Connectivity

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(By Mike McVay) Building audience loyalty because of your connection to a market, is the difference between weathering an attack by a competitor or losing because the listener feels they’ll miss nothing if they listen elsewhere. That connectivity to a market, and to those things that an audience cares about, provides an advantage over out-of-market shows that haven’t customized their content for a local market. It provides an element of information that a DSP cannot deliver. That connection is at the root of why someone turns away from their self-curated digital music library and return to OTA Radio, even if for a short period of time.

When I programmed back in the day in Los Angeles, which admittedly was a long time ago, I was initially convinced that you couldn’t be hyper local. That is because I wrongly assumed that a city as big as LA is too large to relate to the audience in a meaningful way as you would in a smaller market. What changed my thinking was hearing KIIS Morning Stars Rick Dees and Ellen K talking about someone who was selling furniture at a gas station on a corner on La Cienega. That one break shifted my thinking. I realized that the point of the connection is about it being relatable and imaginable. If it’s something that most people have experienced, then it’s relatable, and that makes it imaginable.

There is a significant number of air-talent who voice-track programs from out-of-market. Some do it really well while others handle it as if it’s a chore. Check-off-the-boxes. Done. Next. Done. The latter are those that are poor performers. The successful are those that do research on a market, visit websites for information about what’s happening in a community, and visit the stations website. They put time into show prep to deliver more than national or universal stories. There are local on-air personalities that put in less show prep time than some voice tracked talents for the markets that their heard on. Which is a sad statement to write.

One of my biggest complaints, as a former corporate programmer, was the occasional sabotage by a local program director who didn’t want to see a syndicated or network show succeed. They would “flip a switch” and walk away. No localized content voiced by the network personality, no cross-promotion into other dayparts, no promotion of the network show on their station. All things that many syndicated and network talent will do for a station. Just ask. Sidenote: the sabotage by some corporate programmers on local stations is a topic being worked on for a future article.

The majority of network programs, including those with some of the biggest talent, regularly record content for local stations and deliver it to them for their on-air use. Syndicated personalities will record content that promotes your local promotions. They’ll talk about other dayparts and shows on your station. Many will also read sponsor endorsements, if that’s been negotiated into the agreement you have with their program. You should customize your promotional content and send scripts to the syndicator for the talent. Receive it back and use it. Freshening it regularly.

Show prep, that goes beyond national content, should be required of all talent, in-market or out-of-market, before they ever walk into the studio. What’s trending on social media for your community? What’s been in the news locally that everyone is talking about? What things are locally universal that warrants mentioning on-air? What is of interest that’s closest to home for your audience? That could be spring break, a high school championship, a new shopping center being constructed, the closure of a gas station or the approval of a new housing development to be built. People care most about what impacts their lives.

Local connectivity can be programmed into your station. Inform local and voice-track talent of the same station events, activities and promotions. Assign to your talent various categories of events and information to research and gather information on, which will be shared within your cluster. Meaning, one talent is responsible for local news, one for sports, one for entertainment events, one that covers the schools, and so on. All of that information goes into a Google Doc weekly. All talent then has one place to find information that helps them connect to the community … in addition to the prep they do on their own. Internal collaboration for collecting and delivering content aids in managing connectivity.

I know that the station is winning when I hear a show calling out a local gas station that’s gouging, or another that’s lowered their prices, a discussion of a new Amazon distribution center coming to town and talk about a pedestrian bridge being built across the highway. The on-air personality who can mention new graffiti that’s been painted on a water tower … is one who is connected to their community.

The shows that put in the extra time to be locally connected to a community, to focus on entertaining, informing and engaging with an audience, seem to do better than those who are only marginally connected or disconnected. The best part about encouraging connectivity as part of your matrix for success is that it’s inexpensive. It does however require a religious-like commitment.

 

Mike McVay is President of McVay Media and can be reached at [email protected]

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