Is Music Radio Playing It Too Safe? Part II "Predictably Unpredictable" Ideas Little Surprises

Is Music Radio Playing It Too Safe? Part II

When's the last time you surprised and thrilled your audience? In our previous email we discussed how Music Radio is sounding more and more conservative lately. While we believe the most successful stations own a music position and consistently deliver on listener expectation, listeners are telling us repeatedly in our research that radio is too predictable and boring. Most Programmers around the world are still playing a Top of Mind Recall game to win in the ratings. We are here to tell you that the perfect music log isn't enough to create recall. Your listeners only remember the unordinary and spontaneous things your station does. These unpredictable moments drive passion, loyalty and most importantly - RATINGS. Here are some examples of "Predictably Unpredictable" music features guaranteed to cut-through the clutter and stick in your listener's minds.

"Predictably Unpredictable" Ideas

Chase's Calendar of Events designates "One Hit Wonder Day" in September. Have your morning show play nothing but One Hit Wonders all morning long. It's a 4- hour party that your listeners will love! Don't be surprised to see listeners bring their old 45s and records to the station for you to play. "24 Hours of Christmas Music" -- from noon Christmas Eve 12 noon Christmas Day, play continuous Christmas music. Why? Because it's the most mass appeal music of the day. Be sure a unique mix of Contemporary and Classic Christmas targeted to your listeners and their families, complete with fun imaging and production. "All 'X' for a Day" -- I can still remember some years ago, driving to Seattle to see the Rolling Stones, and KJR-FM, the Classic Hits station, was playing nothing but Rolling Stones music for the day. Once my seek button found it, I never left -- and I've never forgotten they did it either. KUBE 93 Seattle changed their name to MJ93 and played all Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 the day Michael's Dangerous album was released. Guess what? The KUBE listeners loved it! I was in Toronto this summer for that giant Molson Rocks Canada Concert. Over 450,000 people attended the one-day concert event to see the Rolling Stones, along with AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, Justin Timberlake, and many more. Heritage Classic Rocker Q107 was not only broadcasting live from the concert all day, but broke format to feature wall-to-wall music from the performers.

Little Surprises

Which reminds me: when was the last time you went a little crazy and played two in a row from a Superstar artist? People thought I was nuts when I played two-in- a-row on a CHR from Madonna or another Superstar artist -- But they loved it! When the last time you premiered an important new release? Before the era of downloading, we would often arrange to have one of the jocks pick up the brand new CD from the FedEx office at the airport. We would send them in the station vehicle with a mobile phone to report on their progress. It allowed us to create real a Theater of the Mind moment and give us the capability to premiere the song at 7 or 8 in morning drive, instead of waiting around for FedEx to deliver it after 10. On another occasion we played Mariah Carey's new release for an hour straight in afternoon drive because we told the audience that Columbia Records would be sending a Cease & Desist order at any moment and we would have to stop playing it for another week. Have you ever played a Christmas song during the first snowfall of the season, just because it made you think about Christmas? Have you every played a fun, upbeat summertime song on that first great spring day or the first day of summer? Have you ever had a DJ lock him or herself in the studio and play the same song over and over again? When I was PD of KKRZ/Portland in the early '90s, artists were all recording Unplugged albums. To capitalize on that concept, we promoted an Unplugged Weekend. We ran promos telling the audience that, after 10 years of broadcasting, KKRZ was "Pulling the Plug" this Friday at 5pm. You can imagine our listeners' reaction as they thought that their favorite station was about sign off the air. We even had the local TV stations broadcasting live in our studio for the big announcement. Much to their dismay, we announced that we would be playing nothing but "Unplugged" tracks from their favorite stars all weekend long. The All-Request Pay-for-Play Weekend. You know how listeners complain that you never play their request? Now here's their chance -- plus the station gets to raise a bunch of money for charity. Throw your format out the window for a weekend and charge your listeners X amount of money to hear whatever they want. The station raises lots money for a great cause, and listeners will have a blast hearing just how outrageous the requests are. These examples are only the beginning. Let your creativity flow. Remember, "Variety is the Spice of Life." Surprise your listeners occasionally and you will be delighted with the results. Click here to visit Pinnacle Media Worldwide »