Living In The Moment

One of the things I talk about from time to time is “living in the moment.”  It’s really difficult for me to do, but I try and I wish I could.  I am one of those people who worries about things that haven’t happened, may never happen, or already happened.  Even when things are going well I’m worried about when it’s going to turn bad.  I don’t consider myself a pessimist, but I’m obviously always thinking about what could go wrong and try to avoid that so I can elongate the happy and good times.  Living In The Moment is a trait  your radio station should have which would make it unique and set us apart from every other radio station that is programmed a week in advance. 

There was a time I programmed rainy day songs on days it was raining.  I would purposely “spike” songs that represented “feeling good” or “sunshine” on sunny days.  I picked up the energy and tempo on “feel good weekends” and I would look for some mellow songs that could help a listener chill out and relax for the 11pm hour.  Moon Dance/Van Morrison was played as a Power in and around Halloween and deep into the autumn.  I would look for the best Summer songs to launch that season over a Memorial Day/Canada Day weekend. 

When I was programming in Louisville, KY in the late 70s we had a minor earthquake.  While listeners were busy calling our phone lines to ask, “what happened?”  I was scrambling the music library to find Carol King song “I Feel The Earth Move.”  We played it every hour for a day.  It was big news that there was an earthquake in Louisville, KY.  I wanted our radio station to be the one that related to it.  I can not recall any listener ever coming up to me and saying, “I loved it when you played I Feel The Earth Move,” but I do believe that it was something that made them feel good about listening to 790AM/WAKY. 

When an artists dies, we scramble to find that performers music and spotlight it.  When a disaster takes place or a tragedy occurs we look for that one song that best explains or relates to how we are all feeling.  What’s happening right now that you can relate to?  What’s going on right now that makes you better than the station across the street, that’s been programmed 7 days in advance? 

You don’t have to be a local talent or even a live talent to have that relate ability.  I expect and demand it from the local talent we coach.  I enjoy it when I hear it nationally syndicated with network talent we coach.  While driving from Cleveland to Toronto a few months ago I was listening to a radio station in Jamestown, NY.  I had the top down on my car and it was a beautiful sunny day as I speed along with what was likely at least 10 miles over the speed limit.  I looked at the sky and saw the paper trails of numerous jets criss-crossing.  The trail on these numerous planes hung in the air almost as if they were clouds that played tic-tac-toe.  It was at that moment the air personality on this Jamestown, NY radio station said, “I just walked outside in the parking lot looked up and you won’t believe how beautiful the sky is with the paper trails of the jets criss-crossing.  If you have the chance you need to stick your head out the door or window and look at that.  I’ve never seen anything like that.”  That is living in the moment.