The morning show is the precious golden child of the radio industry.  Exciting competitions, snappy conversations and events all hosted by some of the most vibrant personalities radio has to offer. The reason is clear and practical; there are simply more listeners to broadcast to in the morning hours, as they are getting ready for and driving to work.

But how are the other twenty or so hours working out for you? Is the spirit and identity of your station following through and engaging your all day listeners? Morning shows are not the be all and end all of your stations day, here’s how to create a excitement and loyalty amongst your listeners and your broadcasting team.

  • Value your personalities. – The midday, afternoon and evening presenters are more than buffers for your morning show, they are talented, engaging professionals too. Allow them to find their own groove and develop an engaging show suited to their skills. Save a little of that morning show budget for mini promotions. This will create a team atmosphere as all presenters will feel valued, and will allow listeners to develop loyalty and a sense of relationship to their favourite announcers.
  • Create a great playlist but remember that it’s not always about the music. – Listeners who stay tuned in after the morning show are there for the same reason as when they tuned in, to hear quality content. If it were purely about the music, then they would be listening to their ipod.
  • Pull your promotions through. Extend your major promotions to each show. While the bulk of the legwork will probably be done in the morning, make a point of promoting all day. For example, if the promotion involves people calling in to enter a competition, let the morning show inform listeners that there will be more chances to enter later in the day, and the afternoon and evening shows refer back to the main promo frequently.
  • Get social. Each show and presenter should actively be involved on your stations and their own Facebook and Twitter pages playing off each other, promoting content, podcasts and generally engaging as a team. This is a great way to catch listeners off air and introduce them to programming they might not have caught traditionally.

It is so important to develop an identity as a radio station, and this is why its imperative to treat your afternoon and evening shows as well as your morning one. Listeners should be able to tune in a 5pm and know that it’s the same station as when they were listening at 8am. If all of your energy, flair and budget is directed to the early show, there will be a sense of disconnect for your evening audience. There is no such thing as golden hours, just hours that haven’t been utilised yet.

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