Impressions

Check out these quotes I read from a mailing for radio people...

"It only takes seven seconds to make a first impression. If your first impression is not your best, it may take a lifetime to wear down the negative impression you did make."

—Beverly Washington
Founder/President, Image Factor

"Unfamiliarity is almost always a negative. To hold listeners, a station must be consistent in numerous areas, including the formatic structure of its clocks, the targeting of its music selection, and the reinforcement of the station's positioning and slogans."

—Brad Burkhart
President, Brad Burkhart Christian Media and Publisher, The PDAdvisor

Seven seconds? Dude. I won't deny that bad first impressions are hard to overcome, but can't we take more than seven seconds to judge things? Isn't that kind of shallow to think you can know someone or something that quickly? I remember the first time I heard Eric Carmen's "Make Me Lose Control." (It's from the 80s...) I thought, "Man, that piano beginning is the stupidest thing I have ever heard." After a few more listens, that piano line introduced one of my favorite songs. I'm glad I didn't write off that song as quickly as I had wanted to.

Unfamiliarity being negative? How selfish are we? Again, I'm not going to deny that there is comfort in familiarity, but get out there! People-wise? Of course. Musically? Most definitely. I look at radio and see mostly stagnant programming. In other words...repetitive! And I don't mean that in a good way. I can't stand most radio these days...so many stations repeat their top songs every two or three hours. That drives me nuts! I find that a slap in the face of the listeners. It's like radio programmers don't feel their listeners are capable of handling more than a small handful of songs.

Someday, kids. Someday we can break these accepted theories...