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Whether flipping to an All-Christmas format or just adding songs to an existing format, radio programmers should follow a longstanding programming guideline: Play the hits. But what are the Christmas hits? There are so...

Most programmers know how important it is to get the math right in music rotations. And few would argue against playing the right songs as judged and expected by the target audience. Right? Right....

Many programmers and music directors spend hours and hours coding songs. The effort is time well spent because it takes time to really analyze the songs but let's simplify it by taking steps to...

Every year, more and more stations flip to all Christmas music. And they do it earlier and earlier. In many markets, multiple stations battle to win the position as the All-Christmas station. It seems...

When you turn on the lights in your home, do you thank the electric company or power plant? Or the solar panels or wind turbines that provide the electricity? Does turning on the water...

Inserting audio into an information segment can be a tremendous tool to make content come alive. When news audio drops accent a story, it adds pace, momentum, and interest, as long as the audio...

In the past, radio stations worked hard to be the destination for information. Programmers worked and worked to break stories and become trusted sources. A reputation for news credibility was important. But times have...

Traffic reports on radio stations need to change. Or be eliminated. But at least updated. Most are terribly out of touch. This article shares four steps to fix radio traffic reports. Including:  Should traffic even...

There's a lot of debate about the role of news on a music station. There are conflicting opinions on whether traditional news should be on any station, but one thing is for sure: information...

Most stations provide information segments. It may be a formal newscast, sports update, or entertainment news. Effective writing is the difference between a boring segment and one that holds (and attracts) listeners.  Here are...