The Care Factor

Randy Lane and Mike Donovan

Imagine people so passionate about a grocery store that they joyfully stand in long lines anticipating the opening of a new one, and get tattoos to show their loyalty.

CBS Sunday Morning recently aired a story about Wegman’s Supermarket and its focus on the “care factor” for its food, employees, and the people it hires. Wegmans puts extra care into all its food products, and it honors employees with higher pay and benefits.

Consultant, talent coach, and friend Mike Donovan told me a GM once said to him, “The biggest problem you’re going to have as PD is that no one on the staff will care as much as you do.” As a programmer or manager, how do you get your staff to care as much about the product and content as Wegmans?

The difference between a manager and a talent who shows up and checks the boxes is someone who makes an impact on audience engagement and overall station success because they care.

TALENT & PD CHECKLIST

Consider these points to assess your talent and programmer’s care factor, or to evaluate a potential hire.

Programmer: Team Collaboration

• Cares about the team dynamic. They make co-hosts, producers, and contributors feel heard, supported, and part of the mission.
   
• Works to elevate staff performance in a collaborative and non-personal manner.

Preparation & Curiosity

• Does extensive prep. They research local stories, pop culture, and audience trends to facilitate fresh content for their show.
   
• Shows genuine curiosity about the audience, community, and the craft of radio. They ask you questions, seek feedback, and are students of successful brands.

Strategic Thinking & Ownership

• See the station and show as a brand. They offer initiatives to improve content, sound, and benchmarks.
   
• Respectfully challenge the status quo: suggests thoughtful changes to improve content and marketing on-air and online.  

Natural Enthusiasm

• Talks about radio as a calling, not just a career: expresses deep love for the medium, storytelling, and audience connection.
   
• Listens to other formats and successful shows for inspiration and trends.

Audience-First Mentality

• Consistently consider the listener’s experience: focuses on inclusion, entertainment value, and emotional payoff in every segment.
   
• Understands emotional connection: puts effort into moments that surprise, delight, or resonate emotionally with the audience.

Time Investment Beyond the Clock

• Invests time off-air to rehearse, edit, collaborate with team members, and plan captivating segments.
   
• Volunteers for events and promotions that help deepen station-audience relationships (remotes, charity drives, etc.).

Risk & Personal Touch

• Cares enough to take creative risks: brings unique, personal, and sometimes vulnerable content that humanizes the brand.
   
• Tailors original content to local or audience culture, not cookie-cutter radio.

Feedback Responsiveness

• Proactively asks for feedback, not only accepting it but also seeking it to grow and refine their craft.
   
• Implements feedback consistently: not by giving lip service, but shows improvement over time.

Follow-Through and Detail Orientation

• Double-checks show elements, audio, promos, and transitions are in place, eliminating the chance for error.
   
• Follows through on ideas to completion, going beyond brainstorming and implementing ideas consistently and thoroughly.

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash