Those of us who have served as a Program Director have a variety of reasons as to why we want or wanted to program a radio station. Everything from making more money to controlling our own careers. In my case, I was lucky to have been bitten by the radio bug at an incredibly young age, and to grow-up during a time when on-air personalities were an important part of the entertainment value of radio. Emulating such talent, and listening to what successful radio stations did on the air, was an important part of my training.
I would have preferred to be a highly rated and successful morning talent, but I knew that my on-air skills were medium market worthy at-best. I wanted to become a PD to be able to create content to have more control over my career. I wanted to work as an air-talent to create an entertaining radio station that everyone would want to listen to without being restricted by the PD. Becoming the PD enabled me to do that … as I was my own boss. That isn’t to say that sometimes a Market Manager or General Manager didn’t derail my plans, but that’s also why I later became a General Manager in my career, and eventually owned radio stations, ultimately leading to becoming a consultant.
The desire to be accomplished at attracting an audience, as a Program Director, is what really drove me to continually perfect my craft and to learn from my successes and failures. The way that I started to learn to become a PD was by observation, listening to other successful radio stations, trial and error, and preparation. I also accepted that I wasn’t as smart, or as well educated, as those I competed with (and still compete with) so I have made myself a lifelong project for improvement. I’m still learning. You should never stop learning.
Mike Baab, a former Center for the Cleveland Browns, once told me that when the former Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Cowher became a coach, he wasn’t surprised. Baab shared that when Cowher was also a Brown player he was “that guy” who was always taking notes on the plays being taught. Cowher sat in on both offensive and defensive meetings, and would stay after practice to talk to the coaches. Cowher put in the time to learn all facets of the game, which enabled him to outperform his competitors, and so it is with programming. Learn all you can by paying attention to all aspects of the business. Not just one side of the business.
There are many tools available to you that can lead to you becoming a Program Director, and actions that you can take to prepare for the opportunity, which will not interfere with your performance in your current role. Start by making your Program Director aware that you’d like to learn from them and are eager to do whatever it takes to assist them as a part of your training.
Focus on Nielsen and learn everything you can about the ratings. What’s the process used to select a diary keeper or meter holder, what do all those numbers on the computer screen mean, how are the numbers utilized by the Sales team, and what can be gleaned from them that shows strengths and weaknesses for your radio station as well as your competitors? What are the various courses of action to be taken to improve your ratings? Where should you play your commercials, your biggest hit songs, and new music that you want to expose to the audience? Wherever you see the word “Music” … you can insert “Hot Story” if you are a spoken word station. It’s always about playing the hits frequently and making sure you have strength of content in every quarter hour.
Ratings equal revenue. Whenever someone says to you “What’s more important … ratings or revenue?” It’s revenue. I’ve been fired as a consultant from stations that achieved #1 ratings because they were unable to turn them into revenue. They could no longer afford me. It’s true that the move meant that the sales department was poor. The end result was the same. Fired. I also learned that most times big ratings do generate big revenue.
If you’re at a music station; ask the PD if you can learn from them how to schedule music. Start by scheduling for the weekends. Maybe even the night or overnight shows. Sit in on music meetings and learn how, and why, the currents you add to your playlist are selected. Interview your PD and ask them why certain categories of songs are placed where they are in the clock. Learn about rotations, the sweet spot in an hour, and when it’s time to add a song or drop a song.
Talent are important and how you manage them is critical to your success. Ask for permission to learn to be a talent coach by coaching the weekend talent and any talent on your station that are voice-tracking. Schedule the shifts for the weekend talent. Listen to extraordinarily successful talent on the competition in your market and elsewhere in North America. Listen and learn.
Request permission to sit in on the weekly Promotion meetings, weekly Sales meetings, and ask if you can mirror the PD in one meeting a month where they’re meeting with the Market Manager. When you’re in that meeting, pay attention and be seen, not heard, unless called upon. You’re observing to learn. Watching, asking questions, and paying attention will go a long way to helping you learn how to be a Program Director.
Practice writing promotional messages for your station and submit them to your PD for input and constructive criticism. You will need to understand positioning & branding, how to write copy, and learn the key words that catch a listeners’ ear. The absolute best PDs know how to write a sweeper, a liner, and create exciting sounding contest promos. They understand that a promo for the station is the most important message of the hour. Learn to “sell a benefit” when promoting anything and everything.
Spend time with your legal representative or station lawyer, or visit the NAB On-Line Store and purchase the book Legal Guide to Broadcast Law and Regulation. Your first responsibility is to protect the station’s license. In that book you’ll find rules that pertain specifically to contesting, plugola, payola, political compliance and other such things that will further prepare you to be a PD. It may seem silly, but failure to be compliant can lead to a hefty fine from the FCC or even a loss of license.
Read everything that you can get your hands on; Motivational books, the trades, books by Marketing leaders and Business leaders. Look especially for interviews with PD’s, successful air-talent, and anything that you can find in regard to research, promotion, and coaching. Log-into the many virtual conferences that are presented throughout the year. Do this even if it is on-demand versus being able to watch live. Follow on social media those you admire. If you can afford to invest in yourself, do so by attending conferences and seminars. It’s great for your education and for networking. Be at the sessions during the day. Save the bar for afterhours.
Make it known to your work superiors that you want to learn and become a Program Director. Be patient, continue to do your primary job at the highest level, and spend the time necessary to learn as much as you can about programming. The opportunity will present itself eventually. Be it at your current station or another, be ready. Things change. The one thing that’s for sure is that nothing is for sure.
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