You must advertise year round...get the message out all the time, for there are so many other sources for people to spend their time on, find information from, and/or listen to music. The stations address (call letters/frequency) must be given out by some means all the time....people must know where to find us (on the dial and/or web) and eventually think of us first thing when someone says the word �radio�. Billboards, I like because it can have fast impact....extremely fast...for people click over...and if you sound hot...you�ve got them. I like creating database and faxes to offices, I like telemarketing at work and or morning show listening, I believe in using/creating a newsletter for listeners and advertisers (I have done them once a month), I like the use of cyber-world advertising banners, and I believe in something a little different than just direct mail....here it goes. If the station has a vehicle...get it out all the time...not just at remotes or certain events. Drive this thing at lunch time in the busy sections of the city (and target neighborhoods). This is a rolling billboard that should be highly visible in the streets in Morning drive, Middays (lunch), PM drive and, if it is a youth based station...at night. I believe this vehicle with the morning show and airstaff (rotating) should go to neighborhoods in the evenings (early) and afternoons on the weekends...drive up to driveways and ring door bells and invite people to listen to the new morning show/station. Give them a chance to register for some prize that they can only win by listening that next morning. This neighborhood by neighborhood approach will cause visibility and talk. Also, it is a strictly off air campaign...no clutter of the airwaves and it gets the station to the people and it gets the airstaff to the listeners and gives them a chance to see there is something real in the void. Prizm research could break down the market to zones where the target audience is...so this can be where most of the attention is given.
The qualities should a morning host possess:
Desire to win and do mornings and have the focus. Goals must be set and the morning show must be willing to reach for them. Lifestyle relatability is critical in this position. You must be a part of it...live it...or you will come across as a phony. Show prepping must be done and wanted to be done...this is part of focus. Willingness to become a part of the community and regardless of format be Local, Local, Local.
Specific elements that are important to a good morning show:
Being fun, topical (reaching to the target lifestyle) and, corny as it sounds...a friend. If someone goes to turn them off, they feel they will miss something.
People benefit working for me by:
Knowing they can trust me (if you cannot trust your boss, forget it). I will be there for them and the team. I am a good listener and offer guidance when necessary and do not play to favorites. They know I am in it for the long haul...that I am not here for six months and then off to a bigger market with my U-Haul. They know I wouldn�t ask them to do something I wouldn�t do myself, and I have the station�s best intentions at all times.
My definition of a leader and the leadership qualities I bring to the radio station are:
Trustworthiness, honesty, integrity, discipline, ability to make the tough decisions and stick to them, fair, a coach, and someone you would climb the hill for....not out of fear...but from desire to achieve. I bring these leadership qualities to the table. I lead by example.
Important in dealing with sales:
Is to have a focal point we can both see. Understanding it is NOT us against them...we are in the same boat. I appreciate what the sales department goes through, for I have worked that end and know what it is like to need just one more close, or how just one more remote could close a client. I can relate to that world and believe I can rally the sales department support to the station, especially in a time of crisis (direct attack and format burnout from sales department).
