For one of those quiet days....our Canadian friends can have some fun with this.
Great content, great phoner possibilities.
The Golden Globes were just a warm up.
Have you planned your Oscar Party?
Local restaurant/hall...if not an actual theatre to watch the awards, hand out prizing?
Have your own read carpet, pap. taking pictures of winners/guests. Limo transportation for VIP winners?
Great revenue potential on different levels from various clients: restaurant for the meal, venue, clothing for the evening, etc...
Do you aircheck yourself, noting areas that you would change, things you have worked on, and home runs?
Do you/have you ever self airchecked?
Try it, and ask your PD/ND if you can share your self aircheck the next time you have a session.
Promo/Event
Best way to create a stronger bond is to have your listeners meet you face to face...why not meet your listeners and their family?
Have your station rent out a large rink/arena and host a free family skate day with prizing, food, and all of your on air personalities. Would also be a great outting for your staff http://ow.ly/i/1iB5K
Station billboard!
Your vehicle is one....budget for fuel to be seen at high traffic areas rather than parked in the station's lot all day, and night.
The lull between Christmas and New Years is a perfect time to review, re-do, revamp, write, re-write, re-image!
Review content you've been hanging onto, review your music scheduler's rules, coding, rotations, review your strategic planning to ensure you're on target, review sales targets, and upcoming packages that will be hitting the streets, review your on line, social media etc...review all of your active promos/creative and re-write ones that have run their course.
Revamp, re-do live reads, re-image elements that have been long over-do, write new imaging.
Take advantage of the time for those things you've always wanted to do, but never had time to.
What else can be done during the lull?
Station swag!
Many stations have Listener Advisory Clubs through their on line presence. Ask club members, who are generally your P1s what station items they would like to have (shirts, mugs, pens etc...)
What station swag has been a big hit with your station for giveaways?
At this time I want to take a moment to firstly wish all of you Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays and all the best for the New Year.
For those who are away from your family and friends for the holidays following the dream, and letting radio flow through your veins, your dedication does not go un-noticed.
Also I want to personally thank all of you for your support this past year.
It is hard to believe about a year ago we had a handful of talented individuals from various broadcasting positions on this page....a year later I am proud of what we have accomplished and how this page has grown to close to 600 regular followers from around the globe.
To those who have been regular posters, actually leaving comments, ideas, suggestions, and challenging the status quo, you are the reason I continue to put so much time and effort into this page. I am hopeful we will hear from more of you, and those who have never commented in the weeks ahead, and throughout 2013.
I started this page as an outlet after I had to walk away from my 20 years of broadcasting. I was and am extremely honoured to have been mentored by many who took the time to share ideas, and their knowledge, and I always said that I would do the same when I had an opportunity.
As I wait for my next opportunity, if my ideas, thoughts, and initiatives can help just one person, mission accomplished, consider it paying it forward.
Again thanks for giving me this opportunity to share, and be a part of your passion, drive, and addiction called radio.
I wish every one of you all the best, and look forward to sharing more, and discussing more in 2013.
All the best my friends.
Have some fun with this...use the phones, get listeners involved.....great for your last shift before Christmas.
What are your thoughts on Christmas programming (December 24-25)
For stations that are going to be all Christmas when should you flip the switch and play non stop Christmas?
Should you, and when, run jockless with non stop music providing necessary surveillance for weather and traffic?
Specialty programming can generate additional revenue, but many will say radio is background noise during the holidays. Is it worth all of the effort?
Phoners:
A Justin Bieber TV show is in the works. What singer do you think deserve his/her own sitcom/realty show?
What makes a great stocking stuffer?
Many of us will be having a large family dinner for Christmas. Who are you dreading to see?
What's the best part of your family Christmas meal?
Gift Swap: A lot of us get gifts that....well.....we don't like, want, or can use.
After Christmas, plan a day in which listeners can call in and trade their gift for another listeners unwanted present.
Use social media as a key platform but equally use the phones to get descriptions, and personality from your audience. Some of the best moments are generated from listener comments, and responses.
This can easily become an annual event for one of your shows.
Management/Leadership 101: One of the biggest complaints we have heard over the years from staff is that they don't feel that they are heard, and/or their concerns don't matter.
One way to tackle this is to provide follow through and follow up.
Listen to your team members concern, develop and share a plan to address it, follow through on your plan, follow up to see if the concern has dissapeared, or has improved.
Some managers think that sweeping it under the rug will make it go away as many do not want to have if need be those difficult discussions with others, or make tough decisions. Welcome to your role as manager/leader! Avoiding only causes more problems.
Over time your team will stop going to you period feeling that nothing ever gets addressed, so why bother.
Listen. Develop. Share. Follow Through. Follow Up.
Other than ratings, does your station, do you the talent do things (community, promotional, programming initiatives) to get noticed, that will cause others who don't normally listen to tune in?
Plan a few throughout the year. Get a last minute idea...rather than saying, "we can't..." figure out "how can we?"
A fun Santa bit for adults!
Listeners call into your show co-hosted by Santa himself. He asks them a series of questions to determine if they are on the NICE or NAUGHTY list.
This can work on all formats, and if you have the "right" Santa can provide a lot of laughs out loud.
A fun, and easy way to get your audience talking: WHAT WOULD YOU RATHER? Just like the board game.
You ask a daily question giving your audience answer options a, b,c - they give you what they would rather and why.
What other games generate a lot of calls/interest on your station?
TWITTER vs. FACEBOOK vs. ???
Which is the best social media platform to connect/engage your audience?
RANDOM PHONERS:
How often do you do phoners/Facebookers per week?
Have you ever done anything embarrasing at an office Christmas Party that you regretted?
What New Years Resolution have you made, and stuck with for a whole year?
What charity do you give to the most at Christmas?
Other than milk and cookies? What do you kids leave for Santa and his reindeer on Christmas night?
Your talent's job isn't to worry about moving around, dropping, or adding the right song.
Time out each hour through your log edit process giving announcers one less thing to concern themselves about, and the MD, and PD less rotation problems, or questions as to why a certain song is playing.
Are we the only ones who believe in timing out each hour? Or do you let your talent change music as needed?
What procedures do you have in place?
Spent the last 3 weeks working with a company on training and building a team.
Team: a group of individuals with various talents that come together as one. Each individual brings forward different and similiar strenghths, helps out, learns, and inspires one and other. They see the possibilities, are focused, want to win and be successful but know that hard will get them one step closer at success on a personal and group level. They are positive always with a can do attitude, hungry to learn, therefore they ask a lot of questions, and also offer ideas, and suggestions. They know how to challenge themselves, and others in a professional way. Their energy and vibe wears off on others, including their managers.
Would you want to be surrounded by others who think, live, and breathe like this?
Take your time building your team....it is not something you should rush at.....make sure you have the right leader in place who can build, motivate, and bring together your team!
WHAT DO YOU THINK.....We would get phone calls every year from listeners (upper end of demo, or out of typical demo), asking and wondering why we stop playing seasonsal music (not songs that are focused on Christmas, but more so Winter Wonderland, Let It Snow)
Do you think stations (perhaps that target a more mature audience) should consider keeping a few seasonal/winter songs in rotation past December 25 at 1159pm?
If yes, how many (one per shift/per hour)
Interesting to hear the All News Stations in Canada and the US focusing on All Christmas. All Christmas news at 25 past each other. (And when will they slot a time for all Royal Pregnancy news....will that be next?)
PHONER: 2013 will be here soon. What would you put on your bucket list for '13?
*talent should share theirs as well http://ow.ly/i/RCnI
If you don't get calls after you have set up the phoner properly (given your audience a clear question, and the number to call) don't over do it with re-asking. Re-ask once, then drop it.
Re-asking over and over signifies that you aren't getting calls, and comes across as desperation.
We heard one major market re-ask 4 times in less than 30 minutes....no calls.....no social media posts. It became extra talk that could have been used more wisely.
