Coaches Corner by Sam Weaver
Programming By Popular Vote (What Could Go Wrong?) …
I talk to a lot of Program Directors and Brand Managers each week, and every now and then, someone says something that gives me a flashback. That’s what happened recently when I was checking in with a programmer.
He told me, “My GM thinks I should take a vote of the entire staff before making any programming decisions. Have you ever heard of anything like this before?”
Yeah, I have. And it never ends well.
Learn From The Past…
Programming by committee doesn’t work. A perfect example is Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs in 1961 and 1962. Owner P.K. Wrigley introduced an idea called The College of Coaches. Instead of having one manager, eight coaches were rotated as the head coach of the day.
Wrigley said, “Managers are expendable. I believe there should be relief managers just like relief pitchers.”
It was a disaster. The ’61 team finished 64–90. In ’62, they went 59–103 — dead last — behind even the expansion team Houston Colt .45s — now the Astros.
I Lived It…
Years ago, I was on the air at a station that went through its own version of The Caine Mutiny. The ratings came in flat across the board. Nothing alarming. In fact, the previous two books had seen solid growth — we’d climbed to 4th in the 18–34 demo. But instead of riding the momentum, the GM panicked.
He called an all-staff emergency meeting. And I mean everyone — even the janitor. Everyone got to voice opinions about programming. It wasn’t a discussion. It was a pile-on.
The PD — a sharp, experienced programmer who’d already started turning things around — had to sit through the entire circus. The resistance came mostly from the staff that had been there a while. The PD had made changes. The station sounded better. But some folks didn’t care about improvement. They just hated change.
Chaos…
The morning guy and I were recent hires. We tried to show support for the PD’s vision, but it was clear, nobody wanted to hear it. We both knew we were outnumbered — and we weren’t about to become the next two names on the complaint list.
The GM, who fancied himself the Jerry Jones of radio, had a habit of overriding the PD. If someone complained loud enough, he’d change the playlist — might as well have handed them the music log. It wasn’t about ratings. It was about internal politics.
His behavior validated the complainers and undercut everything the PD was trying to build. Looking back, it was obvious — the GM wanted the PD to quit without having to fire him. Eventually, the PD reached his limit and was lucky enough to find a programming job elsewhere.
The Inmates Were In Charge…
Mob rule had its moment. Until the wrong person got what they wanted. One of the loudest voices in the room ended up getting promoted to PD. He wasn’t a great programmer, but he was strategic. He slowly pushed out most of the people who had helped him seize power. The ones who stayed? Loyal. Terrified, but loyal.
My Advice…
If you ever find yourself stuck in a “programming by committee” situation like the PD who inspired this column, here’s what you do:
Stay close to upper management.
Be a team player.
Embrace the idea like it was yours from the start.
Be seen as the one who’s cooperating — not resisting.
Not Necessary…
My friend, nobody’s winning at these staff committee meetings — just try not to get run over. You just need to survive it. When it all falls apart — and it will — they’ll look to you to restore order. Sometimes, falling back is the only way to move forward. Just make sure you’re still in the game.
And if you need some friendly advice, drop me an email; samweaver@samweavermedia.com or text me, (972) 672-4812.