CHUCK KNIGHT
MEDIA
The Knightly News
Want Progress, Look to the Stars
Why is it that for years, we haven't been able to collectively and effectively take Radio’s success story out to Wall Street, Madison Avenue, Motor City or Main Street? Yes, we've spoken passionately about Radio's huge platform from industry conventions, trade interviews and press releases. I used to think it was our industry's leading CEOs who would be best suited to do these unified road shows and presentations. But I've come to the realization we’ve been looking in the wrong place.
Let's stop and think for a minute. Who would America’s big-industry advertising executives and their teams be motivated to welcome to their offices or go meet at a big time event? The answer goes to our biggest talking point for many years. It’s our STARS! Ryan Seacrest, Steve Harvey, Bobby Bones, Sean Hannity, Colin Cowherd and Delilah. The people they know, trust and have a daily relationship with.
Our stars are the best spokespeople for Radio! For three weeks a year, let's pay our stars to get out of the studio and on the road speaking passionately in a common voice and theme about Radio’s many positive attributes and successes. Teams of two or three visiting New York, LA, the Detroit car makers, P&G in Cincinnati, Silicon Valley. How our massive reach is unparalleled. How our one to one relationships with listeners allow us a unique, trusted friendship to help engage and move products and services for our advertising partners. Our stars are the best people to make this oh-wow presentation to help move the needle on Radio’s perception challenge with advertisers and deepen the understanding of who we truly are. They are the ones who can increase our share of the revenue pie with the big influential American brand leaders and their teams of assistants who control and allocate media planning, budgets and our future. Our stars are the ones people will talk about meeting, the ones marketers already know and trust and the ones who will leave a lasting impression. This will work on the local level too with our collective hometown stars across ownership clusters.
So let's go. Let's organize this Radio road show now, staring our stars so that we can help move our industry forward. Yes, it's our unique opportunity to seize. Let’s make progress happen.
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The Knightly News
Sounds of Silence
We've been through years of undeniable challenge, change and stress. Political division, COVID-19, culture shifts and economic struggles. In our industry, combine furloughs, layoffs, cuts and extra duties added to job descriptions. Today some of us have jobs, some of us don't. Most of us have first-hand experience in both. Every one of us is part of the small Radio family. It’s a critical time for us to be attuned to how we do, and sometimes don’t, engage with our industry peers.
Those of us who are currently employed have an opportunity to make a difference in someone's life today. Upon leaving a job, many people are sorely missing the daily face-to-face human contact, friendships and relationships with their now former coworkers. There are feelings of being isolated, ostracized and cast aside. So if a person reaches out with a friendly hello, asks our opinion or inquires about a job opportunity, let's engage them by responding to their email, text or direct message. It only takes a few words and a couple extra seconds. Our peers aren’t infected with some unemployment virus that can be transmitted to us electronically. By failing to reply, the unfortunate, unintended message we’re sending them is that they aren't important to us or our industry. I hear from many in this group that the silence and lack of response is dark and deflating. That’s not an image or reputation any of us wants for ourselves or our companies. There’s too much of this ghosting that goes on in our business and in reality it’s been going on for many, many years. So let's embrace the opportunity to change and have a positive impact on someone's day, with even a quick reply, that lets them know they’re relevant.
For those of us who are now unemployed, we must realize that in today's world, our still employed friends, contacts and former co-workers may have many new, additional responsibilities with the same 24 hours in a day to get it all done. A reply back to us might not be immediate. They could be dealing with job or family challenges. If we've been frustrated by no responses, following up with annoyance and sarcasm is the exact opposite of what this blog is about.
We're a small, specialized group of believers and doers who share an unapologetic passion for Radio. This is our career. This is what we do. This is who we are. We are a family. For sure it's a stressful time in our business but we all have an opportunity to better communicate, lift and encourage each other. How we engage and treat one another translates to the vibe of how our brands engage and sound on-air. We all need more kindness and compassion in the world right now. Let’s do that by engaging with our industry peers and practicing the Golden Rule of treating others the way we want to be treated ourselves.
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The Knightly News
Surprise...This is What's on Your Station!
The worst place to listen to a radio station is in a radio station. Too many distractions.
As PDs, we know what our stations need to be doing. But is it being executed the way we designed and envisioned? Now is the perfect time to put down our phones and close email to find out. Doesn't an artist paint on a canvas and then take five steps back to look at what he or she has created?
Pick a weekday in the next two weeks to do a listening day. Work ahead to clear your agenda so all you have to do is listen...but again, away from the distractions at the station. Listen as you walk your neighborhood or drive to a park. Listen both over-the-air and your stream. Hear your station's dayparts for a couple hours, then your competitors. Stop for lunch and dinner. Then pick up your listening again...mornings, middays, afternoons and nights. Type away on your computer. Chart positioning, content choices, length, music flow, production values, promos, stopsets, attitude. Is it working the way you thought it was? Are your competitors doing what you thought they were? Maybe. Maybe not. What do you like about your station? What don't you like? What needs to be done differently or fine-tuned? What are your competitors doing that you like and can incorporate?
Organize your to-do action list into As and Bs, then get working on it. Share your findings with your GM, VPP or OM. This will help make you accountable and will leave a positive impression!
Commit to doing this exercise on a regular basis. I guarantee you will love what it does for you and your station!