World Famous

4/22/1994

Programming a radio station is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. The combined talents necessary to be successful stretch from psychological counseling to technical engineering and everything in between. In an industry that increasingly demands more “hand-on” managing, it is sometimes impossible to take the time to have fun. And to create a radio station that draws a young audience, a feeling of fun must be prevalent or the audience will take a hike.

It’s hard to sound like you’re having fun when you’re not.

Face it, most of us got into radio to listen to music and meet members of the opposite sex. If those two items weren’t high on your list in the beginning, you’re lying…or should be in another line of work.

Many got the first chance at programming because the former PD was blown out quickly and the GM didn’t haven an immediate replacement. Or because the GM was convinced that someone else could do a better job. (In other words, the PD got stabbed in the back.) Some were promoted from the MD or APD position.

The point I’m trying to make is that most of us ascended to the job because of the right ambitions, but we were ill prepared for the reality.

Format clocks? Stop sets? Music rotations? How do I find out if I’m doing it right?

Jock meetings? Aircheck critiques? Promoitons? You mean I have to come up with promotional ideas? Liners? Production? Jingles?

Daily meetings with the sales department? You mean I have to have an ongoing dialogue with the sales manager? I hate sales. Public affairs? What is that all about?

Record promoters? I have to see all these guys every week? They’re calling every hour! I can’t play all their records.

The GM is thinking about hiring a consultant? I don’t want a consultant. I don’t have time to talk with him.

All I wanted to do was drink beer, play music and have a little fun. Now, I’m to busy to have fun. Hell, I don’t even have time to listen to my radio station.

Help!

How does a baby programmer learn to do it right? In the days of AM, you could just DX a major market and copy. No longer. Even if you visit a large city, there’s no guarantee you’ll learn anything. Many of those programming in major markets are clueless when it comes to creating great radio stations. Oh, a lot of them can pick the right music. (In today’s information-heavy environment, who can’t?) Some believe they can create a good vibe. (Until someone invents a “vibe meter,” it doesn’t matter.) But very few know how to program a great radio station. Why? Nobody ‘splained it to them.

Enter The World Famous KROQ.

KROQ is the best sounding radio station in the United States…bar none.

Now, I know some of my good friends and fellow programmers might take exception to this statement. I make it with no particular ax to grind or apples to polish. I know KROQ’s GM Trip Reeb and PD Kevin Weatherly, but we’ve spent no real time discussing programming in-depth. I spoke with neither regarding this Editorial. I write it as a listener.

KROQ is my station of choice. I like a lot of the music they play, but the same could be said of every other station in Los Angeles. It’s not the music that makes them my favorite. In the dynasouric demonology of Arbitron recall, it takes a lot more than music to make your station someone’s favorite. It ain’t KROQ’s music. It’s their presentation.

Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, every break KROQ rocks. And rocks hard.

Why? It’s hard to cite one specific element that makes KROQ stand out above the rest.

I’ve heard better air personalities. As a matter of fact, in the strictest sense of the term, KROQ’s air talent doesn’t fit the normal expectations of the breed. And maybe that’s what makes them, as a whole, great. There are no “big” voices, no rhyming wizards, just competent people who share the personalities. And their expertise. KROQ jocks offer current, hip information about artists and appearances. They don’t just read liners.

Kevin Weatherly manages to make this menagerie work for the benefit of the station. Many programmers hire off-the-wall jocks and let them fly on their own with decidedly different results. KROQ allows the jocks to express their individual personalities, but within the structure of the format. Kevin came from Top 40 and he’s brought to KROQ a structured format that makes the flow smooth, but allows the differing elements to keep the station fresh.

The positioners and sweepers are the best in the business. You don’t hear any staged hype. Many programmers are quick to “borrow” from other stations. KROQ’s are unique and absolutely off the wall. Like their slogan, “World Famous,” the stagers often have little to do with a specific event, but paint a picture of controlled mayhem.

The time spent producing each of these little “Oh Wows” must be monumental, but will worth the effort. Every element sounds as if it was written and produced to be the best. And each comes off that way.

And every weekend, KROQ does something special. The weekends are different for the listeners and KROQ program to the difference. No promotion or contest is every thrown away.

How do they do it? Time and attention to detail is, I’m sure, the first element. But more important is the commitment from each person involved. The staff at KROQ really loves what they’re doing. They sound like they’re all having fun, because, I suspect, they are.

Kevin has evidently found a way to do all of the time-consuming “no fun” things about his job description without letting it affect the sound of KROQ. He takes the time and makes time to listen. And it sounds like he’s having fun doing it.

If you want to know how to do it right, listen to KROQ.

There are a lot of reasons a programmer can give to excuse a poor on-air presentation. But in the end, that’s all they are…excuses.

Never forget the reasons for the beginning of your quest. Hey, through all of the tedious, emotionally draining, time-consuming elements that you hate, remember that programming a radio station beats working.

And ask yourself (and your staff) this question at least three times every day: “Are we having fun yet?”

The audience is listening.