THREE TIPS TO WINNING WITH CHRISTMAS MUSIC

We all know how powerful "All Christmas Music" stations are this time of year. Stations that go all Christmas in December will roll in big numbers. Probably many in the double digits.

But, you can’t just play all Christmas music and expect to win. There’s a strategy. Here’s three tips to winning with all Christmas Music:

IT’S ALL ABOUT NOSTALGIA
The more you can remind people what it was like to be eight years old on Christmas Day the better. Take them back. Make them nostalgic for yesterday. Do this with imaging and features.

PLAY THE CLASSICS
It’s what people want to hear. I would have a classic/standard every other song. Bing, Perry, Burl, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, etc are the artists that bring people back. Have a nice balance between the classics and newer Christmas music. Run a tight list. Play the hits and play them often.

MAKE YOUR STATION “FEEL” LIKE CHRISTMAS
Not just with music, but with imaging, promotions and features. Use little kids. Embrace a charity and give back. Make it about memories, family, and traditions. Don’t think that just playing Christmas music is enough.

Here in Denver, Studio 1430 KEZW does a great job. They are now 24/7 Christmas playing only the classics. The ones that remind people of being a kid. They also are running :60 features talking about different Christmas traditions and how they got started. The whole station is full of nostalgia and it sounds great. Even their website is nostalgic. Check them out. www.kezw.com.

THE ENERGY BUS

I got this from one of my on air personalities. It's from the book, "The Energy Bus", by Jon Gordon and has some great points.

The day you die, you will still have 30 or 40 emails in your in-box that will not be answered. You’ll never get it all done, so you might as well relax and enjoy the ride.

The best legacy you could leave is not some building that is named after you or a piece of jewelry, but rather a world that has been impacted and touched by your presence, your joy, and your positive actions.

Your positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone’s and everyone’s negativity. Your certainty must be greater than everyone’s doubt.

When you are enthusiastic, you project an energy that convinces people to get on and stay on your bus.

People are always buying you and your energy.

When you use the signs to find the right path and make a decision to follow it, God will move heaven and earth to support you.

The higher you get in an organization, the more it is your duty to serve the people below you rather than having the people below serve you.

This is a re-post of something I did last year. I think it's worth seeing again.

Thanksgiving is this week and I thought it would be good to reflect on some things we should be thankful for working in radio. Now before you roll your eyes, I realize the last couple of years have been really tough with downsizing, cut backs, programming options forced down our throats and more. This is not just something radio is dealing with, it's everywhere. All businesses and industries are suffering. Radio is still a great gig and here are a few things to be thankful for:

• We work in radio. We play music and connect with people for a living. Pretty cool.

• We get to go to concerts for free and many times meet the artists backstage.

• We don't have to get up at 5am in the pouring rain to collect people’s trash.

• We get to talk to thousands of people each day that think of us as a friend. We have thousands of friends!

• We get to create magic (or at least you should be creating magic).

• We get to listen to music and get paid for it.

• Many of the biggest stars in country music know us by name.

• The chicks (Just kidding. Seeing if you are still paying attention).

• Our office environment is unlike any other place on the planet. Try working for a lawyer or CPA. Their offices are boring and stale. I've never worked in a radio station where someone didn't have a guitar in their office and played it often.

• Most of us are doing what we've wanted to do since we were kids. I bet most of your non radio friends can't say that.

• Over 90% of all Americans listen to radio each week. That's an impressive number. Very few media outlets connect with that many people each week.

• Each day we get to make people laugh, cry and think.

• Every day is different. Perfect for radio people that have ADD...which is most of us.

• We get free tickets to nearly everything.

• Competition makes us all better and radio has a lot of it.

Stay positive and take this weekend to think about all the great things that come with working in radio. There are many.