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 station. That’s all normal in the ever-evolving music cycle. I explain more about how the music cycle affects ratings here.
When music is in your format’s favor, programming is easier. Programmers feel like heroes as listeners stay longer and come back more frequently.
But what happens to a current-intensive station in a weak music cycle? This is the test of truly great programmers.
Here are some of the tactics skilled programmers use in such times:
