The Monday Morning Programming Meeting

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(by Gary BerkowitzIt’s Monday and time for our programing meeting. Here are 6 ideas that, if implemented will not only make you sound better but you’ll probably raise your numbers too! Your consultant will be checking back to make sure they’re all done by the end of the week (lol)!

BE LOCAL. Build in positions on the clock to mention people, places, and events. Take advantage of traffic reports to sound local. Former KVIL, Dallas morning man/PD Ron Chapman did it best; “The accident is at Main and Second, right in front of McDonalds.” Dallas listeners could always picture exactly where the accident was. Being local is important, but being good is key. Always strive for the best product that reflects local tastes.

BE HUMAN. Remind your talent that they are like actors. Actors use scripts. Their “interpretation” brings the words to life. The same applies to station benefits. If jocks just read them they will not work. Adding the human touch and not losing the message brings them to life. But….be careful not to allow jocks too much room to “interpret” the liners. Many times, in their attempt to do this, the focus and point gets lost.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? PROMOTE YOUR BENEFITS. Every time a jock opens the mic they should promote a benefit of the station. It is hard enough to get listeners to hear our message. Frequency is key here. Music quantity and at work use are essential.

THE LOST ART OF AIR-CHECKING. It is so important that talent understand what you expect. It also strengthens your relationship with them. Doing an aircheck, session will alert you to things you may not normally hear. This goes for live, in-building jocks as well as voice-trackers. Do one today and hear the difference tomorrow.

STAY CLOSE WITH PROMOTIONS. Seems like every advertiser wants a promotion to go with their schedule. That’s why the program director should be the final link in all promotions. Make sure they are right for the station, and executed properly to help improve ratings. Example: How does this promotion increase occurrences of listening or cume? Are we talking about it enough/too much? More and more we learn: Promotions are the icing on the cake. Music is still the #1 reason people listen.

ARE YOU OVERUSING YOUR VOICE PERSON? If your voice talent is on the air more than your jocks, you may want to review that. Use your jocks to sound live, local and vibrant. Trust me. Your listeners like your DJ’s.

Gary Berkowitz is President of Detroit based Berkowitz Broadcast Consulting, specializing in ratings improvement and programming content for AC radio stations. www.garyberk.com. Gary can be reached at (248) 737-3727 or [email protected]

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