CONSISTENCY Greg Diamond – ByrnesMedia This is a topic I have written about before, but recently I was reminded of the importance of this issue and I was compelled to revisit it.
I was at a station in Southern Ontario while a record company Promo Rep was also in town for a couple of showcases. Along with the station’s PD, we decided to grab dinner before checking out his acts. Like usual, there was the, “Where should we go?” chat, which the rep quickly ended by suggesting we dine at The Keg. This was no arbitrary choice, though, since he explained that when he travelled, he often frequented The Keg since it could be relied upon to provide good food (for those with a more carnivorous nature), good service, nice surroundings, and reasonable prices. It turned out he was spot on as we enjoyed their usual great food and were treated to an outstanding, personable server – in short, the restaurant lived up to expectations by being consistent. Radio is no different in that we build our reputation by providing the listener with something they can count on each time they tune us in – or a least we should!
Now that the last ratings for 2007 are in, we should be looking to see if there was any TSL decline. There are numerous possibilities why this could happen from improper overall positioning, to an ineffective ratings promotion. Often, though, it’s due to lack of consistency within an hour and over the course of the day and broadcast week.
I will often hear stations that fail to give a solid representation of their “sound” every 20 minutes or so. By not dividing up an hour and ensuring your musical direction is reflected properly in each, you make it much harder for the listener to be confident they will receive the product they desire when they punch to you. The listener will invariably find alternatives, while possibly not fully recognizing why they choose to do so. The end result, however, is the same for you – less time spent listening.
The same goes for selections that are too far outside your general position. Such “set busters” are little more than a reason for people to try another station. Too often we succumb to outside pressures like record companies, or we pay too much heed to a small, but vocal, portion of our audience and end up playing a song that’s just not quite right for us. Here the rule is simple – when in doubt, err on the side of caution and know you won’t be penalized for something you don’t play. Also remember, if it really is a great song, it will still be great next week. You have the luxury of taking a wait and see approach with tracks that leave you unsure as to their viability for your needs. I suggest you take advantage of that from time to time.
Ensuring our hours have consistency is a good start, but we should also apply that to whole dayparts and, ultimately, the entire day.
It is common for some formats to show less consistency from their daytime sound to their approach in the evening. Rock is an example where a higher gold percentage is common during the day, while newer material plays an increased role at night. Such changes go largely unnoticed since they are normally enacted over the course of many hours. That’s just prudent programming since you tailor your sound more specifically to who is likely to be listening at the given time. The problems occur when, for example, you end up having a noticeable shift between the Morning Show and Middays. This commonly occurs in how people construct their clocks. It’s pretty standard practise to build a clock from the ground up for each hour… again, it’s pretty standard, but unfortunately it’s also pretty wrong.
The next time you need wholesale clock changes (hopefully you won’t since it’s a very risky proposition outside of format change circumstances), try building your “perfect” clock – Middays is a great place to start since it has a lot of music. Create something that provides consistency over the hour and really sums up what you are as a station, and then use that clock as your template for all others. Add or remove songs dependent on daypart needs but keep the essence of the clock intact. By populating your clock grid like this, you can add much greater consistency to your whole day and week.
Music is not the only area where consistency is required. Just like the server at The Keg, your announcers play a crucial role in creating happy, satisfied customers/listeners.
Many Programmers are reluctant to set a framework for when their jocks should talk. The argument is that they would rather leave things flexible so the announcers can best showcase their talent. There is some value in that logic, but when weighed against the greater good of consistency, the latter should take precedence. The goal of a more structured talk clock is not to stifle a jock’s creativity, but instead to funnel it into a set of guidelines that allows for consistency from show to show. The announcer still has their own personality, but (outside the Morning Show) the points in the hour when they let it shine should be somewhat similar from daypart to daypart. Again, this is just another component that aids in your ability to make the listener confident and comfortable in your station.
It should be noted that the goal is not to become predictable (the definition of which is “capable of being foretold” and is actually more positive in nature than is generally accepted), but instead to create an environment where the listener knows with a high degree of certainly what they will receive when they tune you in at any given time.
You need not stop with just the music and jocks when comparing a restaurant with a radio station…
The Specials – just as a restaurant has a special so can a radio station. It’s what sets you apart from the competition.
The Menu – a quick look at the menu and we’re presented with all the options. It’s divided up logically so we can quickly hone in on our area of interest. Does your radio station website do this?
Branding – we can see The Keg for several blocks and we know what to look for. Is your brand visible in the market? Is it easily recognizable?
Imaging – When you walk in the door of the restaurant you’re presented with an atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable and reassures you that you’ve come to the right place. Radio stations do this with appropriate imaging. One area most stations could do a better job of is thanking people for coming by and selling them on the benefits of the product with appropriate imaging.
I’m sure you have even more analogies to draw between restaurants and radio. If so, please pass them along as I’d love to read and share them with others. In the meantime, though, make the effort to examine your station and see if it has that successful “Keg-sistent” consistency. |