Can Programmers Program in the Current Corporate Climate?

By Lee Abrams

Lee Abrams

I’ve heard a lot of talk about Program Directors being expendable robots towing the company line in today’s ultra-corporate environment. Afraid to speak up, opting instead to blindly follow policy and company-fed formulas to, well, stay employed. But done right, a Program Director can contribute and stand out in a good way where the individual, stations and company collectively prosper from individual contributions.

There’s a sizable difference between being a resource and being a nuisance. A nuisance whines, a resource contributes. A nuisance can whine him or herself out of a gig while a resource can grow within an organization. The key is contributing. In this era, a non-contributor can be replaced by a computer. It’s moving in that direction.

But first things first. Expertly produce and maintain the company vision for the stations. Changing that is a whole different and more complex scenario. My point being, the goal is to have a positive voice that adds value to the equation. In these days of expendables, it’s more critical than ever to stand out in a positive way and contribute. Speak up.

Yes, standing out can be good or bad, to make sure it’s good:

• Start small. A sweeping format modification might be a bit aggressive.
• Stay in harmony with the company mission and the function of the station in the market. Don’t fight the company POV as you’ll likely lose.
• Put ideas in succinct written form backed by logic.
• Keep revenue, efficiency and audience numbers in mind as that’s likely the mindset of who you’re presenting to.
• Know competitive radio history to draw parallels to support your idea.
• Discussions with those you report to locally to avoid uncomfortable political situations.
• Be consistent. An isolated idea is fine but not as good as being an ongoing fountain of creative thinking.
• Be selective. However, avoid throwing out every idea hoping a few stick.
• Develop thick skin. Many ideas will get rejected. That’s normal. Keep them coming rather than bottling them up. Think like a programmer, not just a caretaker.
• Don’t fight the format…enhance it. Illustrate how you care.

Sadly, there’s risk involved. Centralized programming encourages uniformity and unfortunately, creative ideas can often be seen as rebellious rather than contributory. That’s just the state of affairs. But you can game the system to everyone’s advantage.  It’s a risk, but liberating your thinking, intelligently and deliberately, can be very satisfying and a positive career move.

If no one will listen, do you really want to be there in the first place?

Long-time multi-media executive, consultant and visionary Lee Abrams is currently the CEO & Founder of MediaVisions, a multi-media consulting and production firm that is, “Not data driven, but very creative driven. I don’t do research, I interpret it. We are positioned to help companies navigate and prosper in traditional media, today’s digital landscape, and evolving disruptive technologies.”  For further details visit: www.leeabramsmediavisions.com