The Trachman Files: Unexpected Parallels

This is the next of an ongoing series which I hope keeps the memory of Jay Trachman alive for today's class of radio personalities.

Just ask anyone who was on air between the mid-1970's, the 80's, 90's and early 2000's. His influence kept "The Art Of Personality Radio" (the title of his many books) alive for decades.

It's more necessary now.

He often seemed to see the future, as in this February, 2005, article, a full three years before the financial collapse that we're still trying to understand and cope with.

A while ago, the Fresno Bee ran an article about "the nine common investment errors. I thought it would be fun to review them, because there are some significant parallels with our own profession_ So, here they are:

1) Unclear investment objectives. You've got to know exactly what you want to achieve, before you can work efficiently to achieve it, they say. And so do I. "Adults, 25 to 54"? Way too general! Imagine if Baskin-Robbins mixed all their flavors together! Better to have one flavor you can trademark - or even eight, if you've got eight stations in your cluster.

2) Failure to adjust to changing markets and conditions. A fast way for investors to lose today's money is with yesterday's concepts. There are still stations marketing themselves as though there were no i-Pods out there, no streaming audio and no satellite radio. Last year's marketing techniques ("Sell the sizzle, not the steak!") are about as reliable today as last year's stock market values.

3) Inconsistent security selection. What they're saying is, one's investments should be based on one's ability to take risks, and on one's financial goals. Or, they could just as well be talking about a programming department that allows DJ's to make their own music formatting rules, playing their own favorites and ignoring others, until the next jock comes on, to play his own favorites... A successful station should have a tangible identity. Not six identities.

4) Over-diversification and under-diversification. To me, it's the same thing as lack of focus. Pick your goal; define your slice of the pie. Educate yourself on what that well-defined slice wants and what it'll take to make them yours, and then go for it.

5) Profits are taken too soon and losses are allowed to run. In broadcasting, as in any business, it means depleting your investment. While I have a deep respect for the fact that radio is a business and the primary purpose of any business is to make money for its owners/investors, I am nevertheless amazed that managers who will spend all morning explaining to a client why buying advertising is an investment, not an expense... can then come back and tell the program director he can't have the money for new music software, or hire a talent above entry level, card-reading, minimum wagers. "It takes money to make money" -- do you believe it or don't you?

6) Lack of a clear understanding of tax laws. I don't want to put too fine a point on this, so let's just pass this time.

7) Ignorance of the time value of money. We all believe "time is money." But how many of us bother to make the logical link -- that the extra time spent on making our performance better will ultimately result in pocket pesos? (If not from this employer, then from your next.) There are no shortcuts to being an effective air talent. Especially for people who set the standard for everyone at the station, like a PD.

8) Unrealistic expectations. If you're a 500-watter licensed to a suburb fifty miles from a megalopolis, you can't expect to compete successfully with the major market stations on their own turf, unless you've got millions to spend. Short of that, you have to stake out your own turf, if you really want to succeed. There's no way you're going to out-music or better music them. In my experience, the only thing that you can win with is what comes between the songs, that you can either do realistically and tangibly better, or exclusively.

9) Participating in today's market with yesterday's investments. Antiquated production and control room facilities which break down often enough to be noticed by listeners?

It's fun drawing parallels from other professions and applying them to radio. They don't always fit perfectly, but they do remind us that in many ways, radio isn't so different from any other "normal" business. Except that most of the time, we have a lot more fun doing it.

Too bad we all weren't taking investment advice from Trachman in 2005.

I hope you are taking his personality advice today.

They Are Both Right And We Must Do It All

Bob Pittman's view of today's media audience: "TV is their hobby. The Internet is their research tool. Radio is their companion."

Walter Sabo's advice: "Stop calling them shifts. Call it your show. Constantly hit refresh. Entertain."

For years, I advised talent not to think of their "performance" as "a show," but instead to talk to one person, being real, human, vulnerable, engaging, interactive.

It's time to rethink that a bit.

1. Be friend and companion, of course. Talking to one person, I believe, is the most effective way to do so.
2. Keep it fresh and current too.
3. Tell me something I don't know.
4. Entertain as you do it.

It's not easy to be in personal intimacy mode while putting on an entertaining show simultaneously, but being the very best never is.

The listener has too many other choices than to do anything but all of it each time you open your mouth and mic.

Me? Consultant Of The Week? Why, THANKS, Mike McVay!

I have been reading the great interviews with the McVay Media Advisors Alliance team and learning a lot. Now, next week, I know I won't learn a thing, since Mike tossed the questions at me this time.

Here's a preview:

Mike McVay: What is the one thing that is universally concerning when you start a new relationship with a radio client?

JA: Establishing credibility and trust. Of course, it's impossible for someone you hire for their objectivity to get an honest and "can see the forest for the trees" view of your situation because they are an outsider who feels free to point out the things that "insiders" may not either be aware of or feel free to discuss to ever - by definition - be fully accepted as a company employee would,

Thus, sometimes, being politically-incorrect within an organization can be a reason why a consultant is brought it. Yet, the goal is to create long term success not just to shake things up. The more I can learn about the history and people involved and become a full partner, the more assistance I can be.

I work hard from the outset to strike that balance and understand exactly what the company that hires me wants from our relationship.

MM: What has changed about the way you program today from the days when you started as a consultant?

JA: Once upon a time, the consultant would set the agenda as a detailed action plan and expect the client to do most of the work involved. Now, I actually have more backup and support than many of the programmers and managers I work with. Thus, we provide prep, assist with researching the audience if you have no other way to do it internally, coach, create, brainstorm, write and produce. Though this change would not have been foreseen when I first went to work for Drake-Chenault in Los Angeles almost thirty years ago, but I like the much more hands-on approach a lot. It used to be that you'd meet, write a report and then move on, wondering if the client was executing your agreed-upon vision as well as possible. Now, I find myself much more involved on a daily basis and that is very gratifying, let alone being much more productive.

MM: What are the three things that broadcasters should be focusing on ... that they're ignoring or unaware of?

JA: 1. The quality of our streaming content. A&O's "Roadmap 2011" national perceptual study of country radio core users are gravitating to our streams especially on their fast-growing use of mobile media and they are aware that the quality of online audio is inferior to what they hear on FM and AM. They want to use us more online, and find our poor quality control of streams an impediment to doing so.

2. Building authentic personal brands which execute consistently and creatively and thus enhance the station brand. Leverage them across all platforms. Your "position" is no longer what you claim you do, it's what you actually do in real time.

3. Focusing on what goes between the songs as much as on the quality of the music. In the 80's, air personalities were told to shut up and play the hits. In the last decade, we taught them that what we want from them is as many voice tracked hours in as little time as possible. Tomorrow's audience can get music with little or no talk in many places, and will remain loyal to radio only if we understand how important fresh, topical, relevant, well-written, tightly-edited content is as well.

MM: You're viewed as a successful programmer ... what is the ONE thing that you're most proud of (to date) in your career as a broadcaster and consultant to the broadcast industry?

JA: Attending the annual Pre-Country Radio Seminar Country Radio Hall Of Fame induction ceremonies and seeing so many longtime friends and clients being enshrined in the Hall, based on work that we have done together. It's such an honor to be among the plaques hanging on that wall, surrounded by people who have been my heroes.

MM: What would you like to be known for as a broadcaster?

JA: A mentor, an effective trainer and motivator.

MM: What advice would you share with a 1st time program director who is entering your format of expertise?

JA: Listen. Thanks to streaming audio, it's now possible to hear every great radio station and personality in the world in real time. Don't become so busy in your daily life that you fail to listen carefully to the people you work with, compete with and admire.

MM: Anything that you'd like to add?

JA: If you're good and want to get better, I'd love to get to know you. Call, txt or email me, especially if you have content you're proud of that you'd like to share.

Practice Makes PERFECT (more steps to greatness)

Radio personalities have generally gotten pretty good at building memorable brands for themselves, and that's what it takes to perform well in diary ratings measurement, but in PPM there's that extra step which can mean a 25% increase in your recorded listening: perfect execution with no missteps. Metered audience measurement punishes the mediocre. That's why this old Fortune article hit me right between the eyes. Excellence is no longer a hoped-for goal, it's a necessity each time you open the mic, produce a commercial or piece of imagery.

2. As you do the task, focus on what's happening and why you're doing it the way you are.

3. After the task, get feedback on your performance from multiple sources. Make changes in your behavior as necessary.

4. Continually build mental models of your situation - your industry, your company, your career. Enlarge the models to encompass more factors.

5. Do those steps regularly, not sporadically. Occasional practice does not work.

The Secret Of Greatness

#1: Approach each critical task with the explicit goal of getting much better at it. This is called deliberate practice.

Research shows you'll process information more deeply and retain it longer.

Why It Pays To Go To The Dentist

While sitting in the waiting room, I picked up a four year old copy of Fortune and discovered five secrets to true greatness, starting with a technique called deliberate practice.

It applies to self-improvement no matter what you want to excel in - from making presentations to negotiating deals to deciphering financial statements.

Thank you, (Dr. Vicky LeClair and..) Fortune, for giving me blog content for the next five days!

Tumultuous Times

Radio Ink's Deborah Parenti included A&O in her fastinating, timely dialog in the 2/9 edition on these difficult times (click to read the pdf)

Good Advice From Someone You Respect Is Always Welcome

.. Especially in this tough economy. So, since the league of Grammy nominees and winners is, you can argue, a coveted place. And the folks who land there, they’ve probably got their success secrets.

Success was about making the commitment in the first place, and taking the risk because it felt like the right thing to do. Looking back, success has less and less to do with the way it all looks on the outside. -- Kathy Mattea

Taking a cue from Esquire magazine's inspiration-filled "What I've Learned" series, Nashville's Tennessean turned to some Music City Grammy nominees in Sunday's paper and asked them to share a few. (click to read this fascinating series of articles)

A Book I Love: If Your Work Sucks

Here are 10 things you can do right now to kick the habit of old-fashioned, time-based management and get your team focusing on results instead.

1. Make meetings optional.

Let people evaluate their need to participate. If they know they can make better use of their time (and the company’s time), then they should.

2. Stop judging how people spend their time.

Seemingly innocent little digs like “nice of you to join us” can hurt loyalty, engagement, and productivity. We refer to judgmental language like this as Sludge. (Having a term for it makes it easier to call people out on it.) You, and your employees, need to knock off comments like:

“Ten o’clock and just getting in?”

“Rita is in the lactation room again. I wish I had kids. I’d never have to work.”

“I can’t believe Toby got that promotion. He’s never here!”

3. Reward employees based on results, not on how much time they put in at the office.

Instead of saying, “James put in a lot of extra hours this month — good for James!” talk about what James actually contributed. What did he do for the company? Do not use any reference to time. Otherwise, your team will compete to “out-time” every else to get attention.

4. Don’t prescribe what work-life balance looks like for your employees.

“Well, you have a kid, so you’ll need to make sure they’re in day care when you’re home working, otherwise you won’t get anything done.”

“Wow, it’s 6:30 — you should really go home now and spend time with your family.”

It’s not up to you. It’s up to them.

5. Don’t handpick who gets to be flexible and who doesn’t.

In order to work a flexible, results-based program has to apply to everyone — and yes, that includes administrative assistants and new hires.

6. Stop managing by walking around.

Every time you “check in” on someone, they have to stop what they were doing, reorient their thinking to give you a spontaneous presentation, and then, once you leave, reorient themselves back to doing the work. Send them an e-mail instead.

7. Quit using fake crises as a management tool.

Dropping a last-minute request on your employees is the equivalent of a grade-school fire drill. It creates a false sense of urgency and wastes their time. Plan ahead instead of popping by with that “quick question” you should have asked a week ago.

8. Don’t think that you’re a great boss if during a snowstorm you “let” your people “leave early.”

Sending out an e-mail “letting” people take time off for a project well done or a snowstorm — or whatever — is another way to make people feel like children. It reinforces the fact that you have control over their time and they don’t. Let people make this decision themselves.

9. Stop relying on human resources to do the “people” part of your job — get clear about performance goals, communicate often, and hold people accountable.

You lose your credibility when you bring in HR to have the tough conversations. When your employees aren’t performing, talk to them. Find out why, and rather than focus on how hard they’re working or the amount of hours they’re putting in, focus on the work itself. What do they need to do to succeed?

10. Trust your people like you trust yourself.

Stop making rules for the few you’re afraid won’t live up to your expectations. Or rules that protect you from the incompetence of the few but hinder the performance of the many. Your goal is to make work as unlike grade school as possible.

Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson are the Founders of CultureRx and creators of the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE). Their first book, Why Work Sucks And How To Fix It, was released June, 2008 by Portfolio, a Penguin imprint. They have been featured on the cover of BusinessWeek, as well as in the New York Times, TIME Magazine, HR Magazine cover story, and on 60 Minutes and National Public Radio.

Tip #1 From Fortune Magazine: Open Your Junk Mail

I learned a lesson today: Open all the mail you get because it could be something worth reading — even if you think it’s junk mail. I wouldn’t necessarily categorize mail from Fortune as junk, but in a subscription renewal notice today I got a small card that lists “3 Skills You Can Improve Right Now.”

It could have been written by a radio talent coach for air personalities:

Public Speaking: Conquer fear with a game plan

• Podiums disconnect you from the audience. Grab the mic and wander the stage.
• Eye contact is your friend. Looking at people one by one shrinks the room.
• Questions. If you’re stumped, talk about your team. “We’re lucky to have an expert on that, I’ll get you in touch with him later.”

Negotiating Skills: Using the right phrases matters

• How did you come up with that number? Opens a window into the other side’s thoughts.
• Let me check with my wife. Or husband, or boss. Stops you from saying yes prematurely.
• If things change, give me a call. Put the burden on them.

Memory Skills: Never confuse Don with John again

• Introduce yourself first so you can focus on the other person
• Connect the name to your brain. When you meet a guy named Bill, think of other Bills you know.
• Use the name three times. Once to confirm you have the name right, then in mid-conversation, and again when you say good-bye.

I was all set to write an article on the full implications of this advice, when I discovered that Melanie Holmes of Manpower North America had done the work for me on her blog.