Playing your position

ou might say broadcasting is a lot like the NHL. It's critically important to play your position and stick to it. Of course, unlike Canada's national sport, you won't have someone like Marty McSorley watching your back. That is, unless you have an enforcer in your accounting department handling the bad debts. But I digress in a weak attempt at humour.

In a constantly evolving, highly fragmented media universe, solid positioning is essential to success. In terms of radio formats, this means targeting a potentially lucrative niche and catering to them through a thorough understanding of the demographic/psychographic.

Trying to be all things to all people no longer works. Those that attempt it in highly competitive markets end up without a well-defined image and are rewarded with a decreasing audience share. The recent resurgence of the CHR format across Canada has redefined the marketplace. Look, for example, at Power 92 in Edmonton, Z95.3 in Vancouver and CISS92 in Toronto. In the Spring 2000 BBM, they boasted a 29.3 per cent, 27.7 per cent and a 20.2 per cent share of hours tuned (A12-34) respectively. By carving out a healthy position with the younger demographics (particularly females) these stations have forced Hot AC, Modern/Alternative Rock, and AOR/Classic Rock stations to be more focused. This, in turn, has made these other formats stronger. Superserving your core audience becomes ever more important.

Positioning of sound, image and name/ dial position has always been important in order to hold listeners, seduce advertisers and garner ratings. The latter is a challenge unto itself.

It is not enough to have an audience. It is essential that the diary keepers in your audience remember your name and/or dial position. Seemingly simple, but in fact, far from it. Just witness research on the behaviour of those diary keepers who will never be accused of being slaves to detail. Thus, your name (e.g. Power92) is ideal if it says something about your sound while reinforcing your dial position. "You are listening to ..." Following the same rationale, it is important that the message is consistent and repetitive. Having 15 different lines a la "light rock, less talk" which are cycled simply create confusion, regardless of how witty they might be.

Conventional wisdom with regard to positioning is about to be dealt a new set of challenges. As DAB eventually replaces AM and FM, how will stations refer to themselves? Dial position and the AM/FM addendum will no longer be relevant.

A visual element will be required for the LCD. The wise broadcaster will be developing a transition strategy.

Another challenge has arisen with streaming on the Internet, which has created a global marketplace. Similarly, networking on a national scale necessitates a new perspective. CBC has responded by simply calling themselves Radio One and Radio Two, without mention of FM. As we are bombarded by media choices, how many MIX's, for example, will be on our palettes? Something more distinctive than "hits of yesterday and today" may become a necessity as competition comes from more than the other local radio stations.

This isn't to say that local stations are in danger of international invasion. It has been proven time and again that local content is essential to the success of a radio station.

All the more reason to have a distinctive positioning.

Interestingly, some of the most effective positioning has been executed by television networks. Whereas we have traditionally thought of the medium as being programming vs. station oriented, the networks have addressed a fragmented media environment with distinctive images designed to excite loyalty from advertisers and audiences. Witness the brilliant CTV five second spots setting stars from their top programmes against a red screen with a network logo. Global has responded with some outstanding five second special effects/animation pieces touting the network.

Much like the NHL, the broadcasting/ media environment keeps expanding. Playing your position well and developing a distinctive image will become more and more important in order to stand out in a crowded universe.