“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” – Unknown

A week or so ago, something truly fascinating happened in the world of radio format branding that caught my attention.

One of the original Classic Hits stations – the legendary WKLH in Milwaukee – abandoned the C-word and adopted a new slogan: “Milwaukee’s Hometown Rock.”  Not surprisingly, I was asked by someone while at a conference in L.A. whether the term “classic” still worked for radio.

The answer came a couple days later and a thousand miles away. That’s when the equally iconic WMMO rebranded itself as “Orlando’s Classic Hits,” moving away from Triple A-type slogans and positioning that in recent years focused on “It’s All About The Music.”

So what’s going on here?

Well, just like in sports, one team casts off a player, and another team believes there’s still some value. In radio, that’s commonplace as one station drops a format that seemingly isn’t working only to watch it reappear down the dial by a another company that is convinced there’s a viable audience and a means to monetize it.

As B101 in Philly moved to “More FM” late in 2013 in an effort to start fresh with a new package, there are times when stations feel hemmed in by their name, their position, or both. In both Milwaukee and Orlando, the obvious thinking was that the call letters were still very viable, but the branding needed to change.

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Ultimately, while it has always been essential in radio for a station to own a format, a position, a lane, and a place in the minds of its local listeners, it is even more important to fill a unique role or “job” for consumers. I know both programmers – Bob Bellini at KLH and Hildi Brooks at MMO – and they would probably both tell you that while these “refacings” were strategically wise, each station’s success moving forward will have more to do with how they deliver the goods to their respective markets. Slogans are great, but doing the jobs consumers hire you to do is what separates the winners from the utilities.

I cannot tell you Starbucks’ slogan (if there even is one), but I can tell you how I feel when I walk into a store, what I’m looking for, and how they fill that need for me with my morning order of grande bold.

I don’t know what the Netflix positioning statement is, but I love that the service provides freedom, choice, great programming, and a unique viewing experience I can’t get anywhere else.

I’m not aware of NPR’s slug line, but I always have the comfort of knowing that when I go there, that my investment in time will be returned with perspective, depth, great storytelling, and a calm, civil conversation I can’t get anywhere else in radio.

For KLH, MMO, and the thousands of other stations fighting it out for share of mind and share of audience in this cluttered media world, that’s the real challenge.

Getting the positioning statement right is an important part of the process. But understanding the jobs your audience is hiring you to do is a whole other thing.

Both stations are in the Classic Hits/Rock family even though they’re now using different ways of describing themselves. For listeners in this arena, it comes down to reasons like these:

I placed “thumbs up” icons next to some of the emotional benefits a great Classic station brings to its audience base. Providing the soundtrack at work, companionship, and mood elevation are all factors in the jobs-to-do paradigm.

But so is habit. Note than nearly half these consumers say it’s a main factor in their broadcast radio listening. Some may see that data point and interpret it as a negative. But if you think it through, habit means that your station can be part of a person’s routine – the pace, flow, and pattern of a person’s day. We are all creatures of habit, and when your radio station become a part of that daily rhythm, listening levels become regular, consistent, and comforting.

This is the true test of whether a station succeeds in today’s competitive landscape. And how it enhances and enriches lives and provides a sense of place goes to the heart of the quest. It’s how great stations transcend being background noise and how they are able to stand apart from jukeboxes and playlists.

We wish both stations nothing but success in 2015 in fulfilling the jobs their audiences hire them to do.

Disclosure: WMMO is a Jacobs Media client station. At various times in the past, KLH has been, too.

Note: The original version of the post misidentified WKLH’s slogan.  It has been corrected above.

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Fred Jacobs

President & Founder at Jacobs Media

Fred Jacobs founded Jacobs Media in 1983, and quickly became known for the creation of the Classic Rock radio format.

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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