Several years ago I was on the road and having beer and chilidogs with a General Manager, who was one of the all time great GM’s. At one point she got a philosophic look and asked “So, you work with all of these amazing stations. What do the truly extraordinary, the ridiculously successful stations all have in common?”

WOW. What a great question. How would you answer it? I kind of had to think and then I started laying out some stuff I’d seen over the years.

1. They’re a team. They would voluntarily hang out with each other and do when they’re not at work.

2. They have fun. They know that this is supposed to be a fun job and when you walk in the door…BOOM…you can feel it.

3. There’s longevity. You’ll see people on the staff who have been there 30 years.

4. They are so tapped into the community that it would be hard to unwind, unravel, extricate or otherwise unplug them from the lives and lifestyle of the audience.

5. When you listen to them, they don’t even have to ID the market: you can “hear” it in everything they do.

6. They will call an audible and change the game plan on a moment’s notice.

She was nodding along and seemingly agreeing and when I wrapped up with “And they always have a great receptionist” her eyes got wide and she said “Oh my God, you are so right.”

And at least in that regard, I am. Think about it. Have you ever worked at a station that didn’t have a superstar person up front?  These game-changers, these intangible employees are often right in the heart of the demo, are usually true fans of the product, they meet more listeners than all of the other staff combined, and they literally establish the vibe when you walk in the door. Read more…