It’s a shame that so few music stations do a good job of giving the weather forecast. An air talent clonking through it like it’s the biggest chore in the world is a drag, but by far, the more irritating form is the person who has to give every single little detail. Let me help you with this…
UNLESS YOU’RE FACING SEVERE WEATHER, the forecast should be short and sweet. What’s the high today, the low tonight, maybe the high tomorrow, and tell me if it’s going to rain (or snow). That’s it.
Let’s have a little fun.
Tune to another Christian music radio station for 30 minutes, it can be one in your market or somewhere beyond, and listen to hear if they communicate their mission statement. You know, those scribblings on their walls, or their bumper stickers, or their post it notes and tee shirts.
In 30 minutes, do you as a listener get any sense of WHY this station is on the air?
I’ll wait.
Continue readingIn the last tip, I talked about how the old Jack Benny formula (giving each member of the cast or a guest the spotlight) applies today.
Let’s take it one step further – how a slight modification of that principle is the secret to being a great team show. Continue reading
“You can do anything… once”
I often heard those words from my dad’s booming voice. His acknowledgment of his son’s innate desire to reach out and try new things, while also mindful of his adolescent son’s propensity toward immature decisions.
Those words served as a life lesson of accountability. But, you know what? Those words were also true. I COULD do anything… once.
Continue readingIf you’ve never heard it (or seen his TV show on some classic channel), the Jack Benny Show was groundbreaking in its day. And it still has a basic formula that I assure you WILL work today: he made everyone else the star.
Whether it was his announcer, his wife, a singer, a guest, or any other cast member, Benny was quite willing to take a back seat. He never minded being the butt of a joke, overshadowed by another comedian, or made to look like a fool.
Do yourself a favor. Wander through your nearby Cracker Barrel store with the spirit of learning about how to better communicate your station’s attributes, benefits, and beliefs and values – the core elements of any radio station’s position in the marketplace.
This is what you’ll see.
Continue readingMusic format or Talk format – it doesn’t matter. There’s a real art to creating a phone call “culture” – which I’ve written some about before. But the actual taking of a phone call (or airing one live) can often be messed up in the first few seconds.
Here’s how to avoid that, in two easy steps: Continue reading
“Opinions are like noses,” the saying goes. “Everyone has one.”
I like her voice! She sounds nasal! He’s funny. He thinks he’s funny.
Subjective opinions are inevitable in an industry that is a combination of music and art. The question is… how do we keep subjectivity from driving our most important decisions, staying clear of those being driven by the loudest voice or the one in the largest office?
Continue readingBrevity is the most useful skill you can develop.
Sadly, instead of brevity, we often get bloviating. So let me help you with what I recently wrote in a coaching session recap…
Thinking “How few words can I use to say this?” is the road to brevity. As you police yourself to get rid of repetition and edit yourself better, your longer breaks will actually stand out more, as a result. (Funny how that works.)
Memorial Day weekend is a time to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Maybe, just maybe, there is a legacy lesson for our stations.
How will your station be remembered?
Will it be remembered as the station that plays 25-minute music sweeps without any talk, OR that it helped your community to be a better place to live and raise a family?
Continue reading
