For a kid who never really had dreams of working outside of his hometown of Memphis, the ride has been full of experiences ever since I ventured away from home to try this ‘on the road’ broadcast management thing. One thing snowballed into the next and now with a few number one stations, a successful stint consulting major broadcast/satellite radio companies, and a few major markets on my wall of accomplishments – I’ve decided to share some things I’ve picked up in my first few months as Program Director of KJLH-FM in Los Angeles.

1. If you never forget your community, they’ll never forget you.
2. Progress is never a straight line, it’s full of twists and turns.
3. Authenticity matters, consumers gravitate towards people who are more like them.
4. Energy creates momentum and people follow momentum – create and/or manufacture moments of energy at all times behind the scenes and on the front lines.
5. Don’t move the furniture and re-paint the walls when you first enter an organization, do your fact-finding first
6. Forcing organizational change is never popular, it will never be clean – but forge ahead anyway.
7. If the idea or opportunity terrifies you, that’s the one you should explore – it’s where your biggest growth opportunity lives.
8. We are witnessing several shifts occur at once (economical, societal, and the workforce). What once was, is no longer . Don’t linger on how it ‘was’ done in the past, don’t get stuck in the “glory days”. Ride the shift and pay attention to how consumer attitudes are changing and find your way into their space.

Bonus: A wise programmer once told me – once your brand isn’t relevant to people who aren’t in your demo then you know you’re on the right track. Your brand/product/service can’t serve everybody but to your intended community, you can be the hero (go back and read #1 again).

Many blessings to you as you navigate these changing times.

By: Chris Malone