radio programming

When the competing stations are playing much the same Oldies that you are, it’s the little things that make a difference.

The Word and the Phrase = the Same Thing In the early days, Top 40 played whatever were the current hits.  The weekly Top 10 might include Frank Sinatra and Little Richard.  Smart programmers played Sinatra in the daylight and Little Richard after dark. Dayparting.  Later came two versions of the same Hit record, the … Read more

Here’s What’s Gonna Work By “Work”, I mean build and maintain a loyal audience of listeners. We are facing such massive competition for the ears now such that I could never have imagined when I was a kid radio guy back in the last century. If I was a kid who wanted the play this … Read more

What does an old pro have to say about how an AI does radio? For the middle third of my career, I was an independant radio programming consultant.  Managers and owners hired guys like me to improve the sound and the ratings of their radio stations. One of the things I did was to prepare … Read more

Positioning – The Battle For Your Mind Music radio is a self-taught craft. To be more successful, read all you can find about media. “Positioning – The Battle For Your Mind” was published in the early 80s. It has a big influence on the thinking of radio program directors at the time.  It’s simple lessons … Read more

For CHR and Other Today’s Hits Radio Stations The fact is new and unfamiliar songs are the number one reason listeners switch stations.  This is particularly true with teen-to-thirty-year olds, who also are the most eager consumers of new music. These folks like new music a lot.  But they only like the new music that … Read more

It used to be a lot easier. When yours was the only Top 40, or only Country, or only R & B station in town, you could afford to make a lot of mistakes.  The mistakes being:  Playing stiffs.  Non-Hit songs.  The songs that cause some listeners to switch stations.  If yours was the only … Read more