Moneyball: Expert Thoughts on Talent Coaching & New CRS360 Webinar

• A new CRS360 webinar published just ahead of the Memorial Day holiday titled, “A Face for Radio? … A Difference for Your Listeners” features new Country Radio Hall of Fame inductee Clay Hunnicutt, iHeartMedia Nashville’s Gator Harrison, Carolyn Gilbert, and me taking a deeper dive into what Country radio listeners say about personalities on Country radio.

In the webinar we shared dozens of comments from listeners when we asked them about the DJs and hosts on Country Radio. More importantly, Gator and Clay reacted with tips on how to translate these listener opinions into real world coaching for talent. The webinar is available from the CRS website or from YouTube. While the webinar is about Country radio, the underlying principles apply to all types of music radio.

Our national sample of 1500 Country music fans ages 18 to 54 yielded just shy of Country radio listeners. Fully 3 in 5 among that sample of listeners like at least a few of the DJs they hear and over a fifth think of the station and the DJs as part of their community. And you can draw a direct line from engagement with hosts to higher TSL.

The hundreds and hundreds of comments from listeners in the study fell into five broad categories — five things that make Country DJs great. The most common theme was humor and entertainment, not surprisingly. Instead of summarizing what they said, here’s a sample of their comments when we asked them to, “tell us the things that make the Country radio DJs and hosts you enjoy stand out from others.”

• “Funny and talk about stuff that keeps your attention”
• “They’re funny and not overbearing”
• “These DJ hosts play the greatest of songs and always know how to brighten my day with a funny story or LOL joke”
• “They are always in a good mood and talk about fun topics”
• “They are funny and keep you up to date”
• “They are funny and they keep you informed of the concerts where you can see them”
• “They just make you laugh at some of the things they come up with”
• “They laugh and have fun, talk about current events, talk about Country music artists”
• “They joke and pick at each other”
• “They make jokes and just hold nothing back”
• “They make me laugh the way they cut up and stories they tell”
• “A lot of other music stations do silly and crude things, while Country music stations keep it more family friendly”
• “He’s funny and he keeps the show clean”
• “Because they are always cheerful”
• “He’s always friendly, never has a bad day”
• “I love their positivity and the music. Feels homey. It invites you in to listen”
• “They are funny and honest. Good personalities always positive and in a good mood”
• “They sound like they enjoy their job as much as I do the music!”
• “They are fun and so upbeat helps me keep awake during long days”

There’s a lot to unpack in those comments including consistency (“always in a good mood,” “always cheerful,” “never has a bad day”), family friendliness (“keeps the show clean,” “more family friendly”), irreverence (“the way they cut up,” “just hold nothing back,” “joke and pick at each other”). Next week I’ll share some of what respondents had to say about relatability, which was number two in the five things that make Country DJs great.

If you’ve just found budget for a music test or a promotion, NuVoodoo would love to help. An email to tellmemore@nuvoodoo.com will get quick attention from the right member of our team. Additionally, NuVoodoo marketing guru Mike O’Connor is publishing important insights from our latest general marketing study every week at nuvoodoo.com/articles. — Leigh Jacobs