Wednesday, June 26, 2019

01 Jul Wednesday, June 26, 2019

This Week in The Lund Letter:  
>   Getting the best songs through the funnel
>   Transcend the rank of DJ
>   Getting more listening is part of the job
>   News avoidance…plus other Trends

Lund Music Scheduling: Fine Tune Your Rules

Every week, The Lund Consultants review music software databases for stations.  When we first look at a client’s music, we can usually tell how many program directors or music directors have worked on the software over time.  We often observe that there is a tendency to add new rules for music scheduling without taking the time to clean out the old rules.

All music software works like a funnel. There’s a big opening at the top with all the songs you might play.  Before songs drip from the bottom of the funnel to actual airplay, they are squeezed by the narrowing of the funnel.  The more rules and restrictions you add, the fewer the songs that make the grade.

Give your music software a tune-up.  The Lund Consultants offer these tips for better music scheduling:

+   Clean out unneeded rules.  You probably no longer need those “boy band” or “Mariah Carey” rules you had when you played a ton of songs by those artists.

+   Watch for rules that duplicate or conflict with each other.  Examine your artist, special artist, and group separation rules in particular.

+   Use the right tempo controls.  Most software programs offer numerous ways to control the pace of your music.  Avoid jarring shifts in tempo and swaths of slow songs.

+   Consider starting each sweep or hour at a higher pace, and use rules to stay within a speed range.

More software tune-up suggestions next week.

Is Your Music On Target?

Who is managing your music software?

Playing the right songs and managing your music software controls are vital to a station’s success.  Lund Media can assist you with a comprehensive music review and software tune-up.  We’ll conduct a complete analysis of your active playlist along with every aspect of your music software – rules, clocks, and rotations.   We also provide a quick turn-around.

Capitalize on the very thing listeners want most – the best researched music played in the best rotation for your target demo.  Email John Lund for details and a timetable; mention you saw this in the Lund Letter, and receive $500 off the cost of a one-time music review and follow-up service.   And if you just need a best-researched “safe list” for your format, email us.

Lund Talent Coaching: Connecting with Listeners, Part II

Last week in the Lund Letter, we shared fifteen ways to better connect with listeners in the morning (or any talent shift).  Today, we have 15 more ways to better connect with listeners:

1.   Every time you crack the mic, sound like you know this show is worth listening to.

2.   Talk up the market; make people feel good about living here.

3.   Talk directly to one listener, not “all you out there.”  Radio listening is personal.

4.   Devour media – read and view everything you can.  Take notes. You cannot over prep a show.

5.   Relate stories about what you experienced or imagined; theatre of the mind helps the audience actually see and relive your story.

6.   Provide reality (with information) and escape (humor).

7.   Do something different today – try something new, like a unique way of doing the weather, or try out a new benchmark.

8.   Give time checks and brief weather a lot in the morning.

9.   Make today’s show special, and not the same as yesterday.  What could only have occurred today?

10.   Be known by your audience; give your name a lot and connect it with a listener benefit.

11.   Surprise the audience with something they were not expecting.  Be memorable.

12.   Be seen a lot; do many public appearances.

13.   After spending a part of their morning with you, what do listeners know now they did not know before?  Human interaction requires sharing something new.

14.   Have a great attitude – on and off the air.

15.   Transcend from being a DJ to a personality; reveal something of yourself and your life.

Personality Improvement

Radio personalities who systemize their approach to prepping and presenting their shows realize improved performances and higher ratings.  Want to know the benchmarks that listeners like most?  Utilize the Lund Radio Personality Guide to improve show planning and execution.  The Lund Consultants coach and develop talents for improved performance and higher ratings, and this stylebook has all the tools and insight to execute a great show.  

  
Lund’s Top 3:  Develop the Air Staff
  
PDs should conduct frequent talent coaching sessions, and more often with the morning talent(s). Consider these guidelines for analyzing performances and offering guidance:

1.   All personalities relate well to the target and provide interesting local bits of information and artist/song relatables that suggest the DJs are as into the music as the listeners. This may be the toughest tenet for some talents: a 20-something DJ needs to relate to a 40-something classic rock listener on their terms.

2.   Conversations are succinct and well edited, leaving the listener wanting more, not less. Idle chatter is boring.

3.   The station is TSL-driven as the personalities give listeners genuine reasons to stay tuned by promoting upcoming music, contests, or memorable information. Appointments are “set” for more tune-in times throughout the day.

Next week, a new topic.  For more Top 3 lists, check out www.lundradio.com.

Planning Your State Broadcast Convention?

John Lund’s positive, fast-moving presentation, “The Science of Growing Your Audience,” includes training and coaching guidelines on the basics of attaining higher ratings and more listeners.  Topics include the “basics” of radio programming, America’s top formats: who listens and why, tactics to get more listeners, talent coaching, and how to make voice tracking sound live and local.  This presentation will be customized and expanded to meet your members’ needs.  Email John Lund for availability and more info.

Promotion of the Week: (STATION) Birthday Bash

Throw a birthday party for the radio station every year with record company- and sponsor-provided door prizes and giveaways; have live entertainment if possible. Around the room, put up poster sized photos of station events and talents interacting with listeners.  If listeners can find themselves in the photos, have them autograph the pic.  Award tickets on air (not available for purchase) so only listeners can attend!

Do You Need A Great Promotion?

Our Summer and Fall Promotions Guides outline every programming and sales promotion you’ll need for the months ahead.  Over 100 audience-building promotions, contests, sales promotions and show prep ideas will make your stations sizzle right now and through summer … and help the sales staff lock in new dollars.

Order our Fall Promotions Guide now and receive the Summer Promotions Guide free.   Order here to get both guides.

Lund Trend Watch:

News Avoidance

While technology has made accessing news easier than ever… just pull your phone out of your pocket… it has also made it easier to avoid.  People choose to look at friends’ photos, entertainment, and memes and play games instead in their free time.  The recently released Digital News Report from Reuters Institute included some data on news avoidance.  According to the report, 47% of Americans (up from 38% in 2017) “often or sometimes avoid the news” (compare that to 29% worldwide).  Leading causes for news avoidance include “it can have a negative effect on my mood” (57%) and “I can’t rely on news to be true” (35%).  This may be a lesson for what news content you share on your station… is it all negative?  It shouldn’t be!

Keep My Ads Safe!
 
Harris Poll and DoubleVerify have released the results of a new poll that shows 82% of consumers want their favorite brands to only appear in ads near safe and trusted content.  Two thirds of respondents would drop a brand that had an ad next to fake or offensive content.  90% said they believe it is a brand’s responsibility to safeguard their ads.

A Big Chunk of Change

Digital advertising revenue will reach $520 billion by 2023 according to a new forecast from Juniper Research.  Estimates for 2019 are at $294 billion.  Google has the largest share with $230 billion by 2023, though because of increasing competition that numbers represents a 1% drop in share over the next few years.  Amazon’s ad revenue share is expected to reach $40 billion in that time, a growth of 470% since 2018.  Are you getting your share of local digital ad dollars on your website and mobile?


Programmer’s Planner:

July 1: Canada Day
July 4: Independence Day (a week from tomorrow and a 4-day weekend for many)

Summer is the time for county fairs, festivals, and other fun activities.  Be involved in local celebrations.

Next week in the Lund Letter: Avoiding artist conflicts.

Thanks for reading
The Lund Letter
Now more than 10,600 broadcasters get the Lund Letter each week!
We welcome your input.  Email John Lund!

About Lund Media

For over 20 years, the Lund Media Group has provided programming, music consulting, operational guidance, and research to broadcast stations throughout North America and overseas. With specialists in every format, the Lund Goal is to help stations get more listeners and keep them listening longer.

Call John Lund for more information about how the Lund Media Group can help your stations achieve more listeners, higher ratings, and more revenue.
Phone: 650-692-7777.
Email john@lundradio.com.