If A Station Runs Amok …

I talk to a lot of PDs each week and every now and then someone will say something that gives me a flashback. That's what happened recently when I was checking in with a programmer. He told me, "My GM thinks I should take a vote of the entire staff before making any programming decisions. I'm in a two-book market, but have you ever heard of anything like this before?"

History Repeats Itself Over & Over ...
Programming by committee doesn't work. Look no further than Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs in 1961 and 1962. Team owner, P.K Wrigley put into place "The College of Coaches." Instead of a manager, eight coaches rotated as the head coach for the day. Wrigley said, "Managers are expendable, I believe there should be relief managers just like relief pitchers." The experiment was a disaster. The '61 club was 64-90 and in 1962 59-103 - last place and finished six games behind the new expansion team the Houston Colt .45s (Astros).

It Was Never A Good Idea ...
Years ago, as an air talent, I experienced radio's version of the Caine Mutiny at a station. The ratings came out and were flat across the board. The previous two rating periods the station had climbed into 5th place in the 18-34 demo. The General Manager called an emergency meeting. Every employee, including the janitor was allowed to voice an opinion on programming. The PD and my fellow air personalities had to sit through this unnecessary ordeal. The station had grown under this PD in less than a year. He was an experienced professional who had begun to turn the station around, but some people hate change even when it's evident that things are improving.

Chaos ...
The morning guy and I were recent additions to the air staff, and we voiced a show of support for what the PD was doing, but it fell on deaf ears. It was as if we were speaking a foreign language. The AM talent and I looked at each other and realized the inmates were about to take over and we'd better act as if we were on board. The GM was the Jerry Jones of radio and had a strange way of running the station. He would listen to every programming staff gripe and reverse decisions made by the PD without checking with him.

Kicking & Screaming ...
As I mentioned, it wasn't a rating problem. The issue was the PD made changes that weren't popular with the old timers on staff. But the GM's disregard for an organized programming agenda, legitimized the malcontents. It undermined the Program Director's authority and all that he had accomplished. As I looked back, I realized it was a ploy by the GM to get the PD to quit .

Eventually ...
For a short period of time "mob rule" existed as "Programming by Committee." The PD wouldn't leave voluntarily and was eventually fired. The committee went away when one of the disgruntled was promoted to Program Director. He was a lousy PD, but a shrewd operator. He systematically got rid of most of his co-saboteurs through trumped up non-performance issues. Those who remained, became loyal to him out of fear of losing their jobs.

My Advice …
If you ever find yourself in a bizarre “Programming by Committee" situation like the gentleman who inspired this week’s column, here’s what I suggest. Stay in step with upper management and be a team player. Cheerlead and institute the idea as if it were your own. You’ll be seen as an ally. Don’t worry, when the newness wears off and things start to fall apart, your superiors will rely on you to put some order back to things. Sometimes you must strategically fall back before you can move forward. And of course, give them all the credit for everything getting back on track.