{"id":512,"date":"2016-03-23T09:40:56","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T09:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darylilbury.com\/?p=512"},"modified":"2017-06-11T07:01:19","modified_gmt":"2017-06-11T07:01:19","slug":"the-case-for-more-talk-in-music-programming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/darylilbury.com\/?p=512","title":{"rendered":"The case for more talk in music programming"},"content":{"rendered":"

Abstract: The programming ethos for most music radio still sits in the 90s…<\/p>\n

I am constantly intrigued by the prevalence of\u00a0music formats<\/em>\u00a0in radio stations. I am well-aware of\u00a0the secrets\u00a0behind their popularity, but I also know\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0built upon an outdated, and increasingly flimsy, premise<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I spent over 25 years in radio, most of it in a state of constant anxiety; the reason for this\u00a0is that I had burned into my brain\u00a0the inflexible\u00a0programming maxim of \u2018more music, less talk\u2019. As a result, every time I opened my mouth to talk<\/em> I could hear a metaphorical clock in my head counting down to when I should \u2018get back to the music\u2019. And the more I talked, the louder it ticked.<\/p>\n

I still hear that clock today. When I monitor\u00a0music-formatted stations I can sense when the presenter is under pressure to \u2018get back to the music\u2019, and the result\u00a0is programming riddled with missed opportunities for effective content.<\/p>\n

So why is radio today so troubled? The reason is simple: we have inherited the mindset \u2018more music, less talk\u2019 from a period when radio was the principal provider of music content to media consumers<\/em><\/strong>. But times have changed. That was when radio was attractive to media consumers \u2013\u00a0<\/em>one of the reasons for the popularity of the music format for media organisations<\/em>. But there were other reasons why media organisations embraced\u00a0the music format; and these are the \u2018secrets\u2019 I referred to earlier:\u00a0Music formatting (as opposed to talk radio or full-service formatting)\u2026<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Was cheaper <\/em>(talk radio is very labour-intensive, requiring producers and news teams as well as hosts);<\/li>\n
  2. Was easier<\/em> (whereas talk radio demands highly skilled individuals, any monkey can be trained to watch a stream of scheduled songs play out on a screen); and,<\/li>\n
  3. Was safer<\/em> (you\u2019re not going to piss people off playing Tina Turner\u2019s Simply the Best<\/em>).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    That last point needs challenging<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Firstly I\u2019d argue it\u2019s a false sense of security<\/strong>. When a station plays a piece of music, three scenarios \u2013 possible futures \u2013 immediately kick into play:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The listener thinks \u2018I love this song\u2019 and turns the radio station\u00a0up<\/em>;<\/li>\n
    2. The listener thinks \u2018I hate this song\u2019 and switches the radio\u00a0station\u00a0off<\/em>; or,<\/li>\n
    3. The listener is ambivalent towards the song and the radio station slips into the background<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Two of those three scenarios (the last two) are negative, increasingly so in a media environment where music alternatives to the radio station are not only numerous (think\u00a0competing\u00a0terrestrial radio stations, online radio stations, YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud, iPods and MP3 players, smartphones, etc.) but easily accessible.<\/p>\n

      Think about that for a moment: Music\u00a0\u2013 the core content of many radio stations<\/em> \u2013 risks becoming the very reason people listening would switch off, or relegate\u00a0a radio station into the background.<\/p>\n

      It gets worse. Music can be polarising. Play Nicky Minaj\u2019s\u00a0Anaconda\u00a0<\/em>and, guaranteed, half the audience will get up and dance, the other half will scream, \u201cI hate that fucking song!\u201d and throw a small child at the radio. Then you\u2019ve lost them for ever.<\/p>\n

      Now let\u2019s string all this together: radio presenters on music stations are still\u00a0drilled by PDs\u00a0to \u2018get back to the music\u2019, to try and cram a station ID, time check, a piece of music trivia, a tease to an upcoming station event and perhaps rush through a traffic update\u00a0in no more than 30-40 seconds, just<\/b>\u00a0so that they can play a full 4\u201912\u201d of Nicky Minaj\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>Anaconda<\/strong><\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

      The second reason the premise that music formatting is safer needs challenging is this: in an increasingly competitive media environment, playing safe is dangerous \u2013 it risks redundancy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      So what\u2019s the answer? How can a radio station with a music format differentiate itself from the growing number of opposition offerings? How can it stand out? The answer is more talk<\/strong> \u2013 specifically to encourage their on-air talent to provide more effective talk-based content<\/em><\/strong>. There are numerous guides of how to do this elsewhere on\u00a0The Edge.<\/em> Feel free to dig around, especially around Preparing the Product<\/a>\u00a0and Brilliant Execution<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      There should be a new mantra for music format radio stations, and it\u2019s one I burn into the brain of every talent I work with: \u201cEvery time you open your mouth, you have to\u00a0give the listener value\u201c<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      Because if they can do that, they have found \u2018the edge\u2019.<\/p>\n

      [All the work here is original. Nothing has come from any other resource. So, if you\u2019re going to use or repost any of The Edge then please give due credit. If not\u2026.fine \u2013 be an asshole.]<\/p>\n

      Originally published on\u00a0The Edge<\/em>, 23 March 2016<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Abstract: The programming ethos for most music radio still sits in the 90s… I am constantly intrigued by the prevalence of\u00a0music formats\u00a0in radio stations. I am well-aware of\u00a0the secrets\u00a0behind their popularity, but I also know\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0built upon an outdated, and increasingly flimsy, premise. I spent over 25 years in radio, most of it in a state…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,2],"tags":[115,114],"class_list":["post-512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-media","tag-programming","tag-radio"],"yoast_head":"\nThe case for more talk in music programming - Daryl Ilbury<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/darylilbury.com\/?p=512\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The case for more talk in music programming - Daryl Ilbury\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Abstract: The programming ethos for most music radio still sits in the 90s… I am constantly intrigued by the prevalence of\u00a0music formats\u00a0in radio stations. I am well-aware of\u00a0the secrets\u00a0behind their popularity, but I also know\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0built upon an outdated, and increasingly flimsy, premise. 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