It’s easy to settle for the low-hanging fruit, in terms of Content. What “the Buzz” is may be the 34th most important thing today to your audience.
Don’t ever confuse “the Buzz” with what actually matters. Resist the easy path. Don’t ever let the headlines, or some Buzzfeed article keep you from seeing what’s top of mind – TODAY – to your listeners.
The Christmas season brings out the best in our format. More people tune to our stations than at any other time of the year, some stations topping a million listeners per week, once unthinkable in our format.
Many stations do their best job of connecting on common values with stories of hope, forgiveness, and fresh beginnings. Over the last several weeks I have heard some amazing stories and songs.
Continue readingIt’s always been an issue, but it’s even more pronounced today, with “cookie cutter” formats so prevalent.
The sad truth is that to most people, most air talents sound pretty much alike. A bit loud, a lot of gab, sort of “announcer-ish,” usually just pretty much what we’ve always heard and gotten used to.
I can’t walk through our kitchen without stopping and smiling.
Last Christmas our daughters gave us a Frameo. It’s a rectangular picture frame that can display digital photos from your smart phone.
Continue readingThis is primarily a Talk Radio format tip, but also a tip that I’ve given many times to TV talent.
I keep hearing things like this… Continue reading
At church yesterday I sat next to Warren. Warren is 50 years old and had never been to our church. In fact, Warren had never been to church.
I learned that Warren is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic and now has sclerosis of the liver. He was sitting next to his mother Maggie who had prayed for him for many, many years. Maggie held Warren’s hand like I imagined she did when he was a little boy.
Sitting next to Warren gave me a fresh perspective of a place so very familiar to me – my own church – for twenty years. I am on the inside getting a glimpse of what it looks like from the outside.
Continue readingEvery Christmas for the last several years I’ve thrown a few coins into the Salvation Army bucket down the street at Hillcrest Food Market. But not this year. Nope. They’ve changed their bell ringer. The guy standing outside the store ringing the bell is different this season, and I’m upset!
Ludicrous, isn’t it? Obviously, no one would stop donating to the Salvation Army because Fred replaced Ted at the bucket. That’s because…
Continue readingShow prep is SO important. I’ve seen hundreds of people I’ve worked with who had no real plan, or a partial “subject list” type of prep, thinking that this is enough.
It’s not. If you want to win, and become a well-oiled machine, don’t just plan what you’d like to do. LAY OUT where each thing will go. Continue reading
In the last tip, I talked about the rhythm inherent in the best comedy, comparing it to how a great TV sitcom pauses, then reinvents itself over and over again. That’s really how everything works. I’m just rewatching the amazing series “The Newsroom,” written by the great Aaron Sorkin. He understands this rhythm as well as anyone I can think of who does drama. (I would say Neil Simon when it comes to comedy.)
This week’s Frost Advisory is a departure from my regular thoughts on how to make your radio station really snazzy and neato. Instead I’d like to take this moment during Thanksgiving week to encourage you in the important work you’re doing at your station.
I’m told that the word ‘encouragement’ means literally to pour courage into. This word appears over 100 times in the New Testament. In fact, Acts 9:31 describes the Holy Spirit as an Encourager.
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