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Attention Radio,..
ARE YOU PLAYING ENOUGH CURRENT MUSIC?
We all love the oldies.. It's great to hear neat tunes from the 70s or 80s that bring back memories. But let's start playing the new and current songs more. The "blasts from the past" should be a treat on your station.. not the norm. Your mix of music should be heavy with songs that were released in the last 12 months. You should also be playing a fair amount of re-currents. (chart toppers from the last five years or so.)

When your listeners tune in they should hear a current chart song within 10 minutes. They should hear a familar re-current in the same amount of time. Sure,.. if you play 5 golden oldie classics from the 60s,.. in a row,.. somebody will love it. I also guarantee.. many more will tune away.

Remember.. programming music on a SG station is not an exact science. There is no perfect plan. However.. if you try this.. it will work. Your station will sound better,.. fresher.. newer. This kind of programming works in all formats.

Here's a simple plan suggestion. This can be customized to fit your station.
Divide your music into 3 categories:
A - Current Songs
B - Re-currents (hit tunes from the last 5 years)
C- Oldies

Then play them in a rotation like this:
A, B, A, A, B, A, C ..and repeat. You might even want to sub-divide your "A" songs into the top ten, top twenty,..etc. That way the tunes your chart and report to publications.. really are the songs you are airing most.

It's simple.. but it's a plan. You might be surprised at how many stations are working with no plan at all. The DJ walks into the studio and plays what ever he wants.. It happens everyday.. everywhere.

PLAY CURRENTS! It's good for radio.. it's good for Southern Gospel!

Let me know if I can help in any way,

Chuck Peters

Labels: Advice