WE GOT MAIL! Last month, I included a few of the suggestions put forward by announcers at a recent talent seminar we ran for a group of radio stations. It resulted in a flood of emails from other broadcasters eager to share their secrets to success. Thank to everyone who took the time to write to me, including the one announcer who pointed out there is only one Muskoka so the word is singular! Here then are some of the suggestions that came to me from literally all over the world:
Over Prep the Day Before: One of the morning shows I work with off shore emailed me to remind me of their secret to success. Simon says “We’re a three-person morning show (two hosts and a producer) so we divide and conquer when it comes to preparing the next day’s show. We communicate with each other via email or phone a couple of times a day and we have the all important pre show meeting at 5am to make the final decision as to what goes where. That way we all walk into the booth prepared and on the same page.”
Do the Things Your Listeners Do: “Creating a show and delivering content that relates to the target audience seems so simple, but as I punch around the dial I am amazed at the number of shows that do not do this. For example, one of our competitors has kids on the air who cannot relate to the music they play and clearly do not live the lifestyle of their target audience. All the people on our show are in the target demo and we all live the lifestyle. Every day we’re doing things our listeners do, such as running the kids to soccer practice or taking the dog to the vet. It creates so much good content and our listeners are sometimes the greatest source for bits because they relate and want to be involved in the show.”
Tell Stories; Don't Just Read the Wire Copy: Mike Butts from the US sent me a note thanking me for the ideas and passed along his secret to success. “I was lucky enough early in my radio career to pick up a tip from Ron Chapman one of the greats in the business. He told me that anyone can read wire copy or a story out of the news paper, but a true communicator figures out how to tell stories and make them sound believable.” This is something Mike has made a career out of and anytime I hear an air-check of Mr. Butts he sounds very genuine and sincere as he weaves his compelling stories in between the music. Whenever someone wanting to break into the business asks Mike for his best advise it's always the same reply: “Be relatable to where you are--Be real--be visible in your community--Help Out--And Prepare. Preparation gives you the confidence to be spontaneous!”
Remember Your Audience Composition When Building A Bit: A PD emailed me this comment and asked that I not include his name. He said, “It drives me nuts when I hear one of our announcers doing a bit that has no relevance to their market or their target listeners. Recently I was rather embarrassed to hear my night announcer, who is young and still learning his craft, do a long break about how much he was looking forward to the return of Monday Night Football. We target women and there was nothing in the break that in any way related to them.”
Use Only the Number of Words Required To Effectively Sell A Thought: I heard from an old client in Australia who emailed asking why I had not included the one suggestion I had drummed into him? Peter says, “The one thing that has really stuck with me over all these years is your suggestion to only use the number of words required to effectively sell a thought. Being more efficient with my talk breaks allows me to play more music, and still cover a lot of ground. This is something I constantly work at.”
Make Things Bigger Than They Are With Theatre of the Mind: This suggestion comes from the man named, “Most Influential Programmer of the Past 20 Years,” by Radio and Records. Scott Shannon said it best when he encouraged announcers to take advantage of the medium and use production and the audio tools we have available so the content stands out from the rest of the pack. Today Scott and Todd can be heard waking up New York on WLPJ.
Recycle Intelligently: One of the interesting emails I received from Andrew Jefferies a PD in England who has programmed some of the big stations, including Kiss in London. His suggestions were to encourage a morning show to look carefully at their audience turnover and to get the most out of a great bit. “If you run a bit at 8:50am, then look to replay it the following day early in the 6 o’clock hour and most people will be hearing that bit for the first time.”
Keep Listeners Wanting More: “Editing the calls and the breaks is a great trick to build loyalty,” says Bert Clark from Texas. “We try hard to create the impression that if a listener does not tune into our morning show tomorrow they will be missing out on something big. Knowing when to end a bit is the secret to success in a multi-person morning show.”
Think Before You Speak: This suggestion comes from one of our competitors in a market and, therefore, he asked that I exclude his name. His suggestion is that announcers need to structure the break before opening the microphone. “A multi-person morning show can easily get off the rails if the co-host or news person decides to add a comment to the break that requires a response. Sometimes the magic happens because of an off-handed comment or after thought, but I have come to the conclusion that those times are so rare that it’s not worth the risk. Call me a control freak, but I want to know what is going to happen before I open the microphone.”
Sell the Call Letters With Pride: “Call letters are the only way we get recognition in the paper diary system,” wrote Bruce Weaver, the PD of CHSJ and CHWV in Saint John, New Brunswick. “While the PPM may reduce the need to deliver the call letters in some markets, for stations that are measured via the paper diary system, selling the call letters with pride and enthusiasm is one way to ensure your station gets the recognition it deserves.”
Know Your Market: “Remember Chris, the guy we competed against for several years and what it took to beat him?” That email reminded me of my time in Wellington New Zealand where we battled Lindsay Yeo who did AM Drive. Lindsay knew everyone in town or at least created the impression that he did. My General Manager, Chris Muirhead, commented “Lindsay was well connected and always had something nice to say about people. He did not have a great set of pipes but he knew the importance of name dropping and his ratings reflected this. He rated so well because he knew everything there was to know about the people and places within his broadcast area.”
Conclusion: There is no single secret ingredient to creating a winning performance each and every day. Perhaps knowing ones abilities and strengths and then working hard both on and off the air will get you some of the way. Time in the market and talent will also help. Hopefully some of the suggestions in this and the previous article may also help anyone who spends a lot of time behind a microphone or works to inspire those that do. |