Brian Wright “Feelings”

In radio we often worry about how we feel about something above and beyond what the facts might be. I can’t tell you how many times a station’s research will say one thing but the station doesn’t “feel” as though it’s the right thing to do. If your research tells you that your target audience believes your morning show talks too much or that your music is not aligned well, it is probably true to some degree no matter how we “feel” about it.

While it’s great to have feeling as in enthusiasm & excitement, it is not so good when those feelings get in the way of the facts. I can remember a college championship bowl game where the quarterback for the losing team said that he FELT as though his team was the better team. Well, he may have felt that way but the facts are that his team lost. Many times I hear radio stations say basically the same thing. The truth is, if you know what is required to win and don’t do it then you need to expect less than what you had hoped for. It’s just the way it is.  

With the exception of the occasional ratings anomaly, stations that hope for better ratings without doing what’s required to facilitate them are fooling themselves. I’ve had two general managers from two separate market-leading stations tell me that they didn’t “feel” like they needed to make the adjustments that the research and trusted advisors told them they needed to make…Neither station exists today!

Make the best of each decision and don’t fight the facts.

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