Monday Memo: Gobble Gobble
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
Running a successful radio station, hosting a show, or producing a podcast is a lot like hosting Thanksgiving dinner. You need a plan. You need to deliver something satisfying to a crowd with varying tastes. And most of all – if you get it right – you’ll have leftovers you can turn into even more value long after the main event.
The Menu is the Strategy. You don’t just “wing it” on Thanksgiving. Same goes for your content. Who are you serving? What do they expect? Your content calendar is your shopping list. Your team is your kitchen crew. And if you’re still deciding what’s on the menu the morning of, don’t expect rave reviews.
Timing is the Secret Sauce. Get the turkey in too late, and the sides suffer. Hit “record” without a clear rundown, and the show flounders. Publish an episode at the wrong time? Lost in the noise. Stations, shows, and podcasts are all about flow and timing. Great pacing, clean execution, smart transitions. Just like the perfect meal, everything needs to hit the table hot and in the right order.
The Turkey is your Centerpiece. For a station, it’s your format or your tentpole talent. For a show, it’s the host or the day’s big segment. For a podcast, it might be your story structure or your featured guest. Nail the turkey, and people forgive a few lumpy mashed potatoes. Miss it – bland, dry, underwhelming – and no one remembers the green bean casserole.
The Sides are the Supporting Elements. News, weather, traffic, and imaging turn a decent meal into a memorable one. Great intros, tight sound design, and a well-timed punchline make your core content shine.
Different Tastes, One Table. Uncle Edgar wants deep-fried turkey. Your cousin’s vegan. Grandma’s still mad you skipped the marshmallows on the yams. Your audience is just as varied – P1 loyalists, casual browsers, podcast subscribers who never miss a week. You can’t be everything to everyone, but you can build a spread that makes multiple types of listeners feel seen. Know your audience segments. Serve accordingly.
Table Setting = Delivery Platform. Whether it’s FM, a podcast app, a smart speaker, or a website, presentation matters. Is the user experience smooth? Is the stream clean? Is the podcast art appealing? Are your links working? A cold plate on fine china is still cold. Don’t let great content get lost in clunky delivery.
Leftovers = Repurposing. You spent all that time prepping and recording. Don’t just serve it once. Chop up segments for social. Turn interviews into blog posts. Republish as “Best Of” content. Archive it smartly so people can find it later.
Leftover content, when handled right, can fuel long term engagement. Don’t throw away anything tasty just because the initial serving is over.
Thanksgiving reminds us that people crave connection, comfort, and a sense of occasion. So does your audience, whether they tune in live, stream on demand, or binge your podcast during a road trip.
So, plan well. Deliver hot. Serve generously. And whatever you do, don’t forget the gravy.
Happy Thanksgiving. Pass the ratings.
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn
Americans 13+ are awake by 6:00 am during the weekday. The two most popular half hour increments Americans set their alarms for are between 6:00 am-6:30 am and 7:00 am-7:30 am. For radio station programmers wondering how important the 5:00 am hour is, just over 14% are awake by 5:00 am with another 17% rising sometime during the 5:00 am hour. Edison says other data indicates most Americans are waking up slightly later than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic shifted routines and schedules to spend more time in the home.
When market leaders drop rates, what comes next?
The best thing about attending media conferences like TALKERS 2024: Radio and Beyond, which occurred last week on June 7, is the opportunity to hear diverse viewpoints from industry experts. Gatherings like these also provide the opportunity for attendees like me to “chew” on some of the great ideas presented by the expert panelists and think about solutions to some of the challenges raised during the discussions.
originate content using FM boosters and is intended to do so without raising the potential for harmful co-channel interference to the reception of the primary station’s signal outside the coverage area of the booster station or to previously authorized secondary stations.” GBS filed a petition on March 13, 2020, proposing to give FM broadcasters the option to use boosters to originate programming to specific zones within their stations’ service area, proposing to allow program origination for a limited period totaling three minutes per hour… During that limited period, GBS proposes that the FCC allow the booster to originate geo-targeted advertisements, promotions for upcoming programs, and other hyper-localized content, suggesting it would benefit small and minority-owned broadcasters, because potential advertisers that currently find it prohibitively expensive to buy spots reaching a radio station’s whole service area might purchase lower-cost airtime reaching a more targeted area, thereby becoming a new source of station revenue.”
Will video save the radio star? I hope so.
Is that host read you are pitching “baked-in?”
Have we passed the disappointment of 2023?
market, Cumulus operates news/talk WBAP-AM/FM, news/talk KLIF-AM/FM, sports talk KTCK-AM/FM and two country music brands. Cumulus regional vice president Dan Bennett says, “I can’t say enough about our air talent and programming team who understand that serving our community in Dallas-Fort Worth means raising awareness for organizations that give a lift to people who need it. They give so much of their time to make a difference and 2023’s efforts show the incredible results.”
director at WIVB-TV, Buffalo and served as a weekend anchor at WBEN-AM in 2002 and at sister WGR-AM in 1999. Audacy Buffalo SVP and market manager Tim Wenger states, “Lisa’s extraordinary background in leading award-winning content generation in local television news will be invaluable for WBEN as it continues to evolve as the radio station that’s always there when the community needs it the most. I look forward to Lisa taking an already stellar brand to new heights.”
Consultant Gary Begin of Sound Advantage Media writes today in a piece for TALKERS magazine in which he says that quite often there is a disconnect between the brand of a radio station and the brand-supporting messages that the sales staff is presenting to prospects. He says, “Experts in branding seem to be coming around to the idea that the power to make or break your brand-building effort lies not in the quality of your advertising but in the customer’s experience at the point of sale. In radio, that’s your over-the-air product and how your ad rep handles the advertiser.” He adds, “To navigate and successfully cross No Brand’s Land effectively, marketers must start by adapting brand message creation and delivery to today’s strategic sales processes.” He says there are two trends that will drive marketers’ efforts to create brand-supporting content that helps salespeople sell.” 
It may seem impossible, but you need to stay in your lane.
Radio station personnel could be facing the worst environment – ever!
Are you a multiplatform juggler? If you sell or manage for a radio station, the answer is yes.
What will hurt your chances of sales success more, graduating from a low-ranked college or attending too many inefficient sales meetings?
and familiarity people have for their local radio stations to help them sample and choose from curated podcasts. Podcast Radio broadcasts 24/7 online and via app and smart speakers. It is monetized by selling traditional on-air advertising and sponsorships, inserting commercials into its online audio stream, partnering with international content makers, and making original podcasts and bespoke audio content that resonate with audiences.” 
production, proposals and completing all CRM and management required reports for the company. KBLA is looking for a savvy, highly motivated sales professional to join our team selling traditional, digital, and event marketing solutions in Los Angeles for the only Black talk radio station west of the Mississippi. Our ideal candidate is a goal-oriented, relentless hunter who drives to win new business and has a track record of exceeding monthly goals. If you are passionate about selling, have a deep knowledge of marketing principles and products, and possess excellent presentation and closing skills, then we’d love to talk to you!
I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts the updated sales facts below are nowhere to be found in your radio station’s collateral material. This bold challenge is in front of you today as a wakeup call before the calendar becomes your frenemy.
sportsbook branded radio station in the country.” Hubbard Seattle market manager Trip Reeb says, “We’re thrilled to bring this first-of-its-kind partnership to this market and radio industry. Building on our long and successful partnership with Tulalip Resort Casino allows for countless cross promotional opportunities as well as the ability to capitalize on the rapid expansion we’ve seen in the sports betting space, as well as the specialized sports betting content VSiN delivers.”
