2024 has been a tough year for our industry. Across the board layoffs, groups frantically trying to restructure debt to avoid bankruptcy and the ongoing fight to keep AM in cars. Talk to anyone outside our industry and they’re quick to tell you that radio is dead, which is obviously untrue, we’re still a multi-billion-dollar industry. But, we are in trouble. We need to speed up our transition, avoid the way we’ve always done it curse and focus all our efforts on attracting as much local revenue as possible. One way we can do all three of those things going forward is to make 2025 the year of unique radio brands. Because of the head winds radio now faces, I believe there’s more incentive than ever for us to create great radio brands that are customized to perform exceptionally well at the local and regional level. Here’s a few thoughts on how we can do that in market after market.

Stop basing so much of what we do on what other radio stations do elsewhere, even in the aggregate. There’s a prevailing thought that if lots of radio stations are doing something than they must be right. This might have been true at one point, but now with limited programming staffs, a large number of stations using antiquated methods and frankly a lot of consultants saying the same exact things they’ve said since the 80s, it’s no longer a solid programming strategy. Getting away from that approach will not only help all of our brands to stand out on all the digital platforms, including what the dash will soon look like, it will also help us connect with listeners at the local and regional level to create more passionate fan bases for our stations. I’m not saying there isn’t any value in looking at what works on other successful stations in similar situations. But, each market has its own nuances that should absolutely impact our playlists, talent, content decisions and imaging. It’s time for radio to take some more chances with our formats. Choosing to look at market level data helps make those chances more strategic and less risky.

Any talent that are live and local have to be interactive. We can’t form connections with the audience if we’re not connecting with the audience. Talent that refuse to work the phones, engage on social, the web and apps, no longer deserve to be live on the radio. One of radio’s strengths is that it isn’t just a one-way conversation. Listeners can call, email, comment and see us at on-site events. With budget constraints, there are simply too few spots to fill to allow talent that aren’t willing to interact and engage with listeners to be live on the air.
Add some sizzle back to our contests and promotions. It’s no coincidence that stations who continue to do creative local contesting and fun on-site promotions tend to generate more local revenue. Both of those are good internal and external marketing tools that attract new cume and grow the TSL of existing cume. But, they’re also great drivers of passion for our brands as well because they create stories people literally tell for a lifetime. No one ever forgets the on-air personality they’ve been listening to for a decade that had a good conversation with them about music or that station that handed them a big fat check. In a meeting this week one of my clients shared a story about the woman that just won their big local cash giveaway and was brought to tears, which also brought the sponsor standing next to her to tears. A sponsor that said ‘sign me up for the spring’ immediately afterwards.

A few others I’ll run through quickly. Being open to content partnerships with local/regional influencers and digital content creators where they’re paid a cut of the proceeds for unique content they create on the station’s behalf. Creating video friendly studios so we can leverage our daily content better across other platforms. Renting out and allowing big clients to use those studio spaces when we’re not. Crowdsourcing content creation from our audience through contesting. Utilizing AI in every aspect we can to enhance our staff instead of replacing them. Adopting a best idea wins philosophy for everything from naming stations, creating logos, promotions, features, etc.

What do you think? What are some other things radio should do to create more unique brands going forward? Comment below or email me at Andy@RadioStationConsultant.com.

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