The Element of Surprise

September 3, 2026

When was the last time your radio station surprised your listeners? I mean truly surprised them. Radio loves its formats. Our formats have rules and boundaries. Ever since the advent of PPM we, as an industry, have played it safer and safer. Eliminate the negatives! Prevent tune out! Stay in your lane!

Image by Gustavo Fring of Pexels.

As a result, we have become risk averse. We don’t take chances because—what if they fail?

The better question is—what if they work?

According to AI, a pleasant surprise creates the following cycle:

• Freeze: Cognitive function briefly pauses for a fraction of a second to stop and absorb the unexpected stimulus.
• Find: Curiosity activates as your brain tries to figure out what just happened.
• Shift: Your perception adapts and updates its view of reality based on the positive outcome.

It also releases dopamine and couldn’t we all use a bit more of that right now?

I understand that being spontaneous and unpredictable takes planning. Today’s radio programmers don’t really have that kind of “free” time. Radio staff have also been reduced to the point where there are fewer opportunities to brainstorm or spit ball ideas.

Creativity is a process. It takes time to ferment. It also needs an encouraging environment. Programmers need to feel safe to take educated risks.

I spend a lot of time looking at Nielsen data. I can tell you that playing an unexpected song that is not on your safe list is not going to kill your station’s ratings. Especially if you do this for a reason. At best it will get a listener’s attention. At worst, it’s just more audio wallpaper.

We have let things like music tests narrow our view of the music world. We have, ironically, reinforced the old listener complaint that we play the same songs “over and over.” The pure plays have given listeners control over what they hear. If radio is to grow, it needs to rethink format structure.

I hate to use the outside the box cliché, but we are so locked into our “best” and “most” slogans that we forget our primary mission is entertainment. Sorry, but ten in a row is not entertainment.

Here’s a thought. Get your staff together for a play date. Include people from other departments. Go off campus, if you can. Feed them. Then open the floor for discussion. What can you do differently? There are no bad ideas. Be outrageous. Be bold. Be daring. This is not only a great team building exercise, the results may…wait for it…surprise you.

How delightful.

Feel free to tell me I’m full of it: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com

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