ONE • Think of imaging as audio landscaping.

TWO • Create a new rhythm and timing for your station

THREE • Create a station purpose.

FOUR • Make the station sound less programmed.

FIVE • Find a focused music position.

Think of imaging as audio landscaping.

There is some really good station imaging out there.  Very proficient, professional and at this point even though it’s good it’s status quo give or take a 10% variance.

The main point of imaging is to leave an image in the listeners mind.  A lot of the imaging out there, again though good is really just more of the same wizz, bang, pop, insert brand name here mass-production.

If imaging doesn’t capture the mind then it doesn’t exist. 

Try audio landscaping.  Audio Landscaping is based more on sound than message.  In short form it’s little vignettes that include the brand name and maybe a short message if applicable.

• Example:

SFX: Car window roles down.

Driver: “Hey I’m listening to Q101.”

Guy with weird VO:  “That’s nice but for $20 I can show you something really exotic.”

SFX: Car window roles up.

Driver: “Note to self... this isn’t the neighborhood to share Q101.

SFX: Car speeds off into distance over intro of song

• Example:

SFX: springing of diving board and splash into water.

under water VO: “Listening to X96 in the pool is not recommended... ever.”

SFX: Under water ...Glug, Glug, Glug over intro of song.

Audio Landscaping paints pictures and gets the listener’s attention because it’s relatable and odd.  Because so many stations (most all formats) have the same sort of imaging, in this case different is better than good but the same.

Create a new rhythm and timing for your station

In an environment where many stations are mature in age, “sameness” is a brand killer.

It’s important from time to time to reexamine the stations sameness of flow.  There has got to be more to execution than a recorded ID into song, dj set over next song, sweeper then into the next song and a back-sell over a music bed into spot sets... right?

Think about mixing up the process and the presentation.  Different combinations, in different orders, with different production pieces interpolated into the mix will change your listeners perception and maybe just wake them up.

Try • A combo Live and recorded ID

Try • Liners only over song intros, not into spot-sets

Try • 10 second live breaks into spot-sets

Try • No recorded sweepers

Try • Sweepers over music intros only

Try • Short back-sell into recorded station punctuator into a live dj rap over the next song intro.

Try • Not talking over any intros, only short sets between.

Try • The recorded station brand name in the middle of all live sets.

Try • The Veal it’s fabulous! 

There are thousands of different combos that change your station’s rhythm, changes the listeners perception of sameness and wakes your jocks up from the rhythm slumber they’re working in now.  Awake DJs create new and interesting content!

Create a station purpose.

What is your station’s reason for being?  What does it add to the community.  What difference does your station bring to the table?

Just playing the hits, promoting station events and giving away prizes mean little when it’s the same stuff (give or take 10%) over and over again.

Station purposes vary and they work through station action, not smoke and mirrors.  The age of smoke and mirrors is long since over.

Station purpose differ depending on what your station need.  Examples include:

“The New Music station”

The Stop The Violence Station

Raising money for HIV awareness

“Music that matters”

Raising money for band instruments for schools

Promoting the city’s arts scene

“No Rules”

“Only Classic Alternative”

“Fighting to Keep Alternative Music Alive...”

These are just some of the many causes and actions that a station and listeners can get behind.  Again, the key is to constantly deliver on whatever you get behind.  Pick causes and action that are more than seasonal.  Consistency and repetition increases the chances of getting into the listeners mind and staying there.

Make the station sound less programmed.

Computerized music scheduling programs and one person scheduling all shifts all the time has made stations more than conventional.  Seven songs in power rotation for months on end, the same recurrents over and over again and 200 best testing records in 1 1/2 day rotation is sound programming but way too banal.  If this is the need in your market (as it is in many) find ways to throw off the typical “A” at the top of the hour into the recurrent, then the oldie, the new song (musical blah blah) durge.

Give people a surprise or more than the norm every 20-30 minutes or so.  This doesn’t necessarily mean performing a “feature”.  Perceived jock spontaneity will give you more bang for the buck, though some well executed, high pay off features pay excellent benchmark dividends.

  You’ll have to figure out what that means for your particular needs.  If you go for unfamiliarity as a way to mix things up make sure that the track is presented with meaning and for a reason.  Without the announcers well thought out entertaining validation this act is just unfamiliar and gives the listener no reason to buy into your offering.

Find a focused music position.

There are enough Alternative stations out there that are not Top-Five persons 18-34 to know that playing a little bit of Indie, a little bit of mainstream, a little bit of Alternative and a little bit of tractor rock doesn’t work.  In 2008, in many markets the “A little bit of something for everybody” concept isn’t working.  While the pundits see Big Tent” and broader as a way to aggregate audiences, one has to ask themselves how come their stations are not top five in the target demos in music day-parts.

Ask yourself this... if you were giving a party and you invited hipsters, druggies, scholastics, nerds, preppies and gang members to your party would anybody come?  And if they did, how long would it be until the nerds got locking into a closet, the hipsters pissed off a preppie or a Mensa member got into a knife fight with a Hells Angel?

I call this the Turd in The Punchbowl syndrome.

If you like KORN there’s a good chance that Radiohead is not for you.  If you like Three Days Grace there’s an excellent chance you think the Bravery sucks.  If you like the Shins then it’s more than likely that you’d rather stick you hand in a garbage disposal than listen to Bush.

Your radio station is the same way.  You have to whittle the groupings of music styles down to a congruent base of social music groups who can get along to some extent.  Then super serve this group for TSL rather than gathering little bits of CUME from everybody who can’t buy into your jumbled music culture.

Your station is like a punchbowl.  You continue to scoop and drink punch out of the bowl until you notice that their is a pinky sized turd in it.  Even though the turd is not very big do you want to continue drinking that punch???  Do you?!

sd