Today’s guest blog is from Keith Cunningham, our AM Show & Talent Development Specialist, who provides insight on the importance of keeping your shows fresh and making them better for your listening audience.
It was widely reported this week that American Idol has added a fourth judge – Kara DioGuardi – to the show. Mike Darnell, the president of alternative programming for Fox, cited a need for more balance among the judges. And some TV Producers have loosely described the move as giving the show more “girl power.” DioGuardi has Nashville roots, which also might factor into this move.
So what’s the lesson here?
While Idol slipped a bit in the ratings last year, the show did maintain its commanding prime time lead. Yet the powers-that-be are not sitting around, resting on their laurels. They’ve decided to further invest in the show, in an attempt to keep it fresh and make it better. In other words, even though it’s still king of the hill, Idol is trying to evolve, improve and grow.
When was the last time we heard about a #1 rated radio station or morning show further investing in the product or shaking things up a bit? More often than not, the mentality is that if something is successful, let’s either not touch it or let’s not invest any more in the show.
While today’s economic climate can’t be overlooked, neither can the importance of investing in our brands and keeping them fresh. Again, the #1 TV show decided they needed to up the ante and improve, just to maintain its lead.
One of my "Six Steps to a Killer Morning Book" is based on creating new benchmarks and keeping things fresh. If a show or station is lucky enough to be #1, that’s great. But let’s not ever assume the brand and product can’t become predictable and stale. Keep investing, and forever evolve. Take a tip from Idol.
Your ratings lead might depend on it.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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