Every week in connected, we share trends and insights on the convergence of digital media with traditional broadcast media. Already this year we have talked about effectively curating social media, dealing with excuses and objections related to digital sales, insight into mobile ad networks, and the inside-scoop on “connected cars.”

This week, we are featuring the evolving role of a General Manager in broadcasting.

Now, managing a broadcasting P&L is more complex and demanding than ever. The brands driving a company ledger are no longer just AM, FM, or TV—and they require an entrepreneurial approach. Managers are forced to be creative about managing the growth of businesses day-to-day. Our industry is faced with increased competition and (in many cases) fewer people resources.

As a consultant to broadcasters in markets large and small, we are finding that a new type of leader is required for most broadcasters to succeed. Today, managers need to have an exceptional ability to multitask, inspire a team, keep an eye on new trends, and think entrepreneurially about their enterprise.

Now, some ideas on how you can refresh your perspective of how this role influences the business of a radio station. Here are nine basic areas for today’s General Manager to consider.

1. Compensation Structures and Personnel Management. Restructuring compensation to match the company goals is an important part of communicating priorities to your team. How will they understand which goals are most important unless compensation is structured in a way that incentivizes them? Does your team know what success looks like for your company? They will when they are compensated for hitting certain audience and revenue goals! Compensation helps goal-minded people understand where they need to “move the needle.”

2. Positive Leadership and Top Notch Training. A positive and optimistic vision for the future is essential regardless of the industry. In media, we have generations of velocity behind a very specific way of doing business. We have clear systems that generate ratings and revenue for our enterprises. Changing those systems means that thorough training and professional development must be a part of a successful company’s game plan. How are you investing in the future of your team?

3. Asset Management. Do you have a thorough understanding of your company’s assets—and what you are actually supervising? You’re not just overseeing an AM/FM/TV signal anymore. What else do you have at your disposal? Get clear on what you are overseeing—and where you are responsible for generating results.

a. Station Website
b. Other Local Company Websites
c. Internet-Radio / Streaming Audio
d. Station Database
e. Facebook
f. Twitter Feeds (your station’s and your on-air talents’)
g. Online Video
h. Dot Com’s beyond the Station Brand

4. Standards. Do you have a “buck stops here” mentality about your stations? Ultimately, you are the quality controller. You can hire smart brand managers, but you set the standards of what is acceptable or not as part of your company. Are you monitoring what is happening outside of your on-air programming? Have you listened to your stream today? Have you looked at the station’s Facebook page? Is anyone from your station monitoring what feedback comes from your audience on Twitter?

5. Digital Futurevision. Stay connected to trends and new developments in the digital space. Do you have a clear understanding of how your audience uses digital media? You don’t need to become a techie—but you need to be in touch with how technology is used by your audience. A basic understanding of technology can empower a more dynamic vision for how your company can maneuver and grow in the digital space. In order to succeed, you need to be able to tell a story about how your brand solves a problem for its audience/advertising customers.

6. Goals. Setting goals is arguably the most important part of your role as a manager. You have to know where you’re going before you figure out how to get there. I encourage clients to look at several key metrics when setting audience goals. The following are key metrics that we track on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis:

• On-Air Cume (per week)
• On-Air Time Spent Listening / Viewing (per week)
• Website Unique Visitors (per month)
• Website Page Views (per month)
• Ad Impressions Served (per month)
• App Downloads (per month)
• App Opens (per month)
• Streaming Cume (per week)
• Streaming Tune-Ins (per week)
• Total Streaming Hours (per week)
• E-mail Database Subscribers (per month)
• E-mail Average Open Rate (per month)
• Facebook Fans (per month)
• Twitter Followers (per month

When goals are clear, there’s less micromanaging and day-to-day drama in the workplace. Everyone gets their direction.

7. Competition. The level of sophistication of most managers today in radio or TV is simply to understand what share they are getting of “radio dollars” or “local TV dollars” in the market. While that is fundamental and important in the future context of a manager’s role, it is also important to widen your scope of understanding competitive ad services in the market. Do you understand Google ads, Facebook ads, cable, connected TV, and other emerging technologies that are targeting your buyers for a share of their marketing dollars? Stay close to your clients to understand how their marketing budgets and buys are changing. Stay focused on new prospects and businesses coming into the marketplace too, and get a better understanding of their needs.

8. Social Media. Pursue real connectedness with your target audience and media buyers. Now, with social media, it’s easier than ever to find a real understanding of your audience and their habits. It’s also easier than ever to stay in touch with your business partners and prospect for new buyers. When is the last time you really profiled your target and “got into their heads?” How are you using social media to keep in touch with your audience and create more tune-in for your station?

9. Staying Fresh. Every day brings a new challenge and opportunity. Tackle them proactively. Keep your solution-oriented mind engaged. Stay alive, awake, and alert. Take care of yourself, and encourage your people to take care of themselves too. Don’t wake up tomorrow and realize that the industry (or your audience or advertisers) has passed you by. Take the opportunity to be proactive now and stay paced with your audience’s media habits and sponsor’s buying preferences. What are you doing to improve yourself and your ability to manage the company on an ongoing basis? Are you evaluating your own progress and updating your skill set?