WHEN LISTENERS PUNCH OUT:

1. If you have more than one thought in your break.
2. If you are talking about something that the audience doesn't care about.
3. If you are mumbling, rambling, or just don't know where the hell you are going with your break.
4. If you are screaming at the listeners.
5. If you are interviewing someone who is talking about something the audience doesn't care about. (See number two)

Even if you follow these guidelines...

You only have TWO MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS before the listener gets bored and punches out looking for her favorite song or someone more interesting than you are!  

Prep, practice and then execute in less then two minutes!!!

INNOVATE OR DIE!

Someone recently said at a conference: "You are always getting better, or getting worse."  

With this in mind...

1.  Are the station's sweepers and ID's being freshened weekly? (Image Director's job)

2.  Are your show sweepers, stagers, bumpers changed before every new book?  (Talent or Producer's job)

3.  Is your station doing the same contest it did last year?  (PD or Promotion Director's job)

4.  Is your station changing golds and recurrents monthly? (PD/MD's job)

5.  Does your website look the same as it did a week ago? (Webmaster or Promotion Director's job)

6. Does your vehicle have the same wrap from 3 years ago? (Promotion Director's job)

OK.  You get it!  Look at every element on your station: on-air, on-line, on the street, etc. EVERY DAY!  If something sounds or looks old, replace it with something HOT and FRESH (as long as it's in your budget or figure out a way to trade for it)!

INNOVATE OR DIE!  

PREP YOUR BREAK!!!

This morning I was listening to a local radio station here in Baltimore, and the MAIN morning host attempted to share with us (his audience) a celebrity story that occurred over the weekend. Through the ENTIRE break he was hemming and hawing (using the annoying pause of "umm" virtually every other word)  trying to relay what he had read on his prep sheet probably less than five minutes before doing his break.  This guy barely made it through the break... his co-host and his producer had to jump in and save him at the end because he was completely bungling the story.  

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!  Especially during the information age when everyone with a computer has the same story you are fumbling through!  Not only do other morning shows have the same info, but EVERY LISTENER who checks out tmz.com, bossip.com, e!online.com, etc. knows the story and YOU ARE SOUNDING LIKE A COMPLETE IDIOT!  I'm sure the listener is thinking "Can't You READ!?"  At least I was.

This is a bit harsh, but if you want to be a star on a big station in a big market: YOU MUST PREPARE EVERY BREAK FOR EVERY SHOW!   Do yourself a favor: read your prep, re-read your prep, PRACTICE YOUR BREAK, then and ONLY THEN are you ready to open the mic and speak!   This rule applies to new talent on the radio, talent with limited experience, and also... SEASONED VETERANS!!!  

The listeners give you the benefit of their time and attention, please don't take it for granted and not practice your break!  This would be the equivalent of going to the theater and paying to see Raisin in the Sun and Diddy hems and haws through his lines.  You are a professional--ACT LIKE ONE and PRACTICE!

I'M NOT LISTENING

I haven't turned on the radio today...

It snowed last night and I knew that school was cancelled by checking the ticker on the TV then double-checking the info on the web.  It used to be that if it snowed, everyone HAD to listen to the radio to hear about closings.

Is there anything that we absolutely HAVE TO LISTEN to the radio for???

Radio stations better develop some incredible, unique content fast!  Or I won't be the only one not listening.

The scariest part of this whole scenario is that I'm a "radio guy" and if I'm not compelled to listen, why would anyone???  

Are people only listening to radio because they are trapped in their cars and on the job???

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!

This post is for all radio talent to read, reread, understand and absorb:

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!  You're success on the air IS ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE!!! (believe it or not)

I hate it when I hear a personality talk about how much she loves their new picture on the station website, or how much he loves their new BMW...  MOST OF THE AUDIENCE CAN'T AFFORD A BMW SO THEY CAN'T RELATE--THEY CAN ONLY BE JEALOUS.  Is this the emotional connection that you want to make with your listeners???  

Make your show about the LISTENERS--their wants, needs, desires, etc.  The listeners don't care about the fact that you are taking a ski trip without them this weekend...  

Even if 200 listeners are going on the trip the other 250,000 (or more) aren't!  

BUT...

You CAN tell stories about your trip, your new car, etc. that are funny or relatable to the audience, but you have to be a good story teller or a funny person for it to get through the speakers and into the hearts/minds of the audience.  If you don't connect emotionally with your audience, then you will not win in the ratings game (especially when PPM comes to our town!).

Everyday thousands of people invite you into their homes, their cars, and their personal space (think about people going to sleep with their radio on or listening to you in the shower!).  You are a friend, a companion, and a star in their life.  Take the opportunity to make a POSITIVE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION WITH THEM EVERY DAY AND AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE!  Make your listeners laugh, cry, yell, FEEL something about you and your show.  

The best way to do this is to VALUE the LISTENER: 

DO NOT put them down, scream at them, or talk down to them (this is the worst)!

DO NOT tell inside jokes with your co-host or producer.

DO NOT talk to your co-host or producer about office politics, office gossip, or other things that only pertain to you and the radio industry. 

DO include them in your show: put them on-air, read their email live on-air, shout them out.

DO let them scream & shout when they win a prize: don't interrupt--it's their moment!

DO let them laugh with you when you tell a funny joke/story--it means more when the audience is laughing than if you are laughing at yourself (this is why comedians try not to laugh at their own jokes!).

DO let them cry when they are sharing a powerful moment in their life: if the listener is crying and you're talking over her-you are missing the opportunity to have a listener for life!

DO let them hug you when you are out in public: talk about an emotional connection...this is basic human contact/intimacy!

DO let them tell you what they hate about the radio station, your show, or something you said on the air.  {You don't have to put this on the air unless there is a great POSITIVE and TRUE resolution to the issue.}

DO let them interact with the artists/celebrities on your show.  Make them feel like they are the stars that make your show HOTTER!

These things will create lasting memories (sometimes once in a lifetime moments) for your listeners!  Once the listener has a memory like this, he/she will have an emotional connection to you--this is how you win in the ratings game (DIARY or PPM it doesn't matter!)!!!

Lastly: 

RESPOND TO EVERY VOICE MAIL AND EMAIL FROM YOUR LISTENERS!  

If you don't, you lose the chance to make a connection to our listener.

If you do, you gain their respect and show them that they are valuable to you.  

How many times do listeners get surprised that you answered the request line or that you answered their email?  They shouldn't be surprised: it's common courtesy to return a phone call or email!  SURPRISE is AN EMOTION!  Make an emotional connection to your listeners today...even if it's only returning their email or voice mail!  

NOT AGAIN!!!

Despite the fact that the number one complaint from listeners is that hit music stations play the songs too often, stations continue to increase spins. Some stations play songs 110 times or more! Let's do the math... 110 divided by 7 = 15.714286 times a day! If the audience likes the song that much they already bought it on iTunes and they are listening to their iPod and not to your station!  When listeners want music on-demand, they listen to their MP3's or to a CD.

When they:
1. Want a companion;
2. Want news/information/weather;
3. Want to be entertained;
4. Want to be exposed to new music;
5. Or just want to have background noise to drown out their thoughts, to fight off boredom, or to stay awake;
THEN THEY TURN ON YOUR STATION!!!

Let's hope that PPM crushes the stations that play music 100 times or more a week.
It's funny that the most successful urban stations in the country (WPGC, WVEE, WERQ, WGCI) don't play songs 100+ times a week. They actually play golds, strong recurrents, have truly talented personalities. Maybe they are onto something...