Radio Programming: Tactics and Strategy

 

5

Music as a Programming Weapon

 

 

 

Using Music Strategically

For most radio stations, the primary programming product is music. Generally, the music is of a specific type, played consistently—a music format. Many program directors believe that all stations in their format play the same music, and thus they put little effort into selecting the songs they play. They believe that it’s what surrounds the music that makes the station distinctive, and they all too often simply follow the charts to select music—perhaps waiting until a song is an established hit before playing it, to minimize the risk of making bad choices.

Yes, as discussed in previous chapters, the individual elements of a station’s presentation are critical to the establishment ...