John Lund
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Your job isn't to sell 30s and 60s. Your job is to demonstrate how your station can help solve a business problem. Every sales presentation—whether it's a formal proposal or a conversation across a desk—should include these ten essentials.
The Dog Days of Summer run from July 3 through August 11, the hottest, stickiest stretch of the Northern Hemisphere summer. Some stations celebrate by dusting off “Hound Dog,” “Black Dog,” “Bird Dog,” “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo,” and anything by Three Dog Night. That’s a good start. But the stations listeners remember are the ones that make the promotion feel local.
Business gurus love to study success the way radio people study ratings books: obsessively, repeatedly, and usually with a cup of coffee in hand. After decades of helping stations win and discover new opportunities for growth, one thing is clear: successful radio is rarely accidental. It comes down to a handful of consistent fundamentals.
Technology changes. Business models evolve. Today's AI darling may be tomorrow's trivia question. Yet the principles that helped build Microsoft into one of the world's most successful companies remain remarkably relevant for leaders in every industry—including broadcasting.
Most morning radio shows provide the basics: time, weather, news, sports, traffic, and a little human companionship before the first cup of coffee kicks in. That’s the price of admission. Great morning shows go beyond service and create indispensability.
Radio stations spend thousands of dollars trying to reach potential listeners online, on social media, and through digital advertising. Yet many stations overlook one of the simplest and most affordable promotional tools available: the local newspaper.
If your listeners are reaching for coffee at 5:00 AM and your morning show doesn’t start until 6:00, you’ve just surrendered an hour of habit-building, companionship, and quarter-hours to someone else. Or worse, to a podcast.
Successful radio managers don’t rely on luck, instinct, or caffeine alone. They build a toolbox filled with habits, disciplines, and perspectives that help them lead people, solve problems, and keep stations moving forward.
Most radio liners die before they ever reach the air. They’re too long. Too predictable. Too full of clichés. And they sound like they were written by a committee that met immediately after a root canal.
As Nielsen diary markets begin releasing Spring ratings in July, now is the perfect time to get your station ready—not just for the numbers themselves, but for what comes next.
