Category: Commentaries

10/6/1995 

Long, long ago in a land far, far way, I was a program director.  Okay, it wasn’t that long ago and it wasn’t that far away in distance, though an argument could be made that Sacramento is as long ago and far away as you can get.

The last station I programmed was KWOD.  For many reasons, KWOD wasn’t competing well in the Mainstream Top 40 arena.  Maybe it was because the station had been buried long before I got there; maybe it was because promotional budgetary constraints made the playing field uneven; maybe it was because I did a poor job programming in the face of outstanding competition.  (No, that couldn’t have been it!)  Maybe I was out of my mind.  (A strong case could be made for this…after all, I did pose for a Hitmakers cover!)

Whatever the reasons, we had to find another way to increase our audience.  After much soul-searching and a lot of research, we decided to adjust the format.

Live 105 reached into the outlying areas of the Sacramento metro and was exposing Alternative music to an increasingly loyal audience.  On my many trips to Los Angeles, I heard more and more people listening to KROQ.  It was hard to ignore KROQ’s success since KWOD’s owner also owned KROQ-AM, even though it was off the air

Based on all these factors and more, KWOD became one of the first Top 40 stations to weave Alternative music into the mix.  (Hey, I invented that format!)  It was easy to decide that KWOD should take a more Alternative approach.  It wasn’t nearly so easy to define the parameters that would establish the music inclusions and rotations.

The same is true today…maybe even more so. 

If you program a strictly Alternative station, it isn’t difficult to determine the music mix.  Alternative promotion people keep you aware of what music is available and what is hot.  There are many other radio stations with which you can compare your playlist.  The main decisions faced by most Alternative programmers are: (A) How Alternative do you want to go, and (B) how deep into the catalogue do you want to delve?

The Alternative format is basically artist driven.  Those programming in this format can define the music without a lot of effort.  This is not to say that it is easy to find the Alternative hits, but within the definition of the format, choosing the right music mix is more a matter of selecting the right songs from the Alternative pile rather than making distinctions about what is and what isn’t Alternative.

The task facing Mainstream Top 40 programmers is not so easy.

As Alternative music has gained more and more support from the Mainstream, Top 40 stations have reacted. Many have no choice.

Alternative music isn’t a fad (at least not today…maybe tomorrow).  It is a fact that a large percentage of the Mainstream audience wants to hear a certain percentage of the Alternative pie.

How much and which cuts?  Those are the big questions.

An increasing amount of my time, and that of the rest of the staff at Network 40, has been taken up with this discussion.  Programmers across the country are searching for the right answers…and the right questions.  How Alternative should we lean?  What Alternative songs will cross all the way into the Mainstream?  How many Alternative songs should I include in my music mix?  Is this song the right one?

Programming a Mainstream Top 40 station with an Alternative lean is one of the toughest jobs in the business.  There is no consensus with which you can compare your station.  Each situation is different.  Is your market already served by a successful Alternative station?  Do market demographics offer you a broad or restrictive target?  Are you the only Mainstream Top 40 game in town?  Does an advertising base exist to mirror programming performance?  Do you have the expertise?

In the final outcome, it is the music that matters.  That is why Network 40 has debuted the only chart exclusive to Mainstream Top 40 stations that lean Alternative.  We call it “Commercial Alternative.”  Why?  Because that’s what it is.  The CA chart lists the cream of the Alternative music crop.  Those songs high on the CA chart have the best chance of advancing and doing well in the Mainstream.

Our data base for this chart is small.  We took the most aggressive Alternative stations and those Top 40’s with an alternative stations and those Top 40’s with an Alternative lean and made them a part of the mix.  Market size wasn’t considered, only a station’s musical stance and commitment.

If you are a cutting edge Alternative programmer, this chart will serve as a guide to let you know what “smash” Alternative songs you might be missing.  If you’re Alternative programmer with a Top 40 lean or presentation, the CA chart will show you the right songs to play.  It will give you a great comparison.

If you’re a Mainstream Top 40 programmer with an Alternative lean, say “Hallelujah!”  Help has arrived.  The CA chart will give you a clear picture of Alternative songs with a track record and potential to cross into the Mainstream.

It took Network 40 a long time to compile the data and produce a Commercial Alternative chart.  It was no easy decision.  Our industry doesn’t need another chart just to satisfy the needs and wants of a trade magazine.  And although my experience with KWOD made me sympathetic to the plights of programmers, this was by no means my idea.  The CA chart is truly a reflection of the needs of our industry.  After just one week, it’s already a success.  Nothing Network 40 did before has stimulated such positive response.

Record companies and radio programmers were instrumental in helping to determine the stations included in the data base and with the definition of the chart.  Record companies now have a concise chart with which to prove which records are really crossing into the Mainstream.  Programmers can compare their selections with those of other stations in similar formats.

My thanks to those of you in both radio and records for helping to make Commercial Alternative a reality.

It’s about time

7/28/1995

Every gray cloud has a silver lining.  That statement was never more true than when applied to last week’s Editorial.  In an embarrassing column about nothing, I mentioned the KFRC playbook a couple of times.  I was surprised at the number of calls I received (I was really stunned that anyone actually got through it).  Many of you expressed interest in knowing more about the playbook.

I was fortunate in my career to program more than my share of great radio stations in many different markets.  The resumé of my programming journeys can certainly be described as a long and winding road.  WRBC Jackson, WFUN Miami, WMFJ Daytona Beach, KTLK Denver, KRIZ Phoenix, WRKO Boston, WOR-FM New York, KHJ Los Angeles, KYA San Francisco, KCBQ San Diego, KFRC San Francisco, WAPP New York, B95 and KCMO Kansas City, Y106 and  Q96 Orlando, WSHE Miami and KWOD Sacramento.  Not included in this litany are the stations I consulted along the way.

The first few things that come to mind when you see this list are that I programmed a lot of stations, I traveled a lot and I couldn’t hold a job for very long! All of which are true.

I enjoyed every station I programmed.  It was invigorating to take over a radio station, put format adjustments in place, dream up promotions and work with the air staff.  There was a down side, however.  I found myself teaching the same elemental formatics to each new group of personalities.  Often, I would forget things.  Because I had given the speech before, I assumed the new staff knew what I knew.  They didn’t.

So, early on, I began compiling what I called a playbook.  It was everything I knew about programming.  It wasn’t as simple as handing out the book and having everything be perfect.  Changes had to be made to accommodate particular idiosyncrasies at each station.  But at least the basics were covered.

Having a programming playbook solved a lot of problems.  No matter how many meetings you have, no matter how many elements you cover, good air talent can always find ways to do something outside the guidelines of your format.  The talent can always fall back on that old adage, “You never told me that.”  With a playbook, they can’t use that excuse.  Over the years, I came up with a specific rule for every excuse I heard.  After a while, there were no excuses.

A well-designed playbook can give your air staff a feeling of security.  There are no mysteries.  It’s all there in black and white.  If there are any questions about formatics, they can find the answer.  A jock doesn’t always know what a PD wants.  The playbook lays it out perfectly.

It’s not enough, however, just to have the book.  It has to be used.  Let’s face it: Most jocks, by their very nature, tend to be lazy.  It is up to us as programmers to stimulate them past their level of comfort.  If you’re going to have a playbook, it has to be used…daily.  It may sound juvenile, but it’s a good idea to give tests on the playbook.  If you don’t make it important to the air staff, it won’t be important.  Having the staff answer written and oral questions on the basics of different elements of the format in every staff meeting will keep them on their toes when they are on the air.  I required jocks to leave their playbooks at the station.  Occasionally, I would tape a $50 bill or a message to one of the pages.  Later, I would call the jock on the air and ask if the playbook had been read before the shift began.  When they lied and said they had read it, I would ask them to check a particular page number and call me back.

We all know that a good jock must transcend the format.  A good jock must use personality to become special and different to the listeners.  But they must showcase their personalities within the framework of the format.  They can’t be allowed just to do as they please.  They shouldn’t view formatic rules as stumbling blocks impeding their progress, but as tools to help them achieve greater heights.

Execution, without a plan, is ultimately worthless.  You can practice hitting golf balls every day, but if you don’t know the correct swing, you won’t get any better.  Planning, without execution, is just a worthless.  Those who spend too much time on the drawing board will never see their creation come to life.

I tried hard to do both.  I’m a big believer in weekly air check sessions.  It’s all right, and quite necessary, to have rules, but making sure the jocks know how to implement the rules through their own personalities is imperative.

After several false starts, I managed to put down my programming thoughts in the form of a playbook.  Paul Drew, head of programming for the RKO chain, liked the idea and we used the concept at most of our stations.

I make no false claims that these ideas are original.  Different elements were “borrowed” from many of the great programmers I worked with.  Since the playbook was written over the course of years, some influences are easy to spot—particularly the philosophy behind the rules.  It is the direct result of working late into many nights with Buzz Bennett.  Formatic specifics were a direct result of working with Drew.  The playbook is a combination of those ideas, as well as my own, and other unknowing contributors who taught me things along the way.

As the playbook was always a work in progress, some of the specific rules could be conceived as contradictory.  Each has a different level of importance.  Different stations had somewhat different needs.  The rules were always bent to accommodate the needs of individual stations.

And the playbook was always subject to challenge.  If any jock could convince me that his idea was better than what was in the playbook, the rule would be changed.

The concept of a playbook is to make sure that your ideas are shared by your staff.  It also serves as an important tool to help you know exactly what your position is.  Furthermore, it helps you to grow as you add and subtract specifics with each new challenge.

Anyhow, so many of you asked for a copy of the playbook, we’ve reprinted it in this issue beginning on page 10.  You might not agree with all of the guidelines, but I’m sure you’ll agree that the idea of a playbook might be a good one.

Feel free to steal what you need.  I did.

9/8/1995

Which of the following statements doesn’t fit:  Labor Day Weekend; golf, playtime; sunburn, tanning lotion; poolside margaritas; cool tunes on the radio; obnoxious deejays.

If you answered poolside margaritas, you need to stop drinking…or start… whichever is more appropriate.

Obnoxious deejays.

Is anything more irritating?  Nothing can turn a listener off quicker.  And nothing burns into a listener’s brains more.  So why don’t programmers spend more time working with and instructing talent t o ease this obvious stumbling block?  Programmers spend hours laboring over music computers, station production, flow clocks and promotions, yet one ignorant deejay can blow the entire station’s image with an inconstant presentation.

This problem is most prevalent during weekends.  Scheduling weekend air shifts is one of the biggest headaches for programmers.  No full time jock wants to work a weekend shift.  Most have no choice.  But they all want specific shifts that may not be right for the station.  It’s hard enough to find talented people in major or large markets…It’s nearly impossible in smaller markets.

Unfortunately, weekends are the most important days for attracting new listeners.  Most listeners are creatures of habit during weekdays.  Seldom do they stray from their favorite stations.  Not so on weekends.  Maybe they’re dating someone whose musical tastes are different.  Maybe they’re in situations that call for a different station than the one they’re accustomed to listening to during the week.  Maybe it’s because weekends are not so structured and therefore provide more time for listeners to sample different stations.

For all of these reasons…and more…weekends should be of extreme importance to you and your deejays.  You can’t afford to have potential listeners tuning in to your station then quickly tuning out because “that guy sucks.”

Not that offensive deejays are exclusive to weekends.  Far from it.  There are more than enough bad jocks to go around.  And lately, they seem to be going around like an epidemic.

Not so long ago I wrote an Editorial on getting the most out of air talent.  It doesn’t seem to have worked.  At least not on my stations of choice in Los Angeles.  If I repeat myself, perhaps you should repeat some of these suggestions to your air staff.  They obliviously didn’t get it the first time.

Communications is the key to being a good programmer.  It is also the key to being a good jock.  Communication between PD and the air staff is the combination that will open the lock.  Just because part-time deejays only work a few hours doesn’t mean you should spend less time instructing them on the format.  The truth it, you should spend more.

Deejays must know who their audience is.  Since most don’t, it is up to you, the programmer, to explain it to them.  Make sure each deejay knows how to relate to the audience.  Make sure that the jock knows that it is the listener who is important…not the deejay.  And make sure each jock knows that the weekend audience is not the same as those listening Monday through Friday.

If the music is right, if the promotions are right, if the presentation is right, a good jock can add to those elements to make a station better.  Except for those jocks who are more important than the music (Howard Stern, highlighted in this week’s magazine on page 12, is the perfect, and maybe only example), an air personality’s job is to accentuate the positives of the format.  It is not an air talent’s job to be important…it is an air talent’s job to make the station important.

On weekend shifts, this rule should never be broken.  Jocks are there to pimp the music…pimp station promotions…and that’s all.  No funny bits…no cute comments…no weak attempts at being hip.

It’s simple.  Shut the hell up.

Weekend promotions should be simple call-in-and-win contests.  Nothing more.  If the contests have listener interaction, make sure the bits are kept short.  Besides a name and city, jocks should only ask contestants yes or no questions.  It keeps the jock in charge of the call.

Weekend jocks shouldn’t ask a winner, “How do you feel?”  That gives the listener an opportunity to stumble around forever.  A weekend jock should say, “You just won… isn’t that great?”

Yes or no answers.

Weekend jocks shouldn’t be allowed to talk about themselves.  Nobody cares where they came from…how long they’ve been in town…what movie they saw last night.  Just pimp the music.

Long contests on weekends are losers.  Soliciting contestants is hard enough on weekdays.  On Sunday? Forget it.  More than likely, you’ll have 12-year-olds playing along.  This weekend, I was listening to a station that had a great Labor Day musical presentation.  Nothing but hit after hit.  Then a shift change occurs and the next jock, who normally does a different shift during the week, decides he wants to impress the audience with his “hipness” by playing a stupid contest.

He solicits contestants.  Nobody calls.  He continues to beg and finally gets someone on the phone.  They didn’t know about the contest.  So the jock explains it to them.  (Forget we’ve already heard the explanation several times.)  Then the jock can’t hear the contestant.  He asks their name not once, not twice…but three times.  Of course, the jock can’t hear the lame answers to the lame contest either.  It lasts forever.

Oh, by the way.  The contestant finally won.  The prize?  A station T-shirt.  The listener then asked to make a request.  The jock replied, “Sorry, we don’t take requests.”

Perfect.

Nothing is more irritating to a listener than a bad jock.  And the truth is, there aren’t really any bad jocks…there are ignorant jocks.  There are those on the air who think they have something more important than the music to share with the audience.

If I want someone to share their thoughts with me,  I’ll call the psychic hotline.

It is up to the programmers to put jocks in their place.  And the proper place is within the boundaries of the format…not outside.  Otherwise you’ll get an audience response you don’t want.

“That guy sucks.”