Dan Barton Consulting

Dan Barton Consulting An open forum for discussion on all things radio.

07/28/2017

Good isn't good enough... But tremendous is worse.

We've reached a point where superlatives simply don't carry the weight they used to.

Imagine you've finished a project, and your supervisor tells you simply, "good job."

Is your first reaction "thanks?" Or is your first reaction to wonder what you did wrong? Why wasn't it "amazing" or "excellent?"

When is the last time you heard an ad telling you about the "good" products or the "good" service? It's always "excellent" or "amazing" or "second to none."

These adjectives have been overused to the point that they've become virtually invisible. They're an expectation, not an accolade. Excellence is now equivalent to adequacy.

(Don't get me started on "tremendous." The Trump era has made that word completely meaningless).

If you're using these words in your advertising or branding, you're missing the point. Don't tell me your service is excellent. Tell me WHY it is. Tell me why you're different, why I should choose you.

Otherwise, you're among the adequate. And that's not good.

03/27/2016

Sometimes They Aren't Haters - You Just Stink

When I was 14, I bought my first guitar. I took it home, learned a few chords and fancied myself a musician.

A few months later, I found myself at a campfire party where a few people were playing guitars and singing. I asked for a guitar so I could show off my singing and playing skills. One of the players obliged, and I launched into a rendition of CCR's "Who'll Stop The Rain." I had trouble with the high notes, and missed a few notes on the guitar, but got through the song.

Before I handed the guitar back, I said, "I still need a little practice." The owner of the guitar replied, "you need more than just a little."

He was right. I knew some basic chords, but I had no sense of time, and my pitch was way off. It was a reality check that snapped me out of my delusions of grandeur. That experience inspired me to practice, and practice hard. I wanted to be better.

Sadly, that type of experience isn't replicated as often as it should be. We live in an era where everyone is a unique snowflake, and anyone who suggests otherwise is a "hater" or "shamer." There's an entire culture built around justifying behaviour ranging from self-indulgent to downright sociopathic. You're great, and screw anyone who thinks otherwise.

There's a balance to be had between supporting someone and being realistic about what their talents are. If you're in charge of talent, and not being honest about what they need to do to improve, you're only helping to feed into the mentality that everyone is both wonderful and entitled.

Be honest about areas needing improvement - but also be specific in coaching how to make those improvements. You can be a stepping stone on the path to making someone better. They'll get over being critiqued - and actually appreciate it as they see themselves learning and improving.

02/21/2016

Better: Better than Best

One of the lessons I'm lucky enough to have learned early in my career is this: striving to be the best at something isn't as rewarding as striving to be better at something.

Both words invite comparisons, but only "better" suggests advancement.

For example, your radio station could be the number one station in the city - the "best" - but at the same time, none of the radio stations in your are really very good. You might be the "best" simply because you're not as bad as the other players in your field. But the good news is - even when you're number one, you can always get better.

I never hope to be the best in the room. I hope that I'm surrounded by people with skills I don't have, ideas I may not have thought of, or experiences I haven't had. I want to be able to become better, more than I am today - and being open to learning from everyone around me can help me to achieve that.

If you ever start to embrace the idea that you're the best, that no one can surpass or even match you..... That's when you stop learning. You stop getting better.

And that's the worst.

01/28/2016

You're Number One. So Who Cares?

I recently read an article providing tips for marketing your radio station. Along with some basic advice on planning strategically before you market (always good advice), it mentioned promoting what makes you different (also good advice) - and then recommended bragging about your number 1 position.

One piece missing from that recommendation: how is that a listener benefit? That piece was missing for a simple reason: it isn't.

I've attended numerous focus groups that all confirmed one thing: P-1s of your radio station think you're number one. Even if you're number 8.

if the number 8 radio station has music that I love, a morning show that i identify with and find entertaining, and a format that allows me to listen for a long time, I really don't care that there are 7 stations in the market with better ratings. If everyone tuned to a radio station just because it was number 1, the also-rans would be closing their doors pretty quickly.

Your station might be the only one in the market running ads for erectile disfunction pills. But that's not necessarily a marketing position. Although I haven't seen the research on how many people are actively seeking those ads, so I could stand to be corrected.

So, yes, market what makes you different. But make sure it's a difference people can embrace as a reason to tune in.

01/03/2016

Never doesn't exist.

If there's a single piece of advice I'd like to pass along for 2016, it's this: stop saying never.

"I would never work for that company." " I would never do that job." "I could never move to that city."

All "never" does is limit your opportunity.

I've taken jobs I didn't think I could do. I've worked for companies with a less than stellar reputation. And I can honestly say that none of it was a waste of time.

Focus on your own growth. It may involve doing things you never thought you'd do. But never say never. You might miss an opportunity.

11/26/2015

A Tough Christmas For Many Friends

I've been avoiding writing a new post for a few weeks now. The internet's reaction to the whole refugee crisis left me in a depressed state, as I realized how much misinformation was clouding the views of many on the subject. I witnessed many attempts to clear it up being met with harsh derision and infighting, and it left me feeling that the discussion was too depressing to wade into; whatever side people were on, there weren't any words that were going to make them budge.

Then the latest series of layoffs started. I saw friends, acquaintances, and people whose names I simply recognized, all falling victim to the latest round of dismissals.

Many pieces have been written about it, some insightful, some misguided, all either angry or sad. I decided not to contribute to those, either. And let me be clear - there are no companies to single out here, unless you're coming up with the name of a radio company that hasn't laid anyone off in November, because I've seen everyone do it somewhere across the country.

It's a tough time to be in the industry, purely and simply. Unlike some who have written about it, I don't hate radio because of it, and I don't hate the companies behind the moves. Although there are some I might like to call into question, the decisions made weren't mine to make, so it's not fair for me to comment on them or pass judgement on them.

I will simply say this. These are people with homes, people with families, many of whom are struggling to figure out what to do next. If you want to show your support for them, contact them and let them know that you're thinking about them, and that you'll support them any way you can. My heart goes out to each and every one of them.

Writing posts crapping on the companies that dismissed them might make you feel better in the short term, but it does nothing to help them. I'm sure most of them would also love to crap on their former employer, but it would be a short-sighted move if they're hoping to work again in the industry somewhere. And, for better or worse, that's where most of them would like to be.

These things tend to go in cycles; I was laid off in favour of automation in 1989. I kept my chin up and took whatever job I could to get back in, and managed to get another 23 years out of the industry. Will everyone who got laid off see a future return to radio? Not likely. But keep your head on straight - if you don't get back into the industry, it's better for it to be a choice you make, rather than a choice you have forced upon you.

10/21/2015

Just Admit You Were Wrong, Part II

For years now, there's been an expectation that on-air staff will simultaneously manage social media while executing their show. It's another way to communicate with your audience, and can help to generate content that crosses over to your show. The detail that seems to be missing for some is that, like your show, this requires a bit of prep.

I recently got into an online discussion with a radio station over an article they posted. The comment they made (which, to their credit, consisted of more than the lame and lazy "Thoughts?" which permeates social media posts) actually contradicted the content of the article which they were sharing.

Somewhere in the thread of people commenting, who also obviously hadn't taken the 3 minutes required to read the article in question, I mentioned that they had gotten their details wrong, and corrected them on their content.

After a defensive post from the radio station, they corrected their initial comment on the article, and removed my comments from their thread.

Two issues they didn't take into account:

1. If I were an average listener, all they accomplished was alienating me.
2. If they had bothered to read other comments in the thread, they would have seen that someone else pointed out their error as well.

Being lazy about what you post is one thing. But if you're having a conversation with your listeners, treat it like a real conversation. This type of activity is the equivalent of hanging up on a caller mid-chat while you're live on the air. And it shows us what you think of your listeners.

10/09/2015

More Vague Than You Think

As diary markets are more than half way through the fall ratings period, many stations seem to be in a great groove, with tight music libraries, on-air staff firing on all cylinders, and multiple promotions either just ending, just beginning, or in full swing.

I've also noticed a recurring trend on several stations during my travels - a trend toward assuming that your listener knows everything that happens at your radio station, all the time.

I've heard this in various forms, from casual references of "what we did yesterday" (without clarifying what that was), to "lots of great stuff coming this morning" (without giving me a clue as to what that might be), to incredibly vague announcements about new features and talent coming to radio stations.

Think of talking to your audience as talking one of your friends - without knowing which friend you are talking to. They like you, they know you, but you don't know for sure which moments of your life they've witnessed and which ones they've been absent from.

If you were inviting a random friend to a restaurant, you wouldn't tell them to meet you at "that place we go," unless you knew for sure it was the friend who regularly met you there. You can't see your radio audience, and they turn over frequently, so always assume that they need to be educated on what's happened before, and what's going to happen. They can't recall it if they don't even know what it is.

Because you don't want a listener to remember you at ratings diary time as "that station that was on."

09/04/2015

Send In The Clowns

People have a personal connection with their favourite radio stations. It’s a companion, a friend, and if the station is lucky, something a lot of people personally identify with.

So, it’s no great surprise that a radio station generates negative responses when it changes format. The people who supported you feel betrayed, like they’ve lost a friend. But, since it’s a reality for radio stations that need to make a drastic change in order to survive in the format landscape of their respective markets, it happens.

What is surprising is how low fellow broadcasters can go in their responses to a format change. Because nobody can hate on radio like radio people.

Radio industry people are always going to rate every aspect of a competitor’s product. It’s part of being in a competitive market – you have to know what your competition is doing (without OBSESSING about it). And everyone feels they would have “done it differently.” This type of discussion among radio people is healthy, particularly if it’s done honestly – you can learn something from genuinely dissecting the strengths and weaknesses of how another radio station executes, particularly if they have a similar format.

Where I lose patience is, no surprise here: the social media attacks. A recent station re-branding/relaunch brought the expected onslaught of disappointed social media posts from fans of the previous format, which naturally outweighed the posts in support of the new format. I say “naturally,” because fans of the page were obviously there because of the old format, not the new one.

But the series of posts from people either working for a competing company or connected to the competing company through family/friends did more than add to the pile of negative comments.

It revealed fear.

There are actually brilliant ways to use social media to hype your own product vs. a new competitor. You had a specific market cornered with your format, and another company has introduced a different version of your format – you can combat that (no, I’m not going to outline how. Not without a cheque). But if the first reaction is to send out the troops to proclaim that your station is the original in the format, and still the best, to an audience that is going out of its way to say they HATE the format, then it’s obvious from your reaction that you’re unprepared… and afraid.

And perhaps you should be. Because no one ever won a war by talking about how much better they were than the attacking troops. A united army with sound strategy and adequate fire power wins wars. The troops wandering into the battlefield shouting “look at how great my gun is” just get shot.

08/18/2015

Let's all get angry!

There have been plenty of articles written over the past couple of years about how Social Media can actually be bad for your health. They cite things like unrealistic life portrayals (I always like to replace with ), making you feel inadequate about your own life, the fact that it can become addictive, etc.

One other pitfall that media companies know far too well: it also allows for rapid escalation of arguments that can’t be mediated or resolved.

If you’re a media personality, and you’ve posted something on social media that someone didn’t like, you’ve experienced the swift strike of someone who is appalled, followed by someone who is appalled that the first person was appalled, and the comments pile up, some filled with hate and anger, some with wit, all with judgement, and none willing to budge on their position.

And the phrase I keep hearing over and over when this occurs: “It’s because they can hide behind the anonymity of their keyboard.”

But that part is only true a small fraction of the time. Most of the time, real names and accounts are used in these online debates, because of what social media has created in so many of its users. And that’s a combination of constant need for validation and a feeling of moral superiority.

Let’s look at Facebook as the example. When you post something on Facebook, whether it be a status or a photo, you can be notified as soon as someone comments on it, or even “likes” it. The “like” is seen as a validation – the more “likes” your post receives, the greater the rise in your self-esteem. No “likes” would, for many, be devastating. How many times have you posted a photo and gone back to see how many “likes” it’s getting?

This can be harmless – depending on how healthy a person’s self-esteem is. Someone posting a constant stream of selfies, waiting for people to tell them how great they look, may be narcissistic, but in most cases, nothing more serious than that. The practice of “Vague-booking,” consisting of posts along the lines of “FML. Can’t even believe I have to go through this,” highlight a personality of someone who needs people to immediately show concern and ask what’s wrong to elevate their own self-worth. They may need anything from a hug to actual therapy.

Now let’s consider where this feeling of superiority comes from.

Most Facebook users know that your news feed automatically defaults to “Top Stories.” It is then populated by posts from people you interact with most often, or who put up posts Facebook determines to be most similar in tone/humour/personality to your own. Facebook uses this same metric to pollute your newsfeed with targeted advertising. This creates another environment of validation for your self-esteem. People feel comfortable posting their views on a variety of topics, because it will show up in the news feeds of many who are likely similar-minded – and will offer further validation (and assist in berating people who disagree).

This feature may have created the worst by-product of this validation-via-social-media fog – the illusion that, as a Facebook user, you have society figured out, while nearly everyone else doesn’t.

This false sense of knowledge and superiority has resulted in people who will attack anything and everything.

Here’s a recent example that underscores my point.

When Caitlyn Jenner’s Vogue Magazine cover was released (along with Jenner’s new first name), everyone had something to say about it…. Which is great. The fact that the topic was discussed at length was, in many cases, a very healthy thing. Not so healthy for a friend of mine who had genuine questions (not offensive. GENUINE.) and was immediately attacked for not knowing. But that’s not even the example I’m going for.

A radio station posted a photo that made a joke related to Jenner’s transformation. The radio station was slammed with comments about how insensitive they were. The radio station then took the photo down and apologized… at which point they were attacked for both putting it up AND taking it down. They were also attacked because:

1. They apologized
2. They didn’t apologize quickly enough
3. The apology wasn’t sincere enough
4. The listeners who demanded the apology “weren’t real listeners.”
5. The people upset at the station for ever apologizing proved that the station’s listenership consisted entirely of bigots and haters.

There were other arguments thrown back and forth as people attacked the radio station and each other, and they piled up quickly enough that the conversation was impossible to follow.

Consider this: Right now, someone reading this is angry at me for siding with the radio station. Someone else is angry at me for attacking the radio station. If they went back and read the last three paragraphs, they would notice that I carefully used language which avoided taking any side at all, but merely presented what happened. But we’re all eager to get upset and attack, aren’t we? It’s much more gratifying to most than reading or researching.

While you can (and should) mediate your company’s social media page to remove inappropriate comments and foul language, it’s important to remember that allowing the disagreement to continue actually results in more traction for your media page. More interactions – negative or positive – means your page will now be coming up in more news feeds, resulting in more exposures for whatever you’ll be posting next.

So, while we lament the people some call the “social justice warriors,” keep this in mind – they’re unwittingly widening your exposure exponentially. And maybe they just need a hug.

08/18/2015

It's been a long time since I've posted anything here. I've thought about my latest article for a long time. Some will identify with it. Many will hate it. Many more will see how long it is and not even bother to read it. But I'll be sharing it before the end of the day, because it's been on my mind for a while. It speaks to how people use social media, and how it feeds a simultaneous feeling of neediness and superiority that can make it both an annoyance for those who value intelligent discussion, and a bonanza for anyone hoping to generate views on your page. Stay tuned.

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