What Does the Listener Need Next?
Every programming decision changes the one that should follow it.
After a long commercial break, maybe the listener needs a reward.
After fifteen minutes of personality, maybe they need music.
After several unfamiliar songs, maybe they need something familiar.
After a relentless stretch of energy, maybe they need the station to settle.
The point isn't that any of those choices are always right.
It's that what came before should influence what comes next.
Over time, I realized many of the observations I was making during Listening Window monitors were really pointing me toward the same question.
What does the listener need next?
It's a deceptively simple question.
The difficult part isn't asking it.
It's answering it.
Because the answer is always changing.
A clock gives a station structure.
Listening gives it judgment.
Programming isn't just deciding what comes next.
It's deciding what should come next.
Mike Lavallee
