I was eager to see “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” not because I had watched “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” as a kid (because I didn’t), but of my respect for Tom Hanks as an actor; a modern day Jimmy Stewart whose acting skill ranges from “Saving Private Ryan” to “Big,” from “You’ve Got Mail” to “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump.”

I was not disappointed.

But the movie wasn’t what I expected. It’s not really a cinematic bio-op of a quirky children’s television show host in Pittsburgh. It’s more about the impact and transformation that can happen when we choose to care for others, affirm them for who they are now, and inspire them to their better selves.

Folks in Houston, Texas, know the name Jim McIngvale, better known to locals as Mattress Mack, that eccentric guy in the Gallery Furniture TV commercials. But if that’s all he did I wouldn’t be writing about him now. And you wouldn’t care.

During Hurricane Harvey and recent Houston flooding, Mack’s showrooms became makeshift shelters in which hundreds of evacuees and dozens of National Guard troops could catch some much-needed rest. Recently, he arranged for Metro shuttle buses to bring some 10,000 Houstonians to his store parking lot for turkey with all the trimmings. And on and on and on.

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People are searching. So many of us feel bombarded with negativity and bickering, particularly in the wake of the partisanship of the impeachment hearings. With a potential Senate trial and another election in 2020 I don’t get the sense we’re headed for a kinder, gentler new year, do you? As a result people are literally searching for something good.

Every year Google compiles a list of the most searched for words of the year. In 2019 searches for heroes soared.

Good things in the world

Throughout history, in times of uncertainty the world looks for heroes.

What makes a person a hero?

Because living life as something bigger than yourself is a hero’s journey

To everyone using their powers to empower others, search on…

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The Christmas season brings out the best in us. More people tune to our stations than at any other time of the year, some stations topping a million listeners per week, once unthinkable in our format.

Many stations do their best job of connecting on common values with stories of hope, forgiveness, and fresh beginnings. Over the last several weeks I have heard some amazing stories and songs.

I heard how Pamela and her daughter were helped to move out of the homeless shelter and start a new life!

I heard Craig’s story of being able to hear for the first time because of a caring surgeon.

I heard the story of the man who decorated his house with Christmas lights knowing that his son wouldn’t live to see Christmas. When his neighbors found out they joined in and decorated their houses months early.

Stories and songs. Consider how these stories resonate just as much with a brand new listener as a station fan.

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The Christmas season brings our format’s greatest opportunity to welcome new listeners. While this may seem a no-brainer it is not something to be taken for granted. No other format has the opportunity to eliminate its biggest barrier for growth (that it plays unfamiliar music for new folks) while doubling down on the core “why” of the format – that God became man and changed history (even for unbelievers).

So how does a first time listener become fan? More specifically how does someone that doesn’t know Big Daddy Weave from Bo Diddley transform to preferring your station over all others?

It’s called assimilation; the time it takes to turn a casual observer into a fan. It is the most important metric for measuring growth. Perhaps we should study those that do it well. Did you know that Disney has a 70% return rate on first time visitors?

“Walt viewed his theme parks almost as ‘factories’ that produced delight and entertainment.”

Gregory Ciotti, “How Disney Creates Magical Experiences.”

Consider how your radio station would grow if 70% of those that tuned in for Christmas music programming stayed with you through the new year.

How do you welcome new listeners (if you do at all)?

I hear that a church in Alabama that gives first times guests a Starbucks card and a handwritten note from the pastor.

My church places signs along the road that say, “We’ve saved you a seat,” or “We’re so glad you’re here.”

First time visitors to Target Field in Minneapolis are given buttons to wear and their names are shown on the scoreboard.

My dentist calls each of his new patients just to find out how they are doing. (Now I have his cell phone number and can call him to talk about dental floss anytime I get the hankerin’).

My friend Brant Hansen has created an online/on air “Guide for New Listeners,” including stuff like “Everyone is welcome. That means everybody. Democrat, Republican, Tea Party-people, atheist, agnostic, Protestant, Catholic, young, old, hip, not-hip, married, single, divorced, pro-choice, pro-life, white/black/Hispanic/Pacific Islander/whatever, artists, jocks, loners, depressed, Joel Osteen fans, John Piper fans, tall, short, thin, thick… freaks of all kinds: You are welcome here.”

It’s simple. Your station will not grow without attracting new listeners.

But now that you’ve gotten them with Christmas music what will you do to keep them?

Knock knock!

Who’s there?

New listeners!

What do you want?

Well now, that IS the question.

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It only takes one person to inspire a world of kindness.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” was birthed in the movie theaters Thanksgiving weekend juxtaposed to a world of impeachment hearings and social media blame-gaming. This simple idea of being kind to others triggers an innate emotional truth that reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from C. S. Lewis.

“That we can even ponder the meaning of life means there is a meaning of life.”

A recent blog from Mark Ramsey urged Christian radio stations to consider Mr. Rogers’ desire to have his show be “inclusive and welcoming to all, including those who might be turned off by abject religious references. ‘You don’t need to speak overtly about religion in order to get a message across,’ he [Fred Rogers] said.”

Dwell on that for a moment: “You don’t need to speak overtly about religion in order to get a message across.”

Mark summarizes, “Inclusivity is what magnifies your reach, your cume, and your impact.”

I’d like to drill down into three ways your station can make this happen:

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I couldn’t believe what I heard. It was a spot for a Christmas concert and they listed the songs they would be play.

Data. Data. Data.

No other format can touch such a deep place in the heart as ours, and yet we often sound like an IRS tax form as we convey data, data, data about this and that.

There is no promotion so brilliant that it can’t be made utterly ineffective by a laundry list of features.

Our goal shouldn’t be to inform listeners of all the facts; our goal should be to help our listeners care.

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“Christmas isn’t going away, and we’re going to have this discussion every year.”

Two decades ago I remember saying those words to my talented friends Jim Hoge and Dean O’Neal at Z88.3 in Orlando. I remember saying them because we DO have that discussion every year. With every station.

Their situation was unique in that the Z was on a fast growth curve, and it was rare for a Christian station to abandon its regular format and play nothing but Christmas tunes. Besides, there was already a mainstream AC doing all Christmas and they were #1 in the market. (That AC program director was also a tall, skinny kid from west Texas with an ever so manly radio voice).

Within a few years not only had the Z more than tripled its weekly 6+ cume, but had tied the Mainstream AC station in Women 25-54 shares.

Obviously Christmas music wasn’t the only reason for the Z’s remarkable growth, but clearly Jim and Dean seized an opportunity to transform the format’s biggest competitive disadvantage (playing generally unfamiliar music) into a competitive ADvantage.

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“You’re off the air,” the caller alerted me. We had no air monitor at my first radio station so we depended on listeners to let us know. I’M NOT MAKING THIS UP, as Dave Barry would say. It happened so regularly that anytime I heard the phone ring in the outer office my Pavlovian response was to immediately peek to see if the carrier was on. Our little 500-watt radio station probably had more watts than listeners but fortunately a few of them cared enough to call.

Does anyone care? Are we doing enough? Is it making a difference?

It’s tempting to think that our tools define who we are. The carpenter is defined by his hammer; the accountant by his spread sheets, the radio station by its wacky deejays and 40-minute music sweeps. (BTW, almost all programming discussions default to how we use our tools.)

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So, what did you do with your extra hour?

Although most of us were in beddie-bye, we all experienced the 2 AM hour on Sunday TWICE as we rolled back our clocks an hour from Daylight Saving Time.

Was the second 2 AM hour just like the first?

Was Tuesday’s show just like Monday’s show?

Was today’s show just like last year’s show?

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