HOW TO FIND THE FUTURE AM DRIVE STARS Chris Byrnes Over the past few months we have been involved in putting together three new morning shows for clients, from the ground up. We talked with a lot of people in order to identify the right prospects for each show. Finding morning show talent is becoming increasingly more difficult, perhaps because the industry has largely stopped investing in training and coaching tomorrow's stars. I believe we have to look harder and be more prepared to spend the time traveling to markets off the beaten track. We must carefully listen to what comes out of the speakers in order to identify the up and coming talent. Sometimes the best candidates might not even be working in radio. In our quest for "the right stuff" this summer, we did a lot of traveling and some advertising as we went in search of talent for morning drive.
As we went through the interview process, we fine-tuned our qualifying standards in order to isolate those we felt could create the material to grow a successful morning show. Here are just a few of the standards we developed:
How Interesting Is This Person? If you find yourself bored after spending fifteen minutes with a person, ask yourself if your listeners will be as patient. A successful show host must be a multi-faceted individual who is capable of entertaining people in a variety of circumstances and social settings. I recall one applicant for an AM drive position telling me that he was really only funny when he was behind the microphone. He said that in a conference room he was rather dull and quiet. As I listened to his tapes and checked out his references, I quickly came to the conclusion that there was a serious lack of depth to this person. You must always be mindful that the audience will quickly sniff out someone who is shallow, because they can "hear" a phony coming out of the speakers. I firmly believe it's a lot easier to teach an interesting person how to create interesting radio, than a "radio" person how to be interesting
Does the Applicant Come Across As Honest and Forthright? Have you ever watched one of those foreign dubbed movies on television? You see the actor's mouth moving, but the sound coming out of the speakers does not match. It just seems odd and is often a distraction from the enjoyment of the movie. I believe that even the casual listener can sense when an announcer is being less than credible. For all his questionable antics, Howard Stern's listeners often rank credibility and forthrightness as Howard's most appealing attributes. Howard is consistent and anyone who tunes in knows what to expect. I have heard Stern say more than once that he will never lie to his audience, which at times results in some amazing radio. When he was going through his separation from his wife, Alison, Howard always told it like it was. If Stern ever lost his listeners' trust, the show would be in mortal danger. So when you're interviewing an applicant and conducting reference checks, it's important to get a feel for just how honest and trustworthy this morning show person will be.
How Receptive Is This Person To New Ideas? The old adage, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got" is very true as it applies to morning drive. Sometimes you need to shake things up a little and try some new approaches. You must find out if this person is open to new ideas and if he or she is prepared to update or even reinvent themselves. Rick Dees survived countless years on morning drive in L.A. because each year he would take the time to formally review his morning show and, at times, reinvented himself. In the music world, Madonna has survived for 20 years, constantly changing her image. As soon as someone tries to imitate her, she abandons that image and develops a new persona. Her imitators are quickly perceived as dated and yesterday's news. I have heard morning shows that only have one act. While it might be a good act, their only chance for long term survival is to bounce from market to market. So when you're checking out a potential morning show candidate, ask for air-checks from more than one market and ask the person to detail what he or she did differently from one market to another.
Is He Prepared For the Long Haul? A successful morning show is by definition a long term proposition. It takes time for the audience to accept a new morning show, especially if the last one was popular or in place for a long period of time. I had a good friend who had just completed his 10th year in AM drive in a market, when he was tragically killed in an auto accident. The person who replaced him had a tough time winning over the audience, even though he was in some ways more talented than his predecessor. At stations where the morning show has been successful, it can take years before the 'new' show starts to outperform the stations ratings. That, after all, should be the goal of any great AM drive show. The saying, "A rising tide floats all boats" can be applied to the principle of successful radio. There is usually a direct correlation between a radio station's overall ratings and the ratings of its morning show.
Does She Understand How To Get Re-Elected? Regardless of the market, a morning show team needs to understand that just like a politician she always needs to be in campaign mode. For morning shows in rated markets, the Arbitron or BBM numbers are one indicator of the popularity of a show. During the interview, try and get a feel for how this person will work both on the air and off to build an audience. Successful morning hosts understand how to build time spent listening, both on the air via creative quarter-hour "teasing" as well as off-the-air personal appearances, to build cume. Ask her how many external appearances she makes a week or a month, not including those that the radio station organizes? Will she adopt the attitude that your market is the best place in the world to live and work, and develop a plan to meet and in some way touch every person in the market?
Does He Understand His Role? There are countless formulas and theories on the different "characters" that make up successful morning shows. There is the "bus driver" and passenger theory, the dick, dork and dear theory to name just two. Building a multi-person morning show and putting two strangers together is always difficult, but there are some things you can do to help increase the chances for success. Firstly, what 'role' best suits this individual? Is it distinctly different from that of the other person? Often we hear two people on the air in AM drive and it's hard to tell them apart. Often, that's because like-minded people are attracted to each other, and that is a recipe for disaster in morning drive. You need the 'yin' and the 'yang.' Team up people who can get along with each other but are diametrically opposed in terms of lifestyle and beliefs.
Can She Tell A Story? My father is an amazing story teller. He can weave the relevant facts into a yarn and in his own quiet way, hold court with a room full of transfixed people. My grandfather was an even more amazing raconteur so I hope that with each generation this ability is not diminishing! I wonder, however, if all the distractions of our generation have possibly diluted our ability to learn and develop these important skills. One of the things that attracted me to radio was the announcers I listened to when I was growing up. They always had great stories and told the best jokes. So take the time to get to know the prospective personalities and establish how good they are at telling stories. Get them out of the conference room and take them to dinner with several people. See how they interact and if they can engage and entertain the group.
Does He Have A Healthy Curiosity? This can be hard to get a good fix on but from my experience, the best morning host is a good observer of life. Jerry Seinfeld and writer Larry David created an entire television show based on their ability to make simple everyday events interesting and entertaining. The best morning talent is always asking questions, and has well-tuned radar to hone in on the interesting stories and events happening in your community. This means they know how to show prep, how to gather lots of material and only put to air the most relevant and relatable bits. Ask him how he prepares a show, how he networks, and how he creates the impression that he is everywhere. Ask him how he manages his day, what activities he involves himself with and what his interests are.
Conclusion: Building a new morning show is never simple but it all starts with finding the right people, ensuring that each clearly understands his or her role, then having the patience to allow the show to establish itself and grow. One of the surest ways to kill a potentially successful morning show is to promote it before its ready. You can blow a lot of money encouraging people to tune into a show that hasn't got it together. Instead, I encourage radio stations to take a more long term view. If you think you have the right players and the right elements in place, then invest in some perceptual research to get an accurate read on what the audience really thinks. Remember that BBM and Arbitron measure what has already happened, whereas perceptual research can give you a good read on what's likely to happen. |