In my last two posts (below and here) I argue that Local Radio is missing a trick by not using the best new talent from its area in its regular output. Now, here’s a recipe:
Editorially, you have decisions to make. Take your time. You can’t play local songs that don’t fit the format. Don’t, ever, play stuff that’s not any good, or that won’t do the station some good. Be ready to take some heat when you turn a band down – and be ready to build a working relationship with future superstars.
Do research. Check acts out. Do they put 500 kids in a room, at £5 a time? You might be on a winner – that’s more than most top ten records sold in your area last week. Get your on-air staff to check out the audiences. If the band has a following, and your guys are there, that starts a low key station buzz. Timing counts: if the band are about to break, get on them just before they break.
So now you have some tracks you’re happy with. You can, hand on heart, say you believe in this stuff. Start out by dropping them into light rotation, off-peak. Go for a track an hour for three hours a night, a tiny part of your output. Measure and evaluate. Use the songs for a few months, to build familiarity. If you get good feedback, step up to offpeak daytime use. Add more stuff if you have it, and drop your older tracks back. And if things go well, step it up some more.
Think about cross-promotion. If bands are good live, get them to play your roadshows. If it’s dance, get an exclusive remix to use on station club nights. Don’t hide the localness.
Don’t rush it, but do keep at it. In fact, keep at it for a couple of years, always bringing in songs into off-peak shows, and moving up material that does well. Drop songs if they lose appeal, or if the band breaks up. Try audience research once songs are truly familiar.
How does this differ from the way stations treat new material? Well, not by much, apart from the timescale. There are key differences: you’re finding the musicians by going into your market before the record companies do; you’re spending more work time on new material than usual; you are trusting your own station to be able deliver low-key promotion. The payback? After a year of this, you’ll have built links to your audience that nobody else can. If you’ve picked the right acts, one or two might have broken big nationally, and you will be bathed in glory, and with luck, a dirty great ratings increase.