"STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO BETTER
STATIONALITY"
by Joel Raab
Stationality is the “personality” of your radio station. It’s the emotional
bond you create between the radio station and your audience.
1. Know your target. For example, the typical Country station’s listener
might be a female; 41 years old, average income, shops at Wal-Mart, and has
two teenage kids. Have a visual image of the listener. Everything must pass
through that filter. Make sure everyone on your staff (on and off the air)
knows the identity of the target listener. Put his/her picture up in the
control room.
Know the landscape. While passing everything through the target listener
filter, you must also create something unique. In Arbitron, what’s unique is
what’s memorable. What’s memorable gets written down in Arbitron (like your
station’s call letters). Positive product differentiation will win the
Arbitron game. Young Country is a great example.
Establish a position. Can you sum up your essence in a few words? Is it
clear? Does it ring an emotional bell with your target (remember the
“listener”)? A lot of positioning statements (and other radio jargon) mean
nothing to the audience. Example: An 18 year old station calling itself “New
Country” will confuse the audience.
Master the basics. “Stationality” is irrelevant unless the i’s are dotted
and the t’s are crossed. In battles, the war is won in the details and
consistency day-in and day-out. Examples: Is your music rotating properly?
Have you properly inputted your music test information? Are spot clusters
filling before a second spotset is scheduled? Are your promotions getting
enough exposure for listeners to comprehend the message? Do you open music
sweeps with songs that are the essence of your radio station?
Beyond basics, Stationality starts with the morning show. The impression
people will have of your radio station begins here. The morning show sets the
tone. Usually we just look for a morning show without considering the type of
morning show that our target listener wants to hear.
Steps to having the right morning show. Create the “cast” as a TV show
producer would. Define the characters you want on the show, and find them. Or
redefine characters that already exist on your morning show. Often the mistake
is made to hire a talent, and fit him/her into a plan. Better to fit round
holes into round pegs. Make sure they have the support they need (lots of
feedback and ideas from a producer or the program director).
7. Program to listeners, not other radio people. There could be some cool
liner you heard in LA, but you have to determine if it fits your target. Must
Read Radio: The 22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing by Reis & Trout.
Do air talent relate to or reflect the target audience. It’s OK if they are
not the same age, but they have to understand the target. In Country, people
at the radio station tend to be more “hip” than the room. A most common
example is unmarried air personalities who think the audience is going out
frequently on weeknights. Make sure talent watch TV shows that listeners
watch, frequent restaurants that listeners frequent, and speak to the concerns
of the audience. For example, does your morning news lead with a Palestinian
bombing, or a major advancement in breast cancer research?
Make sure contests and promotions connect with target audience. For
example, do listeners participate in their heads even if they don’t play the
game? More participation (active or passive) insures more connection with the
radio station.
Radio is big to the average listener. Make sure you look at all angles to
make sure that contests and promotions sound bigger than life. Get the CD’s
autographed by the artist, and have a grand prize for the weekend contest
“that money can’t buy.”
Audio. What’s coming out of the speakers? Does the technical sound of your
radio station match the mood you are trying to create, or help you
differentiate yourself from the competition? In Dallas, for example, Young
Country stations effectively used heavy reverb to differentiate themselves
from their heritage competitors. Others have given their music a pitch boost
of 2% or more to make the other station sound slow.
Production values. Do they match and embellish the music? Make sure they
don’t overwhelm the music or the message you are trying to get across. Zaps
and lasers are fine if they accentuate a message, but not if they are put
there for their own sake.
Jingles. Depends on the format. If a competitor has them, it would be wise
to consider not having them for differentiation. If both stations in a battle
have them, make sure yours are significantly different, particularly if you
are a challenger. The key to successful implementation of jingles: Do your
listeners walk away humming the melody of your call letters? If not, go back
to the drawing board.
Picking the voice talent. You want a unique sound. Bigger isn’t always
better. A lot of stations are alternating male/female voices in sweepers and
promos. Picking the voice talent is just the first step in using a voice
talent.
Coach the voice talent. Don’t just send off the liners. Make sure you are
patched through to hear each liner as it’s recorded (at least in the first few
sessions until they “get” what you’re trying to do).
Be picky about the final product. If a sweeper or promo doesn’t pass the
mustard, send it back to be re-worked. Typical problems: Sweepers that are too
long or too busy sounding. Work with your production people closely to get the
sound you are looking for.
Note that your stationality will always be a reflection of your own
personality. The key is making sure that you and your stationality connect
with the audience.
