It all started with a spam call. At least I thought it was.

“I’m reaching out because as a part of our brand promise we mentioned that we would contact you anytime we saw an opportunity to further improve on your overall finances…”

That one line helped change my perspective. It wasn’t a spam call at all. I realized that I had an existing relationship with this company, and they were attempting to fulfill a “brand promise” they had made to me.

Key points:

When we radio people talk about programming do you know what tends to come up? It’s the stuff. Clocks. New music. Rotations. Liners. Commercial breaks. Traffic reports. Stuff that fits ever so nicely on a spread sheet.

Well, I have news for you. Good news, in fact. Your station has a secret weapon. And it’s not any of that stuff.

It’s people.

It’s simple, really.*

In a short burst of clarity and creativity, I’ve come up with The World’s Simplest Checklist for a really swell radio station. (Believe me they only come to me in short bursts).

Grab your #2 pencil and count up your points!

Unfortunately, ours is a format where most people in our town don’t know the music nor have a favorite song. That’s a real dilemma since the foundation of every successful music format is hits and stars.

Fortunately, the music in our format can be life transforming. Every listener has a story. Every person at your radio station has a story. And there is no such thing as an unfamiliar story if it gives perspective that God is in our story.

I’m told that the United States of America was born 250 years ago with a Declaration of Independence, and a subsequent Bill of Rights for all citizens to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But as Americans we know that with rights comes responsibility.

So it is for your radio station.