Ironic, isn’t it?

In a format that is all about belief, few stations ever share what they believe. Not a doctrinal statement, but a brand position. A flag in ground. Their vision and purpose for being on the air.

“People don’t buy what you do; they buy WHY you do it. If you don’t know why you do what you do, and people respond to why you do what you do, then how will you ever get people to vote for you, or buy something from you, or, more importantly, be loyal and want to be a part of what it is that you do?”

Simon Sinek – “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”

Why did Elon Musk buy Twitter? We didn’t have to wait long to hear his WHY.

It’s something we rarely consider. And because we rarely consider it we rarely consider its importance. (How’s THAT for a Tweet!)

We rarely consider it when planning our shows. Based upon listening I’m certain that no voice-tracker considers it before recording their next 20 tracks.

One of the things radio has lost in the last generation is the power of NOW, that magical connection between performance and experience. We’ve felt it at the concert, at the ballpark, at the movie theatre, and maybe even in church.

I was having a discussion recently with a program director about the design of a morning show, from the roles of the air talent, to clock structure, to length of breaks, where they placed their news and traffic, and how frequently and on what days the feature segments were played. After we had dissected every detail in depth, I realized that our discussion was 100% analytical. Throughout this hour long analysis we had failed to ask a very important question…

I was in a conversation recently with a new PD about a radio station we’ve all heard of. “What do you think of them?” he asked me. Perhaps assuming I would respond with a critique of their music mix, deejays, liners, and contests, instead I responded with…

“They don’t have a brand.”

A brand is WHAT people think of WHEN they think of you. It’s the position you occupy in their minds that allows them to recognize and recall with “That’s the station that…”

On last week’s show I shared how staring at the The Weather Channel for several days as a hurricane approaches your state can be a great teaching lesson for your radio station if you pay attention.

In this week’s Frost Advisory, I’ll dig a little deeper while it’s freshly on your mind.

The power of winning moments. While it’s important to minimize things that result in listeners tuning away, playing defense isn’t the same as winning. The Weather Channel uses graphics, camera angles (literally), on-the-scene reporters, and live action video to keep viewers coming back for what Mr. and Mrs. Nielsen would call ‘listening occasions.’ We all want to know WHAT’S THE LATEST?