I first loved baseball because my dad loved baseball. In fact, my first game ever was a really big deal – I got to see my baseball hero Mickey Mantle get the first hit in the very first indoor baseball game at the Astrodome in Houston.
My dad simply said, “You should see this.”
Continue readingLike most people, I listen to the radio at some point every day. I hear promos. I hear commercials. I hear songs. I hear people trying to sound cheerful. I hear people trying to be funny.
What I all-too-rarely hear is something that actually surprises me. Gee, I wish that wasn’t true. Surprises are great.
I want Surprises. I loathe The Obvious. And I’m not alone. People want companionship. They want entertainment. They want pertinent information. (We’ve all heard the voice-tracked Talent that’s really cheerful while a tornado is headed our way.)
Don’t fall for the “This is good enough” trap. “Good enough” … never is.
SURPRISE ME.
Everyone’s favorite radio station is the station that plays their favorite music.
Why does this matter?
People love what is familiar, and what is familiar is what we love.
Continue readingLately, with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc. I heard several stations trying to orchestrate the reaction to a giveaway for those days, saying things like “You’re gonna like it!”
How do you know? (You don’t. After all, one person’s “great” prize is another person’s “yard sale” junk.)
The United States of America was born 247 years ago with a Declaration of Independence, and a subsequent Bill of Rights for all citizens to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But as Americans we know that with rights comes responsibility.
So it is for your radio station.
Continue readingThe great NBA coach Hubie Brown, also a master “color man” for NBA games for years, has this great saying, “He gives you his dollar.” (Think Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, etc.)
That means the player gives you everything he has every game, a “dollar” rather than, say, 40 cents.
I’ve helped many stations in the search for air talent over the years, and that ingredient is always what we look for. I feel that a good talent who doesn’t give it a full-out effort every day is cheating the station – and himself/herself.
All the “flash” in the world can’t make up for a lazy work ethic. Give it your “dollar” every break, every hour, every day you’re on the air. You never know when someone who could change the course of your career might be listening.
What do you passionately care about?
I’ve never heard anyone say that they loved a generic music channel like you can find on XM/Sirius, unless it was something offbeat that appealed to only three people such as the Jamaican Bongo Channel or the Left-handed Texas Fiddler channel.
Things that are generic don’t generate passion and loyalty. If a customer can take it or leave it… chances are they’ll leave it.
Continue readingWell, it’s here. A station in Portland has an A.I. (artificial intelligence) “air talent.” A sign of things to come? Well, as the renowned football coach Bill Parcels used to say, “Let’s not get out the anointing oil just yet.”
Quick! Name a TV dad that is portrayed as a positive role model! How ’bout in movies?
They say that 85% of men in prison grew up in fatherless homes. Role models can change the trajectory of a life. My dad certainly did for me.
As a format that is foundationally about beliefs and values, we have the opportunity to tell a better story about the role of men than what is typically on TV. (To prove my point I did a Google search for Best TV Dads and the list included Homer Simpson, Herman Munster, and Archie Bunker.)
Continue readingTimes have changed. Local stations often don’t sound local. Syndicated shows tend to talk about generic subjects because they can’t be specific to a certain city or state. Huge radio companies are so weak in coaching the talent that many air talents have never had a coaching session.
So let’s start your process with a basic question: Did you get noticed today? Continue reading
