Renegades And Outlaws

9/9/1994

Okay partner, go for your gun!

I guess my thoughts of the old west were stimulated by doing this week’s interview with Mark Driscoll. It’s difficult for two veteran war horses to discuss the state of radio without sharing some stories about past experiences…and, of course, with Driscoll, past lives.

I don’t want this Editorial to digress into a story about the “good old days.” It isn’t an answer to the question, “…how was it in the big war, Daddy?” But in my rambling conversation with Captain Planet, the terms “renegade” and “outlaw” kept coming up.

Where have they gone? Not the “good old days,” but the renegade and outlaw programmers? They’re out there, but they’re sure harder to find.

Radio used to be a part of the music business. For the most part, programmers were drawn to radio as a profession because of their love of music. I don’t know if that is true any longer and maybe it’s why radio…at least contemporary radio…is experiencing problems.

It’s interesting to note that some major radio companies that own Top 40 stations require that the candidates for programming opening fill out detailed questionnaires to determine their programming philosophy, personality and ability. Not long ago, I managed to get a copy of one of these profiles. There were over 600 questions, ranging from, “What is your favorite color?” to “How does the recent end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union affect your daily life?” There were specific inquiries about public affairs commitments, news coverage and commercial loads. Others questioned the applicants’ knowledge of computers and software programs. But there was not one question about music.

Not one!

There was a time when programmers went out of the box on a record because it sounded like a hit. And it’s not all just about music. There was a time when programmers put contests on in the blink of an eye because of current events. There was a time when deejays were excited about just being on the radio. There was also a time when the audience was passionate about its choice of radio stations.

You can use a lot of words to describe radio today, but passionate isn’t one of them. We’ve spent so much time researching our passive audience that our radio stations have become passive.

And we’re all to blame.

Research, originated to illuminate, is being used to culminate. Research cannot ignite. Research cannot excite. Research cannot create. But it can overweight.

The Chairman of the Sony Corporation when asked about market research regarding a new technological breakthrough said, “We don’t do market research. We create markets.”

A true renegade.

Programmers, for the sake of our business and the sake of their future, must break out of the molds they’ve too often built around themselves. To survive for awhile, you can be conservative. To win, you must take chances.

To take chances, you must have confidence in your ability. And you can’t be afraid to fail.

Tell the consultant who wants you to play it safe that you’re going to do it your way because you believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to believe in you? If you fail, you can always regroup and do it “his” way. But when you succeed, you’ll begin to chart your own destiny.

Gather all the information you need to make the decision, but make the decision yours. That way you get the credit. And another station in a larger market that is looking for someone to lead it to success will choose you…not your consultant or your research group.

A programmer’s talent lies in being able to anticipate the social shifts and changes that will affect the audience. Get connected with your listeners by talking with them…not reading their reactions from computer print-outs prepared by an outside agency that dilutes the data. Some of the best information comes from listening to individuals who listen to your station.

Do you know who decided that call letters should be the first thing uttered coming out of a record? Buzz Bennett was at a traffic light in San Diego, getting off on the fact that the car next to him had KCBQ cranked to the max. However, as the record faded and the deejay began talking, the listener turned down the radio before the jock mentioned the call letters. From that, a basic was born. Buzz didn’t wait for a focus group.

When I was programming KRIZ in Phoenix, we played no commercials on Monday. Of course, we ran promos stating the obvious. A listener said, “KRIZ plays no commercials on Mondays, yet all day Monday you run commercials saying you’re playing no commercials. Why is that? I scratched the promos (commercials in the listeners’ ears) immediately. No further testing was necessary.

What’s all this about? Getting the talented programmers in our industry to take chances. Getting programmers to believe in themselves and take radical stances to improve and electrify their radio stations. Getting programmers to act more on their inherent impulses rather than waiting to see what the research says.

Several years ago in a panel discussion about Arbitron ratings and how you could use the strategic research to program to your audience, Scott Shannon was asked his opinion. He said, “I don’t know anything about ratings except how to make them go up.”

What an outlaw.

Most of you reading this have the talent and the ability to make your radio station different. Most of you can do it…few make the move. In an industry that rewards innovation and risk-taking, too many of us choose the road of complacency that leads to mediocrity.

Charles Barkley says that when his team is down by two and time is running out, he’ll pull up for a three-point-shot…that the difference between being a star and an also-ran lies in the belief that he will make it…that given the opportunity he will always take the chance.

Didn’t you get in this business because you believed you could do it better than others? Do you want to be an also-ran? Or do you want to be a star?

Shoot the three!