Where Are You?

4/23/1999

In Las Vegas this past weekend, I was asked a question I had never been asked before.  This is a big deal for me.  In our business, seldom do things happen that haven’t happened before.  We’re often with the same people telling the same stories.  or we’re in the same meetings talking about the same topics.  The specifics may change, but the generalities remain the same.

Todd Cavanah asked, “Where are you when you write your editorials?”

I was pleased.  Not because Cavanah asked me a question.  He was full of questions this past weekend.  Fortunately for all of us, his lovely fiancee, Barbarella, I mean, Gabriella, had most of the answers.  Including, “Maybe the dingo ate your baby.” But that’s another subject.

I was pleased because I did not have a pat answer ready.  Having never been asked before, I had to contemplate the answer.

The quick answer was easy.  About 99 times out of 100 I’m physically behind the desk in my office, typing on my computer.  If I write my Editorial anywhere else, it creates problems within our art department.  These problems aren’t insurmountable, but it’s easier to go with the flow.  It’s kind of like doing a remote broadcast at the station.  It can be done, but it’s much more comfortable if the jock is behind the mic in the control room.

Anyhow, that was the quick answer.  However, the real answer was much more complicated.  These editorials are actually “written” throughout the week preceding their publication.  I guess you could compare the process with music research.  I do call-outs on a weekly basis and usually come up with something of interest to the audience that I then put in “Power” rotation and publish as an Editorial.

Once a month, I do extensive call-out to find the recurrents.  Some of my Editorials get their genesis in this fashion.  A topic that might be bubbling under the radar for a while will come to fruition after being aged. Or maybe the topic wasn’t hot enough during a really creative week, but when I’m reaching for something, it becomes the subject.  Then, there are those “auditorium tests” that occur once a year.  Sometimes an idea is born and I work on it for a long time before it’s ready.  A thought becomes an Editorial depending  on the topic, the traffic and the interest.

So what does this have to do with the Editorial in this week’s magazine? Are subjects so rare that I have to reach for one as lame as, “Where are you when you write your Editorials?”

The answer is, “Yes.”  What can I tell you? It’s a weak week.

This is a problem program directors have almost every week of the year.  Too often, nothing exciting is happening in the real world, so we must create excitement to keep our listeners tuned into our insanity.  How we accomplish this seperates the good PDs from those who are doomed to mediocrity.

As listeners, we paint pictures in our minds of whats happening behind a great radio station.  Where is the jock when he is doing all that cool stuff? What does she look like? Whats going on?

Unfortunately, many programmers never ask themselves these questions: Where are your listeners when you’re running the radio station? What do they look like? What’s going on with them?

Too many radio stations are run by habit.  We do things because thats the way we’ve always done them in the past.  That’s not good enough in today’s competitive world.

Your listeners are like a girlfriend or boyfriend.  You have to get to know them before the relationship can continue.  The more you know about them, the more comfortable you feel with them…and they with you.

What do you know about them? Where are they when they’re listening? The only way you’re going to find out is if you get out among them.  To program your radio station, you need to become a listener.  And your jocks need to do the same thing.
Have someone fill in for your afternoon jock and put him in a car to drive around in traffic.  Let him know what your listeners are going through.  Then, he’ll be able to better relate.  Do the same thing with your morning and midday personalities.  Don’t assume they know.  Truthfully, they probably have no idea what the listeners are going through while they’re on the air.

Do the same to yourself, so you’ll know where the listeners are when you’re programming the station.

One more thing about Cavanah.  He told me doesn’t read all of my Editorials.  He glances at them to see if they’re of interest, then either reads them or tosses them away.  I know he’ll read this one because I mentioned his name so many times.

I know where my listeners are.