Hyperextension

Ouch…

It’s hard to watch an NFL game any weekend without seeing at least one athlete limping off the field with a “hyperextended” knee or gingerly holding a “hyperextended” elbow.

Lots of families here and around the world are stressed because the resources on which they live have been hyperextended. They’re trying to live somewhat normally as prices rise and incomes fall or disappear.

Radio has cut manpower inside stations so drastically that most GMs and PDs are critically over-extended. They barely have time to focus on today, much less imagine what tomorrow might need.

too-much-work

 

In fact, the only area in our business not over-extended is the emphasis on creativity, doing something totally new.

We’ve sacrificed the “Oh, wow!” of hearing something so brilliant and unexpected that it refuses to be ignored to save a few salaries here and there.

Now that Bob Pittman is running Clear Channel, maybe he can begin to push the pendulum back the other way.

If we’re going to over-extend any part of our business, let’s make it the creative part.

Let’s push every member of our teams, both on- and off-air to bring something fresh to their tasks today.

Let’s give programmers and managers time to think and daydream.

Let’s give stations a budget to hire brilliant writers and creative geniuses to produce ads that not only sell product but delight the listeners who hear them.

Let’s over-extend our budgets for a year or two and see if we can’t then find new ways to still hit revenue targets.

Let’s push ourselves, not just to save money, but to create brilliance.