By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, “Sterling On Sunday”
Talk Media Network
Dependency upon a PPM panel to deliver high time spent listening is a bad business model. Would you rather count on one person listening for one hour or four people listening for 15 minutes? Right.
A good music format program director knows exactly how to program talk radio in a PPM environment. Oddly, when a music programmer has the privilege of programming a talk station they seem to forget all of their programming knowledge. Both formats are measured by exactly the same technology and therefore if it “works” in music, it works in talk.
The reason “New Jersey 101.5” quickly became the highest cuming FM talk station in the world – for 20+ years – is because when Bob McAllan, Jay Sorensen, Perry Simon, John Dziuba and I designed it, we had a simple process: Build a music station that takes a lot of phone calls. It was always programmed like a top 40 station and 33 years later it obviously worked.
The reason “Real Radio 104.1 in Orlando” was the only Howard Stern station that did not suffer the expense of having to change format when he was recruited to SiriusXM Satellite Radio was because the station was built as a heavily formatted music station that took a lot of phone calls. Note that Real Radio 104.1 and New Jersey 101.5 both air music non-stop on the weekends for the single purpose of targeting a specific cume demographic. It obviously worked.
What are the key elements of a music format that should be applied to talk in order to build cume?
- Please, god, don’t flag the “breaks.”
- Every show had a specific pace based on topic set up time and call length time which gave the station a consistent rhythm and sound. All day.
- No “records” from home! No personal sound effects, jingles or that crap.
- Constantly sell ahead. No yesterday calls, yesterday references. Sell what’s next.
- Assume every single listener just tuned in. Explain the topic and give the phone number obsessively.
- Listener driven not host driven. Every host is valuable and gifted but if a host makes the mistake of quitting, the interest needs and tastes of the listener are constant and can be reflected by the next host. A constant.
Mickey Luckoff, the brilliant president of KGO, San Francisco for decades explained why he hired most of his hosts from top 40 radio because, “I can teach them TALK but I can’t teach them radio.” BTW yes, even 34-year morning host Jim Dunbar worked at WLS and KQV as a top 40 jock immediately before joining KGO to host a talk show.
Walter Sabo was a pioneer in the concept of targeted talk which allows a station to precisely reach a chosen demographic. He has had a robust list of consulting clients including, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Conde Naste, CBS, Press Broadcasting, RKO General, Hearst, Fred Silverman Productions, and many more. His company HITVIEWS was the first major player to recognize and monetize online video stars known as “influencers.” He is on the nominating board of the Radio Hall of Fame. Reach him at 646.678.1110 or walter@sabomedia.com. Discover Sabo’s network radio show here: waltersterlingshow.com.
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during its time as an FM talk station. KZOK says in its announcement of Bonaduce’s retirement, “Danny’s career in the limelight began at an early age, starting with appearances on ‘Bewitched’ in 1969 that landed him the role of Danny Partridge on the ‘Partridge Show’ from 1970 to 1974. Later, Danny would appear in Corvette Summer with Mark Hamill and many cameo appearances on TV and movies over the years.” He says, “I am the luckiest guy in entertainment. I joined the actors union at age three and with little interruption, I have worked in the industry I love for 60 years. I loved almost every minute of it. I want to thank the loyal fans who have followed me throughout my career, including the last 12 based in Seattle. Thank you to iHeartRadio for believing in me, to my on-air partner Sarah for putting up with me. My thanks to Paul Anderson, my agent for decades who has been my steady guide and business partner.”