Try Something New

February 1, 2024

“‘… babe, I got you babe, I got you babe.’ Okay, campers, rise and shine and don’t forget your booties ‘cause it’s cold out there today. It’s cold out there every day. What is this, Miami Beach? Not hardly. And, you know you can expect hazardous travel later today with that … you know, that uh … that blizzard thing …”

What if you heard that every morning at 6 a.m. for weeks?

Not to mention it’s the same morning. That’s what Bill Murray’s character, Phil Connors, heard in the movie Groundhog Day every day until he broke the cycle and finally kissed Andie MacDowell. He eventually learned his lesson after attempting to get out of the same day many different ways, including taking the groundhog off a cliff.

As you may know, tomorrow is Groundhog Day; the one famous day a year when we trust a rodent with the weather report and when we learn if spring is coming early or if we have to endure winter longer. Spoiler alert: even if Punxsutawney Phil doesn’t see his shadow, winter isn’t just coming; it’s here, and for six more weeks. As an aside, I had to look up whether seeing his shadow was good or bad. Apparently seeing his shadow means we’re stuck with this weather for another month and a half longer.

Being a relatively new Pennsylvania resident, I have a little more vested interest in the fabled groundhog than in previous years. As I said in the paragraph above, not seeing his shadow is irrelevant. But, thankfully, we’ve gotten some warmth that did melt the recent snow. Maybe he has some control of the air temperature after all; we actually hit 80 degrees near the office last week, a record high.

What can the radio industry learn from the two Phils, Punxsutawney and Mr. Connors’ respectively? First, make sure you have your insurance (ideally sold by Stephen Tobolowsky); but secondly, don’t fall into the trap of doing the same thing the same way over and over and over again. Sure, if a segment or promotion works you can keep doing it, but change it up a bit. Try doing something special for your digital-only listeners or maybe add a social media component.

I hear those millennials really like “the TikTok” (he says like he’s not one himself). TikTok is easy for someone to go down the rabbit (or groundhog) hole and spend countless hours scrolling. Why not have someone spend some of that time watching your videos?

Routine can get stale, so try something new! Don’t go completely off a cliff and change everything if something is working well, but also don’t assume some variety can’t be the spice of your life. You may get out of a rut you didn’t even know you were in.

If you need some help, we’ve got you babes!

-Matt Weaver, Information Systems Coordinator

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