What Every Radio Program Director Can Learn From Captain Kirk
It was exactly 50 years ago today that Star Trek premiered on NBC. With that in mind, the big-brained radio consultants at Jacobs Media have come up with a dozen things all radio programmers can learn from Captain Kirk.
Unless you’re Kurt Hanson, you might not have it marked on your calendar, but today is the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, the seminal TV series that first debuted on NBC in 1966. Created by the innovative Gene Roddenberry, the show took one of the most circuitous paths to success ever. It was cancelled three years after it began its run on prime time TV, but was resurrected through syndicated reruns where it went on to build a huge cult following that is still going strong today.
Far from a Trekkie, I was a fan of what is now known as “The Original Series.” At the center of “Star Trek” was always Captain James T. Kirk and his first officer, Mr. Spock. As a team alongside an able crew, they steered their starship Enterprise through amazing adventures that resonated with 20th century TV viewers. One of my mentors – Tom Bender – used to refer to programming a radio station as analogous to captaining a starship. Both jobs require knowledge, style, finesse, leadership skills, a great crew, and a complete tool kit.
In thinking about the Kirk philosophy, there are some wonderful parables that hold true for what’s required of programmers in radio today. So in honor of “Star Trek’s” anniversary, here’s my list of 12 Captain Kirk-isms that apply to every radio P.D. (with a little help from some of the other crew members on the Enterprise).
Read the whole thing here.
If I could add one thing, though, it would be “Keep a phaser on stun under your desk for those difficult morning show meetings. You’ll use it more than you’ll expect.”
