Making Noise In The Market

December 17, 2021

Fred Deane

Radio has always exhibited the most entertaining, if not outrageous, (stationality) traits of any medium of its kind. However, as we have entered a new phase of how owners have structured and currently operate, many stations and markets are handicapped by staff reductions and a more conservative approach to the playbook in painting outside the lines.

Given current industry circumstances that restrict creativity to a degree, and in some cases outright eliminates it, programmers are concerned. I’ve had several discussions this year with programmers and a recurring theme has been: How do stations have fun again and make noise in the market that resonates with listeners?

We’ve enlisted an all-star cast of programming minds to tackle this very subject.  It’s a passionate issue for our entire industry, and programmers and air-talent alike are very expressive in their thoughts as they address these concerns, as our industry continues to search for solutions.

Justin Chase

Justin Chase, Chief Content Officer, Beasley Media Group

At Beasley, we’re a live and local radio company, while many of our competitors choose a different strategy like one-to-many or a big national platform.  In a lot of cases that’s a good strategy. But for Beasley, we have to be local, that’s our competitive edge. We don’t have a national platform so we have to own local. Therefore, we’ve invested in the best possible local staff and best local personalities, and we have them collaborating together at our stations generating great ideas.

That’s why we were so aggressive to get people back to work (as safely as possible) during COVID because nothing replaces those free-flowing, creative idea sessions that occur when talented people are together in person. That’s the kind of culture Beasley has as we create fun and memorable content on the air and on our digital platforms, and we’re fortunate to have such a brilliantly creative and passionate team in all departments and divisions of our company.

We’re constantly striving to search for ways to create entertaining and fun content. It starts with our programmers and air talent.  Our PD’s and morning shows are very astute at paying attention to what’s happening in Pop culture and the big events happening in the market, and they find creative ways to be a part of those events by injecting themselves and the stations into the conversation.

One example of paying attention comes from WLLD in the Tampa market.  The biggest thing happening in Tampa is the excitement around the Bucs and Tom Brady potentially winning back-to-back Super Bowls. Orlando, our PD/AM drive host, recently collaborated with a local artist Leegit as well as Def Jam’s LATheGoat to create an amazing parody song to “show the love” to the Buccaneers.  The song is called “BUCS Back-to-Back” and it’s a spin on Jack Harlow’s “SUV.”  The reaction from our listeners, especially BUCS fans, was amazing.  Everyone wanted a copy for their tailgate parties.

These are the kinds of ideas we love and celebrate at Beasley on an ongoing basis. As an industry we need to come to the realization that from the idea-generating start to the execution and heavy lifting parts of a promotion initiative, we need to emphasize the essential relevance of super-serving our local markets and communities, a concept that will never change with our medium.

Jonathan Shuford

Jonathan Shuford, Program Director, 107.5 The River, Nashville

I don’t know that I agree that creativity is “restricted,” it’s just harder to manufacture with programmers wearing multiple hats and having fewer resources to be creative.  But I think, by and large, there are two L words that should be our focus as a medium going forward.  LOCAL and LAUGHING.

I think most of us, myself included, have been guilty of trying to be “bigger than life” and “can’t miss,” and there’s still a place for that. But if we want to connect with our communities, we need to do things that are hyper focused on our locales and offer people something unique and different and, yes, sometimes even sort of cheesy. 

Every published research study about radio talks about how listeners come to us for companionship and an escape from all the crap they’re bombarded with in the news, at work, and at home.  Capture and capitalize on big LOCAL news stories.  Dare to be silly.  Dare to maybe not be “the cool kid” all the time. 

There’s a reason reality TV shows do so well.  Sometimes, stupid wins.  Silly can’t be the core of what we are, but we don’t need to be afraid of it.  We’ve done huge arena concerts and really cool artist experiences in Nashville, but maybe the most “sticky” things we’ve done are just sort of dumb and weird.  Our male morning show did pregnancy simulators live on the air.  We sent a jock out dressed as a doughnut for Ariana Grande tickets back in the day.  We created a dozen vehicle party bus parades through downtown Nashville to support the bachelorette party industry.  And with all of the visual tools we have at our disposal (YouTube, social media, etc.) it’s even easier to relate that story to a larger audience than just the people listening at any given moment.

Those are the things that people will talk about at school, at work, and at home around the dinner table, because it’s an escape and a conversation piece that doesn’t revolve around politics or COVID or any number of sociopolitical pots to stir. And it’s something that none of our peers in the music consumption landscape can provide. 

Dare to be dumb! 

Dom Theodore

Dom Theodore, CEO, RadioAnimal Media Strategies

New Year, New Noise! I realize it’s not popular to say, but it’s high time to be honest with ourselves. Radio has a relevance problem that is largely self-inflicted.  Between the risk-adversity of the corporate lawyers, a ratings system that seemingly punishes us for doing anything other than being a music dispenser, and an environment at many companies where programmers fear to stand out because it might put them “on the radar” the next time budget cuts come, it’s no wonder we ended up here.  

Yet, with so many other delivery systems for music, it has never been more important to stand out.  In fact, it’s our greatest opportunity, because if done correctly, it’s something other platforms can’t duplicate.  Content that is unique, compelling and exclusive is our best hope to remain a viable medium.

So, what does “making noise” look like in 2022?  Some rules have changed, some remain the same.

The first and most important “golden rule” is PAY ATTENTION.  What’s happening in popular culture that you might be able to capitalize on?   A recent example was the “Free Britney” campaigns that some stations jumped on. From “Free Britney” weekends, where stations played all Britney Spears songs to support her release from conservatorship, to flying airplane banners that said “Free Britney,” several stations made noise with that.  Time is of the essence in these moments as the window of opportunity can close quickly. This is where it’s sometimes better to ask forgiveness than permission. Hopefully you work for a company that will see the greater good, if not go work for a better company.

TRUST YOUR TEAM:  Part of a programmer’s job is to foster a creative environment where talent feels free to perform, and supported by their managers to do so.  They need to know you have their back, so if they take a creative risk and there’s pushback from somebody, you will protect them.  This is fundamental to the process, and in this type of environment you’ll find that talent will be your biggest noisemaker.  In fact, making noise should be a daily occurrence with talent.   I used to tell night talent on my CHR stations that I expected at least two complaint calls per week, or else they weren’t doing their job.  Let performers perform! Build flexibility into the clock so there’s enough space to do more than just sell the next time you’re announcing a keyword to win.

CONTROVERSY IS NOT A REQUIREMENT:  Some are probably surprised to hear me of all people saying this because I’ve famously been a proud advocate of “calculated controversy” throughout most of my career.  But as these past two years have proven, you can make noise and get attention by doing good deeds too.  A great example was at Wild 94.1 in Tampa when the morning host Orlando recovered from COVID in 2020, there was a need for COVID survivors to donate plasma for their antibodies.  Orlando donated his own and launched a campaign to encourage others to do the same.  This was a great way to serve the community and get attention at the same time.  So, what is happening in your own backyard? 

MAXIMIZE SOCIAL MEDIA:  No matter what you do to make noise on the air, it’s mission-critical to back it up with social media.  We used to do stunts to make noise and hope the local TV station would cover it. Now we don’t need them, we can make our OWN coverage and if it’s good and interesting your fans become your distribution.  Any time your fans are bragging about something you did, it’s a win.

I truly believe we’re at an inflection point as an industry.  Years of corporate “best practices” have led to everybody playing from the same playbook, getting the same results, and scratching their heads wondering why there’s only a .5 difference between #3 and #10 on the ratings ranker.  The best way to break that cycle is to create your own playbook and try new things.  Experiment.  Seize the moment and do something to get your listeners to tell their friends about what you’re doing.  Here’s a hint, if you think they’re telling their friends about “96 minutes commercial free,” you’re wrong.  That’s so 2015!  If we don’t start taking some creative risks again, we may not get another chance.

Rich Davis

Rich Davis, Program Director, KDWB & KTCZ, and iHeart Custom CHR Programming Lead

Part of the reason why some of iHeart’s big-market stations like KDWB, Z100, KIIS, WXKS or KHKS became successful over the years is because they were always trying to figure ways to capture the audience’s attention. Sometimes it was the silliest of bits on the morning show or an elaborate fake parade with sound effects and imaging on the air.  Even in this day and age with PPM, you have to figure out ways to create buzzworthy ideas that fundamentally get people to talk about your station when they’re in the lunchroom at their jobs.

I’m very fortunate at KDWB to still have some local air talent to share ideas. Even through COVID, although we weren’t getting together in person to brainstorm, I would send an email to stimulate ideas for an upcoming station event or occasion and ask if anyone had some ideas we can incorporate into the thought process.  I have some great people on staff like Dave Ryan, who’s been here for 28 years, and he’s a wealth of ideas almost every time we speak.  But everyone is happy to weigh in with cool suggestions, and sometimes even if an idea isn’t exactly on target, it’s good enough to generate more ideas.

An example of making noise and being buzzworthy occurred earlier this year when we “melted our B” off our call letters when we were going through a stretch of really hot weather. We melted our B off our logo and we identified ourselves as “KDW,” and all of the imaging on the air said, “101.3 KDW.”  We even took the B off the jingles. People talked about this all over the city wondering why we took the B off our station. Of course, we’re on the air talking about how hot it was and that we literally melted out B off. Our imaging staff and digital director did great jobs with conveying the stunt and we had the revised logo all over social media. The really cool thing is it didn’t cost us any money.

When I was growing up listening to stations in Baltimore, DC and Philly, these are the kinds of stunts the big Top 40 stations were always doing. It really grabbed my attention as a listener, and we can’t lose that as a medium today. But programmers have to make it a priority. It doesn’t happen without idea energy and creativity. You need to be on top of your market’s events and your local environment and get creative.

These days I realize some stations aren’t deeply staffed but don’t let that be a limitation. You need to use peer-programmer collaboration across your company and enlist the support of other PD’s. At iHeart, we have a wealth of talented programmers and we’re always sharing ideas. I give Jonathan Shuford in Nashville a lot of credit because he’s always hitting a few programmers on email about a promotion idea he’s thinking about which stimulates discussion that’s productive for all of us. You need to be resourceful.

Jana Sutter

Jana Sutter, APD/MD, XL1067, Orlando

These days, there are so many content streams competing for your audience’s attention.  You must set aside time to be creative, fresh, and original in order to effectively cut through all of the competitive noise.

I see this as a three-pronged approach: talent, social media, and imaging.

We must start with the talent. The on-air element must not be a cut and paste process.  Unexpected surprises should be the norm. By creating a sense of FOMO, the listener will want to check in more often so they don’t miss out. They can get the music anywhere, but they can’t get our talent. Keep it local, topical and fun! “What is that DJ going to say next?”

This should also be reflected on the talent and station social media pages as well. With so many avenues to be expressive like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc., these are all easy opportunities to be creative and drive attention back to the station. You can take the brand of your core artists, station personalities and local city vibe, and create these can’t miss moments.  Another way to have less of a static social media presence is to inject most of the personality created content from their own personal pages shared through the stations’ pages as well.

The good news is with social media a quick check-in can connect as much as a choreographed REEL can. As programmers, we must stay on top of trends and changes to algorithms. Then we must train our staff to use best practices for optimal reach as well. To be in radio it’s not just about running a board. You MUST be able to be creative, innovate, execute, and then film/edit/post.

Lastly, we must connect.  Just as a song can make you feel a certain way or have a certain memory, how we package and share these songs can have the same effect. Whether it’s a “We’re all in this together” sweeper from early pandemic days, or a “Hot Girl Summer” sweep into a new Megan Thee Stallion track. We have to be quick, on brand, ahead of the trend, and above all else, FUN.

It’s hard to know the full effect of the pandemic and global social woes on our listeners, but it’s safe to say we have all been through a lot. Radio is an escape. Radio is trusted to inform and entertain. Especially in this current climate, our industry on-air and online, must be fun, comforting, and very much in the moment.  You must set aside the time to remove distractions and CREATE. Put yourself in the listener’s or follower’s shoes. Think about meeting those expectations.

Is your talent engaged? Is the imaging exciting? Are you delivering on your central brand with each element? The beauty of radio has always been that we can pivot at a moment’s notice.  And while some corporate initiatives may make it more difficult to do all the things, we still have the ability to jump on trends and immediately.  In fact, we must continue to do this to survive.

Jon Zellner (photo: Katherine Tyler for iHeartRadio)

Jon Zellner, President, Programming Operations, iHeartMedia National Programming Group

We’re constantly talking about the fact that our local stations and our talent need time for creativity and to generate talk locally, and because we have so many creative programmers on our team, we have the ability to share our best concepts across multiple markets. While some ideas are market-specific, the majority of them can be replicated but designed to sound local and customized for every station.

We’ve worked very hard to create our centers of excellence so that promotional concepts, imaging, live liners and integrations, promo scripts, digital and social assets and external marketing (video spots, billboards, etc.) can be used by all stations. The “how can we scale it” question is always part of our creative discussion and it’s been rewarding to watch our team get to focus in areas we enjoy and excel at.

Lee Abrams

Lee Abrams, CEO, MediaVisions

The key component in delivering a creative environment is leadership.  It starts at the top.  A leader who has creative DNA will generate a situation that frees the staff to do radio for the reasons they got into it in the first place, which is typically as a place to deliver entertainment.  While the company may view the business as a spot-generating machine, a creative environment, balanced with a strong blueprint, will likely produce the numbers and in turn morph into revenue.

Creative people are born with it, so hiring is a critical leadership function.  Pre-hires should be screened for creative aptitude. When I was at XM Satellite Radio, everyone filled out a “culture quiz,” a no-fail series of questions ranging from favorite Kubrick films to best cartoon themes and beyond.  We’d get in a car and cruise to catch a vibe you won’t get in an office.  The list goes on, but it boiled down to gauging the candidates creative IQ.

Once a person is hired, they need to go through boot camps to unlearn any negative past experiences and teach them the station concept. Done right, they are positive and enlightening experiences.  Once that’s accomplished, creative ideas can flow that are in sync with the station vision.  Most “bad” ideas are simply ones that don’t fit the blueprint.  The blueprint is the format architecture.  The staff should be the decorators that turn that structure to beauty.

The triad of communication includes boot camps, one-on-ones and inspired memos that put face time into words. And the mood in these forms of communication needs to be positive, realistic, confidence-building and bullshit free.

Field trips are creativity-builders, even a private bus tour around the city.  Getting away from the station is essential and, as a group, can be socially and culturally eye opening.  Even boot camps and staff meetings can be held offsite for more mental engagement.

Building a creative environment should be a very high priority because of what flows from that: caring about the sound as a mission versus a gig.  Pride building and confidence building create swagger, and fountains of new ideas can emerge.  Idea-wise the staff needs to know there’s a creative batting average. If thirty out of hundred ideas are good, that means seventy might suck. That’s cool.  A .300-batting average makes you a star.  No creative at bats and the station may be a format machine, but likely soulless and boring.

A creative environment should open up a new sound. In production a producer will emulate amazing music rather than regurgitate more lame promos.  Air talent will start thinking like listeners rather than format junkies.  Even at a hit music station, a creative will search for cool versions of hit songs, not to mention discovering songs by getting themselves out of the format chains.

Creativity is a mindset, a way of thinking.  Eccentricity all the way to the bank, but it has to be developed in a scenario that values creativity.  Some won’t get it and they’d fail in a creative environment anyway.  Creativity comes in all types from the buttoned-down thinker, to the whack job, to the inventors.  Ideally, there’s a wide span of types that create a balance.

All of this reflects on the air that translates to numbers which generate ad sales.  Everybody wins in a creative environment that has a blueprint to decorate.

Toby Knapp

Toby Knapp, Toby+Chilli Mornings, 97.1 WASH-FM, DC/iHeart National Afternoon Host/iHeart Multi-Platform Group/DC/iHeart National Programming Group

As an industry we need to realize it’s okay to have fun again. We can go see live music. We can get out of our basements. We don’t have to stay sheltered in place or at home, and we don’t have to refuse to live life. What we need to do is say, “Hey, it’s okay to live.” To live out loud and celebrate what it means to live safely in a way that embraces life and all that it can be, given the circumstances.

Yes, I know life has thrown us unreal challenges. Yes, things aren’t perfect with the world. We’re still divided, the economy is a mess and we’re still in the throes of a global pandemic. 

But people have always turned to the radio and our creatives to help provide them with an escape. Somewhere along the way, for whatever reason, some have said providing that ‘escape’ is insensitive or out of touch. I disagree.  I think providing that escape for our fans is absolutely necessary. It’s also a sign to those who are listening/engaged from us that it’s okay to get back to living.

If we are laser-focused on delivering joy, granting access, providing an escape, allowing for others to live vicariously through us, while being aware of the reality of life today, it’s not a bad thing. In fact, I think it will unleash our next great act as an industry. 

We need to find joy, fun and inspiration as an industry in the places where it is being created. In Reels on Instagram. On TikTok by people who are just like us, living with the so-called ‘new normal’ but who also find ways to create, share, embrace and share joy, love and fun. Follow what they’re doing so we can find new ways to do the same thing. It’s not rocket science and the research is free. Follow the creatives and we’ll find new ideas and new inspiration as we go forward. 

What I do know is this:  How ever we market or image our brands, it must be done with authenticity. People today see through the BS, and HYPE isn’t what it was. Listeners can smell fake a mile away. They’ll call out a lie that makes a “good story” when they see it and they have little tolerance for it.

Life made it this way, and now it’s part of the new normal. Be authentic. Be honest. Be vulnerable and be true. The future marketing of our brands isn’t going to be found in bombast. It’s going to be found in what connects. Our challenge is to embrace this, own it, forge real relationships, and watch what happens next. 

We have to optimize platforms.  We need to define the core messaging and define the brand, and distribute it as a mantra wherever we share our content and send forth the troops to spread the gospel. 

Guy Zapoleon

Guy Zapoleon, President, Zapoleon Consulting

Comedy and creative sources for content are available everywhere. There are a variety of sources you can consult to stimulate the imagination including streaming platforms like TikTok, Netflix, and yes, even television.  SNL or late-night TV shows still broadcast some hilarious comedy bits. You can tap into the creative comedy writers simply by observing these shows.

Creativity is available anywhere from simple engagement and observation, whether it’s derived from servers at your favorite restaurant, a bartender, a comedian at a comedy club, or (most importantly, your own staff).  Listen to those around you and engage them in conversation while tapping into their creative thought process.

I recall tapping into an incredibly funny and engaging sales department when in Phoenix, and we harvested as much as we could from them as well as other talented staff members. Scour all potential sources 24/7.

It’s essential that your staff stays in constant touch with listeners by being consistently interactive with them on their shows and messaging from various platforms when not on the air. Challenge all your personalities and find a person who can be dedicated to finding creative material and managing it and who can help coach and challenge your personalities to search out and utilize on-air and via social media. Stockpile the great material because you can gain from all of these sources and constantly tap into this potent creative resource.

It’s easy to brand entertaining elements with a personality and your station, but each piece of content has to be high quality and done consistently. An effective way to make sure people remember your station’s content is to brand your station with a signature audio logo. Don’t forget that as you post great content you want your audience, and potential audience, to remember where it came from!

We’re living in a time where people have hundreds of sources for media exposure with thousands of pieces of content being posted, so it’s essential that you’re credited with the entertaining content you’ve created.

Mike Stern

Mike Stern, Consultant, Jacobs Media

Find Your Station’s Penguins…Last year, in the middle of the COVID shutdown, the caretakers at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium caught the attention of the locals as well as those around the world with a simple concept: with the facility closed to the public, they let a group of penguins tour the facility.  With no people to get in their way, the penguins were able to explore parts of the aquarium they had never seen before as well as interact with animals they would have never encountered, such as Beluga whales.