I can see both sides here but let's switch it around.
Let's say you assemble some investors and manage to assemble the capital to buy a radio station in a rated market. Let's just say the price is $5 million. You're not out to be the new group owner with hundreds of stations. You are okay with just acquiring one station in the city where you live.
Now you have a radio station, investors and money to pay back via monthly payments. You are $5 million in the hole walking around with an asset you need to develop in order for it to be worth $5 million to a potential buyer.
How are you going to program it as the President of your radio company?
Choose your direction:
1) analyze the market and determine a way you can develop a large enough audience to pay back the debt and produce a profit. Your thinking is you don't care if you like the station personally or not. The objective is to produce the income to pay back the debt and turn a profit. You look for a 'hole' in the market and other stations elsewhere that have a proven track record of success filling the same 'hole' and take your best shot at filling that 'hole'.
or
2) follow your heart and program the station in a way you believe it should be programmed. After all, if that's what you'd want to hear on the radio there are many others who would feel the same way. You figure there are some that follow the safe routes and others that create new routes to success and you're the pioneer that forges a new trail. You can point out others that have done this. After all, it is the road less traveled that changes things and advances civilization. Certainly everybody would not be able to afford a car if Henry Ford had followed the 'safe' route. There are many others like him.
So, now with a radio station as your responsibility, what will you choose? Will it be important to play what radio is not playing or will it be more important to model your station after those with a proven track record of success that opted to fill the same 'hole'? And if you choose #1, what do you say to those that criticize your playlist?
Let's say you assemble some investors and manage to assemble the capital to buy a radio station in a rated market. Let's just say the price is $5 million. You're not out to be the new group owner with hundreds of stations. You are okay with just acquiring one station in the city where you live.
Now you have a radio station, investors and money to pay back via monthly payments. You are $5 million in the hole walking around with an asset you need to develop in order for it to be worth $5 million to a potential buyer.
How are you going to program it as the President of your radio company?
Choose your direction:
1) analyze the market and determine a way you can develop a large enough audience to pay back the debt and produce a profit. Your thinking is you don't care if you like the station personally or not. The objective is to produce the income to pay back the debt and turn a profit. You look for a 'hole' in the market and other stations elsewhere that have a proven track record of success filling the same 'hole' and take your best shot at filling that 'hole'.
or
2) follow your heart and program the station in a way you believe it should be programmed. After all, if that's what you'd want to hear on the radio there are many others who would feel the same way. You figure there are some that follow the safe routes and others that create new routes to success and you're the pioneer that forges a new trail. You can point out others that have done this. After all, it is the road less traveled that changes things and advances civilization. Certainly everybody would not be able to afford a car if Henry Ford had followed the 'safe' route. There are many others like him.
So, now with a radio station as your responsibility, what will you choose? Will it be important to play what radio is not playing or will it be more important to model your station after those with a proven track record of success that opted to fill the same 'hole'? And if you choose #1, what do you say to those that criticize your playlist?
