USE YOUR EARS… AND BRAIN!
Ed Hill programmed several radio stations. Among them top rated country stations in Salt Lake City and Seattle.
Ed knows what he is doing. He learned as a jock from the great program directors of years ago that he worked for. Plus Ed is smart. He never just imitated another radio station. He thought about his station, it’s brand, it’s images, it’s fun factors and then created fresh locally meaningful content.
Ed’s been out of country radio for a couple of years but he’s still got that great brain. Here is his insightful post about listening to the one country radio station in Los Angeles.
I reprint Ed’s post here.
I have been out of country music and radio for almost two years. Listened to Go Country in LA and they have imaging on the air that is years old. I mean they mentioned “your iPod” who has an iPod?
Another big issue… The songs and the themes of the songs we’re all the same. Pure vanilla. Whoever is programming that station is not paying attention to the details. I never listen to radio anymore but decided to listen to see what has happened to the music.
This one jock said “ Here’s the latest from….
It was an act I have never heard of so I asked my 21 year old daughter who that was and she had no idea.
Then the female jock was promoting the morning show and she said… Set your alarm clocks . Clocks. Yes she said clocks. Yes CLOCKS.
Does anybody get reviewed anymore? The radio audience is shrinking. You have to be better than what I heard or you will accelerate
the inevitable slow decline into irrelevance.
Ed couldn’t be more right.
Might I suggest you take a full day outside of your own radio station and listen all day.
Attack your own station like it was your competition. Think, “This station is programmed by an idiot. Let me pick it apart!”
Make a list of every weakness.
Every anachronistic thing.
Every thing that is self serving and not listener benefit centric.
Then fix things.
It’s not just your career. It’s the career and welfare of everybody who works at the station. Get it right!
Are you qualified to be PD of your station?
If you think so prove it!
Ed and I are not related. We are brothers of different mothers. Ed is that ok with you?
Get Your Music Right! Get Everything Right!
If you need help call Keith Hill 252-453-8888 
