Radio's Most Valuable Competitive Advantage

By this time, you have undoubtedly read the "doomsday" opinions of critics who believe radio is dead in the face of a multitude of new technologies. While I believe that radio programming and formatics will require adjustment to accommodate evolving consumers, I am not beating the "radio is dying" drum that has become so popular among radio nay-sayers.

I do agree with one part of the doomsday radio prophecy, however: If your radio station is unique in its market simply because it is the only radio station that plays Rob Thomas, Sheryl Crow, and Nickelback, the station is in long-term trouble.

While radio stations may be just "music service" to some listeners, successful stations are so much more to their loyal listeners. They are community hubs and lifestyle connectors. In the coming years, cell phones, iPods, satellite, and any number of other media will offer the same music. Exclusivity in any music category is not enough for your survival.

Radio's most valuable competitive advantage... connection. Thriving radio stations are the ones who program with the intention of creating brand communities. When listeners feel connected and validated as part of a kinship or collective identity by listening to your station, you can survive the onslaught of any new delivery system or music technology. Validation and connection are priceless.

The emerging problem is that most radio stations in our industry continue to move in a strategic direction that could be summed up as "shut up and play the music." There is no question that music is a primary reason listeners use the radio. However, personalities who can build relationships with listeners through empathic understanding of their target make a radio station mean more than just music.

The problem some listeners have with personalities is not "too much talk," it's "too much irrelevant talk." It's not the quantity. It's the quality. Creative and relatable personalities will transcend the popularity of any song-and they will keep listeners on your station by creating a feeling of connection.

Some of the best empathetic communicators in radio are Steve and Vicki at Star 94 (WSTR/Atlanta). They do an exceptional job of giving a voice to the listener's thoughts. There is also a distinct magnetism to their morning show. As a listener, you won't want to miss what they are doing, because your friends will be talking about it. It's clear that an underlying motivator for listeners in tuning into Star 94's morning show is that they will feel more connected to their friends by listening. They'll be "in the know."

Dave and Geri at WLHT/Grand Rapids have a PHD in listener empathy and understanding "water cooler talk." When you listen to Dave and Geri's morning show, you feel like you are part of a family. You are certain that you'll hear everything you need to know for the day, and Dave and Geri will relate to you through their authenticity as people on the air.

Go ahead, tune into both of those morning shows today online, and you'll hear what I mean. Both exhibit genius in capturing the conviction and emotions of their target listeners and verbalizing them in a subtle way.

Another major opportunity for radio is its ability to function as a "time saving" device. The world is a busy place, and people are more stretched for time than ever before.

Radio can help listeners manage their time budget. Listeners tune in for a feeling of connection with their community, as well as bite-sized pieces of information and entertainment available without the hurdle of "seeking it out themselves on Google." Radio still has an advantage as an easy access, constant steam of content that-unlike the Internet-requires no reciprocal contact to drive the listener's experience.

Radio can save people time because they can listen while they are doing other things, like driving, running errands, jogging, and working. While they're preoccupied with something else, they can get information on the weather, news and information, conversational fodder, information that impacts their safety and family life, and music that gives them endorphins. Radio can offer all of that out of a little portable speaker.

For an example of entertainment with a clearly defined time-saving and life-changing benefit to the listener, spend some time listening to the John Tesh Radio Show. John Tesh does a tremendous job of selling the benefit of his show to listeners with the tag-line "Intelligence For Your Life." His topicals on ways to screen baby-sitters, how to save money on electricity, ways to lose weight without fad diets, and other similar topics draw listeners in and promise to improve their lives in return for the time they spend listening to the radio.

Today, tune into your radio station to see how much of a time saver it is for your target. Is your programming structured to offer topical information that helps your listeners without getting in the way of playing a lot of music?

In a world with the Internet, TiVo, and mp3s, listeners expect instant gratification in their search for a rich listening experience. That means that the stations that will attract repeat listeners are the ones that hit the mark on relatable and powerful content every time. The Internet, cell phones, and any other new technology on the horizon are just new delivery paradigms. If radio's content remains sharply relatable, and radio stations offer an opportunity for their listeners to feel included as part of a community, they'll withstand the hurricane-force winds ahead.