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The Party Has Started
by Mike McVay
Mike McVay |
There was a time when we all
argued that syndicated programming wasn’t as good as local programming. I
remember some years ago when Howard Stern was first syndicated into Cleveland
and I was consulting WMJI/Cleveland at the time. John Lanigan, the morning man,
was playing music in the morning. I remember saying, “local will beat national
every day of the week.” It wasn’t true. Howard Stern was competitive with WMJI,
but he only edged Lanigan once. John Lanigan is excellent at presenting TALK
GENERATING TOPICALITY.
The then-programmer at
WMJI, Rick Torcasso (a marketing wizard and co-owner of Point-2-Point Marketing)
made a decision that the radio station should stop playing music and go all talk
in the morning with John Lanigan in order to combat Stern. He also decided to
engage Stern in hand-to-hand combat so that Howard turned his attention from the
traditional Rock station (WMMS) and focused on a format that Stern normally did
not consider to be his primary competitor. Jeff and Flash, the morning team on
WMMS, was Missing-in-Action. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they turned up
on a milk carton.
When Howard did beat WMJI (barely) the programmer at that
time was John Gorman. John is a Cleveland radio legend. He pulled out all the
stops and out-promoted Howard during his live Cleveland celebratory broadcast.
Gorman stole his thunder… big time!
This engagement by Torcasso (and later Gorman) helped Stern
increase his ratings and at the same time helped WMJI rebound and build its
ratings to heights it had never reached before the battle with Stern and to
regain and hold its crown. However, few programmers today can effectively
battle nationally syndicated programming. They ignore it or take it too lightly.
Lanigan continues to be the #1 morning music show in
Cleveland today (2010) and Howard has all but disappeared from the public media
scene given the small audience of satellite radio.
Stop the presses! The party is about to begin again.
More and more syndicated programs are popping on the scene
and broadcasters are moving to syndication as a way to save money and improve
their on-air product. I was personally one of the three original owners (with
Delilah) of the Delilah Radio Show. We’ve been involved as a strategist with
John Tesh since the day he decided to go full time for the daily show. McVay
Syndication, of which I am co-owner with broadcast entrepreneur Tom Embrescia,
recently launched the Donny Osmond Show at the AC level and is soon to launch a
Hot AC show. We consult Dees Entertainment and we work with Rick Dees on his
weekly show as well as consult on several soon to be launched projects. We
consult the Jim Brickman Show, too. Syndication has real benefits because it
delivers a product and program that is stronger and better than what the average
broadcaster can afford.
Syndicated programming is at the root of the growth that I’m
projecting for local radio. Think about that statement. National syndication can
help local radio grow. Rick Dees has plans to launch a daily radio program. His
weekend show continues to be the longest running Top-40 Countdown program in
radio history. Rick Dees is an iconic name and he’s familiar to the radio
listening audience of America.
Z100’s most famous morning man, Elvis Duran, is syndicated by
Premiere Radio and continues to do very well. His morning show is one that I’ve
been suggesting to our client stations across America. His team is among the
best of an ensemble cast.
Elvis puts more time and energy into his show than anyone
could imagine. If he’s awake he’s working on his show. Kid Kraddick continues
to be a strong and highly rated morning man and his work ethic is right there
with Elvis’ work ethic. Club Kane (anchored by Kane who does mornings on Hot
99.5 Washington, DC) is among the next wave of nationally syndicated talent to
take to the airwaves (Premiere) as is “Saturday Night On-Line LIVE with Romeo” (Superadio
Networks) and I like “The Weekend Throwdown” hosted by (WKTU and Z100) talent
Jagger.
The key element that all of these shows bring to the table,
and one that your own morning shows can emulate, is talk generating
topicality. These programmers understand and know what’s hot and they talk
about it. There’s no such thing as “Natural Ability.” I don’t believe in it. He
or she who works the hardest is the one who will win rating sweep after rating
sweep.
Talk Generating
Topicality is more
than reading the front page of USA Today. It’s talking about those
things your audience will be talking about. It doesn’t matter that your CHR
station may not have ever played Michael Jackson’s music. When Michael Jackson
died, you did play it … and you were talking about it. You may not be a fan of
NASCAR, but when a “hottie” like Danica Patrick wins a NASCAR race, you talk
about it on the air. What happens when Tiger Woods has a personal disaster? You
talk about it! What’s everyone talking about wherever you go? That is what you
talk about. That is what successful radio stations have always been great at.
Talk about what’s important to the audience. Talk about what
the audience is talking about. If your local show can’t do it, I know a number
of syndicated shows that can do it, and they will do it. And if you’re a
nationally syndicated talent … Think about this for a second; what NATIONAL
things are being talked about LOCALLY? National topics are discussed locally.
If you’re a local talent, learn from the nationally
syndicated shows … and then apply that to your local show … and if you have a
nationally syndicated show on your radio station … make it sound local. If
you’re a syndicated talent … connect on the local level. Strive to communicate
on a one-to-one level. Syndication can (and does) win locally. Local programming
wins locally. Regardless of being a local or a national, you have to invest your
time in preparation to sound connected to your listeners community. Talk
generating topicality! Practice it.
Mike McVay
is President of McVay Media and McVay Syndication. He consults radio stations
around the world on programming. Mike is a talent coach with international
credentials. He also syndicates The Donny Osmond Radio Show, coaches The John
Tesh Radio Show, Rick Dees Entertainment, and The Jim Brickman Show and was one
of the original partners in The Delilah Show. Visit
www.mcvaymedia.com to learn more about McVay Media. E-mail to
Mike@mcvaymedia.com. Phone to 440l.933.0440. |
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