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Content from BPRFew things are more unpleasant that program director/presenter aircheck sessions. Perhaps the best analogy is the apprehension that one has when going to the dentist. Nobody likes it!Few presenters that I have worked with enjoy the process. Few program directors look forward to the experience.Presenters dread aircheck sessions because they assume that their boss is going to point out their faults and mistakes. The often confrontational aspect of these sessions undermines their productiveness.Can aircheck sessions be productive? In most cases, the answer is yes. However, there are some basic rules to be followed.Rule 1. Give the review of the presenter’s work a positive spin. Don’t be afraid to point out the good stuff. People are more likely to pay attention if the session focuses more on the positive than the negative. When it comes to the negative critique, make it forward looking. Lines such as: “That didn’t really work so well but here is how you can make it better next time.”Rule 2. Ask questions of the presenter. “If you were faced with this situation again, how do you think you could improve upon it?” “How would you rate this segment?” By turning the tables on the presenter, you allow them to critique their own work. Sometimes you may find that they can point out areas of improvement that have not occurred to you.Rule 3. Space the sessions apart. It is not necessary to have an aircheck session every day. Once a week is probably enough. More frequent sessions may lead to needless repetition and fatigue. Avoid information overload. Human beings best process information in small doses.Rule 4. If possible, keep the sessions short. An aircheck session should probably never be more than a half an hour.Rule 5. Know your presenter. In my experience, a large number of presenters are fragile people. They can be insecure. In some cases, they may be their own worst critic (although they will never admit that to you.) Some presenters have out-sized egos but these personalities often are the most insecure of all. Approach airchecks sessions more like a psychologist and less like a judge and jury.Don’t expect the presenter to ever say, “Hey, let’s do an aircheck.” However, you can make the experience into something that produces positive results in both the short and long term.By Andy Beaubien, BPRIf you require further help with your own airchecks sessions, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] […]

Wayne Clouten is a principal of international broadcast content consultancy, BPR. He contends that too often we think purely about competition between radio stations when we are, in fact, competing for people’s attention with all kinds of media.Mr Clouten has  kindly contributed the following article.Much of the statistical movement we see in radio surveys, particularly TSL movement has likely nothing to do with an exchange of TSL between radio stations, it is more to do with an exchange of TSL between a radio station and other forms of audio”The problem is that with radio survey data the tendency we are drawn to is trying to draw lines between this radio station and that radio station, but the reality is that listening overall is much more fluid and radio only forms part of the bigger listening ecosystem.I believe a lot of “movement” we see in radio surveys is the result of what I call “proportional dilution”.It works like this: Imagine my station has 50 listeners listening for one hour each, and your station also has 50 listeners listening for one hour each.  So, in our little market there is 100 hours of total radio listening of which we both have a 50% listening share.  The next survey comes along and I gain 10 more listeners but my listeners are spending more time listening to something else other than radio so my radio TSL drops to 30 minutes per listener while yours remains the same as before.There are now 80 hours of total radio listening in the market of which your station now has a 63% share while my station drops to a 37% share.  None of my listeners actually went to your station, in fact they hate your station but it looks like your station gained from my station in the survey when that was not actually the case.All this doesn’t change the fact that my stations share of radio listening in the official survey went down relative to your station, what changes is how you interpret these share movements from a strategic and tactical perspective.I have been observing an exponential development of this issue in recent times.  COVID has likely accelerated this development in listening behaviour, but the trend was already there well prior to COVID.The degree to which radio listeners use other forms of audio varies quite a lot depending on demographic and station format.This is often particularly manifest in P1 listeners of a radio station.  They may love you and have absolutely no interest in any other radio station….when they are listening to radio…but that is not to say they don’t have a great interest in another form of audio and will spend more time with it in the future.The key issue is to appreciate that listeners are more than just radio listeners and for the average listener, radio is just part of a much broader listening ecosystem they have access to and can move within seamlessly to create the listening experience they want.BPR is an international media consultancy company working with market leading radio and television stations in major markets worldwide. We deliver clear and effective research based solutions for your programming, and marketing issues. […]

Content from BPROne of the age-old radio dilemmas centres around a simple question… what is the right amount of talk on a music station’s breakfast program? There is no single right answer but here are some factors to consider when considering this question.
How engaging, informative and entertaining are your presenters? The range extends from presenters who are well-known and beloved by listeners to presenters who are essentially best at executing a given format. In the case where you have one or more highly talented, conversational and compelling personalities at breakfast, you have to give them enough opportunities and latitude to engaged with the audience. Otherwise, their talent and listener appeal are wasted. On the other hand, if your breakfast presenter’s job is to merely facilitate the format and provide a smooth transition from one program element to the next, the presenters role is more limited and the amount of time taken up by spontaneous talk should be minimized. In this circumstance, a fixed number of songs per hour is recommended.

How many songs per hour are ideal? Personality breakfast programs and especially those with a multiple presenters can get by with as little as 7 or 8 songs per hour. However, the non-musical content of the program must be consistently entertaining and informative. Programs that are strictly formatted and have presenters who are basically format facilitators may be able to play as many as 12 or more relatively short songs per hour. Song editing is something that should be done very judiciously because listeners are often offended by songs that are not played in their entirety.

News and information – Listeners may have an expectation of hearing a lot of news, traffic, weather and sport information from your station. Full-service music stations are sometimes considered one of the leading information stations in the area. The need to provide information may be a limiting factor in the number of songs played per hour. Such programs may have to limit the number of songs to 8-10 per hour. Additionally, non-informational presenter talk may also need to be limited.

Is your station brand based on playing a lot of music with minimum interruption? With formats such as Soft AC, Smooth Jazz or Classical music, listeners may expect to hear an equal number of songs at breakfast as in other dayparts. Alternatively, pop music stations with a fast-paced breakfast program and popular personalities have more latitude and can get away with fewer songs per hour.

How important is listener interaction to your breakfast program? Some stations are known for a high degree of listener participation at breakfast. This may be in the form of games and contests. Some personality presenters have a talent for eliciting interesting and entertaining on-air interaction with phone callers. However, breakfast presenters that can do this on a consistent basis are fairly rare. If this is the type of content for which your breakfast program is known and liked, the number of songs per hour may be limited and may vary from one hour to the next.

For most music formats, 8 songs per hour is the bottom threshold. Breakfast programs that play fewer than 8 songs per hour can justify this approach only if they have one or more consistently compelling and popular personalities. On the other hand, stations that play more than 12 songs per hour at breakfast are required to carefully restrict the amount of talk content per hour.
As you can see, there is no single fixed number of songs that are appropriate at breakfast. In reality, the correct number is contingent on a number of factors including music format, audience interaction, presenter type and the amount of news and information. Finally, we must consider the nature of your radio market’s breakfast offerings. Listeners in some markets are accustomed to hearing high-profile personalities who deliver a consistently fun and entertaining performance at breakfast. Listeners in other markets may require a large amount of news and information. Consider the program options that are available and design your breakfast program to fit the marketplace.By Andy Beaubien, BPR […]

Content from BPRThis article is the fifth in a six part series.The real value in strategic thinking isn’t just in generating ideas or in making better decisions: it’s about building a framework that future-proofs your radio station and provides you with the best chance of achieving long-term success.Here’s the next tip on how to become a better strategic thinker.Step 5. Encourage Others to Think Strategically.Solutions come from knowledge. When members of your team know and understand the station’s strategic goals and challenges, they will be better placed to offer relevant solutions.Knowledge is power and empowered decision-making only occurs when information is readily available and participation is encouraged.Team members flourish when they feel they have a voice and they can see their work as part of the bigger picture.The more strategic minds you have generating ideas for you, the better. Try to build a culture in your radio station or at least within your team where everybody is encouraged to think strategically. Reward people who come up with strategically creative ways of doing things.It doesn’t always have to be a financial incentive – public recognition of someone’s efforts is often enough.By David Kidd, BPR […]

Content from BPRBen Hunt-Davis, the captain of the British national men’s rowing team, faced consistent setbacks in 1998. To deal with the failures, Hunt-Davis came up with one simple rule. With every decision or activity, the team asked a brilliant question, “Will it make the boat go faster?”When facing the dreaded morning run, they asked, “Will it make the boat go faster?”  When the team discussed going to the pub, they asked, “Will it make the boat go faster?”The focus of the team quickly moved to a single-minded objective. Yes, making the boat go faster.The result was the British men’s rowing team won the Olympic gold in Sydney, Australia in 2000. The first team to win gold for Great Britain since 1912.Turning to radio, as a programmer everything you do on your station should be processed through the filter “Will it make the boat go faster?” In other words, “Will it improve or maintain our market position?” … “Will it improve our brand image?”… ”Will it be entertaining enough to generate word of mouth?”Otherwise, you are wasting precious time and resources. It’s as if you are treading water… you’re busy down below but in reality going nowhere.A million dollar contest with a lame mechanic on a perennial cellar dweller station with a lack-lustre morning show (I’m being kind here) and an unfocussed music position……why waste your time (this is a statement… not a question).Seth Resler from Jacobs Media recently penned an article titled “It’s Time for Radio to Rethink Contesting”. I agree with is comments.As Seth mentions: “The rationale for hosting contests is to drive listenership. Unfortunately, contests are not particularly effective at this. For starters, few listeners tune into radio stations primarily for contests.”He also refers to a 2021 US study about what matters to listeners most when choosing a favourite station. The study shows that contests “are at the bottom of the list”. While this was a US study, I can assure you from firsthand experience these results are replicated in countries all over the world.In an article titled “When was the last time you wore THAT!!! The Art of Decluttering”, I said: “Tactics often take up a large amount of airtime both in promotion and execution, however as we have seen around the world contesting in itself ranks very low in importance for listeners.  Make sure your tactics are as entertaining as possible for those listeners who do not want to take part in the contest…the passives.  Can they play along at home or in the car? Does the tactic support the overall music position? Or are you simply giving something away (yawn)?”In his article, Seth said much the same thing: “I had a rule for every contest we aired: It had to have a Play-Along-At-Home factor. In other words, the contest had to be compelling for people who heard it even if they did not participate. In this sense, I thought of my station’s contests in the same way that I think of Wheel of Fortune: Most people will never play the game themselves, but they’ll still tune in to watch.”Contesting is part of the content on every radio station around the world but like every other piece of the content it MUST be entertaining. If it isn’t, the contest runs the risk of being clutter. Just giving away a prize in 2021 simply isn’t enough (unless the goal is merely to generate revenue i.e. a sales promotion). The mechanic is the key… makes it compelling, interesting, entertaining (for your entire audience including the passives) and easy to understand. Cue the intro to Secret Sound or Beat the Bomb.This is just one example of the importance of examining everything that happens on your radio station and how best to deploy time and resources. When you are in the next planning or strategy meeting and the room is buzzing with ideas, always pose the question “Will it make the boat go faster?”By David Kidd, BPR […]

Benztown and P1 Media Group will host a free webinar for radio professionals around the globe, entitled “Programming in 2021: Why Vulnerable Personalities Win”.The webinar is 17th in the companies’ “Global Radio Ideas” webinar series from top radio experts from around the world.It will be held on Thursday, October 21, 2021, at 10:00am PST/1:00pm EST/7:00pm CET.The 40-minute webinar will be hosted by Andreas Sannemann, CEO, Benztown, and Ken Benson, Partner, P1 Media Group, and will feature Urban programming specialist and coach Elroy Smith, Principal, Elroy Smith – The Coach.Smith has over 30 years of experience programming top-performing stations in markets including: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia and San Francisco.He has also worked with and had a hand in coaching Steve Harvey, Tom Joyner, Russ Parr, Rick Party, Charlamagne, Yolanda Adams, Doug Banks and many other successful personalities and brands.Smith was most recently Program Director for Bonneville’s R&B 102.9 KBLX in San Francisco.He will share his keys for building a strong brand in a competitive marketplace, and will take attendees’ questions and cover topics including:
What is a vulnerable personality?
Why vulnerable personalities are so successful
How programmers can turn their personalities into a brand
Lessons from Urban radio
Register at: https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/GlobalRadioElroy […]