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Programming & Music
This essay, What Makes A Great Sign-On?, was written by Sean Ross for Radio-Info.com's Programming & Music column.
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What Makes A Great Sign-On?
Whether you’re inside or outside the industry—format changes are always one of the best things about being a radio junkie. And after a year or so where the economy froze stations in their tracks, this summer has been a big one. At present, New Yorkers and Chicagoans are focused on the interim formats at WRXP and WKQX respectively—as in the old days before streaming, they’re the only ones who can hear them. But there have been plenty of others in recent months.But what makes a great launch for the listener? It’s not hard to become self-indulgent, filling up a five-minute launch promo with in-jokes, aimed at the rival programmers who are camped around the radio. Some launches are remembered decades later. WHTZ (Z100) New York’s 1983 launch and MTV’s soon to be celebrated thirtieth anniversary are such that nobody mentions them without the first song played (“Eye Of The Tiger” and “Video Killed The Radio Star”) respectively. So what propelled them into legend?
One key ingredient is that the Z100 and MTV sign-ons were needed in the first place. The best way to have a memorable launch is to fill a need in the market. Radio history is full of elaborately produced launches for failed stations the market didn’t need. Then there are the stations that just showed up with the first legal ID and acted like they had always been there all along—particularly Mike Joseph’s Hot Hits or KPWR (Power 106) Los Angeles. Other stations have successfully evolved without ever having a format change moment, such as KUMU Honolulu and KYOT Phoenix, which just eliminated anything that wasn’t a Jammin’ Oldie from their previous formats over a period of months.
There are some clichés of the format launch that are better ended. There’s a recent tendency to launch with what sounds like every hook promo on the station strung together into one long stager. This one seems to be part of the aftermath of Jack-FM and its top-of-the-hour IDs that went well beyond the standard three songs. And while that was definitely part of the early excitement of Jack, there’s now a feeling of “show me, don’t tell me” that kicks in around the sixth hook or so.
I’m also not a fan of smokescreen formats. They’re a lot of effort at a time when stations have no shortage of other things to do. And their only impact on listeners is to attract some who will be disappointed when the real format comes along. And The Cheesecake Factory never feels the need to launch a new restaurant location by tricking customers into expecting a Famous Dave’s.
That said, I do like launch stunts that embellish the new format. Internet Oldies station Pop Gold Radio launched by signing on with WABC New York’s Top 1,000 songs of the ’60s, which made a statement about what to expect. WCBS-FM New York returned in 2007 with a “time tunnel” montage of hooks from the station’s new era in chronological order, but what I remember was that Frankie Valli was on hand after the launch as well.
There are a lot of stations these days that use their launch promos as the top-of-the-hour ID several times (or every hour) over the next few days. If it’s tiresome and not energizing to hear the launch promo a second or third time during the early days of a radio station, that’s probably a sign that it was too elaborate in the first place.
The 10,000 songs in a row with no commercials that once sounded so impressive are in danger of becoming as worn out as any other “songs-in-a-row” figure. WQSH (Crush 105.7) Albany, N.Y.’s “commercial free until Super Bowl Sunday” cut through better.
So what makes a great launch? What were your favorites? Your thoughts are encouraged.
About the Writer
Sean Ross, one of the radio and music industry’s most widely respected writers and programming analysts, is the author of the newsletter Ross On Radio, an extension of his long-running column of the same name.
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What makes a great sign-on? 1. Filling a much-needed market void. 2. Having live and local air personalities that can be used to promote your station aggressively in the first three months. 3. Having a budget to hire live and local air personalities, a marketing and promotions team, an experienced director and a savvy GSM. 4. Outdoor and TV that isn't throwaway. Think of great TV campaigns - GEICO comes to mind. Don't give the viewer the obvious, and be humorous. 5. Respond to your market does not mean "10,000 great songs in a row you haven't heard in a while" or bribing new listeners with $$. Be original and become a part of the community. Have your air talent become trusted friends and connect. Lastly, one should always play Martin Denny's "Quiet Village" when signing on for the very first time. If you're going Top 40/CHR, your first song should be "Party Rock Anthem." If you're going Rock, "Welcome to the Jungle." If you're going Jammin' Oldies, "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" or "Wanna' Be Startin' Something Somethin'" If you're crazy enough to go Modern Rock, like I would, especially in a market with acculturated Latino men, I'd debut with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and immediately follow it up with "Pumped Up Kicks" to set the tone of what the station is intended to do right off the bat. If you're going Classic Rock or Oldies, you should be shot because you're a lemming and ignoring the fact that tons of listeners under 40 are not listening to the radio because there's nothing for them. So give Hendrix and Zeppelin a rest already, especially if there's already a market home for this. Lastly, the Oldies Arc is at 1987, so if you're going Oldies you should be playing Hot Hits that made WCAU-FM a success. But what do I know ... I'm a bad air personality who was an editor at R&R and never programmed a radio station.
I seem to recall a funny, supposedly automated "Seque" on WIXZ-1360 in McKeesport several decades ago. One of the most frustrating more recently was the WAMO-100 signon where "10,000 songs in a row" actually involved a lot of repeats and a lot of references to how a full-power FM rival sucked. If you don't like rap to begin with, and I would prefer R&B and old school, thank you, it made for a nerve-wracking listen.
Like Adam, I've had a lot of format ideas, but no experience as a programmer. Years ago, given the keys to start a Jack FM Variety Hits format, I would have launched with Sly Fox "Let's Go All The Way." I think that would be a great start to Variety Hits, Hot AC (with 80s), 80s hit-based format, etc.
Good column Sean! Regarding favorite launches, even though "The Wolf" (KBWF) didn't stick with the country format in San Francisco, their original launch audio was fantastic! Sonically, it really captured the spirit of the city, and the production value was outstanding.
When you ask What Makes A Great Sign-On?, the answer depends on the era and location you come from. Today, "sign-on" means the debut broadcast of a new station (or an old station with a new format). Not so in my day. As a child of the 60's and early 70's in south Georgia, almost every radio station left the air for the night at either sunset or anywhere from 10:00 PM to 12:00 midnight...even in the larger cities. As such, they all returned to the air at anytime from 5:00 to 6:00 AM (or sunrise, if later). Although only required to give a short and simple legal station I.D., most had special music and very detailed announcements that preceeded the day's regular programming. In my opinion, the one used by WBBT in Lyons, Georgia qualifies as a "great sign-on": (Spirited, up-tempo version of "Dixie" - fade rolling drum roll intro for:) "From deep in the heart of Dixie, this is radio station W-B-B-T from Lyons, Georgia, signing on for another day's broadcast activities. W-B-B-T is operated by the Toombs County Broadcasting Company, Incorporated, and our studios and transmitting facilities are located on North Victory Drive in Lyons, Georgia, the Tobacco Center of southeast Georgia. W-B-B-T operates on the federally assigned frequency of thirteen hundred forty kilocycles, with a maximum authorized output power of one kilowatt, reduced to a quarter kilowatt prior to sunrise and after sunset. W-B-B-T is a member of the Associated Press and affiliated with the Mutual Broadcasting System, your source for news every hour on the hour and half-hour. On behalf of the staff of W-B-B-T, this is Joe Duggan. Please keep your radio tuned to 13-40 until sign-off tonight, for news, weather, sports and the best in good country music" (into Pepper Tanner jingle "Come along with us, we've got a good thing goin' - on W-B-B-T at 13-40").
Having piloted almost a dozen start-ups, one of the biggest, most-important things is to sign-on sounding like you've been on and successful for five years. You get one chance to make a great first impression...if you sound like you're having 'growing pains' the first few days, you might not get a second chance. I've actually put airstaffs through off-air dry runs so they feel comfortable and confident from their first break. Sign-on sounding like a #1 station, work & hustle more than your direct competitors and totally engage your new audience, will get you great early results. Of course, there are a ton of other things that are really important...this is probably @ the top of the list for me (assuming you've done the big picture stuff right, like filling the right hole, etc.).
