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Audience, Meet the PD </span>, was written by <a href="/web/20110525214951/http://www.radio-info.com/about/our-writers/randall-bloomquist">Randall Bloomquist</a> for Radio-Info.com's <a href="/web/20110525214951/http://www.radio-info.com/programming/newstalksports">News/Talk/Sports</a> column. </p> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <div id="sidebar"> <div class="section"> <h5>Options</h5> <ul> <li> <a class="print_icon icon eventTracker track_Sidebar_PrintClick" href="#" onclick="javascript:print(); return false;">Print</a> </li> <li id="adjust_text_size"> <a href="#" class="increase_btn eventTracker track_Sidebar_TextIncrease"><img alt="Increase text size" src="/web/20110525214951im_/http://www.radio-info.com/images/redesign/icons/plus.png?1306274646"/></a> <a href="#" class="decrease_btn eventTracker track_Sidebar_TextDecrease"><img alt="Decrease text size" src="/web/20110525214951im_/http://www.radio-info.com/images/redesign/icons/minus.png?1306274646"/></a> <span>Text Size</span> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="section"> <h5>Share</h5> <ul> <li> <a href="/web/20110525214951/http://www.radio-info.com/send_to_a_friends/Essay/2386?lightbox=true?iframe=true&width=350&height=580" class="email_icon icon eventTracker track_Sidebar_ShareEmail" rel="prettyPhoto">Email to Friend</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110525214951/http://twitter.com/share?text=Check out this article from Radio-Info.com:&url=http://bit.ly/maesPD" class="twitter_icon icon new_window eventTracker track_Sidebar_ShareTwitter label_2386-pd-meet-your-audience-audience-meet-the-pd">Twitter</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110525214951/http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.radio-info.com/programming/newstalksports/pd-meet-your-audience-audience-meet-the-pd" class="facebook_icon icon new_window eventTracker track_Sidebar_ShareFacebook label_2386-pd-meet-your-audience-audience-meet-the-pd">Facebook</a> </li> <li class="like_facebook"> <iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20110525214951if_/http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://www.facebook.com/like.php?href=http://www.radio-info.com/programming/newstalksports/pd-meet-your-audience-audience-meet-the-pd&layout=button_count&show_faces=false&width=90&action=like&colorscheme=dark&height=21" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:90px; height:21px;"></iframe> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="content_container"> <div class="sub_container"> <div class="publication_date"> <span class="timestamp">Friday, April 29, 2011</span> </div> <h3> PD, Meet Your Audience. Audience, Meet the PD </h3> <div class="essay_wysiwyg"> <img alt="John Hancock" class="show_page" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20110525214951im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/radio-info/crops/5451/full.jpg" title="John Hancock"/> The founding fathers are all the rage on talk radio. Washington, Jefferson and Adams are constantly held up as models for today’s leaders. In that spirit, I’d like to suggest that talk programmers take a lesson from another Founder – John Hancock, who famously affixed the first signature to the Declaration of Independence in large, dramatic fashion then quipped, “There, I guess King George will be able to read that.”<br><br>In an era when the media (and most other businesses) are striving to build open, two-way relationships with their customers, talk radio management is moving in the opposite direction. Too many PDs and GMs seem to be hiding from the listeners. Their names and phone numbers are often difficult to find on the website. One site I recently visited had NONE of that info! None! I had to get it from a sister station in another part of the country. “Ask the PD” or “Ask the GM’ segments are largely a thing of the past. Listener posts to station Facebook pages often get no response.<br><br>It wasn’t always this way, you know. Talk GMs like KMOX/St. Louis’s Robert Hyland, WMAL/Washington’s Andy Ockershausen and KGO/San Francisco’s Mickey Luckoff were nearly as well known as their on-air staffs. They led community groups, editorialized, gave speeches and otherwise served as the face of their stations.<br><br>Yes, I know everyone is busy. Yes, I know that programming a talk station has become a collective process with “deciders” from all levels shaping the sound. But talk radio is an emotional medium; listeners bond with the station in ways they don’t connect with any other medium. That’s a powerful advantage that must be nurtured by sharing, responding and talking with the audience. Someone needs to take the lead in that effort; someone who can answer the questions, address the complaints, and solicit the valuable feedback that listeners have to offer. That person should be the Program Director.<br><br>Some suggestions for nurturing that bond:<br><br>1. Answer every listener email. Not as bad as it sounds. Many of them can be handled in one line without engaging in an argument. I frequently responded to nasty or kooky emails with, “Thanks for the feedback. You may be right.” Completely disarms them.<br><br>2. Return every listener phone call.<br><br>3. Be prominent on the website. At the very least, your contact info should be reachable with one click. Have your own page, just like your personalities. Use it to share news/info, address concerns and promote upcoming stuff. Consider polling your loyal listeners on a regular basis. You might learn something, but you will definitely make those listeners feel even more connected.<br><br>4. Have an on-air presence. Do an “Ask the PD” segment once a quarter. Run promos soliciting feedback. (Create web versions asking specifically about your website and stream.)<br><br>5. Tweet. Share insider stuff, ask questions and tease upcoming events, contests, et cetera.<br><br>In short, put your John Hancock on your radio station.<br><br> </div> <div class="clear_left"></div> </div> <div class="sub_container"> <h3>About the Writer</h3> <p> <a href="/web/20110525214951/http://www.radio-info.com/about/our-writers/randall-bloomquist" class="no_print"><img alt="Display" height="70" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20110525214951im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/radio-info/author/images/39/display.jpg" width="70"/></a> Bloomquist is the editor of News Talk Edge, and president of consulting firm Talk Frontier Media. A former programmer and trade industry journalist, Bloomquist is the newest member of the Radio-Info.com editorial team. </p> <div class="footer"> <a class="email_icon icon" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110525214951/mailto:randall.bloomquist@gmail.com">Email Randall</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110525214951/http://www.talkfrontier.com/" class="flyout_icon icon new_window">Website</a> </div> </div> <div class="sub_container" id="comments_area"> <h3>Comments</h3> <div class="comment_icon icon"> <span>0</span> Comments So Far </div> <p id="join_discussion"> Wanna join the discussion? </p> <p id="join_instructions"> You must <a href="#login_div" rel="prettyPhoto">login</a> or <a href="/web/20110525214951/http://www.radio-info.com/register">register</a> in order to post comments. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div id="innerpage_sidebar"> <div id="most_popular"> <h3 class="bottom_bordered">Most Popular</h3> <ol class="fancy_numbers"> <li> <a href="/web/20110525214951/http://www.radio-info.com/new-media/connected/the-state-of-social-networking" alt="The State of Social Networking " class="eventTracker track_MostPopular_click label_2377-the-state-of-social-networking" title="The State of Social Networking ">The State of Social Networking </a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20110525214951/http://www.radio-info.com/programming/country/wbtu-fort-wayne-stages-stunt-to-find-the-9" alt="WBTU Fort Wayne Stages Stunt To 'Find The 9'" class="eventTracker track_MostPopular_click label_2359-wbtu-fort-wayne-stages-stunt-to-find-the-9" title="WBTU Fort Wayne Stages Stunt To 'Find The 9'">WBTU Fort Wayne Stages Stunt To 'Find The 9'</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20110525214951/http://www.radio-info.com/programming/country/long-islands-my-country-961-finally-unveiled" alt="Long Island’s ‘My Country 96.1’ Finally Unveiled " class="eventTracker track_MostPopular_click label_2184-long-islands-my-country-961-finally-unveiled" title="Long Island’s ‘My Country 96.1’ Finally Unveiled ">Long Island’s ‘My Country 96.1’ Finally Unveiled </a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20110525214951/http://www.radio-info.com/programming/newstalksports/pd-meet-your-audience-audience-meet-the-pd" alt="PD, Meet Your Audience. 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