(By John Shomby) Labor Day weekend is the last official weekend of summer for most. Holidays are coming to an end, most schools have reopened or are getting ready to start, and the days are getting shorter. But most importantly, attitudes change after Labor Day.
Everyone is back at work, the next long “holiday” is in two months and of course there is plenty of football. Everyday life is picking up speed again after the summer lull and in autumn things will be more expensive than they were a year ago.
As PD, I always viewed the first day after Labor Day as the start of a new “season” for our radio station. We always went into a new year with the same mindset. If we had changes/improvements in mind, we would prepare them and have them ready to air the day after Labor Day. Much like the “new fall season” on TV on the radio. At one station, we would announce our events/new on-air benchmarks, etc. as “all part of our new fall season.”
This is a time that calls for renewal and refreshment.
You’re giving your radio station a proverbial makeover. Review your image. Make sure it reflects the “back to work/school” mentality in your market. “#1 for New Country” and “24/7 commercial-free” are all well and good, but how about appealing to the fresh start feeling many of your listeners will have as summer officially ends? It’s a new football season, locally and nationally, and fall concerts and festivals are in full swing—plus there are plenty of local fall events.
With all of this in mind, people will be very cautious about how they spend their entertainment budget due to the economic situation. Take advantage of this with your station’s image and your social media marketing. Current topics always give your station personality and your listeners will feel it!
Get your broadcast staff on the same page. As I recommended for the start of a new year, make sure they hit the ground running. Whether local, voice-tracked, or syndicated, they should all be ready to stay ahead of your audience. Make sure they are aware of these attitudinal, economic, and personal changes in your local listeners so their content reflects that. Spend time with your staff brainstorming how to create content that helps, entertains, informs, and builds engagement with your audience. COMMUNICATE with them!!!
Listeners will be back in their cars driving to work or school, so make sure you do everything you can to give them an entertaining ride both ways. The radio is still king in the car. Be a companion, not in the background. Know that they aren’t hanging on your every word, and find creative, compelling ways to give them what they need/want often enough to grab and keep their attention. It’s not the “gift” it used to be.
Consider this in your promotional strategy as well as your app and website. Include information for your listeners about free events and other ways to stretch their money. Traffic information to those festivals, concerts and sporting events. Brainstorm with staff and create a meaningful list. Take the pulse of your audience.
The day after Labor Day should be an important day in your station’s development every year! Time for a refresher!!
Based in Nashville, Tennessee, John Shomby is the owner and CEO of Radio coach of the country. He focuses on coaching and mentoring artists, radio programmers and on-air talent to help them grow and develop within the radio station and the industry. You can reach John at (email protected) and 757-323-1460. Read John’s Radio Ink archives Here.
