Inside Music MediaJerry Del Colliano

Radio may be having a hard time attracting Millennial listeners but radio stations are employing a majority of Millennials aged 18-34.

This is a very different generation – not at all like their baby boomer or Gen X bosses.

Millennials don’t stay anywhere very long.

At Google arguably the best place to work with benefits like free lunch, dry cleaning, child care and spending one day a week on any project you want – Millennials still leave even that job.

At USC my students who worked at the university radio station enjoyed the camaraderie of being with others but rarely listened to the station on their own time.

When new Cumulus CEO Mary Berner did questionnaire after questionnaire about employee job attitudes recently she publicly admitted that the results showed they liked their job but not the company.

Is there a way to motivate Millennial workers and those who have been through hell working without raises, promotions or for that matter even encouragement?

At my upcoming Philly conference I think we should have this discussion because there are a lot of things that can be done.  

A quick preview …

Money is never the number one motivator for employees. Believe it. Never. In fact do you know where salary ranks in job satisfaction? You will.

Empowerment – the one thing most radio companies refuse to do. Even the managers at Cumulus have to bow down to corporate infrastructure.

How to empower people who you may not be used to empowering and where do you start.

This one thing – and this is worth the trip to Philly for this alone – that can motivate anyone even an employee who has been abused in the workplace or taken for granted.

This works 100% of the time and you can learn how to do it.

But don’t get me wrong – sincerity matters. Just to do the things that we know are working at stations that bring about great productivity will fail if they are not applied sincerely.

How to resolve disputes.

To get employees to get along with each other.

The best way to show appreciation.

How to handle cutbacks.

Even firings if it comes to that.

Radio people are brutal. Learn from other industries where being laid off is not the career ending move that it has become in radio.

Setting goals that motivate not discourage – and remember, money doesn’t motivate even for salespeople the way this does. Come and learn some new ways.

Radio is at a crossroads and not enough attention has been paid the past decade to the art of managing people.

Bring your concerns and we’ll offer refreshingly honest solutions that can make all the difference as part of our Open Forum.

Motivation tips for radio employees – another important subject to be covered at my April 6^th radio conference in Philadelphia in four weeks.

Here are 9 critical issues on the agenda:

1. Change the way we talk to audiences. Radio dates itself every time the mic is open, but audiences want authenticity, no hype and at least three other things that most radio stations do not have. Training to teach on-air people to sound the way the audience sounds. How to get away from: “this station is not for me” to a new affinity.  Sweepers, positioners – how are they testing with Millennials?
2. Making money from digital. Enough, already. What most stations are doing is not generating very significant digital revenue. Here’s what they are missing that can work for you.
3. Getting Millennials to listen. After we change the way we talk to 18-34 year old audiences, what is so compelling that they will have to listen. How about three things that have never been done that I think you will agree will make radio a destination again even in the digital age.
4. Reinvigorating the morning show. See where I’m going with all this so far. We can’t blow up everything but there are changes we can make like the way we talk to audiences, the things we do to make radio relevant to them, improving digital and this one – redesigning outdated morning shows that 18-34’s are not relating to. Then generate 50-60% of your total station’s revenue from the more relevant morning show alone.
5. Outpacing radio’s declining revenue trend.  Every financial analyst is calling for a negative year -- off anywhere from 1% to over 5%. And yes, price gouging by major consolidators is helping radio’s race to the bottom. Let’s cut to the chase. What can be done to outperform this negative trend? Fighting rate cuts, over-bonusing, short-term flights, unwillingness to pay a premium plus adding revenue from subscriptions (don’t knock it), product placement and digital so foreign to radio you will likely be the first in your market doing it.
6. A Millennial Station Makeover – leave with a long list of things you can do to make the rest of your station sound cool to critical 18-34 while also meeting with the approval of your older audiences.
7. What to do about podcasting, which doesn’t monetize well but intrigues Gen X and baby boomer audiences.
8. Standing up to a rigged ratings system.  Harker Research and Sean Hannity will share research that shows the type of listening talk and music stations are losing with PPM ratings and how to fight back and reclaim the listening you’ve earned.
9. Eliminating listener’s biggest objections. At least start with this and tear down some barriers to increased listening.

A day of information and inspiration where we work together. This is an interactive format so you can participate to the fullest extent.

This event will not be available by stream or video – only live and in person.

I can’t wait to bring our collective enthusiasm together using this blueprint to make a real difference in doing great radio.

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