Week of April 21, 2008

Friday 4/25, 2008

Maybe it's time to have a creative meeting. If you could assemble your most creative thinkers and get them out of the station for the day, which five people would you choose? Give them a task to make a show ... station ... and project better. Make a rule: The project can not involve their station. Make them offer to help another in the group. Innovation, out-of-the-box thinking, and brainstorming is so needed in radio today. Take the time to think about your product. One idea succeeding can make your whole year. Hopefully, you have at least five creative people. Have a great weekend!

Thursday 4/24, 2008

Every manager that runs a cluster has a favorite station in the group. It's usually the highest rated and does the most billing. Now, if you had to sell one station in the group, which one would it be? Chances are it's the one that needs the most help. Make a point to try to make the "ugly station" better./p>

Wednesday 4/23, 2008

It's time to review your sales materials. Are they up to date? Perhaps you can put the entire pitch online and available to everyone. Weed out the "old school" looking graphics so everything has a contemporary look. The Internet has changed the way we brand our brands. It's tough to get high rates with cheesy looking sales materials.

Tuesday 4/22, 2008

Let's assume you are spending money on the HD initiative. Have you driven the HD signals? My experience (I have HD radio in my car) is the stations are grossly underpowered. The HD signal is about one-third of your normal FM signal. Do you see this as an issue? I do. Call your corporate engineer, lawyer, whomever and go for more power.

Monday 4/21, 2008

With the warm weather approaching, now is a good time to check the remote equipment. Blow up (inflate) the station mascot, balloons, erect booths and other fair weather promotion items. Make your outside "look" as good as your on-air "sound." Good-looking outside promotions attract listeners, but also get the attention of other retailers. Keep it clean and in good shape.