Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Years ago I was part of a great team that involved some of the best in the business and we created a Marketing Model for radio stations ... a programming blueprint that defined the position, the competitive matrix, the weaknesses and opportunities and specific goals. As we enter “budget season,” this is a timely, if not necessary, exercise

As you start the year, your programming team should be held as accountable as your sales staff. Here are some components in that M.M. that you might consider:

• Current ratings in key and target demos and “by month/book” goals for the year
• Non-Nielsen narrow demo target
• Description of your programming to an out-of-towner (If it's more than two sentences, re-do it)
• Primary Images
• Product and Ratings Challenges over next 3-6 months
• What are the advantages of your station over your nearest competitor?

Then a variety of readiness questions:

• Does the morning show have the ideal listener in mind when they crack the mic?
• How many units do you run in AMD and rest of the day?
• What obstacles do you face to reach ratings goals?
• What are you doing to reach listeners at work?
• What are the three most important benchmarks on the station?

The whole document is 12 pages long, but there's a good sample. You can build it out from here.