Radio Make Goods

As a lad, I was raised on radio and later on I worked in radio.

Radio is the life of the imagination magnified by the heat of a hundred suns.  Television and film do all the cold thinking for you as you merely sit there and allow the experience to wash over you.  Radiophiles are the new active intellectuals of world.

I always admired the idea of the radio "Make Good" which is sort of related to the matter previously addressed here in -- You Cannot Push a Shove -- and a Make Good consisted of the re-airing of a commercial that was missed, had technical trouble, or was not fully played.

As the on-air announcer, you had total control over the Make Good.  You'd fill out a sheet of paper explaining what happened to the spot and you'd re-air the commercial as soon as you could within the same day part in which the original spot was supposed to run.

The ability to own the error and to instantly "make up for" a mistake -- that may or may not have been your fault -- was a tremendous and appreciated power given to the individual for the greater goodness of the company.

Make Goods are the free bottle of wine when your dinner is late.  The effort is appreciated, it adds value to your day, and a Make Good presumes the fault is not in the consumer, but in the business.