Satellite Radio Programming Department

Few programmers entrust the selection and scheduling of music and other sound elements to deejays and announcers. There is too much at stake and too many variables, both internal and external, that must be considered to achieve maximum results within a chosen format.

It has become a very complex undertaking, observes Andy Bloom. “For instance, all of our music is tested via callout. At least one or two perceptual studies are done every year, depending on what questions we need answered. Usually a couple of sets of focus groups per year, too. Everything is researched, and nothing is left to chance.” In most cases, the PD determines how much music is programmed hourly and in what rotation and when news, public affairs features, and commercials are slotted. Program wheels, also variously known as sound hours, hot clocks, and format disks, are carefully designed by the PD to ensure the effective presentation of on-air ingredients. Program wheels are posted in the control studio to inform and guide air people as to what is to be broadcast and at what point in the hour. Although not every station provides deejays with such specific programming schemata, today very few stations leave things up to chance since the inappropriate scheduling and sequencing of sound elements may drive listeners to a competitor. Radio programming has become that much of an exacting science. With few exceptions, stations use some kind of formula in conveying their programming material.

At one time, Top 40 stations were the unrivaled leaders of formula programming. Today, however, even FS and Classic Rock outlets, which once were the least formulaic, have become more sensitive to form. The age of freeform commercial radio has long since passed, and it is doubtful, given the state of the marketplace, that it will return. Of course, stranger things have happened in radio. Depending on the extent to which a PD prescribes the content of a sound hour, programming clocks may be elaborate in their detail or quite rudimentary. Music clocks are used to plot out elements. Clocks reflect the minutes of the standard hour, and the PD places elements where they actually are to occur during the hour. Many programmers use a set of clocks, or clocks that change with each hour (see Figure 3.15).

“When I speak at college classes,” Ed Shane observes, “there’s always a question about why format clock hours are structured the way they are, so let me call what follows ‘Clock Construction 101.’ Arbitron entries show that the first quarter hour (00:00–00:15) gets the largest number of new entries, that is, when the radio is turned on for the first time or switched to a new station. The third quarter hour (00:00– 30:45) gets the second largest number. The second quarter hour (00:00–15:30) gets the third largest number, and the fourth quarter hour (00:00–45:00) gets the fewest new tune-ins. That pattern is why many stations load their commercial content in the final or fourth quarter hour – trying to prevent a new listener from hearing a commercial as the first thing when tuning. Since the first quarter hour is so valuable in terms of new tune-ins, the most valuable programming elements should be placed in that segment.

A music station is advised to load the first quarter hour with Power Current or Power Gold songs, songs that test the best or are the biggest hits.” Indeed, program clocks are set up with the competition and market factors in mind. For example, programmers will devise a clock that reflects morning and afternoon drive periods in their market. Not all markets have identical commuter hours. In some cities morning drive may start as early as 5:30 a.m.; in others it may begin at 7:00 a.m. The programmer sets up clocks accordingly. A clock parallels the activities of the community in which the station operates.

Music stations are not the only ones that use program wheels; News and Talk stations do so as well. News stations, like music outlets, use key format elements to maintain ratings through the hour. Many News stations work their clocks in 20-minute cycles. During this segment, news is arranged according to its degree of importance and geographic relevance, such as local, regional, national, and international. Most News stations lead with their top local stories. News stories of particular interest are repeated during the segment. Sports, weather, and other news-related information, such as traffic and stock market reports, constitute a part of the segment. Elements may be juggled around or different ones inserted during successive 20-minute blocks to keep things from sounding repetitious.

In the Talk format, two-way conversation and interviews fill the space generally allotted to songs in the music format. Therefore, Talk wheels often resemble music wheels in their structure. For example, news is offered at the top of the hour, followed by a talk sweep that precedes a spot set. This is done in a fashion that is reminiscent of Easy Listening. Of course, not all stations arrange their sound hours as depicted in these pages. Many variations exist, most inspired and driven by computers, but these examples are fairly representative of some of the program schematics used in today’s radio marketplace.

Program wheels keep a station on a preordained path and prevent wandering. As stated, each programming element – commercial, news, promo, weather, and so hour to enhance flow and optimize impact. Balance is imperative: too much deejay patter on a station promoting more music and less talk, listeners become disenchanted; too little news and information on a station targeting the over-30 male commuter, the competition benefits. “When constructing or arranging the program clock, you have to work forward and backward to make sure that everything fits and is positioned correctly. One element out of place can become that proverbial hole in the dam. Spots, jock breaks, music – it all must be weighed before clocking. A lot of experimentation, not to mention research, goes into this,” observes radio executive Lorna Ozman.

It was previously pointed out that a station with a more-music slant limits announcer discourse to schedule additional tunes. Some formats, in particular Easy Listening/Smooth Jazz, have reduced the role of the announcer to not much more than occasional live promos and IDs, which are written on liner or flip cards. Nothing is left to chance. This also is true of stations airing the super-tight hit music format. Deejays say what is written and move the music. At stations where deejays are given more control, wheels play a less crucial function. Outlets where a particular personality has ruled the ratings for years often let that person have more input as to what music is aired. However, even in these cases, playlists generally are provided and followed.

The radio personality has enjoyed varying degrees of popularity since the 1950s. Over the years, Top 40, more than any other format, has toyed with the extent of deejay involvement on the air. The pendulum has swung from heavy personality presence in the 1950s and early 1960s to a drastically reduced role in the mid- and later 1960s. This dramatic shift came as the result of programmer Bill Drake’s attempt to streamline Top 40. In the 1970s, the air personality regained some of his or her status, but in the 1980s, the narrowing of hit station playlists brought about a new leanness and austerity that again diminished the jock’s presence. In the mid-1980s, some pop music stations began to give the deejay more to do. “There’s sort of a pattern to it all. For a while, deejays are the gems in the crown, and then they’re just the metal holding the precious stones in place for another period of time. What went on in the mid-1970s with personality began to recur in the latter part of the 1980s. Of course, there are a few new twists in the tiara, but what it comes down to is the temporary restoration of the hit radio personality. It’s a back and forth movement, kind of like a tide. It comes in, then retreats, but each time something new washes up. Deejays screamed at the teens in the 1950s, mellowed out some in the 1960s and 1970s, went hyper again in the 1980s, and conservatism regained favor in the 1990s,” observes Brian Mitchell. In the first decade of the 2000s, with the pressure from so many competing audio options, high foreground personalities are beginning to look attractive once again as an antidote to the music-intensive services.

On the subject of on-air talent, Lynn Christian observes, “Requirements have changed in the past few years. Stations are not just looking for a ‘pretty voice.’ Today’s radio management looks for talent with facile minds who are great observers – people who can listen as well as speak, plus possess the ability to demonstrate a warm and always interesting personality.” On the other side of the coin, talent wants their managers to operate in a manner that makes for a positive atmosphere and experience, says Jimmy Steal. “The keys to managing talent are (1) Honesty, (2) Inspiration, (3) Creativity, and (4) Empathy.

In addition to concentrating on the role deejays play in the sound hour, the PD pays careful attention to the general nature and quality of other ingredients. Music is, of course, of paramount importance. Songs must fit the format to begin with, but beyond the obvious, the quality of the artistry and the audio mix must meet certain criteria. A substandard musical arrangement or a disc with poor fidelity detracts from the station’s sound. Jingles and promos must effectively establish the tone and tenor of the format, or they have the reverse effect of their intended purpose, which is to attract and hold listeners. Commercials, too, must be compatible with the program elements that surround them.

In all, the PD scrutinizes every component of the program wheel to keep the station true to form. The wheel helps maintain consistency, without which a station cannot hope to cultivate a following. Erratic programming in today’s highly competitive marketplace is tantamount to directing listeners to other stations.