Out With The Old, In With The New

Peace or Victory? Let's hope for both...

I’m all for change. Change is good. Winston Churchill said, “There is nothing wrong with change, if it’s in the right direction.”

Everybody loves a good list, especially at the beginning of a new year. So, as we look to improve our stations this year, what comes to mind in terms of what you’d eliminate, or stop doing, and, what would you add to the mix? What needs to change?

This past year at All Classical FM, here in Portland, we dealt with many changes, some of which were foisted upon us and others we foisted upon ourselves. We learned so much, not only about ourselves, but about our community and our audience. These wonderful audiences we’re entrusted with, are willing to go just about anywhere we want to take them as long as we keep it real. Authenticity is key. Consistency is key. Fresh and surprising are welcome.

I’m not big on change for change sakes, but let’s tackle what makes sense. At this station, we added more early and vocal music to the programming mix, and did so at the right time of day, with the right performances, for the right amount of time. That made sense. We did less of what we know doesn’t work – less talk during drive-time, less syndicated programming where folks expected us to be live & local. Made sense. We programmed all the best sacred and festive music, wall-to-wall comfort & joy, for 4 solid days at Christmas. Ain’t rocket science. Ratings are through the roof. (December Arbitron: KQAC is now #7 in the market, CUME up to 240,000, SHARE 3.9)

We’re getting ready to convene our managers at a planning retreat later this month, mainly to discuss what is working and what we could do differently. We will resist the notion that we have to change something. It’ll be nice to examine the road map to our future through the recent lens of success and eliminate as many detours as possible. Hopefully, we’ll end up on the same page.

One of our goals is to have a new business plan in place for the next 3 years. We’re looking at just a few things: programming, staffing, facilities, brand, revenue, ratings, debt, endowment planning, board building, technology, new media, social networking, performance measures, listenership, arts partners, and whatever else pops up.

What’s on your list? Please share what’s working at your station!

Onward!

And, Happy New Year. Let’s make it memorable!

About Jack Allen

Jack Allen is a self-proclaimed dreamer, raconteur, rapscallion and radio guy. He got his start in radio, a second career, in 1992 at WMRA in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The broadcasting ethers have carried him through stints in St. Paul and Austin. He can now be found leading the team at All Classical Public Media, KQAC in Portland, Oregon.

Subscribe Via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Scanning the Dial and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

Leave a Comment

Send this to a friend