Brian Wright “Christmas Connection”
This Christmas season the listener’s connection with their favorite Christmas songs will be stronger than ever. The cumulative effect of this year’s presidential election will causes them to want to escape to a happier place for a while and the Christmas season is perfect for that. Your listeners really enjoy their Christmas favorites. It creates a nostalgic journey back to a compressed snapshot of fond memories. Never underestimate the power of this. This is why it is more important than ever for your station to capture the emotional value of this holiday; your listeners are waiting for you to do exactly that. Anything less will drive them elsewhere. Our listener focus groups confirm that the vast majority of listeners look forward to their Christmas favorites more than ever. They love their familiar favorites and want to hear them often. They want a variety of their favorites, not variety for variety sake. Do not fear repetition because they certainly don’t. Play the hits!
No matter what amount of Christmas music you decide to play, leading up to and during Christmas, make sure you package your station to fit the emotional value of the season. Don’t just drop a few songs in without packaging. Remember… In radio you must tell listeners what you are going to do, what you are doing and what you did, in creative ways, to make it work to your benefit. One of the best ways to do this is through “Listener Mini Promos.” This is where you have listeners talk about family, friends and the feelings of the Christmas holiday, wrapped inside of your signature voice person’s open and close. Example:
OPEN = It’s a 98.5 WADG Christmas Celebration To Remember
(Listener Stories)
CLOSE =Your home for Christmas on 98.5 WADG
The primary emotional link with most age groups during Christmas is nostalgic in nature. Listeners will really enjoy this type of Christmas decoration on your station. Don’t be afraid to be very warm and friendly, and play the huge traditional Christmas songs, even the ones may not fit your format, texture or feel. Fight off being too hip for Christmas, that’s not what most radio audiences are looking for this time of year.
It will also be very beneficial for all of your on air personalities to engage their listeners more than ever…continuing the theme of the joy of the holiday season. What do they want for Christmas? Where are they traveling? Great Christmas memories? Etc. Touch on all of these topics and don’t get tired of talking about this throughout the season. Though you may get tired of this…don’t let any of these feeling show on the air, your listeners will disconnect with you quickly.
Brian is a 30 year radio veteran who has successfully served many companies over the years as Program Director, Operations Manger and VP of programming. After many years of success working for individual radio stations and clusters, Brian Joined one of the most trusted consulting firms in the country, Audience Development Group. For the last 15 years Wright has enjoyed building alliances with scores of stations in the US & Canada helping them grow in ratings and revenue. Contact Brian at brian@audiencedevelopmentgroup.com
