Here’s a nice game for you: find any mention of the word ‘listeners’ in the Global Radio quotes from this article from Mediaguardian – http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2008/apr/08/radio
When I’m at work and needing some entertainment – with preferably some local references thrown in – courtesy of a talented presenter, I’ll be thankful that Global are offering changes “intended to help create quasi-national brands and offer a ‘national proposition’ to advertisers.”
Remember when ITV was good? Regional idents? Pride in programme-making? Rather than the national behemoth we have now that plays to the lowest common denominator (ref: Jeremy Kyle, & excluding Harry Hill) Well that’s the way radio’s been going for years too – and now it seems the regulator’s prepared for it to go even further.
Are there any people left in positions of power in the media who give a toss about quality content for listeners and viewers? It doesn’t look like it. I know commercial radio is a business, but it really is spineless to tailor your whole strategy to appeal to advertisers, knowing full well that people will still tune in to mindless audio wallpaper because – let’s face it – there’s nothing on that’s any different no matter where you turn the dial to.
It’s pretty weak to criticise without offering an alternative, isn’t it? So here’s my strategy for “a better music mix” (or indeed just a mix):-
1) Employ presenters who can talk TO an audience, not at them.
2) Give the presenters freedom to be themselves. That means not getting them to say the station name 50 times an hour, along with some inane tagline.
3) Play surprising, quality, carefully-selected music.
4) Get a human being to choose the music!
5) Keep it local. If you have a licence for local radio, then that’s what you should deliver.
6) Try out some NEW formats!! Yes! Amazing though it may seem, you don’t HAVE to have a breakfast show with a man/woman pairing! And – now here’s a shocker – perhaps investing in some creative programming might just win over an audience! Local comedy clubs? Live reports from gigs? The possibilities are endless!
7) Look at alternative funding streams other than ad breaks. Not allowed? Then lobby the regulator!
Have some quality control on adverts. If they’re annoying to the point of stupidity then they’re hardly going to enhance your – ahem – “brand” are they? Get rid of moronic ads.
9) Run some competitions that don’t treat participants like they’re imbeciles. And don’t rig them either.
10) Be entertaining. Innovate. Excite. Surprise. Delight. Just don’t patronise or bore me. Please.
Macgyver said
Our local station, MFR, has a couple of decent presenters. But there’s been a relatively recent trend that all started with “Noxy” (Noxious to her…..well me). She’s a girl, a girly girl, who’s blonde and can’t work computers and stuff and mentions her boyfriend at least once an hour. She’s marginally attractive so there’s been picture ads for her. One was bad enough but….she appears to reproduce like bacteria. Because now there’s Jody. I think that’s her name. I honestly don’t know which one is on unless they say their name….
Radio 1 is particularly bad for that kind of shinanigans. Fair play having regional accents, but try being a bit more diverse as the only way to tell a show has changed sometimes is that the voice got higher so it must be a woman now.
4) reminded me off the old, very tiny, local radio show I had a couple of times. Had to supply our own music and when a song was playing me and my mates just flipped through the stack of CD’s to decide what to play next. Top stuff
I like your new numbering system btw. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,cool,9,10
gazuky said
If there’s one thing that shouldn’t be labelled ‘cool’, it’s radio adverts…