How To Be A Critical Listener Of Your Radio Station

Yogi Berra said, "You can observe a lot by watching."

And you can hear a lot just by listening - provided, of course, you know what you're listening for -- and that your listening is an active rather than a passive activity.

I recently spoke on "How to critically listen to your radio station" at a group's GM meeting. The goal was to help them be better critical listeners of their stations by identifying key programming elements and creating a framework to help them evaluative what they heard.

While written for GMs, these ideas are appropriate for programmers as well.

Here's a three-step plan for how to critically listen to your station. Use it to compare your plan vs. your performance -- and your intentions vs. your execution.

STEP 1: Create a listening plan

"Critical listening" means evaluating what you hear. Because there are so many components to the final product, your critical listening will be more effective with a plan to help you focus on and be a visual reminder of what's most important. It will also help you avoid becoming sidetracked by any single thing, good or bad.

Later, the plan will help you assess what you've heard.

Consider developing your listening plan with your PD so you're both on the same page.

Begin your plan with an expanded definition of your target listener. Again, the more specific you are with your list, the easier it will be to evaluative what you hear.

List your music position, eras, tempo goals and other relevant issues.

Record your strategic ratings approach. Are you trying to expand cume, improve P1 usage, etc? Your execution should reflect your strategy.

Also note your station's most unique value propositions or 'advantage(s)' (a maximum of two) as well as the key station activity this week. You'll be listening for their strong presence on-air.

To help you keep track of everything you want to listen for, consider creating a template like the one at the bottom of the last page where I've filled in a few of the lines as examples.

STEP 2: Record specific evaluations and observations as you're listening

Make notes on how closely the on-air product matches the plan.

1. Overall, how aligned is the product to the target listener's tastes? Consider the music, morning show, other talent, imaging, type and amount of services, sales and programming events/features and stationality/attitude. What's on track, close, or needs adjustment?

2. Is the music position and focus clear and reflective of the overall strategy? Are the eras, tempo and texture, genres, flow/variety appropriate for the plan?

3. Can you readily discern the station's unique advantage(s) and core benefit(s)? Can you readily identify why this station would be chosen over another?

4. Does the imaging communicate relevant messages? Does it reflect your station's brand promise? When it comes to reinforcing the advantage, is the imaging (including that done live by the talent) a plus, a neutral or a minus? Does it have the right attitude/style of communications that is 'in synch' with the target? Has it been refreshed recently?

5. Are today's most important station elements and tactics receiving the most attention?

6. Is the overall execution in synch with its ratings goals?

7. Are aspects of the station overly fan-centric?

8. Evaluate the morning show

• Is the content is compelling/unique/original?
• Is the content 'experience-driven' rather than 'prep sheet-driven?'
• Is the show is well prepared?
• Are listeners co-creating the content?
• If there are multiple players, are their roles clearly defined and do their personalities help create dynamic content?
• Does the morning promote at-work listening and other dayparts?
• Is the show a cog or an island?

9. Miscellaneous

• What is the spot load vis-à-vis competitors?
• Is the service content and its execution appropriate?
• Is the sense of community appropriate?
• Are the station events true events or 'anti-events?'
• Is the rest of the talent prepared, more like friends than announcers, and good at promoting the rest of the station, not just the morning show?
• Does listening to the station make you feel good?

STEP 3: Discuss what you hear

Refer to your analysis for specifics in evaluating what you heard. Meet with your PD and discuss.

Did what you heard match your expectations? If it did, can the envelope be pushed further? What did we do well in one area that could be applied in another?

If not, did the problem stem from a lack of knowledge, difference in vision or interpretation, action/execution, or something else?

Write a few sentences to summarize what you heard and the actions you're taking to incorporate them into your next critical listening session.

Consider using a template like this to help you stay organized, focused, and to more easily keep track of the key elements you want to listen for. For example, note how being specific on the "Grow Cume" line can help focus your critical listening to create programming actions.