be up. Right in the middle of the two co-conspirators leading the charge of "we never and why should we?" I got the new ratings and they were substantially up. I wish you could have seen their faces, a mixture of happy and "Damn, now we have to shut up and follow his lead." I used this brief victory to push my agenda before the euphoria wore off. That was as close as I ever came to programming by committee.
Conclusion ...
My friend, be objective and see if any of the complaints are legitimate. And if so, fix them and get credit to those who raised the issues. Meanwhile, lay the groundwork to re-establish the proper chain of command; consensus to solve some things is fine, but to cater to narcissists attempting to deflect from personal performance issues is wrong. These types instinctively strike when the ratings are down; relying on the fears of others to keep from having to step up and better themselves. There is an ebb and a flow for PDs and time is on your side. To program, you must be a politician and learn how to isolate your problem staffers and empower those who want to do better.
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