Okay... So what did Keith mean by the 3rd "M" - Meetings (Imaging)???
Well.. he meant to say that constant meetings with the teams are required to get the station's Imaging right.
OK.. So... Imaging?? What Imaging?? (That was my question.. dont worry if you have the same question while reading this.. :p )
Well.. Imaging is everything that goes on air apart from the music... Yes Everything (of course includes the spots too)
Its the station's attitude.. Its the stations persona.. Its a reflection of what you are..!! And I'm serious here.. !
Station imaging creates a perception, meaning that listeners see a station as being old, young, serious, or cool.
It reinforces all aspects of the radio format, builds images, and highlights USPs.
I can play latest music first, but when I don’t say that I do, people usually don’t realize it.
They either like the music, or they don’t.
Interestingly, radio production is actually not consciously heard by listeners.
Radio is not a source of active entertainment.. Unlike television, you dont have to sit and watch.. with focus. It happens in the back of you mind.. subcontious mind.
So... Even the Station imaging is consumed subcontiously and is consumed emotionally more than consciously and rationally.
The production plays an important role in the overall listening experience.
Well.. almost every link includes a sound design element, and all parts of the station’s jingle and promos include the sound color (usually with a distinctive logo melody) of the brand.
So why should you concentrate on the imaging bit??
Well here are 5 reasons:-
1. Pick One Clear Message
The positioning statement should be simple, clear and repeated often both on the air and off. and what it should be?? Well thats how you want your station to be perceived or consumed by your audience.
2. Talk to the Listener
Well.. yesss... talk to your audience from their point of view.
THEIR Point of view.. Remember that... Nobody cares how many thousands of watts your transmitter is or that your music library is packed with 4 decades of great songs. Tell them something that’s important to them.
3. Be Relevant
Thats easy... If it’s mango season, that should be a part of your imaging.
If the potholes in your market are big enough to swallow up a SUV, that should also be a part of your imaging.
Your imaging should reflect the world that your listeners are living in.. Thats all..!
4. Get to the Point
Well.. Yeah.. Its a fact.. The listeners are not as into your radio station as you are...and unlike most of us radio people they actually have a life.
Don’t waste their time with a long winded message. And that’s all.. You're done :)
5. Produce to Support the Message
Think of imaging production as a way of bolding, underlining, italicizing, adding “punctuation” to what your announcer is saying.
Dont let your production guy work too hard to give you a masterpiece that is sheer awesomeness in production,, but has somewhere lost the message..
Well.. he meant to say that constant meetings with the teams are required to get the station's Imaging right.
OK.. So... Imaging?? What Imaging?? (That was my question.. dont worry if you have the same question while reading this.. :p )
Well.. Imaging is everything that goes on air apart from the music... Yes Everything (of course includes the spots too)
Its the station's attitude.. Its the stations persona.. Its a reflection of what you are..!! And I'm serious here.. !
Station imaging creates a perception, meaning that listeners see a station as being old, young, serious, or cool.
It reinforces all aspects of the radio format, builds images, and highlights USPs.
I can play latest music first, but when I don’t say that I do, people usually don’t realize it.
They either like the music, or they don’t.
Interestingly, radio production is actually not consciously heard by listeners.
Radio is not a source of active entertainment.. Unlike television, you dont have to sit and watch.. with focus. It happens in the back of you mind.. subcontious mind.
So... Even the Station imaging is consumed subcontiously and is consumed emotionally more than consciously and rationally.
The production plays an important role in the overall listening experience.
Well.. almost every link includes a sound design element, and all parts of the station’s jingle and promos include the sound color (usually with a distinctive logo melody) of the brand.
So why should you concentrate on the imaging bit??
Well here are 5 reasons:-
- Makes station tangible (adds emotional component)
- Builds radio station images (best music, funniest comedy, local news)
- Identifies radio brand (recognizable musical logo)
- Communicates station benchmarks (new music, cult hit, current promotion)
- Establishes brand perception (cool, serious, personal, distant)
1. Pick One Clear Message
The positioning statement should be simple, clear and repeated often both on the air and off. and what it should be?? Well thats how you want your station to be perceived or consumed by your audience.
2. Talk to the Listener
Well.. yesss... talk to your audience from their point of view.
THEIR Point of view.. Remember that... Nobody cares how many thousands of watts your transmitter is or that your music library is packed with 4 decades of great songs. Tell them something that’s important to them.
3. Be Relevant
Thats easy... If it’s mango season, that should be a part of your imaging.
If the potholes in your market are big enough to swallow up a SUV, that should also be a part of your imaging.
Your imaging should reflect the world that your listeners are living in.. Thats all..!
4. Get to the Point
Well.. Yeah.. Its a fact.. The listeners are not as into your radio station as you are...and unlike most of us radio people they actually have a life.
Don’t waste their time with a long winded message. And that’s all.. You're done :)
5. Produce to Support the Message
Think of imaging production as a way of bolding, underlining, italicizing, adding “punctuation” to what your announcer is saying.
Dont let your production guy work too hard to give you a masterpiece that is sheer awesomeness in production,, but has somewhere lost the message..
Hmmm.. But...
There are a lot of other things that one needs to take care.. Most of them being the flow of events in the log.. Below are a few:-
- Its all about the flow.. Imaging or music.. Its all a package (eg 1)
- Jingles are music, do not use them between songs in any song sweeps (eg 2)
- Always have a swoosh or some transition on either end of a song sweeper eg 3)
- Always have a natural voice do your stationality.. You are not selling your property on another platform.. you are in your house.. act like an insider. (eg 4)
- Always cross promote your shows.. its free advertising for a product.. You charge outside people for the same thing.. Use your internal resources.(eg 5)
- No Idea is small.. Just believe in it.. be with your conviction ..and BINGO.. you usually hit the right button.. :) (eg 6)
Well I live in New Delhi, India. and handle 17 stations accross the country in my current role.. so these would be from this small repertoire of my exposure.
So I end here...
With the words.. "Believe In Yourself"
More to come..
Stay Tuned :)
Previous posts (The series):-
The Three “M”s of Radio Programming - The Second “M”: MORNINGS
The Three “M”s of Radio Programming - The First “M”: MUSIC
The Three “M”s of Radio Programming - Introduction
- eg 1.. Hmmm.. flow.. As I write, there is only one station to mention here, 92.7 BIG FM (Delhi). The jingles, the music, the sweeps.. the jocktalk.. all gel and blend into each other sooo much that it feels like butter to the ear.. Smooth. Tarun Katial and team really experimented to get this right I know.. There used to be regular changes in the stations sound every 2-3 weeks.. and now that they got it.. they have just sustained it for almost 6 months.
- eg 2.. Okay.. Here it is Fever 104. All they have in between songs is Just a whisper that says "Fever". Now thats called zero inturruption transition.. :)
- eg 3.. Well 93.6 Red FM has that... You transit to an uptempo to a mid tempo song without feeling the jerk.
- eg 4.. I would give this one to Hit 95 FM Delhi.. There simply is no fake sounding voice that talks to the listener.
- eg 5.. Now in current scenario, this one also goes to 92.7 Big FM. Well.. I heard some people from the industry saying they have gone to sound what AIR used to sound 20 yrs back.. they broadcast their FPC for the day... Well.. I say wwhy not?? They're just calling people to attend another show that might be of interest.. (And we know that their numbers are constantly increasing hour by hour :p)
- eg 6.. Well.. Here I would say 94.3 MY FM. We just did something that never happened before. We did an independence day show accross borders. A Borderless Radio. The show happened on 14th and 15th August (Independence Days for Pakistan & India). It was simulcasted in both countries.. Co-Hosted by jocks from each country. And had artists from both countries on air with the jocks. Now why i say believe?? Well the idea when popped up by the creative head.. was negated by almost everyone in the programming team. But the CEO believed in it and supported the creative head. Together they got to acomplish a record breaking and award winning concept.
So I end here...With the words.. "Believe In Yourself"
More to come..
Stay Tuned :)
Previous posts (The series):-
The Three “M”s of Radio Programming - The Second “M”: MORNINGS
The Three “M”s of Radio Programming - The First “M”: MUSIC
The Three “M”s of Radio Programming - Introduction
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