One of my first programming mentors was a man that had learned from Bill Drake, the man that invented Top 40 radio. Howard had worked in New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco. I had worked in Abilene. There was a knowledge gap between us that was as big as the sky in West Texas. I knew I needed to pay attention.

Howard preached to his young air staff, “Do something.” He knew that people listened to the radio station for an experience. He would not allow us to phone it in nor waste a break.

A side note, I would often do things on the air just to get a reaction from Howard.

Remember back in school when you wanted that girl or boy to like you? I bet a specific name immediately pops to mind. (That’s for you, Marlene).

If I could just be taller, thinner, have prettier hair or clearer skin.
If I could just be smarter, run faster, or make the other kids laugh.
Then. Then maybe she’d love me.

Reckon’ I hear the term “artificial” dozens of times every day. I understand why.

Artificial intelligence is the shiny new object that catches our eye, and that’s probably legit. In the next season AI will impact our lives in ways we can’t even imagine. Many of those ways will likely be positive. Some may not.

But as programmers it is important that we not allow the shiny new object to obscure what listeners really value.

That is authenticity.

We can all remember the first time someone said, “I love you.” (We can also painfully remember when someone didn’t).

We are created to be known. From the early playground experiences of “Mommy, mommy, look at me,” to the moment you discovered the pretty girl knew your name.

Our format can either be a bunch of songs that people don’t know by artists they’ve never heard of. Or…

…stories and songs about the most important things in our lives.

The former results in a station with few listeners. The latter results in a station with the potential to be the most listened to station in town.

The frosty weather this week in Florida (it was 25 in Orlando this morning) gave me a hankering for getting back out on the golf course.

So, I met buddy Charlie to give me a golf lesson. He’s a really good golfer and I’m not, although I do have rather nice looking golf shoes, if I may say so myself. When I arrived at the driving range Charlie quickly handed me off to the golf pro, Lee, with a cynical “he can help you more than I can” quip. In only one hour Lee improved my golf swing significantly.

Forgive me, but this Frost Advisory is part therapy. I’m upset with my favorite restaurant and I need to get it out of my system.

We went out to our favorite Mexican food restaurant last week. I love Mexican food. I grew up in Texas. It’s the law.

“We don’t have that anymore.” The five words no one wants to hear when ordering their favorite dish.

On last week’s show I shared how our format is the most dependent on what happens between the songs for its success. That perspective is rooted in the immutable truth that all formats are defined by one of two things; hits and stars.

Since CCM doesn’t have either (at least to those listeners that are new – the basis of all potential growth – familiarity must be created between the songs. That’s where strategic themes, powerful branding, emotional connection, and compelling talent can transform a radio station’s connect to its fan base.

So, if what happens between the songs is so critical…

If you’ve been eavesdropping on these Frost Advisories over past 800 weeks you’ve likely sensed some reoccurring themes. Hopefully you’ve seen some big ideas that can help transform a station.

Maybe you’ve read some insights on which strategic concepts are vital to success. Candidly, some are ideas that I didn’t fully understand as a novice to the format 25+ years ago. Experience is a great teacher.

This week’s Frost Advisory drills down into one of those key concepts.

The beginning of a new year is a good time to review the basics. For instance, at my church our pastor takes the first two Sundays of each year to restate the purpose and vision of the church. Twice a year may not sound like a timely enough reminder but how many radio station share their purpose AT ALL? Fitness clubs and diet plans often base their marketing on people’s desire to return to the basics and embrace new habits.

A simple truth is that there are only two distinct elements to programming a radio station.