The Christmas season brings our format’s greatest opportunity to welcome new listeners. While this may seem a no-brainer, it is not something to be taken for granted.

No other format has the opportunity to eliminate its biggest barrier for growth (that it plays unfamiliar music for new folks) while also doubling down on the core “why” of the format – that God became man and changed history (even for unbelievers).

So, how does a first time listener become fan? More specifically how does someone that doesn’t know Big Daddy Weave from Bo Diddley become a fan of your station?

The Christmas season brings out the best in us. More people tune to our stations than at any other time of the year, some stations topping a million listeners per week, once unthinkable in our format.   

Many stations do their best job of connecting on common values with stories of hope, forgiveness, and fresh beginnings. Over the last several weeks I have heard some amazing stories and songs.

If your station is playing Christmas music, I’ve got good news and bad news.

The good news is you’ll help minimize your station’s biggest barrier for growth – playing unfamiliar music to those tuning to your station for the first time.

The bad news is new listeners have no context for understanding what your station is about.

Our neighborhood’s official start to the Christmas season begins at the gazebo next to the lake with the main attraction being the arrival of jolly ole St. Nick on the top of a local multimillion dollar fire truck! Your tax dollars at work!

When I was 13 years old, I learned a lesson in gratitude I’ve never forgotten.

“Thank you mighty much” were the words Ed Sargent shouted to every person as they left Hillcrest Food Market in my hometown of Eastland, Texas, a town of 3,000 counting horned toads.

Ed appreciated his customers and everyone walked away with something free. For the grown ups, perhaps it was the Coke machine that wouldn’t take their money. For the kiddos, it was “don’t forget your surprise” as they reached their tiny arms into the large jar of bubble gum.

Last week I confessed. For the first time in my 692 Frost Advisories, I left out the most important part. On purpose.

Last week I shared the brilliant campaign from The Foundation for a Better Life at PassItOn.com:

They shared…

I don’t remember very much that I learned from my first two radio gigs. After all, I was a teenager and my face hadn’t cleared up yet*.

But I do remember learning the Rule of 3 in promos from an early programming mentor Howard Clark. (He had actually worked for several really big radio stations in places like New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. I, however, had only driven by really big stations).

1. Tell them what you’re going to tell them. (That’s a tease, don’tcha know!)
2. Tell them.
3. Tell them what you told them.

I’ve heard Alex Trebek, the most famous host of “Jeopardy,” say that the show’s biggest problem was convincing people that a question could also be the answer.

So… let me ask a question….

What’s our format’s biggest problem?

I’m a small town boy. And grateful for it.

For one I was able to get into radio at a remarkably young age. Before my face cleared up, don’t cha know. I doubt a radio station in Dallas or Chicago or New York would have let me hang around at the age of 15.

I also grew up in the same small town where my mom and dad both grew up. I spent a dozen years of my life in the home my grandfather built in 1939. I went to the same high school both my parents went to. Even had some of the same teachers they had.

Why is this the topic of another Frost Advisory?

A couple of weeks ago I shared the upside of being wrong.

“The good thing about being wrong is that you don’t have to be wrong anymore. When you learn a better solution you can leave the old concepts behind.”

I promised then to share some things about programming that I’ve been wrong about. But I don’t have to be wrong anymore.