A Journey Down Radio's Road

By Keith Stevens, PD/Afternoons KTIS – Minneapolis-St Paul

Maybe you remember Driver's Ed in high school. I had Mr. Sorentino as my instructor who always taught the importance of keeping both hands on the wheel. That was good advice for the driver's test, but it's also served me well in radio.

One of the many benefits of having both hands on the wheel is stability. Like me, maybe you started out in radio with "both hands on the wheel" of your show: programming, music, production, editing, etc. at all times. But over the years, I get so busy and distracted with other projects, that I can fall out of alignment driving down radio's road. With consolidation and other demands, it is tough to keep both hands on the programming wheel. If we're honest, there have been some days when there is only one hand on the wheel, at best.

If you've ever driven a sports car, it's way fun to hold that wheel. Same is true of your radio station. If you're a PD, you are directing the sound of the station. It's like driving a sports car. You shift the gears, put in the clutch, accelerate, and off you go; taking your listeners on a magical journey each day.

For me, having both hands on the wheel means feeling what's coming out of the speakers, in the same way you "feel" the road. It means listening to each new song on PlayMPE and All Access from the labels and really feeling the music. I listen with my heart and not just my ears. But I didn't always do it that way. Each day, I take time to review logs, sweepers, top-of-the-hour IDs, and upcoming segues.

Both hands on the wheel.

There's so much value in that. I know it might seem like basics, but I've found that the minute I take a hand off the wheel for too long to reach for something else, I lose touch with the radio road. So, maybe allow an hour first thing in the morning, or after your show in the evening, to buckle up and put both hands on the wheel of your station. Listen to all aspects, make some tweaks, review your messaging and imaging. Listen to talent, and feel the road.

When you get your first good thunderstorm of Spring and it rains like crazy, are both hands on the wheel? Are you programming clips uses "let It rain" or "reign down" or "washed by the water" songs in your imaging during those immediate turns to the left? That's both hands on the wheel. When a tragedy strikes our nation or world, are you creating top-of-the-hour ID's to reflect the tone of our nation immediately? That is both hands on the wheel. Occasionally you need to downshift, slow down, or even speed up and hug the curves.

Just be careful to avoid cruise control at all costs. That is sure to take you down a dead end street.

We're all driving down radio's road, and you are built with an internal navigational system. Knowing that with both hands on the wheel, you're sure to arrive at your destination.

And the view will be amazing.