(By John Shomby) Imagine you are being courted by a radio station group who really would like you to join them. As any prospective employee would, you do your “due diligence” and research as much as you can about the organization. The first thing you discover is that they have NEVER laid off any employees in their 40-plus years of existence.
I don’t know about you, but that would make me sit up.
You recall the several conversations you’ve had with the top brass in the company about their core values with the top one being integrity because, as they say, they vow to never lie to staff, listeners, or clients. You find out that this is 100% true along with the fact that they do very targeted client and listener research to make sure this is happening.
You are told that employee turnover is almost non-existent because they believe in, as they say, “Careful, sustainable growth.” Your own research confirms that. Finally, they also tell you of their local community involvement constantly finding ways to “give back” in the form of dollars and manpower.
Sounds like your kind of place, doesn’t it? It also sounds like a business that, most likely, doesn’t exist…
WRONG!
Allow me to introduce you to Bigelow Homes out of Chicago. They have been in business across the Midwest for just over 40 years – founded by Roy Bigelow and taken over about 20 years ago by his son, Jeff.
You may say that the radio industry is nothing like the housing business. Well, think about how home prices fluctuate almost monthly and interest rates are all over the place. Very unstable. Sound familiar?
Well, Bigelow Homes has managed to be in business for as long as they have with little or no turnover, being transparent with staff and clients, and being entrenched in the community. Their “careful, sustainable growth” mantra gave them the ability to keep workers during two very big slumps in the housing world. They were careful with salary dollars in those boom years by not giving out-of-control increases but rewards that they could easily sustain knowing that there would be a slump possibly around the corner.
Their employees know this, so they have bought into this different way to handle growth.
From the home buyer standpoint, Bigelow has always been in the business of building communities making sure their homes had larger front porches, wider sidewalks, and several community-gathering areas in each development. They knew this was a big factor for families. In addition, they are heavily involved in helping provide housing for lower income families in the Chicago area. I could go into greater detail, but this should give you the idea.
Can this be done with a radio group/cluster? Definitely, but it takes patience and the ability to see 5 years from now, rather than just 90 days.
How can you get there?
- Strong Company Culture – Build clear core values that permeate the entire building. Values that are solid as a rock and that define the company/radio station cluster. Involve all employees in decisions that align with these values and various station goals. Build trust from day one.
- Solid Business Plan – Using the “careful, sustainable growth”, you should act somewhat as a fiduciary for your staff making sure they know they will benefit from growth and not be penalized by the occasional downturn. You do that with realistic budgeting from revenue to expenses including not devaluing your product in any way to enable that slow growth when it happens. Bottom-line, be transparent about the entire process with your people.
- Listener/Client-Centered – Make feedback a major part of your communication strategy with both. As you do with staff, allow listeners/clients to feel involved in the station’s growth.
- Total Transparency – Be 100% open with your staff about the good and the not-so-good. Secrets betray trust. Involve them in solving any issues that affect growth in some way. Above all, be absolutely honest.
- Patience – This doesn’t happen in a quarter, in 6 months, or a year. This is a never-ending process and should be treated as such. There is no quick fix.
I suggest you check out Bigelow Homes and what they’ve done to be as good as they are and then get to work. It can be done.
Based in Nashville, TN, John Shomby is the owner and CEO of Country’s Radio Coach. He is focused on coaching and mentoring artists, radio programmers, and on-air talent to help them grow and develop inside the radio station and the industry. Reach John at [email protected] and 757-323-1460. Read John’s Radio Ink archives here.
