Should You Time Shift Your Show?

Randy Lane • April 21, 2020

We’ve been getting questions like these from clients all week:

“Should we start the morning show at 6 rather than 5:30?”
“Is it better to go on at 7 rather than 6?”
“What about staying on from 6-11?”

The disappearance of the morning commute during quarantine has time-shifted and location-shifted listening patterns.

After consulting with a range of programmers, the consensus is that people are still listening in the 6 o’clock hour, so few if any shows are starting at 7.

The bigger question is  when to end  the morning show. Many at-work station shows that go off at 9 are keeping the show on until 10. Several shows that normally go off at 10 are staying on until 11.

Should you disrupt the disruption? Well, we’re all disrupted, so here are some  recommendations:

  • If the show is new  (less than two years old) or is not over-performing the station average ratings, stay with the original time period.
     
  • Established and trusted brands  with a huge fan base like  Dave Ryan  KDWB Minneapolis or  Eric Ferguson  at WTMX Chicago are comfort food for listeners. These types of shows would do well to stay on an extra hour.
  • Even at-work AC stations  such as KOST Los Angeles could extend the morning show an hour with a trusted and familiar host like  Ellen K.
  • The lockdown has benefited radio with a sizable increase in online and at-home listening. Take advantage of it by making  your content available on-demand  and be sure it’s properly coded to get Nielsen credit within 24 hours.
  • Many shows are airing  expert guests  to inform the audience and to help compensate for the lack of caller interaction working out of the studio. At Max 98.1 Memphis, Danni & The Jar’s  Danni Bruns interviewed her father  who is recovering from the virus.
  • Reach out to  music artists and celebrities  who are at home. Many of them are more than willing to go on your show. Be sure they follow effective PPM  guidelines for holding listeners’ attention.
  • A high percentage of your audience no longer has a radio in their home. Highlight your station’s  smart speaker information  at least once per half-hour to help listeners find your station.

Photo by  Icons8 Team  on  Unsplash

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