(By Buzz Knight) In today’s business climate, I worry about programmers becoming disconnected from listeners. This hasn’t developed overnight. It began with the occasional canceled music test when a station or a cluster faced difficult revenue problems.
Then it is a full strategic research project that gets hacked from the budget. Sometimes, one or the other returns, but a solid sample is sacrificed to get the costs approved in the budgeting process.
Failing to understand and cater to listener preferences generally leads to a steady erosion of audience numbers. As listeners feel less engaged or represented, they may tune out in favor of other options. Then a loss of relevance becomes a whole other problem to contend with. This disconnection problem is an example of when one problem compounds itself into another problem. The snowball effect.
Programming that doesn’t resonate with the target demographic risks making a station seem out of touch or irrelevant. This can damage a station’s brand and reputation in the market, ultimately creating a sales/revenue problem. Without a finger on the pulse of the audience, programmers may overlook emerging trends, new artists, or topics of interest that could attract and retain listeners.
As streaming services and podcasts continue to grow, radio stations that don’t stay closely attuned to their audience are more vulnerable to losing listeners to digital alternatives. So how can programmers stay connected?
To avoid these pitfalls, radio programmers should:
Find ways to conduct regular audience research through surveys, focus groups, and listener advisory board groups. In my many years of working with the amazing Fred Jacobs, we used Fred’s moderating expertise to conduct many useful LAB groups that helped us guide our roadmap very successfully.
Engage with listeners on social media and station events. A programmer who is in touch with real people in the listening audience always has a competitive advantage.
Regularly review and refresh playlists and programming based on audience feedback.
Radio listening habits are always evolving, especially among younger demographics. Programmers must understand how their audience consumes audio content across various platforms and adjust their strategies accordingly. By prioritizing audience engagement and continuously seeking listener input, radio programmers can create programming that remains relevant, compelling, and successful in a competitive media landscape.
Buzz Knight can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. Read Buzz’ Radio Ink archives here.
