Building A Morning Show

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We are not in the music sampling business. We program music because it is economical and effective (entertaining). Economics are forcing change. What was good enough last year is no longer. I don't know of any consultants who still tell their clients that a more music morning show is a viable competitive alternative. All radio stations must outperform themselves in morning drive or they will suffer revenue deficiencies.

That reality puts a programmer in an awkward place. After all, there are not many operators who are willing to fork out a quarter of a million dollars every year on a morning show that might work. This is especially true in an environment where one never knows who will own who next week.

Given this predicament many programmers opt to build there own morning show. After all, its cheaper than hiring someone that had success in another market. Additionally, you are using players who already understand your market and management style. It is very possible to build a show with talent you've recruited yourself. The key is to monitor chemistry between the players and to recognize that chemistry is not predictable. Over time you may need to add new people or replace others until you get the right mix. The trick is to be honest and up-front with everyone involved so there is no hurt feelings if things just don't work out.

The days of the solo jock in morning drive are over in my opinion. There is simply too much to do. Even if you have a single star that the show revolves around, there needs to be a support cast. Jobs like call screening, guest finding, and news writing all require support of some kind. However, the key is to success in building a morning show is to start with an anchor. We've all heard of the experiments with un-morning show shows. Regardless of what you put around it, anchoring the morning show with your tightest, most natural airtalent is critical to success in morning drive. You wont win unless your content is focused and moving forward. To accomplish this you need a seasoned veteran who can run a board, direct traffic, tease and re-cap effectively, and make calls on content. After youve set the foundation, you're ready to build around it.

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