Should You Time Shift Your Show?

(By Randy Lane) We’ve been getting questions like these: “Should we start the morning show at 6 rather than 5:30?” “Is it better to go on at 7 rather than 6?” “What about staying on from 6-11?”

The disappearance of the morning commute during quarantine has time-shifted and location-shifted listening patterns.

After consulting with a range of programmers, the consensus is that people are still listening in the 6 o’clock hour, so few if any shows are starting at 7.

The bigger question is when to end the morning show. Many at-work station shows that go off at 9 are keeping the show on until 10. Several shows that normally go off at 10 are staying on until 11.

Should you disrupt the disruption? Well, we’re all disrupted, so here are some  recommendations:

• If the show is new (less than two years old) or is not over-performing the station average ratings, stay with the original time period.
• Established and trusted brands with a huge fan base like Dave Ryan KDWB Minneapolis or Eric Ferguson at WTMX Chicago are comfort food for listeners. These types of shows would do well to stay on an extra hour.

• Even at-work AC stations such as KOST Los Angeles could extend the morning show an hour with a trusted and familiar host like Ellen K.

• The lockdown has benefited radio with a sizable increase in online and at-home listening. Take advantage of it by making your content available on-demand and be sure it’s properly coded to get Nielsen credit within 24 hours.

• Many shows are airing expert guests to inform the audience and to help compensate for the lack of caller interaction working out of the studio. At Max 98.1 Memphis, Danni & The Jar’s Danni Bruns interviewed her father who is recovering from the virus.

• Reach out to music artists and celebrities who are at home. Many of them are more than willing to go on your show. Be sure they follow effective PPM guidelines for holding listeners’ attention.

• A high percentage of your audience no longer has a radio in their home. Highlight your station’s smart speaker information at least once per half-hour to help listeners find your station.Randy Lane can be contacted by phone at 805-497-7177 or email at [email protected].