They Called It a Sharathon

I visited a friend's radio station recently. They were going to be raising money for their station and wanted an outside opinion. Was what they were doing effective? Were they reaching their target audience with their message? Were they going to be successful in raising money?

So I flew in and began to listen. I got there two days before they knew I was in town, so I could offer true insight.

You know how you never feel as sick when you're actually IN the doctors office? Or your car just won't cooperate with that annoying ping or rattle when you're IN the dealership?

Well, I wanted to hear how they sounded when they didn't think their "consultant" was listening. What was their everyday modus operandi? Boy, did I get an earful.

Long-winded breaks with no direction or purpose. Music rotation that was all over the road. And the obvious fact that there was no program director. The GM was acting as the PD. He might as well have been acting as a ballerina because he would have been equally inadequate at that, too.

There was nothing that related to the listener. Oh, there was LOTS that related to the radio station and the group that owned it. But nothing that the listener would be talking about later that day or had ever given a single moment of thought about. It was all about the GM jukebox. And no, I don't mean the flashy new radio in the '08 Corvette.

So I had plenty to talk to them about when we finally met. I could have spoken to them in broad strokes for the better part of a day. And then we could have broken down the problems and solutions over the course of several weeks or months.

But not so surprisingly, our conversation was relatively short. I saw the surprised expression when I mentioned that I'd been incognito for the past 48 hours. I witnessed the eyes roll when I began to cover some of the surface challenges. And then I saw the eyes glaze over when I told them that in my opinion, they should postpone the fundraiser. That was all it took for the GM to slowly but surely end our meeting and politely walk me to my car.

All in all, I listened for the better part of 20 hours over the course of two days. And then exited the building after a brief but energizing 22 minutes. Twenty hours to listen and ascertain and 22 minutes for the GM to decide that his way was right and I was misinformed.

He thanked me for my time. He let me know in complete clarity that they WOULD be holding the fundraiser as planned. He shook my hand and told me, "I look forward to speaking with you again soon." And that was that.

An hour's drive back to the airport and I was on my way home three days earlier than planned. I was going to make my son's high school baseball game after all.

As I made the almost 4-hour flight home, I began to ask myself various questions in no specific order or context: Am I so sure of myself that I would fail to listen to someone who was offering requested, constructive criticism? Am I so good at what I do that I am in no further need of education, training or refinement? And how certain am I that what I told those folks back at the radio station is in fact correct?

I fell asleep as I pondered on that one and woke as the wheels touched the runway. Off the plane, to my car and on to the high school baseball field. This day was going to end nicely. My son went 2-4 with a home run and three RBI's. His team won 6-3.

The radio station went ahead with their planned fundraiser and received a grand total of five calls from listeners over a day and a half. They decided that maybe they weren't ready for this fundraising event after all and the GM called my cell asking if I could return sometime soon. So I'm headed back next week. I won't go in early this time. And we will have a solid 2-3 days of work and strategic planning.

But I wonder if they are going to like what I tell them this time anymore than they did the last time? What will they say when I suggest they get their product right on the air, give the listener something worthy of supporting over a period of months and THEN hold the fundraiser?

We will see. I will let you know. I've got a feeling we're in for a bit of a bumpy ride.

Billy