A Misunderstood Role

They were once known as Program Managers, then Program Directors, and now we call them Content Directors. In the UK and other parts of the world, they are often referred to as Program Controllers, a term that reflects the influence of the BBC or state-owned broadcasters and the relatively recent emergence of commercial radio in Great Britain and other countries. Regardless of the title, the role is unique to radio and is at times misunderstood or under appreciated by some who may not fully grasp the nuances of radio content and the pivotal role the Content Director plays in the success of any radio brand.

Radio is not a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) product, and some people mistakenly believe that the Content Director’s role is merely administrative, involving rosters, HR matters, process and reporting. The old saying in radio is that “everyone is a Content Director,” which refers more to the fact that everyone has an opinion on Content rather than everyone could actually be a Content Director, for the reality is that very few truly are, but behind every great radio brand you will find a great Content Director. Programming requires a combination of science and art, and both are important. Applying what Sun Tzu said about strategy and tactics,

“Science without art is the slowest route to success, Art without science is the noise before failure.”

So, what is the role of the Content Director? Well, Imagine making a movie without a director or an orchestra playing without a conductor. The Content Director brings all the elements together from a content perspective, the content director keeps the brand on strategy, has a vision for brand and ensures that this vision is consistently delivered and the product is positioned correctly to keep listeners engaged.

The role of the Content Director requires real skill and ability across several disciplines, however part of the skill in my view is innate; it cannot be entirely learned. A great Content Director though must be a leader, a strategist, a psychologist, a statistician, a marketer, a music director, a creative, a coach, and a teacher. Few people excel in all these areas, so building a team to fill any gaps is essential. Great Content Directors have only one or two gaps, while the truly exceptional ones have none.

The rise of digital audio is transforming the way content is consumed and Content Directors must now possess an understanding of digital platforms, streaming services and podcasts making the role of the Content Director more critical than ever. They need to be able to create content that is not only engaging on traditional platforms but also compelling in the digital space and while the integration of digital audio necessitates more of a collaborative approach with digital marketing teams, social media managers etc, in order to maximise the reach and impact of their content it doesn’t diminish the importance of the Content Director role. The temptation will be to split content into separate functions due to that misunderstanding of the role, however when an orchestra gets bigger and adds new sections standing out front is one conductor guiding the ensemble to perform as a unified whole by interpreting the musical score, setting the tempo, communicating and synchronising the various sections to deliver a magnificent sound that stirs the emotions, transforming the performance into a unique and inspiring experience.

While being a Content Director requires real skill, so does being on the air, being a music director, a creative writer, a show producer, an imaging producer, a newsreader, social media producer, executive producer etc. To bring all these skilled individuals and teams together to create something great requires the unique role of the Content Director, a role that is at times misunderstood and therefore the role can get viewed as being simply traditional, more often as merely administrative, is made redundant without replacement or it’s assumed that anyone can do it. This misconception is having an impact, and the concern is that people with the skills needed for this role are not being nurtured like they once were. Thirty years ago, the talent pool for both on-air and off-air roles, particularly Content Directors, was deep, while today, that pool is a shallow shadow of its former self. This is not to say there are no great Content Directors today, there are, but to steal and adapt a quote from the Netflix series House of Cards,

“Great radio talent is such an exotic bird in these woods that I appreciate it more whenever I see it.”

One of the biggest threats to the radio industry is that shallow talent pool, compounded by the lack of importance placed on the Content Director role, and indeed other key roles in radio. It’s one of many issues the industry faces today and while I still have great confidence that radio will continue to be relevant it needs to keep evolving and adapting while not forgetting what made it so successful in the past. Looking ahead the industry needs you get serious about DAB, serious about the use of video, serious about digital audio and serious about creating brand verticals off their main FM brands. We need the creation of audio ecosystems that are invested in and capture desirable audiences that are then sold in totality to compete with the likes of Spotify commercially, and to oversee those ecosystems the unique role of the Content Director will be just as important.

These are challenging times for we must continue to evolve and adapt to the new world rather than sit back and criticise it. Sir Peter Ustinov once said,

“the world is far from perfect, but there is also so much right with the world, we have an obligation to be optimistic for the alternative is no way to live”.

At the end of the day it’s all about content and in the case of radio it’s about the people who know content and can create great content and you need the role of the Content Director to combine the science and the art and weave together the various content elements in a way that engages audiences and produces something special. As Steve Jobs said

“…I found that the best people, you know, are the ones that really understand the content, and they’re a pain in the butt to manage. You know? But you put up with it because they’re so great at the content, and that’s what wins. It’s not process. It’s content”