Music Programming Theory

Radio programmers and music directors spend far more time listening to their radio station than any listener. They're highly sensitive to song repetition. But before rushing to add more songs to the library consider...

Music programmers know that the strength of current music is critical to success. The more a station depends on the music, the more the pop music cycle affects ratings. When music goes against the...

In some ways, Program Directors are like medical doctors. A doctor's primary goal is to “do no harm”. Removing negatives and potential barriers to listening is an irresistible emotion. But when it comes to...

Music ebbs and flows. Sometimes the hits are strong. Sometimes they’re not. Sometimes there are no true mainstream, mass appeal hits at all. Other times, there are more “powers” than can fit on one...

In analyzing hundreds of perceptual studies for clients, it’s clear that two primary characteristics correlate most to ratings success and stations that over-achieve: Audience Satisfaction And Passion For the Music Mix A Truly Fun...

In the past, programmers generally accepted a music programming strategy that started with a code more suitable for physicians: Do no harm. That's still good advice for Doctors but it no longer works for...

The ratings are in. There is a TSL (time spent listening) problem. The cume went up, but average quarter hours are down. Management wants an explanation. The first thought is to examine the music...

It's great to have music research that provides a map of what titles to play, but when it comes time to sort music into categories, it takes more than a spreadsheet with numbers. Programmers...

The battle over most music rages on, though today's competition comes from new technology as much (or more) than from other radio stations. If programmers could find room to play 2 more songs every...

Programmers make multiple decisions when deciding whether or not to add a song to the playlist. The criteria may vary but one principle should be the guiding force behind a new "add". Will the...