Ace Burpee has good ideas. His annual list of the 100 Most Fascinating Manitobans of 2015 was unveiled last week in the Metro News Winnipeg. Ace has interwoven his show and persona into the province so well since becoming morning host at Hot 103 (Now 103.1 Virgin Radio), over a decade ago.
The people on the list are similar to Ace as they contribute to their communities at the highest level. They are also like Ace, in that they "do good things", following Ace's own marketing strategy. When Ace was program director of Hot 103, the station was equally branded as "we do good things."
Those values live on today, not only with the "100 Most Fascinating Manitobans", but also monthly with the Virgin Radio's "Winnipegger of the Month" in which the Mayor of Winnipeg, Brian Bowman, joins Ace on air to congratulate the recipient. Listen to this radio gold from October. Absolutely awesome. (An oft-used word on the show)
So what can you steal from Ace's playbook? It's not about generating a list of 100 people and getting the local paper to run it. It's about being true to yourself, your show, and your community. Whether you do mornings, afternoon drive, evenings, or you're the general manager, you and your station will not be successful without giving back to your community and staying true to these values on an ongoing basis.
In the 90's, I had the great fortune at working at a 100.3 The Bear in Edmonton which (still has) a reputation for pushing the envelope to the edge. The station is known for being outlandish at times, but it also gives back to the community through the Bear Children's Fund.
Whether it's raising money through sales of its BearWear, or Bear Babes Calendars, listeners love a station engrained in the community.
So often you hear broadcasters say that the future of radio is being local. It's not. That notion was debunked in one blog by Pat Holiday last month.
The operative words you need to consider are COMPELLING and COMMUNITY.