You have ten seconds to “get” me… to make me want to listen to whatever else you have to say.
If you don’t get me in that ten seconds, then nothing else you do matters. It’s simply human nature to decide quickly whether or not something is a waste of time.
So think about what that opening ten seconds of whatever it is you’re going to talk about is going to be BEFORE you open the mic. No matter how good you are, this is something you can improve.
On this 54th anniversary of man on the moon I reckon’ it’s a good time to bring it up.
With the historic words, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon, followed closely by the planting of the American flag to show that the USA was first in this historic achievement.
Radio stations whose foundation is “Beliefs and Values” have an opportunity to communicate that position by putting their flag in the ground.
Continue readingThere are so many voice trackers these days, and if you’re in that world you know that it’s hard to keep improving if you’re not on the air in real time and don’t get any feedback that you can trust. Here’s a simple system I recommend that’ll improve your work and keep you sharp. It’s “go, stop, go.”
Go. Record an hour of breaks. Continue reading
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 reading
