A DIFFERENT WAY TO AIR CHECK Chris Byrnes I am amazed how may Program Directors do not hold air check meetings with their talent on a regular basis. Just as Michael Jordon and Tiger Woods need a coach, so do each and every air personality working on the radio. The market, the radio station, and the talent will somewhat dictate the frequency, style and coaching tactics used. If for example you are the PD of a small market station, part of your job is to seek out and find talent with potential, and then develop that raw talent knowing that they will only be with you for 12 months before they move onto a bigger market. But no matter what the market size, regular coaching is required to ensure continued development. Here is a four step method of air checking you may find helpful.
The Basics: Make sure that you have listened to the tape ahead of time and taken notes. There is nothing more frustrating for an air talent than a PD is who is not prepared. Listen to the tape and rank the areas where the talent is strong, and the ones that need work. Be specific when you offer criticism or praise. Setup meetings ahead of time, and be mindful that some of your talent work odd hours.
Step 0ne - The Standard Air Check Meeting: Do your best to ensure the environment is conducive for a good air check meeting. This means the PD should not be sitting behind the desk. Ideally you'll have a couch or a couple of easy chairs within reach of the tape. Listen to a few breaks and give the talent feedback both positive and negative. Give them a score out of 10. This way you can track the improvement. You should follow-up the meeting with a written memo detailing the points covered in the meeting and emphasize the three specific areas the talent needs to work on, and set the time for the next meeting.
Step Two - They Drive the Air Check: When the talent arrives for the second meeting, start by reviewing the three specific areas you both agreed would be worked on, and ask the talent how they feel progress is going. Have them sit in your chair and drive the tape, stopping after each break and giving you feedback on the break; what worked, what didn't, how it could be improved etc. The PD should not be critical, but instead ask questions of the talent. Chances are the talent will be harder on themselves than the PD will be. Ask them where they feel they have improved, and what are the two or three specific things they need to work on as a result of listening to this air check? Watch out for improvement in the three areas you both agreed the talent would work on, and praise any noticeable improvement. Ask the talent to rate their performance out of 10. Now give them your summary of progress including your ranking out of 10 and discuss any differences. End by asking them to roll tape on another talent they compete against either in their market or another market and drop that into you two days before the next meeting. Again follow-up this meeting with a memo detailing progress and the two or three areas you both agreed the talent would work on.
Step Three - Tear Apart the Competition: Your talent should look forward to this meeting because their performance is not directly under the spot- light. Play a few breaks, and ask your talent to critique the competitor. Ask them what they liked, what they did not like, and what they should do differently to improve their performance? Hopefully your talent will open up, and you will get a better understanding of their broadcasting philosophies. After you've listened to the tape ask your talent what they will do differently now that you have heard their direct competitor? A side benefit is that it forces your talent to actually listen to the competition. Now ask for their feedback on the areas they agreed to work on from the last meeting and offer your comments as well. End the meeting by asking your talent to record or locate a tape of the air talent that inspired them to get behind a microphone. Put together a memo detailing the areas you both agree the direct competitor is strong in; areas that could hurt your radio station and the things your talent will now do differently because of listening to this competitor. If you are in a single station market, then your talent should record a station from another market or off the internet.
Step Four - Listen To Their Mentor: This is the last step in the four step plan. Again because the talent's work will not be directly under the spotlight they should look forward to the meeting as they will be dissecting someone else's work. By now you know the drill and so should the talent. Ask the talent to tell you what it was about this talent that inspired them to get into radio. Have the talent sit in the chair and drive the tape. Ask them to tell you what they liked, anything they didn't like, and any suggestions they would have for this talent. Ask them what they will now do differently as a result of listening to their mentor.
Now start the process all over again. Remember some talent will require more attention than others, but every person on the air should be air checked at least once a month. |