In the last tip, I wrote about getting away from Information and concentrating on Storytelling. That tip and this one grew out of an email conversation my associate John Frost and I had with the PD of a station we both work with. Let me share it with you…
It’s kind of like John Lennon wrote in “With a Little Help From My Friends” – “What do you see when you turn out the light?” was his question. For our purposes, it’s simply, “What do you see?”
Continue readingIronic, isn’t it?
In a format that is all about belief, few stations ever share what they believe. Not a doctrinal statement, but a brand position. A flag in ground. Their vision and purpose for being on the air.
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy WHY you do it. If you don’t know why you do what you do, and people respond to why you do what you do, then how will you ever get people to vote for you, or buy something from you, or, more importantly, be loyal and want to be a part of what it is that you do?”
Simon Sinek – “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”
Why did Elon Musk buy Twitter? We didn’t have to wait long to hear his WHY.
Continue readingInformation and Stories are totally different. Yes, we use information in the telling of a story, but in coaching talent on storytelling, I’ve often found that they often do one or more of these three things:
So here’s the deal:
Everything you and the listener have in common has a story behind it, and new stories get added to that memory pile every day – if you’re smart enough to capitalize on them.
“Just the facts, ma’am” is a police report. What happened, and the emotion(s) generated by that = a story.
It’s something we rarely consider. And because we rarely consider it we rarely consider its importance. (How’s THAT for a Tweet!)
We rarely consider it when planning our shows. Based upon listening I’m certain that no voice-tracker considers it before recording their next 20 tracks.
One of the things radio has lost in the last generation is the power of NOW, that magical connection between performance and experience. We’ve felt it at the concert, at the ballpark, at the movie theatre, and maybe even in church.
Continue readingThis tip was birthed by a comment from Randy Fox of KSBJ in Houston. (If you’re not familiar with them, suffice it to say that it’s easily one of the Top 3 stations in the Contemporary Christian Music format, with a huge, devoted audience.)
During a recent session, Randy pinpointed a real strength of Morgan Smith, who does afternoons, saying “She makes the microphone invisible.”
What a nice compliment. That intimacy, where it just feels like a friend is talking to you, is – to me – essential, if you want to be a great talent.
Share something, sure, and if you’re excited, show that. But don’t try to be “bigger” or louder than a normal, animated conversation. Make the mic disappear.
I was having a discussion recently with a program director about the design of a morning show, from the roles of the air talent, to clock structure, to length of breaks, where they placed their news and traffic, and how frequently and on what days the feature segments were played. After we had dissected every detail in depth, I realized that our discussion was 100% analytical. Throughout this hour long analysis we had failed to ask a very important question…
Continue readingLet’s make this easy, and get to the real core of how to be a terrific air talent.
Your job is to share what you see about, and what you feel about the things you have in common with the listener.
Everything else is just nuts and bolts. If you don’t have the ability to zero in on what matters most to the listener, then you need to run, not walk, to your PD and find out who your target listener is.
I was in a conversation recently with a new PD about a radio station we’ve all heard of. “What do you think of them?” he asked me. Perhaps assuming I would respond with a critique of their music mix, deejays, liners, and contests, instead I responded with…
“They don’t have a brand.”
A brand is WHAT people think of WHEN they think of you. It’s the position you occupy in their minds that allows them to recognize and recall with “That’s the station that…”
Continue readingRadio has changed quite a bit over the last 20 years. Social media, instant access to information through your cell phone, nine thousand channels and video streaming sources have changed subject matter and how it’s delivered.
But radio is still capable of being the most personal medium there is. However, if I had to choose one thing to tell you, it would be “Jokes aren’t funny anymore.” Continue reading
On last week’s show I shared how staring at the The Weather Channel for several days as a hurricane approaches your state can be a great teaching lesson for your radio station if you pay attention.
In this week’s Frost Advisory, I’ll dig a little deeper while it’s freshly on your mind.
The power of winning moments. While it’s important to minimize things that result in listeners tuning away, playing defense isn’t the same as winning. The Weather Channel uses graphics, camera angles (literally), on-the-scene reporters, and live action video to keep viewers coming back for what Mr. and Mrs. Nielsen would call ‘listening occasions.’ We all want to know WHAT’S THE LATEST?
Continue reading
