Oh, the irony! In a format all about belief, few CCM stations ever declare what they believe.
As a result most stations are simply a commodity rather than a distinctive brand.
If your station is known simply for the characteristics inherent in the music you play, you don’t have a brand. Your station is not distinct from nor preferable to other stations that play the same music.
Continue readingEarly in my career, I lucked into having a tremendous mentor in the great Howard Clark.
My early, feeble attempts to “entertain” were a litany of way-too-long setups for what usually proved to be pretty lame punch lines.
Having spent more than twenty years working with radio stations in Southern California it is frightening to watch the wildfires destroy homes, neighborhoods, and lives. From Santa Monica to Pacific Palisades to the beautiful drive up through Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway I react with the perspective that I’ve been there and have friends there.
A reminder: the recent wildfires in Southern California show us that with every event heroes emerge.
Continue readingOkay, we’ve gotten Christmas and New Year’s over with, we’re all going to try to lose 10 pounds, and now we have to settle down and go to work.
So here’s a challenge for you in this next year: Try something different; something you’ve never done before. Continue reading
I reckon’ the most common New Year’s resolutions are about losing weight, quitting smoking, and getting more exercise.
What if we took those three ideas and applied them to our radio stations?
Continue readingFor any young air talent, the key to a successful career is simply how to find out what really works for you, so you don’t (1) sound like everybody else, and (2) you’re not predictable.
So how do you accomplish this? Pretty simple, actually: Try stuff.
Since everything from Time Magazine to Rotten Tomatoes to Rolling Stone compile their own “best of” list for the year, I figured I might as lob a pitch in that direction. Plus it will give me another week to contemplate my new year’s resolutions for Frost Advisory #749. (That’s a tease).
Continue readingIt’s easy to settle for the low-hanging fruit, in terms of Content. What “the Buzz” is may be the 34th most important thing today to your audience.
Don’t ever confuse “the Buzz” with what actually matters. Resist the easy path. Don’t ever let the headlines, or some Buzzfeed article keep you from seeing what’s top of mind – TODAY – to your listeners.
The Christmas season brings out the best in our format. 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.
Continue readingIt’s always been an issue, but it’s even more pronounced today, with “cookie cutter” formats so prevalent.
The sad truth is that to most people, most air talents sound pretty much alike. A bit loud, a lot of gab, sort of “announcer-ish,” usually just pretty much what we’ve always heard and gotten used to.
