Brand Autopsy

What if "Listener Supported" meant "Listener Programmed"?

This entry from my KUT Pledge Drive Blog seems appropriate for a duplicate post on Brand Autopsy.

{For background purposes}
If you listen to public radio, you’ll hear on-air announcers refer to their audience as listener supporters. Since public radio is dependent upon financial support from its listeners, it needs as many listeners to be ... listener supporters.

While public radio stations have many mechanisms in place for listeners to support the station, they do not have enough mechanisms for listeners to PROGRAM the station.

At KUT-FM in particular, they rely on 70% of their operating budget from listeners and businesses. However … to my knowledge … the station does not have enough systems in place to give the listener supporter more say in which programs the station airs and at what day/time the program airs.

With that said … on the KUT Pledge Drive Blog, I posted the following blog entry…

**************************

Okay … so we’ve heard and seen that 70% of KUT’s funding comes from listeners and businesses. And we’ve also heard that KUT has 180,000 unique listeners and 15,000 listener supporters.

What if we, the 15,000 listeners who financially support KUT, were given the opportunity to program KUT?

That’s right … what if we, the listener, were given the authority and the opportunity to choose which programs we want to hear on KUT and when we want to hear them? I’d say, “Right on!”

If you had such an opportunity, which current programs airing on KUT would you keep, delete, or modify? And what programs would you add?

I’ve taken the time to program MY KUT and if you click here, you can view MY KUT by uploading this Excel file (embedded links included). Or, you can scroll to view MY KUT programming schedule by daypart.

MORNINGS:

MID-DAYS:

AFTERNOONS:

EVENINGS & OVERNIGHTS:

*******************************

You too can be a public radio “freak” and program your very own public radio station.

To do so ... I suggest you begin by visiting this site for a long list of programs available to public radio stations and vist KUT's current program schedule. And by all means, feel free to share your programming schedules/thoughts with us on the KUT Pledge Drive Blog.

Wake Up Radio

Sirius is finally getting serious about making headway into XM Radio’s leadership position by paying $500 million over five years to get Howard Stern to defect from terrestrial radio to Sirius satellite radio.

To say this is a wake-up call for terrestrial radio is an understatement.

On the Radio Marketing Nexus blog, Mark Ramsey provides excellent insider commentary on Howard Stern’s defection to Sirius satellite radio.

Mark's first post provided an initial analysis and included this poignant comment …

This is a sad day for terrestrial Radio. Howard's announcement means not only that Radio will be losing one of its notorious shining stars, it also represents a signal to up-and-coming and established talent: The grass is greener - and the creative freedom greater - in Satellite Radio. At a time when Radio has a tough enough time generating positive buzz - let alone positive momentum - this is a harsh body blow.

Mark’s second post is a three-point wake-up call manifesto for traditional radio. Snippets of the three-point manifesto include:

Manifesto Point 1: We must make Radio an attractive place for funny, creative entertainers to work
Even now, where is Radio's Ali G? Where is our Conan O'Brien? Where are all the funnymen and funnywomen? Are we on their radar? Are they on ours? What are we doing to attract talent? We must seek out these people. We must take a chance on them. We must do so at the highest levels of the largest broadcast groups. Now.

Manifesto Point 2: We need to keep the talent happy when we have it
To be sure, Infinity did an outstanding job of defending and supporting Stern during his darkest hours (and Morning Shows everywhere noticed), but not all talent is so lucky. Why should any talent work for a company that doesn't support, encourage, and reward them? There's a reason HBO won 32 Emmy's and ABC won 7.

Manifesto Point 3: Remember, we're in the entertainment business
There would be no Soprano's without David Chase. There would be no Sex and the City without Darren Star. There would be no Jerry Seinfeld Show without Jerry Seinfeld. If we as an industry don't open the doors to talent, recognize talent, nurture, respect, support, and reward talent, then Radio will have left its best days behind. We will become The History Channel and some other medium will be HBO.

30 Seconds Street

In July, Clear Channel announced a plan to cut radio commercial time to no more than 15 minutes of ads per hour and no more than six ads in a row. And now we learn Clear Channel is using its formidable weight to sway advertisers to use 30-second spots and not 60-second spots. Seems Clear Channel believes bad ads are causing radio listeners to change channels.

[Hey Clear Channel … could it be BAD RADIO is driving listeners to change stations? But that’s another blog for another day.]

The Wall Street Journal reported, “… some advertisers are balking, dubbing the plan Giving you less, charging you more. In the radio industry, a 30-second spot typically costs about 80% of the price of a 60-second pitch: Advertisers usually figure they might as well spend the extra cash and get a full minute. And advertisers, it turns out, don’t like having to cram their message into half the time they’re used to."

To help advertisers make the switch from 60-second spots (where advertisers have time to tell a story) to 30-second spots (where advertisers must be disciplined to supremely focus their message), Clear Channel has created a new unit, Creative Resources Group, to help advertisers produce better and more effective 30-second radio commercials.

[Great. The company responsible for producing BAD RADIO is just the company I want to produce “good ads.” But that’s yet another blog for another day.]

I suggest radio advertisers and the Clear Channel's Creative Resources Group read Hey Whipple Squeeze This. In this book, Luke Sullivan (author, advertising maven, and current Creative Group Head at GSD&M), offers his battle-tested advice for making better radio spots. Luke has specific advice on how to make a better 30-second radio commercial.

If a 60-second spot is a house, a 30 is a tent
Thirties are a different animal. If you think you’re writing sparely for a 60-second commercial, for a 30 we’re talking maybe 60 words. Thirties call for a different brand of thinking, It’s a lot like writing a 10-seond tv spot. If your thirty is to be a funny spot, the comedy has to be fast. A quick pie in the face.

Here is an example of a very simple premise that rolls itself out quickly.

ANNOUNCER: We’re here on the street getting consumer reaction to the leading brand of dog food.

VOICES ON THE STREET: Yellllllchh! Aaaarrrrrgh! Gross! This tastes awful!

ANNOUNCER: If you’re presently a buyer of this brand, may we suggest Tuffy’s dog food. Tuffy’s is nutritionally complete and balanced and it has a taste your dog will love. And it a dollar less per bag, it comes with a price you can swallow.

VOICES ON THE STREET: Yellllllchh! Aaaarrrrrgh!

ANNOUNCER: Tuffy’s. A doggone good dog food.

The following is more advice on creating better radio ads from Luke Sullivan's excellent book, Hey Whipple Squeeze This.

There is no law that says radio has to be funny.
If you want to stand out in this medium, try something other than humor. It may not work, but you should at least try.

Make sure your radio spot is important or scary or funny or interesting within the first five seconds.
If your spot’s not interrupting music, it’s probably following on the heels of a bad commercial. Your listener is already bored. There’s no reason for him to believe your commercial’s going to be any better.

Write radio sparely.
Unless your concept demands a lot of words and fast action, write sparely. This allows your voice talent to read your script slowly. Quitely. One … word … at …. a … time.

You’ll be surprised at how this kind of bare-bones execution leaps out of the radio. There is a remarkable power in silence. It is to radio what white space is to print. Silence enlarges the idea it surrounds.

Radio - on the Brand Autopsy Examining Table

Recently, Mark Ramsey’s Radio Nexus Blog featured my thoughts on how radio stations can adopt some of the marketing lessons I’ve learned at Starbucks and at Whole Foods Market. You can find those entries here and here. Or you can use the handy jump-list below to read my unabridged thoughts.

Un-commoditizing Radio
Marketing lessons radio can learn from Starbucks and Whole Foods

Reuse, Recycle, and Radio
When tried and true radio tactics become tired and trite

Radio Executive Role Play
John Moore assumes the role of radio station exec and outlines his approach

Radio Free Eureka
Free-range thoughts on radio as a free medium

After all this hullabaloo … did I donate?

Yes. I made a donation* to my local public radio station, KUT-FM.

Why the ASTERISK?
Because my donation is contingent upon 100% of it going to fund KUT-FM’s Sonic ID Project. The Sonic ID Project is an audio portrait of life in Austin, TX. KUT-FM is recording people in the Austin community, some ordinary and some extraordinary, telling their stories of what makes living in Austin unique. To learn more about KUT-FM's Sonic ID Project, click here.

But really, why did I ultimately decide to donate?
It wasn’t due to the uncreative and unrelenting on-air groveling that I endured. Instead, it was more a matter wanting to financially support local community radio in the face of the Clear Channel Godzilla-like commoditization and consolidation that is occurring in the radio landscape. MRKinLA said it best in a reply to an earlier blog:

“(public radio) listeners in general, but especially those who may be fence-sitting potential subscribers, are a smart bunch. They know in an era of Clear Channel and other media consolidation, their options for intelligent radio are dwindling.”

I want to continue having the option of listening to intelligent radio. After all ... It’s not radio. It’s NPR.

Duncan Lively's lively comments

In a response to an earlier blog, Duncan Lively, "ex-pubradio denizen," gave his insider's perspective of how management at some Public Radio stations approach on-air fundraising.

If you like your opinions hot, spicy, and lively ... then, Duncan Lively has a few words for you.

Unfortunately, many public radio organizations are controlled by superannuated or downright dim decision-makers who cling to a fading structure of subsidy and a sense of entitlement. These folks often willfully -- even spitefully -- ignore the ‘pledge progressives’ and their demonstrable successes.

Of the five executives I worked for during my 11 years in public radio, only one truly understood and acted upon the maxim: 'good programming is good fundraising, good fundraising is good programming.' The others viewed 'pledge' either as a chore to be endured, or an opportunity to bludgeon non-givers into submission. These same executives failed to understand that the listener most likely had an 'off' button at his or her disposal.

John Moore – self-appointed Public Radio Program Director

I’m appointing myself as Program Director for KWAK-FM, a fictitious public radio station broadcasting in the blogosphere.

My first act as KWAK-FM Program Director is to liven up the pledge drive.

Since today is April Fools Day, KWAK-FM will spoof commercial radio by changing the tone of KWAK-FM into that of a commercial radio station. We will incessantly refer to KWAK-FM as the “All New. All Hits. KWAK-FM.”

During all local breaks from NPR programming, KWAK-FM on-air news and local mentions will be delivered by our new lead anchor, Jammin’ Jay Michaels. JJM will add excitement to the All New, All Hits, KWAK-FM by delivering the local news in an overly enthusiastic and utterly irritating manner under a bed of throbbing dance music. And, Jammin’ Jay Michaels will engage in sexually-suggestive flirtatious dialogue with Suzie Raspberry, our new traffic and weather update talent.

To incentify first-time subscribers, Morey Livingston from Morey’s Auto-Tint Superstore will give one lucky first-time subscriber a free auto-tint, free cellular phone, and a free “Pimp My Ride” car makeover.

Satirically accentuating the uniqueness of public radio is a sure-fire way to clearly demonstrate the dramatic difference between commercial radio and public radio. So much so that … listeners may be more apt to donate. Dig?

Lighten up Public Radio and have fun with your pledge drives!

Mourning Edition with Bob Edwards

Brooke Gladstone, from On The Media, conducted a great interview with Bob Edwards about NPR's decision to drop him from his Morning Edition hosting duties. Bob also muses on the early days of Morning Edition. Click here to stream the interview.

Or click here to read the transcript.

Approach Fundraising like Programming

Chris Bannon made a brilliant comment in a reply to an earlier blog by saying, “I'm not sure that, as an "industry," we've really recognized how much more we could be doing to make fundraising sound like programming.” (Chris is Co-Executive Producer of PRI’s weekly radio features magazine, The Next Big Thing.)

I couldn’t agree more Chris. Public radio stations should approach fundraising like they do programming and create compelling pledge pitches that are clever, savvy, and authentic.

Approach fundraising like programming! That’s it.

Clarifying the Relationship between NPR and Public Radio

There seems to be some confusion from Brand Autopsy readers that NPR is Public Radio and Public Radio is NPR. That is not the case.

National Public Radio (NPR) is merely a content provider to Public Radio stations. NPR does not own nor program local Public Radio stations. NPR merely offers/sells their programming (Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, and numerous other programs) to Public Radio stations across the country.

Funding for the creation of NPR programming is provided by charitable foundations, businesses (through financial underwriting contributions), and a small amount from the US Government.

Public Radio stations do not have to program their stations with NPR programming or programming from other content providers like Public Radio International (PRI). Programs from NPR and PRI cost money and some Public Radio stations do not have the dollars to obtain programs from these sources. Many Community Radio stations, which can also be called Public Radio stations, generally do not have the funds to purchase the programming from NPR or PRI and thus, these stations will focus on music programming or local community talk formats

Public Radio stations (and Community Radio Stations) engage in pledge drives to cover their operational costs (broadcasting equipment and salaries), to purchase programming from sources like NPR or PRI, and to cover any other costs related to broadcasting programs on-air.

Public Radio stations are free to program their stations in way they can afford to. It just so happens NPR is the leading brand in producing the highest-quality and most consistent programming that Public Radio stations find ways to afford the fees associated with obtaining NPR programs.

Ira Glass on Public Radio Pledge Drives

Betsy replied to my second post on "Pledge Drive Don’ts" and mentioned Ira Glass (from This American Life) and his Pledge Drive bit about how a WBEZ-FM listener will enthusiastically fork over $1.81 every day at Starbucks and listen to WBEZ five hours a day but ... he hasn't made a pledge to WBEZ.

Click here to stream the "Ira Glass Guilt Trip” bit . Good stuff. No, wait … GREAT STUFF. It is worth a listen. (Click here to view the track listing of the audio stream.)

I also found this interesting tid-bit from The Onion. In their interview with Ira Glass, Ira goes off on why he hates pledge drives and what he has done to make pledge drives less boring.

The Onion: You mentioned pledge drives. You're famous for taking a very proactive stance toward fundraising. How do you feel about pledge drives in general?

Ira Glass: Like all public-radio listeners, I hate the pledge drives. In fact, at one point, the public-radio system did audience surveys where -- I'm not even sure I'm allowed to talk about this in public, but anyway -- they did these surveys, and our listeners said that during the pledge drive, they felt like their local radio station had been taken over by these morons that they hated.

They felt that the people on the air were stupider, and they hated them, and they felt they did not share the values of the programs that they listen to, where people seemed to be kind of smart and inquisitive and alive.

So my feeling about the pledge drive is that I don't like things to be bad. I just didn't want to be boring on the radio. I couldn't face that, so we put a lot of work into trying not to make it boring, some years with more success than others.

There have been two different times, once in Chicago and once in Boston, where we did a thing where if you called during our show, once every five minutes we'd choose another name from a hat, and I'd deliver a pizza to that person that day. At the end of an hour, I had to deliver 12 pizzas to people.

PART TWO: Public Radio Pledge Drive Don’ts

MRKinLA made some excellent points in his reply to my “Pledge Drive Don’ts” post.

MRKinLA writes about how public radio stations have a
“… tendency to throw the local voice talent onto the airwaves with no scripting, ad libbing themselves in a downward spiral of inane comments like the ones you mention here -- "Stop freeloading!" "Please, please, please, we're in dire need!"

Agreed. Why can’t public radio stations take a page from the Creating Customer Evangelists playbook and use current paying subscribers to make the marketing/sales pitch? I would love to hear current subscribers tell me why they choose to become a paying member of their Public Radio station's listener community. Public Radio stations could reach out to their subscriber base and invite long-time subscribers, first-time subscribers, and intermittent subscribers into the studio to record their story of why they choose to donate. Then, instead of hearing on-air talent ad-lib their inane sales pitch, listeners would hear passionate and articulate stories (disguised as pledge pitches) from current subscribers. That sounds like a much more meaningful and appealing way to drive donations.

MRKinLA also writes… "NPR listeners in general, but especially those who may be fence-sitting potential subscribers, are a smart bunch. They know in an era of Clear Channel and other media consolidation, their options for intelligent radio are dwindling. Enlisting them as partners in the fight against media mediocrity is one way to communicate why people need to open up their wallets for NPR."

Sounds like Mark is borrowing another page from the Creating Customer Evangelists playbook by suggesting that Public Radio stations create a cause to better appeal to listeners. The consolidation that has occurred in the radio industry has resulted in lowest common denominator programming and Public Radio stations appeal to listeners who disdain anything lowest common denominator-like. Public Radio listeners are a curious and discerning bunch and creating a mission that pits David (local Public Radio station) against Goliath (Clear Channel station group) would seem to be a savvy way to galvanize support that would generate financial support during Pledge Drive time.

Public Radio Pledge Drive Don’ts

I don't mean to go off on a rant here ... but while commuting to work this morning, I writhed in pain as I endured KUT-FM groveling on-air for donations from listeners. The groveling was almost as pathetic as I had experienced listening to vocal Lyndon Larouche supporters accosting passer-bys on the downtown streets of Seattle last weekend.

Below, I have outlined three Public Radio Pledge Drive Don'ts. (Feel free to share your pledge drive frustrations in the comments section of this blog.)

Don’t Play the Shame Game
During every pledge drive, public radio derides and shames freeloaders (those who listen but do not contribute) into making a donation. We’ve all heard this line during the pledge drive, “If you’ve been listening without contributing, then it’s your time to pay up for all the great programming you hear but haven’t paid for.” This guilt trip is old and played out.

The Shame Game has continuously failed Public Radio. How else can you explain that it takes seven years for the average Public Radio listener to stop freeloading and start contributing? (This “seven-year freeloading” stat was repeated over and over this morning on KUT-FM.)

Stop Begging for Dollars
Charity is donating money to a homeless person on the corner holding up a sign that reads, “Need Money for Food. God Bless.” Charity is not giving money to a pubic radio station that verbally begs and grovels with lines like, “We need your money. Without your financial support, expensive programming like The World may have to go away.”

Begging is not becoming of a brand that appeals to the highly educated and the highly paid. Public Radio needs to better communicate its overt benefit to listeners in a rationale and emotional manner that doesn’t succumb to unsophisticated begging.

It’s not radio. It’s NPR.
Public radio has more in common with the HBO business model than it does with the commercial broadcast radio station business model. HBO relies on monies from viewers (subscribers) and not from advertisers to finance their programming. Public Radio, like HBO, must appeal to listeners and not to advertisers for money to finance their operation.

HBO has proven that consumers will pay for quality programming. Both HBO and Public Radio focus on quality content that serves as water cooler fodder for the well-informed. However, you never hear or see HBO stoop to groveling for dollars from viewers. Take the high road Public Radio and learn from HBO on how to appeal to consumers willing to pay for quality programming. (Admittedly, there is a major difference in that public radio broadcasts its signal for anyone to receive while HBO is a television service available only to viewers who subscribe to receive HBO programming.)

SaveBobEdwards.com

Bob Edwards may not be virile, but he is viral.

The online petition at www.savebobedwards.com is gaining momentum. When I signed the petition last night, there were 3,400 signatures and this afternoon at 4:20 PM (CST), there are nearly 8,000 signatures.

Can Bob Edwards be Saved?

This week I will be using the Brand Autopsy pulpit to rant against the staid and lethargic Public Radio Station pledge drives. But before I go off on my pledge drive rant, I would be remiss in not mentioning the recent ouster of long-time Morning Edition host Bob Edwards.

Last week, National Public Radio (NPR) announced that Bob Edwards, after 25 years, is leaving as host of Morning Edition. NPR is positioning the change as “part of a natural evolution” and that a new host will “bring new ideas and perspectives to the show.”

Now we learn that NPR affiliates may have pushed for Edward’s ouster. The New York Times (registration required) is reporting that some public radio station managers have expressed concerns that Bob Edwards is less engaged on-air and that the Morning Edition format (a 2 hour show with regular updates) is too static to respond to breaking news.

The ouster of Edwards has rankled loyal NPR listeners to the degree that NPR has received over 17,000 calls and thousands of emails calling for Bob Edwards to remain as Morning Edition host.

And, an enterprising college kid has started an online petition at www.savebobedwards.com geared to reverse NPR’s decision to oust Edwards.

In a commentary for the Los Angeles Times (registration required), Linda Ellerbee writes that “All Things Weren’t Considered” and that NPR’s drive for a younger audience, resulting in the replacement of Bob Edwards, is an act of ageism.

With Spring Pledge Drives beginning this week at many Public Radio stations, the timing of the “Bob be gone” announcement seems awkward. In fact, the online petition at www.savebobedwards.com asks signers to withhold pledging money to NPR affiliates until NPR reinstates Bob Edwards as host of Morning Edition.

I signed the Save Bob Edwards online petition, but I might still make a financial contribution to my local NPR affiliate - KUT-FM. My contribution is contingent upon KUT-FM appealing to me in an innovatively compelling way and not in the staid and lethargic manner I have come to endure.

Forthcoming posts this week on Brand Autopsy will voice my HMOs (Hot Marketing Opinions) on the public radio pledge drive process.