In Praise of Rough Edges

In research, lots of stations look to sand off their imperfections, their "rough edges." They hope to make their brands more attractive to more people (or at least less objectionable to some).

Especially for commercial secular radio brands, this has led not only to fewer rough edges but to no edges at all. There are only 200 good songs (and maybe 100 good Christmas songs), according to the research. The rating dials crash during every open-mic moment, so we eliminate those moments or limit them to seven seconds (as if the length of an "interruption" is vastly more important than whatever you fill it with).

The theory goes: If we can free ourselves of every potential listener objection then we will float to the top of the Nielsen rankings like a bubble in the ocean.

Nonsense.

I do research not to remove your rough edges but to understand what edges have value and to invite more of them. Edges of all kinds are imperfections, and the most compelling characters we visit again and again are loaded with them (Indiana Jones may be brave, but he's also afraid of snakes, after all).

Look, if you do nothing but play a continuous string of music, you become even more like Spotify and thus less worthy of existing at all.

Rough edges - imperfections - are catnip. They are what define us and make us, us. And for personalities, they make you, you. And the less "you" you bring to the mic, the less the mic needs you at all.

Howard Stern is much revered in radio circles. Yet if you talk to any Stern fan, they will tell you that for every entertainment peak, you'll hear a series of cringe-worthy valleys. The valleys are literally the price of a peak. And it's one listeners gladly pay.

There's a reason the legendary sitcoms are not wall-to-wall jokes. Jokes are what test well, but if you have nothing but jokes the audience loses interest.

Even in the "straightest" possible scenarios like, say, an expert interview on CNN, look what happens when kids unexpectedly barge into the frame and literally ruin the interview, thus making it must-see and a viral sensation.

"I thought no TV network would ever call me again," said the speaker, Robert Kelly. Boy was he wrong. He was in more demand than ever after this interview.

And as writer Oliver Burkeman noted...

In other words, he is us. And that's what makes this clip so compelling.

And then there's the time during COVID when the San Diego meteorologist was broadcasting from home - which worked out just fine until her dog, Dolly, decided to tackle Ginger the chicken mid-forecast (no animals were harmed during the making of this video - and yes, you really have to watch it).

This meteorologist, Dagmar Midcap, was a champion for animal rights and adoptions - a cause picked up by the station after this episode. Animal adoption became NBC7's cause and Dagmar became its champion. And it became a great reason to watch this news show over any of the other lookalike ones (random hint: Animals matter much more than you think).

So as you strive for perfection, remember that a great movie, a great masterpiece, a great song, a great podcast, a great radio show - all are compelling because of the perfect beauty of imperfection.

Mark Ramsey Media does audience research for Christian Media - Perceptual research, digital studies, donor studies, music studies, etc. Learn more here. Call Mark at 858-414-4191 or email markramsey@mac.com.

And if you want a strategy to solicit major donors to pay for your research, look here and download this Listener Impact Study solicitation for donors from WAKW-FM.

Want to sign up for this newsletter? Do that here.