Counter programming. Incorporating tactics specifically designed to counter the strength of a competing radio station. We've all done it. 'Nothing wrong with it. Sometimes it's essential to survival. Sometimes, though, it's suicidal.
No matter how good the motivation to counter-program a competitor, it is inherently a defensive move, a follower's tactic. Instead of being motivated by your audience's expectations of your brand, you're making a move to blunt the impact of a competitor. Often these moves are inconsistent with your own brand identity. Then you're chipping away at yourself, with little to gain. There is almost always damage to your own brand, so you better think it out.
Right off the bat, if you're the market leader in your format, it's probably a good rule of thumb to never counter-program. Ever! That's right, never! Just like Coca-Cola does best when they concentrate on being Coke and just promote drinking soda, like McDonalds was at it's best just being Mickey D's and pushing the burger market to new heights, as Budweiser soared highest when they were content to be the King of Beers and promote drinking beer in general, a healthy, well-branded radio station that leads it's marketplace and commands true audience loyalty is best to worry about their own brand, and promote their own format. If you're the top CHR in town and the listening audience for hit radio is growing, your audience is going to be growing. Don't be distracted by an also ran, even one with the sex appeal of being "new". And, for heaven's sake, don't be distracted by a non-format competitor. That's a guaranteed disaster!
Look, it's better to be first than to be better, that's basic Ries & Trout stuff. The old adage "it's easier to get to number one than to stay number one" is exactly wrong. Historically, once you attain number one in your category it takes something catastrophic on your part, usually combined with something majestic on the part of a competitor, to topple you. Be true to your brand, be true to your audience, be the best you can be at being you and ride it out. You'll come out on top! Start changing to counter the also-ran and you just might end up being the also-ran. Start changing to compete with stations you were never meant to compete with and you'll most definitely end up an also-ran.
I recall the 94Z Raleigh story. They came out of the box around 1984 or 1985, guns blazing, big marketing budget, hipper, cooler and fresher than the market's legendary format leader, G105. 94Z was also riding the crest of the Z100 wave, complete with a very funny Morning Zoo, while G105 was hanging with market legend John Van Pelt. With each book, the challenger drew closer to the champion, finally pulling even. Then, the master stroke. 94Z hired Van Pelt away from G105, putting him in afternoon drive, while leaving their very impressive Morning Zoo in place. The pale of death was in the air...until the next ratings came out. G105, sans Van Pelt, still bounced up. 94Z went down for the first time ever. And the trend continued. The last time I checked, G105 still dominates the format in Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill. 94Z was out of the format before the end of the eighties.
For second tier stations, effective counter programming can serve a purpose, in small doses. Primarily it helps to create an association with the format leader in the format listener's mind. Oh, Station B is doing that like (or because, or instead of) Station A. Ahh, Station B must be like Station A (as in, a station for me to consider). Let's be honest, all counter programming can be categorized as either imitation or insulting. You're trying to do something they do, or putting down something they do. Either way, you're really just drawing a comparison for the format's listeners. (Again I ask, why would a format leader do this?)
Even with second tier stations, counter programming has it's limits. Ultimately, you have to establish your own identity, legitimate reasons for listeners to be passionate about you. Being like your competitor isn't going to do it, unless you're content being the first place they go for a song when their favorite station happens to be playing something they don't like.
For whatever reason, most of my programming career has found me taking the reigns at fallen heritage stations, where I was then charged with restoring them to their past glory. On more than one occasion I arrived on the scene to discover a station that was nothing more than a collection of counter programming tactics. Everything they were doing was in response to something that was happening on another radio station in the market, often in a different format. (On a positive note, if you find yourself in this situation, it's incredibly easy to fix it, and make yourself look like a genius!).
I've known GM's and programmers who revamped the station's music library and position based on the website of a non-format competitor. I've known PDs who'd add any "classic" song they heard on a competitor. I've known stations who's entire promotional campaigns were always duplicates of their competitors campaigns by design. I've known of one market leading PD who would make changes to his station anytime the brash upstart made fun of something they were doing on the air. In his case, he was played by his challenger like a violin. The more logical something he did was, the more likely his competitor was to lampoon it, and every time, he changed it...until his station fell in the ratings and he lost his job.
If I've got the market's format leader I'm not counter-programming anyone, ever! Period! If I'm occupying a different rung on the ladder, I will use counter-programming tactics carefully and infrequently, when it's been well thought out and it truly helps us blunt the strength of the market leader. And my format's market leader is the only station I'd ever consider counter-programming. And I don't mean a related format (Classic Rock isn't Active Rock isn't Mainstream Rock isn't Alternative; Traditional Country isn't Modern Country; CHR isn't AC isn't Hot AC, etc.). To do otherwise, I'm convinced, is to counter-program yourself out of a job!
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