May 25, 2010

I know we spend a lot of time making sure our formats are tweaked just so. We oh-so-carefully set up and execute formats that are dialed in to our targets and execute them with the precision of a surgical knife.

However, within the framework of your "format," you have lots of room; I would like to challenge you to throw your listeners a curveball. Mind you, it should still be in the strike zone, but maybe not right-down-the-middle.

Here are a couple of examples:

• On a music station, take a random day and feature one your biggest core artists. Go over the top -- brief interview segments, music blocks, special access to a forthcoming show, archival material ...do it all day and do it big
• On a News/Talk station, pick a day and a key issue in your community and do it from every possible angle. Not the typical 35-45-second story, be on-site, live the story, imbed your reporters, talk to key community figures and the public on the impact of this item. Just like the music station is doing above with a core artist, your core artist is a core story.
• On a Sports station, turn the hosting duties over to local sports figures. Sure, your talent is there to drive the bus, but let the people you talk about every day, talk to the people, take the calls, give the insight. If you make it a big deal on air, it will be a big deal to your listeners.

You get the idea. Throw your audience a curveball ... within context.