From the MCRFB NEWS archive: 1964

The Bill Gavin Newsletter (March 7, 1964)

From the Desk of Bill Gavin  Billboard Contributing Editor

T H E   P R O G R A M   D I R E C T O R   I S   the most important single factor in the success of modern radio. Everyone knows that success is compounded from many different elements: music, deejays, promotion and publicity, news and newsmen, community relations, and production. Each of these elements involves the PD. The way he handles them can make or break a station.

Let us note in passing that the PD may not always exercise decisive control. The station manager determines what degree of responsibility and authority is delegated to the PD. Some few managers find it difficult – if not impossible – to
delegate authority. They control and direct most program functions themselves. In such cases, the title of PD is worn with some discomfort by a man who serves chiefly as both errand boy and whipping boy for the boss.

I know of certain managers who handle the program chores very well. I know of others who make a mess of the job. Most of these problem managers assign responsibility without proportionate authority. They give the PD a job to do but fail to back up his decisions. The manager who wants to direct his own programming should honestly admit it, and should take full personal responsibility for the result. It is unfortunately a not infrequent human failing to pass the buck, and to some managers, the PD is simply a built-in alibi for failure.

L O O K   A T   A N Y   O U T S T A N D I N G  radio success today and you will probably find a top-notch program director who operates with 100 per cent management backing. Let’s look more closely and see what qualifies the successful PD needs for his job.

His most difficult task is directing his deejays. Stars of opera, theater and movies frequently make headlines with their tempermental tantrums. But as a group their egos are no more fragile, expansive or explosive than those of the disk jockey fraternity. How do you persuade a half-dozen or so talented mike men that they are part of a team, and not just individuals trying to enhance their reputations? How do you build their pride in being part of a winning team in preference to pride only in the ratings of their particular shows? How can you persuade a top rated jock that that your occasional corrections are intended helpfully and not fault finding inspired by jealous envy? While formula radio may be a big thing these days, there is no known formula for answering these questions. The best answers can be found in any of those top -rated stations with an unusually low personnel turnover in the program department.

The program director is the idea man. Constructive new programming ideas are the life blood of modern radio. New features, new promotions, new jingles, new devices and techniques – these are all a part of the PD’s job. This doesn’t necessarily mean that he himself must be the sole originator of all new ideas at his stations. Too many good men have stubbed their toes on that ivory tower philosophy. The important thing is that he stimulate a constant interchange of ideas among the people in his department. Then he must know how to put it to work. While the pd need not he the idea creator, he must be the focal point of creativeness and the instigator of good thinking.

A N Y   P R O G R A M   D I R E C T O R   W H O  assumes the full authority for selecting his station’s music cannot possibly have enough time left for his other duties. Some PD’s have an assistant who “screens” the new releases and presents the best for his final determination. Such a course is less time consuming. But it has drawbacks. A good PD is not necessarily a good music man. Selection of the right music is
too important to be just a part of a man’s time. It is better done if it is someone’s full time responsibility in the music department.

One occasionally hears the question: Whose side is the PD on? Management’s? or the DJ’s? Whenever you hear such a question, mark it down as coming from a dysfunctional station. There should be no “sides” within a successful station. The only “other” side is outside: the enemy is the competition. The program director is a constant liaison between the front office and the announcer’s booth. The needs and problems of all parties channel through him. He is not a messenger boy, carrying orders in one direction and gripes in the other. He is an interpreter, whose skill is understanding and whose goal is better cooperation. END

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(Information and news source: Billboard; March 7, 1964)