Every Christmas for the last several years I’ve thrown a few coins into the Salvation Army bucket down the street at the Piggly Wiggly.  But not this year.  Nope.  They’ve changed their bell ringer.  The guy standing outside the store ringing the bell is going to be different this season, so I’ve decided not to give.

Ludicrous, isn’t it?  Obviously no one would stop donating to the Salvation Army because Bernie replaced Barry at the bucket.

Then why do we hear these kind of complaints?

You’ve change programs!

You’ve changed the disc jockeys!

You cancelled Adventures in Odyssey!

You did this ONE thing that I don’t like…  So I’m not going to donate to your station anymore… ever… ever!

What they are basically saying is… you’ve changed the bell ringer.  And that bell ringer is the very small filter through which they perceive your station.

But that’s not you.

I know what the Salvation Army stands for.  I believe in their cause of helping those who can’t help themselves.  My understanding of the vision and purpose of their ministry is far more important to me than who stands outside Winn-Dixie ringing a bell.

TOMS shoes is an example of a company that succeeded more because of their story than their product.

“For every pair I sell, I’m going to give a pair of new shoes to a child in need… The giving component of TOMS makes our shoes more than a product.  They’re a part of a story, a mission, and a movement anyone can join.”  Blake Mycoskie, “Start Something that Matters”.

Needless to say, no one has ever stopped buying TOMS simply because they discontinued the plaid ones.

This Christmas season as you hear those complaints about your station’s bell ringer, consider that maybe your bigger story isn’t being told.

Two sections over at Dodger Stadium a stranger waves at me.   We seemingly have nothing in common other than the red St. Louis Cardinals jerseys we wear.  But in a sea of Dodger blue we see each other.

The loudest ovation at a recent Houston Rockets’ game wasn’t for the players on the court but for the six airmen honored during half time.  They didn’t cheer because they were basketball fans; they cheered because they were Americans.

The deeper the connection the louder the applause.

“We buy what we buy to remind ourselves – and tell the world around us – who we are.  We even choose our service providers based on how closely they mirror the way we would run their company.  We’re attracted to reflections of ourselves.  A salesperson points out this reflection, “That’s you, isn’t it?” and then gives the intellect the facts it needs to justify the purchase.  Win the heart and the mind will follow.”  Roy Williams

Facebook knows this.  They simply create ways for us to see a reflection of ourselves (a few years younger perhaps) and we’ll gladly share it with the world without even being asked.

Facebook knows that the more we see ourselves the more we’ll engage.

If someone was to tune in to your station right now what would they hear that is a reflection of themselves?  Would it be in the words you choose?  The perspective on life you share?  That you focus on things that really matter?

Facebook knows it.   Maybe we should too.   The more your listeners see themselves the more they’ll engage

When they asked Michelangelo how he made his statue of David he is reported to have said, “It was easy.  I just took away everything that didn’t look like David.”

That profound simplicity is one way to approach programming your radio station.

If people come to your station for encouragement just take away the stuff that isn’t.  Then while you’re at it… just take away songs listeners don’t love; just take away everything that isn’t relevant and meaningful to their lives; just take away everything that isn’t friendly and welcoming.

“…anticipate and answer your customer’s unspoken questions.  Don’t blather on about the things you wish they cared about – even if those are the things the customer really ought to care about – until you’ve first answered the question that’s on their mind.”  Roy Williams

That involves knowing why they tune to your station in the first place.

So… go do that.  And take everything else away.

We radio folk love to connect the dots.  Even dots that don’t connect.

The CHR in town plays 21 currents and their share went up.  Let’s do that!

They have a red-headed female on middays and they won Station of the Year!  We should do that, too!

We have new jingles!  That must be why our cume went up!   (Consider the illogical correlation of non-listeners’ behavior being affected by something they don’t hear).

I commonly hear otherwise smart radio folks confuse correlation with causation.

The GM loves that new one hour Saturday morning fishing show and the station’’s ratings go up.  Better prepare yourself for his next brilliant programming idea!

The more emotionally invested in a concept or feature the less likely we are to discern its causality.  Just because two things occur together does not mean that one caused the other, even if it seems to make sense.

Need to prove something you already believe?  All you need are two graphs and two events.

“People are drawn to black and white opinions because they are simple, not because they are true.  Truth demands serious effort and thought.”  Donald Miller

We’re never successful because of all the things we do.  Often we’re successful in spite of them.

“I feel like I’ve known her all my life.”

Those are actual words I overheard a listener say in describing a remarkable air talent.  Not that she was a good deejay; not that she really liked the way she did traffic and weather together.  Just… that she knew her.

Your station is ultimately about building relationships.  (For some, that may be a new idea!)

“We resist being influenced by people we don’t know or don’t trust. We are open to the influence of those whom we trust or whom we perceive have our best interests at heart.” Andy Stanley

There are only three voices that should ever be heard on your radio station.

Friend

Family

Visitor

Unfortunately many radio stations are overrun with voices of strangers.  We don’t know who they are, we don’t connect with what they’re saying, and worse, they don’t even sound like someone I’d want to hang around.

“Never underestimate the power of being likable.” Andy Andrews

Here’s a simple little idea that can transform a show.  Identify every voice as either friend, family, or visitor.

Friend is someone you like.  Family is someone you’re inexorably connected to.  Visitor is someone you welcome and help make feel at home.

I work with a guy named Bill whose specific job is to give traffic updates, a mundane task at most stations.  But he’s so much more than just a traffic reporter.  He’s a friend, relating traffic conditions to the listener’s lifestyle and commute, and he’s been on the air in their hometown for more than 30 years.  (By the way, we’ve built things into his traffic reports that only friends would say.  That’s called role development).

When you intentionally create a radio station where every listener feels welcome, there are no strangers.

This Frost Advisory inspired by my friends Mike Moran, Mike Blakemore, Ty McFarland, and Bill Ingram.

My cousin recently shared how a charity in his hometown of Austin, Texas, “had the clever idea of sending out a blank ‘book’ and asked a few folks to create their fantasy book cover as an auction item.  I loved the provocative experiment and wound up buying this cover back as a desktop catalyst for all sorts of reflective exercises.”

Cuzin’ Dan chose “Life, Love & Music” and selected “the photographic symbols that might highlight life chapters… love, loss, travel, art & music, friends, family and unique life experiences encouraged thoughtful and honest reflection.”

What would the “book cover” be for your radio station?  For some, compiling the station of the year entry gives perspective on the most significant things accomplished during the year.  The blood drive, the reuniting of families at Christmas, caring for widows and orphans, or helping single moms get a free oil change leap out as obviously far more memorable and meaningful than “27 percent more variety” liners, song to song segues, or that your station was the first to play Hercules and the Chicken Fat People’s latest song.

But where do we spend most of our time?

“It takes mental discipline to favor macro success over micro failure.” Jeff Luhnow, Houston Astros general manager

The second guessing and tinkering in reaction to erratic weekly and monthly ratings obscures our ability to focus on the real purpose of the station and those things that we would be proudest to put on the station’s “book” cover.  Nothing legendary has ever come out of a discussion about weekly ratings.

Cuzin’ Dan concludes, “There’s no time like the present to accept the past, celebrate the life learning moments and pledge to make the most of the precious time we have left. We owe that opportunity to no one but ourselves.  But, in making the effort, we’ll positively impact all around us.”

“You won’t believe what’s in the paper!”, I called out to my wife in the other room.  There it was – on the front page, something that wouldn’t have caught my eye even a day before.

Relevance.  It’s the most important factor in communicating to your tribe.  If they don’t care, if it’s not in their sphere of interests you don’t have a chance of holding their attention because there is no common ground.

“Consumers don’t care about radio per se.  They care about content.  They care about relevance.  And they care about the brands they have grown to love.” Mark Ramsey

Relevance is the common ground on which relationships can grow. In essence, building relationships is what all successful radio stations do.

Consider having monthly brainstorming meetings with your air talent to talk about what’s RELEVANT in your listener’s life.  Yes, our format is about things that are timeless, such as dealing with adversity, forgiveness, nurturing relationships, and our journey of faith.

But there are also things that are relevant because they are today; like back to school, trips to grandma’s for Thanksgiving, and the release of Star Wars.

What is relevant because it always is? What is relevant because it is today?

Air talent that combine relevance (in general) with relevance that is today will be particularly ear-catching.

Oh, by the way, if you have a kid’s birthday party coming up I highly recommend Garden’s Mirasol Park.  We were there just yesterday for our nephew’s party.  It’s the first time I have seen a playground that has workout equipment for the parents.  How cool is that?

Maybe they’ll write about it in the newspaper!

So, what’s the deal with Kryptonite? (Even my spell checker knows what it is.)  The Complete Deluxe Unabridged Marvel Comics Dictionary (yes! I have one!) says, “Kryptonite is the name given to shards of matter cast off from the planet Krypton after its destruction.”

Jeepers! This is going to be one high-falootin’ Frost Advisory, alright!

Have you ever noticed that superheroes aren’t perfect? Superman has Kryptonite, and Batman is really just Bruce Wayne who really can’t fly and has no super powers.  What’s the deal with that?

Every superhero has a flaw.  Every major character on a TV show has an imperfection. (Think Kramer entering a room, Barney and his bullet, and Gilligan’s incompetence).  And yet, we somehow insist that talent on Christian radio be perfect.  Holy Façade, Batman!

That’s what’s wrong with talent on Christian radio?

Perfection.

We don’t trust perfection because we all know perfection is a facade. If none other than Superman, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, has imperfections why shouldn’t we?

Your listeners want real.

I once worked at a radio station that started to get complaints about the way the lady on the morning show laughed.  It was a distinctive and, if I may say so myself, rather loud laugh. She couldn’t help it.  That was just HER laugh.

Faced with that situation I’m sure that many programmers or managers would tell her, “Stop laughing! We’re getting complaints!”

Instead my bosses did the opposite! They created tee shirts with the caption, “I laughed with Toni in the morning!”  She became a star, and much beloved because she was REAL!  She had a tribe!

As you develop the talent on your station find the Kryptonite, the chink in the armor, the thing that makes them human, and build upon it.

Then, be real.

And if influence is what your radio station is ultimately about, being real can lead to trust.

“We resist being influenced by people we don’t know or don’t trust.  We are open to the influence of those whom we trust or whom we perceive have our best interests at heart.  Trust requires common ground.  Trust requires empathy.” Andy Stanley

A once obscure and meaningless reference in a movie sequel has spurred tee shirt sales, conspiracy theories, and a seize-the-moment marketing campaign by Pepsi.

How can you get people to willingly pay $20.15 for a bottle of pop?  Simply connect the mythical date Marty McFly arrived in the future to the mythical soda Pepsi Perfect.

This marketing campaign is fueled by a real psychological phenomena called Baader-Meinhof, which states that whatever you notice grows in importance.

“It’s caused by two psychological processes. The first, selective attention, kicks in when you’re struck by a new word, thing, or idea; after that, you unconsciously keep an eye out for it, and as a result find it surprisingly often.  The second process, confirmation bias, reassures you that each sighting is further proof of your impression that the thing has gained overnight omnipresence.”  Pacific Standard

You’re shopping for a red convertible with leopardskin seat covers and you begin to see them everywhere.   You want a tattoo of the Donald on your trump and you begin to notice tattoo parlors on every street corner on Palm Beach.

In my journeys I regularly overhear conversations at radio stations about things we deem important simply because we notice them.  We then invest attention and they become more important still.  I could list some of them here but you’d call me a liar and say rude things about me.

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”  Albert Einstein

They could have just advertised the movie. The equivalent of “here’s what it’s about, give us your money, go to the theaters!” Our radio stations do that all the time!

Instead, gave us a way to put ourselves in the movie.

As we try to come up with ideas about how to get our listeners to do what we want them to do, perhaps we can learn a thing or two from this campaign. “Create a character” isn’t about the movie. It’s about YOU!

Roy Williams says, “We buy what we buy to remind ourselves – and tell the world around us – who we are… We’re attracted to reflections of ourselves.”

Thousands of these cartoons will be posted on line or sent to friends and not once was anyone asked to promote the movie. And yet they did.

“It’s not what a product does that matters to us so much, it’s how we socialize around it that matters.” Hugh MacLeod