Strangers To Fiction

I have always held that some of the most successful programmers are no "strangers to fiction." They almost have to be in that mental state to create programming that's more than ordinary.

With all the competition out there, today more than ever, programming requires tremendous vision and imagination. You have to see beyond what's there. You have to hear and project what a record or jock's potential is -- just from hearing a small sample. And you have to be right.

You have to know how to interpret research and you have to know what to research. One of the problems a lot of today's younger programmers have is they forget how to listen. They've become totally addicted to callout research, even though callout research is going to be late and wrong a good percentage of the time. That's because so many of today's Urban and Urban Adult stations have syndicated programming that prevents them from getting their spin totals up high enough to get decent weekly passion scores.

Even if you get the perfect playlist, you still have to lay some innovative things and have creative people between the jams if you really want to be remembered and win big consistently. When you create a promo for a contest or promotion, it has to be larger than life. It if sounds ordinary, it is not going to cut through and capture the imagination of the listeners between the records that make the callout research cut. This is going to become increasingly important as Arbitron moves the diary out and the meter in.

Although I know some of you may not understand this, I have also always believed that there is a similarity between what might be considered a "club mentality" and a "radio mentality." Let's examine the clubbers, first. For the most part, they are people who always want what they can't have. If you put a velvet rope outside a bathroom, it would suddenly become the most popular room in the club. There's a crude but effective economic club logic to a restrictive door policy. Yet for all those frozen out by the hippest clubs, the restrictions are nothing more than attitude, a snobbish arrogance that breeds resentment.

On the radio there are similar, but different dynamics at work. As a radio station, you want to be more accommodating. You want to attract listeners who the other "clubs" wouldn't let in. Many stations, like some upscale cubs, start with an "A crowd" (those P1s with money, style, celebrity status, the trendsetters), and then there's a B-plus crowd that follows them. Eventually, the A crowd moves on and the B-plus crowd moves up and takes over the "A position." Now they're the ones sitting in the VIP rooms. It's possible to score with enough P2s and still win the ratings battle.

We're All Connected And Sharing

The key to winning today's ratings battle is to realize that we're all connected. The capacity of the human mind to live in a constant state of forgetfulness is where we have to start. As long as Arbitron's "unaided recall" system is in place -- and even more so when it eventually gets replaced by the PPM -- people have to remember what they listened to and where they had a good time, so they can return and tell their friends about it.

In that sense we are all connected. Now would be a good time to wake up to this connection. If you need further proof that we are all connected, look around at the Urban stations that have been consistent winners in any market. What do they all have in common? They've figured out a winning formula that keeps them on top of their game. They've accepted the challenge - the connection challenge.

A huge part of that challenge is understanding the difficulty Arbitron has and will continue to have, even with the meter, in obtaining usable responses from 18-34 year-old males. That challenge has led to wide ratings swings. In addition, Urban radio's niche is now being threatened by other, music-similar formats, which have been trying to co-opt artists and tracks formerly uniquely positioned as Urban or Urban adult songs. Add Top-40, Hot AC and Smooth Jazz to the mix and you have a volatile brew. There is a huge amount of sharing going on.

Mounting Motivation

Something else that we programmers should share is motivation. Motivation is a curious tool used by all of us at one time or another, whether we're motivating or being motivated. We've all been motivated to win a game, ace a test, make a sale or kick the ratings up a notch or two. As human beings, we need to be motivated from time to time to perform at our highest level. As people in positions of leadership we need to motivate our staff and ourselves to achieve greater success.

The greatest hindrance to any of us who occasionally fall short of our goals is our level of comfort. When we become satisfied and comfortable with where we are, we stop striving to achieve. Motivation helps us to redefine our comfort level so we can strive to even greater heights. We must not be satisfied with a level of comfort in ourselves or those who work with us.

There is only one problem. If you constantly need someone else to motivate you to achieve greater success, you're in trouble. Although each of us can point to different people in our lives who have helped us climb a mountain or two, it's up to you to make the entire journey by yourself. You must provide the self-motivation. Unless you can do that, you're doomed to failure, mediocrity or overnights in a small market, in a studio with no windows. The problem with even that lowly position today, is that eventually you are going to be replaced by a voicetracking machine or some other technology that doesn't want a raise, benefits or need a vacation.

It's nice to work for someone who can provide extra stimuli from time to time, but if you're going to really succeed, it's up to you and you alone. Instead of looking for excuses not to get things done, accept problems as additional challenges to prove your worth.

Every summer there seems to be some slippage on the part of a few Urban or Urban AC stations. For those stations with one eye on the actual audience levels, the results may seem somewhat illusory. Others may lose share points because mass-appeal stations such as Top-40, AC and lately in some markets, Hispanic music stations continue to do well. Some of these stations have added Urban and crossover cuts to their summer menus.

Planting A Colorful Crop

Summer is also a season of colors. Fashion freaks abound as the temperatures rise. Color is the big news as lush and energetic shades ranging from brightened neutrals and pastels to bold primaries, update the classic silhouettes that send us shopping. Exciting new colors aren't just for teens and young adults, either. Everybody want to be hip and "in." Even older-targeted Urban AC stations have gone through a dramatic shakedown period. They have found that winning means keeping up.

There's also an awareness that old tricks won't work any longer. Research has shown repeatedly that today's "Generation Y" didn't grow up on some of the tired tunes that keep showing up in auditorium music tests (AMTs). Many of these tests simply show familiarity. That doesn't mean what researchers think it means. Just because something is familiar doesn't mean the summer audience wants to hear it over and over again -- regardless of format category. What these researchers also found was that you can't broaden the audience base by playing it safe, especially since other formats have discovered the wide appeal in our music. Today the color of the artist really doesn't matter as long as the track is tight. It's actually hip and "in" now to add some "color" to an otherwise bland format.

Finally, those who are strangers to fiction may also be strangers to radio realities. In order to reap what you sow, you've got to plan before you plant. Then you have to do all the things that a good radio "gardener" has to do to grow a great "crop." Winter-weary spirits are banished as summer unfolds, hopefully with blossoming ratings and anticipation of a bountiful fall harvest.

But wait, there's something missing in this mangled metaphor -- the tools of the trade. It's great to talk about victories and winning, but even the most skilled among us must have the right tools. Proper tools must become a priority. In these times of mainstreaming and streamlining, monetary motivation is still a healthy stimulant ... and lack of it changes the status and responsibility of programmers, music directors and air talent. It is true that most programmers are more like businessmen today and more programmers by the year become qualified to move up to managers. But will programmers forget their old needs because of their new needs? And will management that has not experienced programming close their eyes to current needs?

It takes money to make money. To plant, seed and harvest a good crop takes adequate funding. Programming today must have parity in multimedia advertising. The stimulus to create impulse is the foundation for new cume, even with the PPM. The most important game for Urban radio impression must be made in every way possible.

More than ever, winning involves giving. Someone once said to a farmer who had a successful crop that he "planted with love and harvested with the spirit of giving." In programming, the tangible benefits of giving may be obvious, yet the intangible benefits will often outweigh them. That agues persuasively that the quality of one's giving, more than most of us realize or would be willing to admit, affects the quality of one's living.

No matter what the season, our character, ratings and garden all reflect the amount of weeding that was done during the growing season. That may serve to introduce a whole new generation of broadcasters who are no strangers to fiction.

Word.