As Global takes advantage of Ofcom's new localness rules by introducing national breakfast shows, I'm already noticing anoraks rubbing their hands with glee as if their community/internet stations are now guaranteed thousands of ex-Capital/Heart/Smooth listeners.
First of all, this from Keri Jones - who founded and managed Radio Pembrokeshire when it became the most successful small station in UK radio history - is a must-read for anybody in the sector.
Many respected commentators have made excellent points. Here's where I wade in with thoughts on today's radio news. I hope everyone affected finds new opportunities. Radio does offer us a range of useful skills that we may not realise we possess until we find a 'new life' pic.twitter.com/ulNzKRJh3L
— Keri jones (@Kerijonesradio) February 26, 2019
A local radio station doesn't succeed because of where the presenter is sat or where the playout PC is based. It's about truly understanding local life - the people (your listeners) and the places - with a sense of pride in your community and offering unique content that could only have been produced locally.
Think like a surviving independent business on the High Street that has had to carve out an attractive niche to take on neighbouring national/international chains. What is your elevator pitch? What sets you apart? Why should I choose you over others for entertainment?
That business would also need strong marketing and being in the primary shopping destination makes it easy for people to find - in other words, get onto as many radio aggregators as possible.
As part of that clear proposition, any station needs a target audience - to define who the product is for, serve them well and never lose focus; whether that's a particular demographic, mood, genre or more than one of these components.
I've spoken to community radio programmers who insist on serving "the whole family". Pur-lease. It’s 2019, not 1975.
When there was little to no competition, pre-internet and barely any other radio, ILR had to be all things to all people. Today, with so much choice available, media is well-targeted.
You won't get a 22 year-old AND a 72 year-old tuning in because you've segued Adam Faith into Martin Garrix. Ironically, you'll get neither.
Instead, cater for one of them. Look at your broadcast area and find your niche. Does the local population skew older or younger? What about nationality or religion? Exactly who is most likely to tune in?
Consider that localness typically matters more to older listeners who may have called the patch home for many years and are not as well-served by commercial radio anyway.
Consistency and familiarity are key
For an an AC station, playing mainstream hits with variations in era, energy, tempo and genre to avoid sounding predictable - perhaps including some forgotten "spice" tracks to add an element of pleasant surprise (minus any novelty songs or B-sides) - is the way to go.
As with so many things in life, it’s a case of quality not quantity. Most people don’t care how many songs are in the library - they just want to hear their favourites.
Why does Heart have 8 million listeners? Because each of them likes what they hear, and knows they can expect to hear what they like whenever they tune in.
After all, a tight rotation of favourable tunes will always do better than a wide range of non-hits and/or an eclectic mess. It’s not the songs a station doesn’t play that will do it harm.
While jocks could pick from the database, presenters who demand "free plays" need to remember why they're on air - to serve listeners, not themselves.
Creative freedom, yes, but everything you do should be centred on the audience. Are you being useful? Interesting? Making someone smile and laugh or stop and think?
It’s true that the fewer ads or other interruptions you have, the greater scope there is to take risks within the aforementioned format.
For example, you might want to introduce a carefully-crafted new music playlist to keep the station sounding fresh with fitting tracks that complement your "core" categories - just as Radio 2 and others do.
Selections are made based on sound and suitability; and although the same is true of good CHR programming, the charts are less relevant when picking for older audiences.
Off-peak specialist music shows are fine - they have their own audiences so it is for the presenter to understand them and bring genre expertise.
This programming needs to be scheduled at the right time. People generally have more time to listen in the evening, hence "prime time" TV, and a local station aiming to be heard in offices and shops would want to make sure it's after they've closed for the day.
Some community radio folk are very critical of the commercial sector. Are they just spiteful nostalgists? Is it out of frustration that they're not working in it?
Whatever the reason, if they actually recognised why stations are successful and adopted some of that business thinking themselves, while marketing a strong USP, they too could thrive.
If you're a serious player, as I'm sure many are, I wish you the best of luck.
As Global and Bauer move forward with their powerhouse national brands, there is an opportunity to drive audience as a value-added local alternative - but only if you make it an opportunity.
