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?
Common ground is the foundation of success in our format.
Why is this important? Because those of us INSIDE the format don’t see it because we already know it. We’re inside the bottle, unable to read the label on the outside of the bottle. That’s where most of your listeners are. And ALL your new listeners.
My brilliant friend Tommy Kramer says,
“Dallas radio legend Ron Chapman was a great example. One day, he was plugging a station event, and instead of just giving the name of the location or street address, he added, ‘You know … it used to be the bank building, and before that it was the Mexican restaurant …’
Genius. Immediately, you know that he’s the guy from HERE, and everybody else ISN’T.”
from Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #542: A Tip for Anyone Who’s New to a Market
My talented friend Bill Ingram at KSBJ in Houston does a short feature every day called, “Welcome to Houston, welcome to KSBJ!” Over 10,000 people move to Houston every month and this feature acts as a tour guide for Texas hospitality and establishing common ground. I’ve heard people say, “I’ve gotten to know Houston because I listen to KSBJ.”
Just a thought. If common ground is the foundation of success in our format maybe rolling out the welcome mat to brand new listeners in practical and specific ways ought to be a priority on the air.
My friends Brant and Sherri of the “Brant Hansen Show” have a “Welcome” page on their website specifically for new listeners. How many stations do that?
“Too often people see communication as the process of transmitting massive amounts of information to other people. But that’s the wrong picture.
Communication is a journey. The more that people have in common, the better the chance that they can take that journey together.”
John C. Maxwell