People brighten their houses with a new coat of paint, shampoo the rugs, and “Simonize” their cars to make them shine. While your station may need painting and rug cleaning, and the station van needs waxing, what do you do with your programming to brighten the sound? Here are some ideas to spike listening and increase your ratings:
+ Conduct a brainstorming session with your staff to explore new ideas, promotions, and topical prizes for the fall. What can we do to create a conversation and tune in – something we’ve never done before?
+ Create a new contest or promotion – or refresh one you haven’t done in a year or two and sell it to a new client.
+ Change the music rotation, so songs appear in a different order. Consider dropping all Secondaries and just playing the Powers.
+ Refresh your imaging. Add a second voice, such as a female voice, to complement your male voice, depending on the format. Add creative imaging so you’re not just saying the station name and slogan between songs. Make some of your imaging fun and funny so it stands out.
+ Don’t allow your imaging voice to be heard more often than your air talent. Reduce your dependence on pre-produced imaging and have on-air talent talk between songs more often. Briefly discuss a local event, the artist, the weather, and topics that help the talent sound authentic and local.
+ Create a new morning show benchmark or contest and develop a new character for the show, such as a serial caller.
+ If you host a special event every year, consider creating a new twist and reinventing the event for which the station is famous.
+ Research your station’s audience beyond music testing. Survey to discover what your listeners want from your station – and what makes it unique. Why do listeners invest time with you? What can you do to improve your station?
For gold-based formats, reshuffle the deck. Re-sort your music so Secondaries may become Powers, Powers may become Secondaries, or some Secondaries may be rested and replaced by new Secondaries.
For current-based formats, create imaging to promote an on-air event featuring new songs by popular artists. Play imaging before the song to build excitement on its release and play the song frequently in the first week of release.
Great stations sound great every day and strive to meet the high expectations of their audience and client community.
