TJ Holland “Spring Cleaning Guide: Volume 1, Messaging”

TJ’s Take Number One

March 30 marks the date that Nielsen tells us spring has arrived.  Yes, the spring book is at hand (for those of us who follow such things).  It’s a good time to freshen things up whether you play the ratings game or not.  Here are a few things to review and give your station that clean lemony smell!

Volume 1:  Messaging

• When is the last time you’ve listened to your station, I mean really listened? Get out of the station for a day and hear what the station really sounds like.  Take notes on everything you hear from the imaging, the music, the promotions, the processing, and the talk.

• Is your message clearly defined? If you are “safe for the whole family”, does your imaging support that position or did it get sidetracked into secondary messages? 

• How often is that message being heard each hour? Count the times per hour that you identify the station as well as how many times you mention your primary position.

• Have you spread yourself too thin by doing too much? How many competing messages are we running that are asking something from the audience?  Too many “asks” may mean nobody is hearing any of them.

• Have you cleaned out old imaging or imaging tied into a certain season? No more winter weather liners or imaging about roasting by an open fire.  Sound like now, not then. 

• While we’re at it, are your stations benchmarks still relevant or just “something we’ve always done”?

• Lastly, does your station sound like your community or could you drop it in any town in the country? Challenge yourself to write emotionally and for your unique area.

Next:

Volume 2: cleaning up your audio architecture…often known as your music.

TJ is a veteran PD and has been voted one of the “Top Programmers in America” multiple times as well as having his stations recognized as “station of the year” in two separate formats (twice in AC and once with CCM).  TJ brings passion to mentoring team members, creating a real strategy for sustained growth, developing engaging brands, and for finding radios place in the digital and social media landscape of tomorrow. Reach him at tjholland@goodratings.com