This month the MPRs of Programming continues with another look at the next "P’s" on the list….Production and Positioning…Beyond the Basics. These two P’s are grouped together because collectively they form the important element of "stationality." This combination of focused positioning statements delivered with effective production is a key factor in imaging a radio station.

I’ve solicited comments from one of the top creative production directors in the country and a handful of top programmers who are among the best at forging their station’s identity with their own ideas about doing quality production and positioning.

How does a station achieve their own effective "stationality?" What’s the secret in creating and imaging a radio station effectively? First off, let’s start with a basic definition of stationality.

"Stationality is simply the word station fused with personality" claims John Frost, Creative Production Director of KROQ in Los Angeles. Frost’s simple explanation befits his widely acknowledged status as one of the top production maestros in the country. KROQ easily lives up to it’s "World Famous" positioning moniker in large part due to Frost’s amazing ability to create a hip and humorous station "personality."

Curtiss Johnson, the voice and Station Manager of KRXQ (98 Rock) in Sacramento echoes Frost’s station personality sentiment in defining stationality but adds a few more elements to the mix. "To take it a step further" states Johnson, "It’s the combined contribution of your production and imaging, air personalities, promotions, marketing, merchandising and nomenclature."

"By nomenclature, I mean the catch phrases the jocks use, the titles of your benchmarks, and the writing style of your promos and imaging," says Johnson. "It’s the unique ambience or dialect of your radio station. Listeners to stations that are very good in this area can tell who they are listening to without the station ever having to say their call letters or their primary (positioning) slogan."

Another radio station that is widely recognized as a staple of quality stationality is 91X in San Diego. The station’s Program Director, Bryan Schock, explains his unique take on what makes his station stand out. "I look at a radio station like an island," explains Schock. "When people come to my island, they know what they’re getting. They also know which island is mine because of our distinct sound. If they hop from island to island, there’s no doubt which island is the 91X island because we have created our own distinct stationality."

Beyond creative production and positioning, JJ Michaels, the Program Director of KZND (the End) in Anchorage, feels that the station jocks are also critical in helping create a solid stationality. "The jocks are just as responsible for creating great stationality as the sweepers or liners that come between the songs," says Micheals. "Here at the End, we strive for an ongoing element of irreverence in everything we do. All of these elements add to the overall entertainment package."

While the importance of imaging a radio station is well defined, how important is an effective positioning statement as the foundation for achieving great stationality?

"It’s very important because it’s part of the branding process," says Schock. Indeed, positioning your radio station effectively continues to be a very important key to imaging or "branding" your product in a listener’s mind. With a new century upon us and swirling competition ahead, branding your product may indeed be THE most important lifeline to success for a radio station dealing with thousands of new forms of radio competing for listeners.

Frost has a more humorous slant in describing the importance of positioning.

"Telling the listener who you are and what you do is vital," claims Frost. "Confucious once said, ‘Fat people should wear a t-shirt with the word FAT on it in huge block letters, even if it’s extremely obvious.’ Many people think Confucious was insensitive. I just think he was a brilliant marketer. I don’t think he really said that, but it doesn’t hurt to misquote Confucious."

"An effective positioning statement is integral for educating the listeners about your mission statement," states Michaels. "The stationality comes from how you ‘sell the sell’. You have to sell a positioning statement the same way you sell the music. If it’s not packaged in a manner that entertains, than it’s nothing more than a sentence."

While Schock, Frost, and Michaels all agree on the importance of positioning, Johnson is a little torn on how critical a positioning statement is. "I used to think it was very important," explains Johnson, "but I’ve been effectively functioning without one here at KRXQ for several years. Unless of course you consider the 98Rock moniker which is the station’s ‘brand name’ and is incredibly effective. Positioning statements do work on a subliminal level, but I’d be very careful on choosing one, because, while they can be effective, they can also become restrictive to evolutionary moves you may need to make with your radio station."

Beyond effective positioners, another key to delivering great stationality lies in understanding your audience and knowing their interests. Every audience and demo has their own psychological hot buttons. Knowing your target audience and reflecting their tastes in imaging your station is the most effective way to capture their attention.

Johnson feels you keep in touch with your audience and reflect their tastes the same way you would with music. "You don’t have charts or field as many research projects in this area as you would music," explains Johnson, "but, like keeping a feel for current music, you still need to surround yourself with the target life group. Interns are an incredible resource at younger skewed formats. Let’s not forget to spend some time yourself at lifestyle events and your own promotions."

"I always look for common reference points and elements of everyday life in the media and elsewhere that my target audience can relate to," says Michaels.

"If there’s a great line in a Simpsons episode or another show of that genre, I like to make sure it’s plugged into a sweeper for the next day. The immediacy of seeing a show one night and hearing elements of it on the air afterwards is a great way to relate to our demo."

With tongue firmly planted in cheek (like a great creative imaging mind), Frost continues with these pearls of wisdom on trying to stay in touch with your target audience. "It’s hard," relates Frost, "because you grow out of your own demo. Then you get gray, get shingles, and eventually die. Then you can’t go to the clubs, concerts, and skateboard shops that your audience is going to because of that giant iron lung you’re attached to. So instead, you have to read young and watch young T.V. Keep track of young as much as you can, and don’t talk about iron lung maintenance. Kids find that a real ‘downer’."

There are several other elements that will help your radio station achieve the kind of creative production necessary to make it’s stationality stand out amidst the competition. These key elements include creative writing, a strong relationship between the Program Director and creative Production Director, and a knowledge of the cutting edge technology available in the future.

"Writing is critical, and content is king" notes Johnson. "All the flashy sound effects, flamboyant editing, and cutting edge music beds will not make a lasting impression with out writing that is poignant, funny, entertaining, well targeted, or emotionally striking."

"I encourage my production imaging director to draw from a broad spectrum of influences when writing material for production," continues Johnson. "We talk constantly about what will make our station a more foreground medium. We strive to give our audience the unexpected. We want them to look down at their radio dial and ask ‘what the hell was that?’"

It is the job of the production director to create the aural vision of the radio station that the program director wants to achieve. This puts a priority on the relationship and communication skills of the programmer and production person.

The relationship between Schock and his image production director Malcolm Ryker goes back to 1994 when Schock hired Ryker to work for him at the now defunct KNAC. "We clicked immediately," remembers Schock. "He and I would sit around for hours after work coming up with new angles and ideas. We took those ideas with us to Denver and put together some of the most creative and fun radio either of us have ever done."

"That creativity has carried over to 91X," continues Schock. "Malcolm and I are very different people who really compliment each other. I always refer to us as Lennon and McCartney with less talent. We’re to the point where he knows what he can just throw on the air and what I’d need to hear first. He knows what the vision is and I trust him. He does some amazing work for 91X and several other stations in the Clear Channel family."

The biggest challenge to traditional radio in the future will be the impending competition from Satellite and Internet radio. Michaels is taking advantage of existing technology to fortify his radio station right now. "We’re branding ourselves as part of the radio revolution," proclaims Michaels. "Our internet audio is promoted as diligently and effectively as each of the other elements of the station."

"We also have an additional marketing tool of a low power television station in Anchorage that we broadcast a studio feed from 24/7. We are essentially a radio station, a television station, and an internet audio delivery service. It gives us an imaging edge on the competition."