Our format can be either…

…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 a one share. The latter results in a station that has the potential to be a market leader.

Have you ever wondered why health clubs, weight loss products, or stop smoking schemes seem to advertise most at the beginning of a new year?

Folks in white lab coats say there is a psychological reason for it. (Perhaps you’d like to take notes)

“When we enter a new time period our relationship with our past self is weakened and it becomes a little bit easier to change our behaviour … If you want to disrupt a habit , target your messaging to the start of new time periods.”

Richard Shotton, “The Illusion of Choice”

On last week’s show, I shared that the beginning of a new year is a good time to review the basics.

At my church, the pastor takes the first two Sundays of each year to restate the purpose and vision of the church. Fitness clubs and diet plans often base their marketing on people’s desire to return to the basics and embrace new habits.

So… let’s go back to the basics.

The beginning of a new year is a good time to review the basics. At my church the pastor takes the first two Sundays of each year to restate the purpose and vision of the church. Fitness clubs and diet plans often base their marketing on people’s desire to return to the basics and embrace new habits.

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi began every training camp with the words, “Gentlemen, this is a football.”

Those are the candid words of a top talent I was attempting to lure into the Christian music format.

I reckon he knew how to get my attention.

“If your station can be transformative in someone’s life as you claim, then why do you spend 99% of your time focusing on the nuts and bolts, the songs, the artists, the deejays, and features any radio station in any format can do.

Why don’t you focus on what matters most?” he says from an outsider’s perspective.

In reaching the milestone of 700th weekly Frost Advisory (polite applause please) and having it coincide with the very first Advisory of the new year I reckon’ I better put together a doozie of a missive ’cause folks are not going to wait for them to get better.

So…

I’ve heard that the most common New Year’s resolutions are about losing weight, quitting smoking, and getting more exercise.

I have an idea! What if we took those same resolutions to help give our radio stations a fresh start in the new year? They say it’s easier to disrupt a habit if you reframe it as a fresh start.*

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.