Programming The Hit (Stories)

A few years ago, I attended editorial meetings at some of America’s biggest newspapers and was appalled at the unsophistication. They were wingin’ it. Free form. There’s some romance to the floating of story ideas and the discussions that ensued, but there was a complete lack of science to balance out the emotion in the room

In other words, they had no systems to assure that the stories used were the right stories for their target audience.

In the heyday of competitive radio, winning stations played the hits and the up-and-coming hits based on the audience they’re seeking to dominate. It’s like a naval battle—hit the enemy ship enough times and it sinks. If every shot is a direct strike, the ship goes down. Non hit songs were like misses. Play the hits and you win the battle as every shot is a direct strike

This idea applies to most competitive mass appeal businesses. Even a McDonalds menu consists of hits mixed with high potential new items. Few misses

News stories are like that. Stories of intense interest to the target. At the newspaper there was no science to balance the emotion. In the ultra competitive world of information, you need to use every tool to determine the “hits.”

I took notes and later checked them among the stories that became ones of great interest. They missed a lot of them. The obvious big stories that developed were not necessarily always the ones being pitched and used.

Perhaps news and information media can learn from other businesses who can’t afford not to present “the hits.” Emotion and gut is part of the mix, but so is using all available tools to insure the stories are dead on the mark and hitting the ship.

The hits vary by target of course and in todays niche and position focused environment, you need to be immersed in exactly who you’re target is

Winning information services play hits and have the discipline to explore new stories that are brutally in sync with the demographic and psychographic targets which are unique to every service.