Radio Lessons #104 – Sir Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson is renowned for thinking differently.

The 69-year-old entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin group of companies is dynamic, successful, and finds opportunity by looking at the world through a unique lens. He has built a name on defying conventional thinking, shifting perspective and challenging the paradigm of normality in business.

He once said, “Clients don’t come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your clients”.

This is a jolting concept for most business owners. But radio gets it wrong all too often as well.

So many programmers chase ratings numbers, projected ranks and share goals put on whiteboards in meeting rooms and the magical hope of raising the average rate per minute in our swollen commercial breaks. None of that matters to the people who love our brands though.

Great programmers work to answer the audience’s needs, not the station’s needs. Hyperfocus on the needs of the listener and the numbers will follow.

In fact, make the decision to work for your audience. It’s nice to get paid and you should let the company that owns your station do that for you, but report to the listener. Roll up your sleeves each day for the cume not the GM in the corner office.

Focus on the challenges in their lives and strive to satisfy their wants and needs, create opportunities to make today better moment by moment and creatively bring to life the things already on their mind.

“Ratings don’t come first. Listeners come first. If you take care of your listeners, they will take care of your ratings”.