6 Tips to Better Programming
Gary Berkowitz
By: Gary Berkowitz
Berkowitz Broadcast Consulting
1. LOCAL YES, BUT BEING “GOOD” IS MORE IMPORTANT. Talk about people, places and events. Take advantage of traffic reports to sound local. “The accident is at Main and Second, right in front of McDonalds.” Being local is important but being good is key. Always strive for the best sounding product.
2. BE HUMAN. In the movies, actors use scripts. Their “interpretation” brings the words to life. The same applies to liners and key sell points for your station. If jocks just read them, they will sound that way. Adding the human touch and not losing the message brings them to life. Be careful not to allow jocks too much room to “interpret” the sell points. Many times, in their attempt to do this, the message gets lost.
3. BE BENEFIT DRIVEN. 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 important.
4. AIRCHECK THE JOCKS. Talent needs to understand what you expect. Doing an aircheck session will alert you to things you may not normally hear on your station.
5. STAY CLOSE WITH PROMOTIONS. The program director should be the final link in all promotions. Make sure they are not only right for the station, but always encourage more listening. Example: How does this promotion increase occurrences of listening? Are we talking about it enough/too much? Promotions are the icing on the cake. Music is still the #1 reason people listen.
6. ARE YOU OVERUSING YOUR VOICE PERSON? Please don’t get me wrong. I love voice talent, but if they are on the air more than your jocks, you may want to look at that. Use your jocks to bring a live, human local and vibrant feel to your station. After all, that’s what radio is all about.
Gary Berkowitz is President of Detroit based Berkowitz Broadcast Consulting, specializing in ratings improvement for AC radio stations. www.garyberk.com
Editor’s Note: The views and opinions of this article do not necessarily reflect those of the MAB. Contact the MAB for information on the MAB’s official editorial policy.