Having lived in Florida for almost thirty years I’ve learned that there four seasons: summer, summer, summer, and hurricane season.
It’s been said that the only colors that change in Florida are the colors of the license plates. As Ian develops into a hurricane up Florida’s west coast and into the Gulf, I figured if I’m going to stare all afternoon at the Weather Channel’s Cone of Uncertainty maybe there was something to be learned from them about programming.
Consider:
The power of ‘now.’
You may have never thought about it this way but ‘now’ is the only thing all your listeners have in common. More than ‘local,’ and more than even faith since we all come from different backgrounds and perspectives.
The more your radio station lives in ‘now,’ the more common ground you’ll have with the largest possible audience.
I believe that any day-any town-any format-itis is a plague on radio today.
The power of ‘community.’
It’s been said that radio is the original social media.
“Comebacks always involve other people. The way we get out of trouble is by letting other people in to the reality of where we are.”
Louie Giglio
The more someones with something in common, the more someones there will be.
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, on the scene reporters, and live action video to keep viewers coming back for what Mr. and Mrs. Nielsen would call ‘listening occasions.’
A great radio station isn’t simply the one with the fewest tune-outs, it’s the one with the turn-ons listeners want to experience again and again – the moments that remind you to come back and listen again for more moments just like them.”
Mark Ramsey
The power of STARS.
If you see Jim Cantore out your front window, it’s not good news, the joke goes. Jim and Stephanie Abrams are Weather Channel stars, which is why you see them doing stand ups from the most critical location at the most important time. They are seen as trustworthy and reliable. You can get the data from the bottom scroll, but Jim and Stephanie personify and humanize what the Weather Channel brand needs to be.
Humanity matters.
