March | 2016 | Goodratings.com

It was a rude awakening. How could they not know something so familiar to all of us at the radio station? A tour of schoolchildren made their way through the production studios, the FM control room, and down to where the AM stations are located.

We then heard the words. “AM station?”, one youngster inquired. “What is that? A station people listen to in the morning?”

Perspective.

On the recent 9-11 anniversary my friends Ellis and Tyler at Z88.3 shared how the University of Central Florida displayed American flags all over their campus. But the reason why is what amazed me! They shared because incoming freshmen are too young to remember the events of September 11, 2001. They would have been only 3 years old. Do the math.

What’s your listener’s perspective? What do they feel at their core? What makes them stand and cheer?

mockingbird

At a recent Houston Rockets’ game the loudest ovation – a standing ovation – wasn’t for the home team or their bearded superstar James Harden. No, the loudest ovation was for the six airmen that walked to center court during halftime. And it had nothing to do with basketball.

When was the last time your station did something worthy of a standing ovation? Perhaps your station needs to stand for something they care about.

*Next week’s Frost Advisory is #300, a milestone perhaps, and a surprise, no doubt, to my 5th grade English teacher and anyone that worked with me at my first few radio stations. It’s also the debut of my first video! (That’s a tease, don’tcha know).

In a recent tip, I stressed being visual in what you do on the air.

Here’s something that will help you get your arms around that. Think of your show as “a series of little plays” every day. My whole career was based on this, because it kept the show relatable and human. This “warts and all” approach takes away the posturing and bravado many deejays cling to, and there’s a residual bonus, too. Little stories you tell, if done the right way, get great phone callers with their own “takes” on what you’ve talked about. So now your show is more interactive, and becomes what I’ve referred to often as a “visit-driven” show, instead of a “bit-driven” or “agenda-driven” show.

When you reach the stage where your listener tunes in to visit with you, now you’ve got something tangible, something that no “55 minute music hour” or “12 in a row” claim across the street can make a dent in. And because you’re not competing with another station to see who can be the funniest, necessarily, you occupy a different space in your listener’s mind. You’re a FRIEND who happens to be visited by turning on the radio. Believe me, it works.

NOTE: There are specific techniques to use in sharing the little episodes of your life, one of which is to NEVER start into something by talking about yourself FIRST. For more on this, just call me.

Goodratings.com

Monthly Archives: March 2016

Frost Advisory #299 – Where’s the Standing Ovation

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #144 – A Series of Little Plays