THE POWER OF BEING POSITIVE

I was riveted over the weekend by "The Batkid" in San Francisco.  What a great, positive and uplifting story.  Every time I saw it online or on TV it made me feel great.  It was a nice escape from all the negative stories I see online or in the media every day.

It seems like all forms of media spend way more time covering the negative stories than the good, positive ones.  After seeing how much coverage and exposure this story got, it seems like people are really hungry for more positive and less negative.

If you are on the air, you are the gatekeeper to what thousands of your listeners will hear during your show.  Why not make it positive?  Focus on only good, lighthearted, positive things happening in the world.  Be fun and make the listener feel good when they listen to you. 

I tell my jocks all the time, "be the place people can come to and escape the negative news.  Make them feel good when they are listening to you.  Let everyone else be negative and heavy."

I think the TV news anchor I saw summed it up best when he said "this story makes me realize how much more we should talk about good things and good people."  Right on.

IS COUNTRY RADIO TARGETED TOO YOUNG?

I'm really nervous for the next 18-24 months for country radio.  Everything is so focused 18-34 (music out of Nashville, many country stations are now making 18-34 their #1 target, not 25-54 or 18-49).  18-34 year olds are fickle.  They love what's cool now, but will leave in an instant when the "next big thing" comes along or they get bored.  

With all the focusing on 18-34's, we are blowing off our 35-54 core.  They are already starting to leave the format.  According to Country Consultant Jaye Albright, “the 35-44 country share is down from 16.0 to 14.7 to the lowest point in the history of the tracking.  Meanwhile, county's 12+ share is the highest ever, 14.1 up from 13.3 last year on the strength of the younger side.  As always, the music biz sells more to 18-34 so they want us to go there in spite of the HUGE 45+ audience and even those Gen Xers.” 



Nielsen Radio Today tracking, maintained by A&O&B

If our 35-54's leave and 18-34's find something "new and shiny" and they leave, country radio's healthy ratings will crater.  It could get real ugly.

We need to be careful not to go too young. Country radio's success has always come from having a wide target.  I always say our format works from "birth until death."  Up until now, it's always been a real mass appeal format.  I fear that is changing.

Remember "Young Country" in the 90's?  It didn't take long for all of those "Young Country" stations to go away.  

As radio programmers, we need make sure that we always have a wide variety of music in each quarter hour.  Don't ignore 35-54's (they are far more loyal than 18-34's).  Be careful of songs that are too abrasive.  Radio's bread and butter is daytime, at work listening.  If we play music that won't work for the at work listener, we'll be in trouble.  AC and Hot AC will benefit.

RULES FOR LISTENERS?

I was listening to a local talk station the other day and they ran a bumper before the show started that said "our only rule is that you can only call once a week."  Really?  Why are you limiting your most passionate and loyal listener to only calling once per week?  Who cares how often they call?  That's the call screeners job to weed them out if they aren't compelling.  If they are smart, articulate and compelling, let them call all they want and put them on the air.  Let them be the star of the show.  That's a really dumb rule.

Since I'm on a rant about dumb rules, I hate the "you can only win once in every 30 days rule."  It has never made sense to me, unless it's a big chunk of cash they are winning, but if it's a smaller prize, who cares how often they win?  Unless we bring it to their attention, most listeners will never know if a winner has had multiple winnings.  Research shows that these people are the ones that would be most likely to say yes to a PPM or diary survey if asked, they are heavy users of the station and are talking about your station to their friends.  You're going to tell them once they win, they should go listen to another station for 30 days and try to win their prize before they come back?  That's a dumb rule.  Let the "Prize Pigs" win (can you image if these loyal listeners knew we called them "Prize Pigs?")  Other businesses reward this kind of repeat business, but radio doesn't.  Can you image Safeway calling their most loyal customers "Shopping Pigs" because they may come in 3-4 times per week to shop?  I bet that customer would find another store pretty fast.

Listeners have a lot more going on in their life than the radio.  Why make it hard on them to listen?We need to make it as easy and rules free as possible for them. 

The harder we make it with dumb rules, the less they will listen. 

MUSIC RADIO WITHOUT DJ'S

Gary Theroux wrote this and it was recently in Radio-Info.com.  It's spectacular.

 

Music radio without DJs is like listening to someone else’s very limited capacity iPod that’s been infected with commercials.

 

I was inspired to write this after reading yesterday’s piece (7/29) by Duane Doobie, Bring Back the Disc Jockey” in RadioInfo. OF COURSE the DJ plays an essential role in making music radio attractive. One must keep in mind that the number one reason why anyone turns on the radio — be they in their car, in the office, by the pool, on a picnic, in a hammock, in the kitchen or up a tree — is COMPANIONSHIP.

That voice you hear belongs to your unseen friend who is right there beside you, full of fun, compelling, thought-provoking, engaging things to say for you to hear. And if the entertainment they’re providing is compelling enough, after you turn into your driveway and shut the motor off, you’ll click the RADIO back on — because you’re afraid that if you don’t, you’ll miss something great. When was the last time you heard radio like that?

Music radio without DJs is like listening to someone else’s very limited capacity iPod that’s been infected with commercials. The only spoken words you hear are either the content of spots or station slogans rendered meaningless (and annoying) by endless repetition. With the element of companionship stripped out, the only remaining attraction is the music — which is showcased as if it is generic audio wallpaper unworthy of even being identified (violating one of listeners’ most frequently cited gripes: stations which fail to ID the music). Such broadcasters, viewing each track as simply filler between the commercials, act as if every song they play is simply a clone of the one before and the one that follows — which sadly enough (thanks to ultra-narrowcasting), IS too often the case. (Talk about broadcast boredom!)

So how do listeners feel about faceless, personality-free radio which is clearly designed to NOT engage them — particularly when every quarter hour sounds exactly like every other quarter hour 24/7?  They come to realize that if they tune out for an hour, a week, a month or a year THEY AREN’T GOING TO MISS A THING. Rather than being as essential to their being as their heartbeat, radio that doesn’t compel them to listen drifts in that tragic territory known as “Not Needed.”

First-rate radio DJs are both skilled entertainers and super salesmen. Through a blend of insight into the audience and the music, humor and knowing how to work their voices for maximum effect, they SELL not only the music but the audience on the idea that this is the radio station most in gear with the likes, views and interests of you the listener. Not having DJs is like stocking a store with merchandise but forgetting to hire anyone to sell it — with a friendly greeting, a genuine interest in filling the needs of each customer, building a rapport, showing them OTHER stuff they hadn’t thought of but might like to buy, closing the sale and then insuring the customer that the same great service they just enjoyed will be there for them every time they stop by. Again, note that the “sales” I am referring to is a lot more than simply what the station’s advertisers are offering. It is selling the STATION, its music and its overall personality — as expressed via the DJs’ comments, vocal tones and their individual personalities.

From www.radio-info.com.

COUNTRY RADIO NEEDS DIVERSITY

This past week Zac Brown and Gary Allan started an industry wide discussion on the current state of country music.

I figured I would add my two cents.

One of the ways country radio can continue winning, is to have as much music diversity as possible and stars that have identity.

Country's boom faded in the late 90's.  Many of the new acts looked and sounded the same.  There was very little diversity and many of these new acts didn't have any memorable identity.  Couple that with the fact that Modern A/C was a bright, shiny and new format with powerful female stars that had diversity and identity and country radio got hurt.  Country radio ratings suffered, stations flipped formats and the overall national station count went down.

Then 2004 came.  So did Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich and others.  They were different.  They had identity and ratings followed (with some help from Top 40 that was suffering and Modern A/C was on life support).

Now it's 2013 and country radio is booming.  We have diversity.  Great radio stations can have a wide variety of music in each quarter hour.  I think our stars have more identity now than in the past two decades (with some help from TV).

If the music starts sounding the same and the stars start looking the same, country radio will suffer.  We need to make sure we keep our play lists as diverse as possible.

I REMEMBER MY FIRST TIME

This week one chapter on a great radio station closed and a new one began.  It's a station that you've probably never heard of, but to me it's one of the greatest radio stations to ever hit the air.

I grew up listening to KLOG in Longview/Kelso, WA and started my radio career there in the 8th grade.  Earlier this week, KLOG (one of the last remaining AM stations in the Pacific Northwest to still play music), flipped to sports.  While I was sad to see the flip, I totally get it and it was time.

I've spent this week thinking about the seven years I spent working there.  All the forgotten memories came rushing back to me as I drove to work.

Summer of 1991 in the KLOG studio.  I'm on the left with DJ Matt Miller on the right.

I remember being in Kindergarten and my Mom listening to KLOG on my way to school.  I remember getting up early in grade school during a snow storm listening to see if school was cancelled.  I remember making my parents take me to KLOG remotes so I could see the DJ's.  I remember going there when I was 13 and asking then owner/GM Steve Hanson for a job.  He said no.  I went back.  He said no again.  I went back over and over until he hired me...to clean the station on Saturday mornings.  I remember the first time I actually got to run the board and how exciting it was to push the button that started "Casey's Top 40."  I remember making $3.35 per hour and thinking "I can't believe I get paid for this."  I remember the power I felt the first time I put a cart in the machine and hit play.  It was Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule The World."  I remember the first time I ever cracked the mic...and I sounded awful, but thought I was great.  I remember the smoke stained ceiling tiles in the studio.  I remember the shoe box with hundreds of 3x5 cards and each one had a song on it.  That was how we created our play list.  I remember being told to "never dig deeper than five cards back."  I remember never following that rule.  I remember the format clock with the different colored stickers telling us what category of song to play.  I remember coming in early and staying late and never wanting to leave.  I remember changing worn cart pads.  I remember how excited I was the first time a "hot chick" called me on the request line.  I remember getting in trouble for spending too much time on the request line.  I remember working every holiday and loving it.  I remember how proud I was when my teachers would say "I heard someone named John Paul on the radio Saturday morning, was that you?"  I remember GM Steve Hanson's big deep laugh echoing down the hallway.  I remember how sad I was to leave in 1995 for my first PD job in Indiana.

I owe everything in my career to KLOG, Steve Hanson and PD Bill Dodd (who is still there).  They took a chance on a 13 year old kid and helped mold me into the broadcaster I am today.

While they will continue to be successful, it was sad to know that they are no longer playing music and a chapter that has lasted over 60 years is over.

Thank you, "Mighty 1490."

DEMOGRAPHIC MISMATCH

By now you’ve heard about (or saw) the violent booing of Ryan Seacrest at the NFL home opener on Thursday Night.  I actually felt bad and a little embarrassed for him.

Call it over exposure.  Call it a demographic mismatch, either way you look at it, it's was a little painful to watch.

Seacrest is everywhere.  Maybe over exposure has set it a bit.  Or, it's a demographic mismatch.  Placing Seacrest on any NFL broadcast isn't a fit.  The audience doesn't expect it (or sounded like they wanted it).  I get that NBC is using him to promote Ryan's new game show on NBC, but forcing him to be a part of anything NFL just doesn't fit.  Maybe someone should read "The 22 Immutable Rules of Marketing."  I think they broke one (or maybe a couple) of the rules.

While watching Seacrest and hearing the boos, I thought about radio and making sure that everything you do is what your audience expects and wants from you.  Does your talent fit?   Is your imaging written to the demo?  Are your promotions focused on what your audience expects from you.  If not, fix it.  Give the listener what they come to you for and expect from you. 

Many times radio does things, or puts something on the air because it "may be cool" but doesn't really fit the stationality or what the audience expects from you and it backfires.  I think that's what happened to Seacrest and NBC last Thursday.

Don't let your station be a "Demographic Mismatch."

10 QUESTIONS WITH JOHN PAUL

Here are my recent "10 Questions" that was in All Access.com

 

NAME: John Paul
TITLE: VP/Programming
COMPANY: Dial Global
BORN: Longview, WA (40 miles north of Portland, OR)
RAISED: Longview, WA
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
1987-1995 KLOG/KUKN in Longview, WA (started in the 8th grade)
1993-1995 KUPL-Portland, OR (part time) 1995 Q105-Portland, OR (part time)
1995-1998 WKKG/WINN-Columbus, Indiana (PD/Afternoons)
1998-2005 WYRK/WBUF-Buffalo, New York (PD)
2005-2009 KUPL-Portland, OR(PD/Afternoons)
2009-Today Dial Global Radio Networks (VP/Programming) ______________________________________________________________________________

1) Congrats on taking on the syndicated Lia Show-that must feel pretty exciting to take that on-what's the current health of the show?
The show is doing really well. We've added affiliates and we are headed in the right direction. It's been fun to get my hands fully around the show and help evolve it. I've made some big changes to the overall operation and sound of the show.

2) What direction is the Lia Show going these days?
I took over the show a few months ago and immediately started making changes. If you haven't heard Lia in a while, it defiantly has a different sound than it did a few years ago. I've been calling it "The Lia Evolution." I've looked at every aspect of the show (from how we produce it, the music, content, overall sound, our customer service with affiliates, etc.) and made changes were needed.

3) What changes have been made to the show?
The first thing was making the music more up-tempo and increase the "fun" in the show. We've also increased the overall momentum of the show and added some production. Lia's delivery is tighter and more fun. It's not the "sappy country love song show" anymore. She's having a great time with the callers and the country stars that are on her show each night. The biggest change was hiring new producers. I hired Brian Huen as the executive producer, who spent 15 years at Radio Disney in LA. I've also hired Cub Buenning and Jaymes Grundmann. Lia is still based in Seattle and Brian, Cub and Jaymes are with me in Denver.

4) Lia is in Seattle and you are in Denver, how often to do talk to Lia?
We talk or e-mail every day, sometimes several times a day. We also have a twice weekly programming and promotion calls. I meet with the producers every day before the show. There is no such thing as a lack of communication with the team. We are a well-oiled machine.

5) There seems to be a lot of syndication in general in radio these days-I'm sure that you've no doubt kept tabs on the Bones show on Clear Channel and Blair's show on Cumulus-any thoughts?
The shows with the best content win, whether it's local or national/syndicated. It's all about the content. Doesn't matter where it's coming from. I hear a lot of guys saying "we'll, we're local." When I listen, I hear nothing local on their stations. Mark Ramsey says it best, "local isn't where you are, it's what you do." At the end of the day, it's about content and entertainment.

6) Do you go into markets, especially the smaller ones and teach new programmers how they can keep their stations 'local?'
I'm available all the time to help programmers execute the show and the formats. I've done many seminars at our affiliates all over the country. I tell all of our affiliates to use me like a consultant. The better the affiliate sounds, the better we sound.

7) You are overseeing two networks (Mainstream and Hot Country), now the Lia Show?
Can you give us a snapshot of your day and how you juggle many duties? I also oversee our Classic Rock format. I'm involved in all things country for the company. Each day is different. I always have no less than five things I'm working on or juggling and I wouldn't have it any other way. At the end of day, I'm involved in the programming of over 1,000 radio stations (in all size markets) across the country. It's never boring.

8) You came to Dial Global from KUPL/Portland. How have you adapted to that change?
I've never been happier in my career then I am now. Honest. This is the best job in radio. I get to be involved in so many multi format projects. I get to create, execute, coach, sell, plan, and promote. All the things I love about radio.

9) How has the position at Dial Global changed your thinking about radio in general and how do you think you have evolved?
Great radio and content will always win. Doesn't matter where it's coming from. I've become way more focused on "the bigger picture" of things. I'm always looking at things from 30,000 feet and from many different angles. I deal with a lot of station owners, GM's and programming heads. It has helped me learn more about the business side of radio.

10) Getting back to the Lia show-what's the one thing you'd like to remind people of about the show?
It's NOT the "Country Love Songs Show." Lia is up-tempo, fun, with tons of momentum and great content. The show has really evolved and I'm proud to be a part of it. Plus, our customer service with affiliates is second to none. I hear from affiliates all the time that our attention to them is the best they've ever seen with a network/syndicator. I'm proud of that.

BONUS QUESTIONS

1) I'm coming to Denver to spend a weekend with you and your lovely family-where would we have to go, what would we have to see before I left town?
Red Rocks. You have to see Red Rocks. We also love Manitou Springs, Pike's Peak and Estes Park. There is so much to do here and the weather is always awesome.

2) How much traveling do you do in this job- there has to be a lot since I get your voicemail a lot!
It goes in waves. It seems like spring and fall there is more then winter and summer. Half of my staff is in Dallas and LA, so I travel there often. I'm also in Nashville and Seattle a lot too.

WHAT DO LISTENERS WANT?

Valerie Geller is one of the best talent coaches out there.  This is too good not to share. 

John Paul

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT DO LISTENERS WANT?

From Valerie Geller

Your listeners want to be informed and entertained and have fun. They want new knowledge. If they are alone in a room or alone in a car maybe they just do not want to feel alone. Listeners are hungry to feel connected in a somewhat isolated world that they find themselves in.

A listener wants a connection, or to “feel at home” with or comfortable with the person on air. They like to feel they “know” the person on air. Sometimes listeners like a little help in making up their minds. Say they are not completely certain of what they may think about a subject or topic, here they can get enough information or opinion or viewpoints to make up their minds. And in commercial radio, when the spots are effective, listeners say they like to learn about bargains, new products or services. And if a listener is having a down or despairing black moment, he or she wants to be lifted out of that mood.

We are lucky. Most people out there listening do not have exciting lives or careers. Because of this, listeners also desire “talk able topics.” They want to be able to turn the radio off and have ideas and interesting new things to say to people.

Listeners also want vicarious experiences. They like to be taken on journeys they cannot get to on their own. And everybody loves to laugh. If you can make a listener laugh, it’s like handing them a solid chunk of gold.

Listeners to your station like to be in the know, they like learning new things. It works if you can give them material they can talk about. Listeners also want you to get ahead and lead them and give them ideas, things to think about.


Valerie Geller is president of broadcast consulting firm Geller Media International; she leads workshops and seminars and trains broadcasters to become more powerful communicators in the digital world. She also is author of “Beyond Powerful Radio: A Communicator’s Guide to the Internet Age.” gellermedia.com

BE UNPREDICTABLE

Not enough radio is unpredictable.  There are very few surprises. 

Being unpredictable and throwing out the element of surprise is key. 

Want word of mouth advertising for your station/show?  Surprise them.  Do something they don't expect, in a positive way.

Watch this video.  This was done at a grocery store in London.  Not only has this gone viral, I bet there wasn't one person in the store that didn't tell their friends what they saw.

Talk about great word of mouth advertising.

CLICK HERE TO SEE UNPREDICTABILITY IN ACTION

WHAT MAKES RADIO GREAT?

 

I was recently asked by a group of station owners and programmers "what makes radio great?" 

My answer, "The Triple C."  

COMPANIONSHIP

Great radio stations and great radio talents are great companions for the listener.  It doesn’t matter the format, show or daypart.  If you do it right, you are a companion and friend to the listener.  That makes radio great.

CONNECTION

Your job on air is to connect with the listener.  You should be real, relatable and authentic.  If you are those, you’ll connect.  The more you connect, the more loyal audience you will have.  That makes radio great.

COMMUNITY

Serving your community is key.  Be in touch and connected to things happening in your area.  Be the place they depend on for local information.  Be the place businesses come to to spread their message.  Remember the words from researcher Mark Ramsey, "local isn't where you are, it's what you do."  That makes radio great.

 

NO TIME FOR NEGATIVITY

Our business is a tough one and right now seems to be some of the hardest times we’ve ever had to endure.  With tough times and uncertainty, comes negativity.  Dark, heavy, moral zapping negativity.  Some of the negativity we can't control, most of it we can.   

Here's a few ways to control the negativity and stay away from it:

Remember The Golden Rule.  Do unto others as you would want done unto you. 

Don’t gossip. 

Avoid negative people in the workplace.  Don’t feed them with your attention and time. 

Avoid reading industry blogs that are negative.  These don't do anyone any good.  Ignore the doomsayers.

Smile.  It’s simple, easy and contagious. 

Be positive.  Try to find the positive in everything.

Get up and walk around.  Don’t manage or lead via e-mail and text messaging.  One on one interaction is key.

Be a leader in your office.  It's amazing how fast people will follow a positive, engaging and motivating leader. 

Bitch up, not down.  Have an issue with something at work?  Don’t talk to your co-workers about it, talk to your boss behind a closed door.

This is radio. It should be fun.  While not everyone in your building may be enjoying their job, find the ones that are and attach yourself to them.  I bet you'll enjoy your job more.

BE A STAR IN NIGERIA

I have readers of my blog from all over the world.  One of them lives in Lagos, Nigeria.  Ayo has a cool idea for his show and he's looking for your help.  Read his e-mail below and if you are interested in being on his show, you can contact him directly:   

Ayo Owodunni 
owodunni@gmail.com
http://facebook.com/ayo.owodunni 

Thanks for you help.

John Paul

Ayo Owodunni on The Beat in Lagos, Nigeria

Hi John,

So I’m thinking of a wild idea and I’m begging for your help. I want to create a segment on my radio show and tag it “World Stories in 15 Minutes.”

The goal is to connect (via google hangout) with presenters/newscasters or anyone knowledgeable enough from different parts of the world to share news from their world in literally 3 minutes (the clock would be ticking).



I’m hoping to get someone from India, Asia (well India is in Asia but more so China, Japan, Korea area), US, South America, South Africa, West Africa, Europe, and even Australia. I’m hoping we could all patch in from our different places at least once a week (Fridays) and just share.

It’s meant to be fun and interactive but also fast paced. It’s never been done in Nigeria before and I would love to be the first.

Please can you advice? How do I link up with people from these areas?

Please any advice and help would be greatly appreciated.

You’re awesome!!!!

Ayo

RANDOM MOTIVATION

Every once in a while we all need a little motivation.  I ripped these off the internet. 

Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you have a great week.

LOIS LEWIS KNOWS BEST



Lois Lewis is the Director of West Coast Promotion for Republic Nashville.  Before she got into records, she was a great jock in several markets in Arizona, including KNIX in Phoenix.  

She recently posted this on her Facebook page and she's got a great point.  Read on: 

If you have the privilege of being on the radio, say it correctly. If you don't know how to say it, ask.

A friend. A boss. Google. But, ASK.

In the past month, I've heard the following from a few of my favorite radio stations:
 
"Happy New Years!" (It's not A New Years. It's either New Year's Eve or New Year.) 
 
"ValentiMe's Day." (NO. WRONG.)

And for the grand finale: While I hope this jock was just being funny, but seriously doubt it... "It's a DOG-EAT-DOG world", not a "Doggy-Dog-World." Yes. I really heard that. And it wasn't on Animal Planet Radio. 

Sincerely, Lois (former Radio Personality & Grammar FREAK) Lewis

I thought of a one that annoys me when I hear it twice a year.  It's not "Daylight SavingS Time."  It's singular.  It's "Daylight Saving Time."

Do you have any you'd like to share? 

AMERICAN PICKERS PISSES ME OFF

I have never missed an episode of American Pickers on The History Channel.  I love the show. 

Instead of just having a camera follow around two guys looking for antiques and telling stories about the products they are buying, I've noticed that the producers have recently been creating fake and scripted scenarios involving Mike and Frank (stars of the show).

This week's scenario had Frank "accidentally" walking on the set of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" while they were taping the game show.  It was so disingenuous and scripted and the show lost some credibility with me. 

Mike and Frank are not actors.  They are real guys who drive across the country picking old barns and looking for "rusty gold."  The show was genuine, real and authentic.  Now, it's losing that touch.

One of the reasons reality shows like this are so popular is that they contain real people, with real stories and real connections.  Just like your radio show should do.

As I watched the show last week, I was disappointed.  Mike and Frank are now less real and authentic.  They are becoming characters.  Real people are more relatable than characters.

Be real and authentic in everything you do on the air. 

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR PROGRAMMERS AND AIR TALENT

Bob Quick
Quick Radio Consulting

Bob Quick at Quick Radio Consulting wrote this and it's great.

http://www.quickradioconsulting.com/  

John Paul


A new year should bring you a desire to make yourself a better programmer/talent/employee.

If it doesn't, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you will be the first to join your out-of-work brethren in the radio arts. It's tough out there. Reports on cuts are coming daily. If you resolve to work on you this year, you may just be one of the survivors in 2013.

If you need ideas on where to start, here are some things to work on and make your new year resolutions for:

1) Aircheck Weekly.
Even if your PD doesn't demand it, or you don't have a PD at all, you need to listen to yourself and hone your craft. If you are a 30 year veteran or a newbie, airchecking will make you better. Actors rehearse every scene. Writers proofread. Musicians practice. You are in the entertainment industry. Be professional and aircheck. I've never airchecked a talent and found nothing for them to work on.

2) Work with sales.
The number one way to show your GM that you are a valuable employee is to show them you can add to the bottom line and are not just a salary drawing from it. You'll be surprised how hard the sales folks have to work and how much the client will listen to your ideas because you are a celebrity.

3) Engage with the listener.
Radio was the first social media. Use all the tools in the new media age to your advantage to become a trusted advisor and friend to the listener...a person that you may never meet face-to-face. I tell all my new talent, when they were just starting out, that radio is a job that is 24/7...and it's even more true with the access that Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc. give you to your audience. Use those engagement tools multiple times a day. But don't abuse your listener's trust, it must be a compelling comment/post/status update or risk being ignored...First in social media and then on-the-air

4) Share promotion ideas.
Sit in on a promotion meeting, or if your station is too small to have them, bring promotion ideas to your Sales Manager. If they take it to the streets and sell it, you will prove your worth to the company.

5) Show prep constantly.
Remember what I said earlier, this job is 24/7. Take notes on your smartphone on things you encounter all day that will be relevant to the listener when you are on the air.

6) Get enough sleep.
A well rested employee is a better performing employee. An employee in a better mood. A healthy employee. A prompt employee...should I go on?

7) Listen more.
 As on-air talent we have a need to "fill the silence". You will be surprised on how much better your show would be if you listened more. If you listened more to callers. Listened more during interviews. Listened more to your co-workers in the studio and out.

8) Read more.
Anything and everything. From news websites to self-help books. The more you read, the more relatable you will be to the listener.

9) Edit, edit, and edit again.
Your breaks. Your spots. Your promos. Everything. Go through it three or four times, or more, and make it polished and perfect. Brevity wins.

10) Smile as much as possible.
If you're having fun, so is the listener and your co-worker...and your family. Remember you are getting paid you to do something you love. I know I'd do this job for free if I could. If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.

Good luck with everything and have a GREAT 2013!

GIVE ME THE DEETS

I got an e-mail from one of my BLOG readers in Europe:

Here's the note:

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Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2013 11:15 AM
To: John Paul

John, My name is Nigel and I am an on air presenter. You always talk about how important it is to be real, genuine and relatable. Can you explain in better detail what you mean? Nigel

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First, here are the definitions of each word:

REAL:

1. Being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verifiable existence: real objects; a real illness.

 

2. True and actual; not imaginary, alleged, or ideal: real people, not ghosts; a film based on real life.

 

3. Of or founded on practical matters and concerns: a recent graduate experiencing the real world for the first time.

4. Genuine and authentic; not artificial or spurious: real mink; real humility.


GENUINE:

1. Actually possessing the alleged or apparent attribute or character.

2. Not spurious or counterfeit; authentic.

 

RELATABLE:

1. To narrate or tell.

2. To bring into or link in logical or natural association.

3. To establish or demonstrate a connection between.

 

 

Bottom line...Don't fake it...Don't lie to your listener...Find things in your life you can share that are relatable...It's OK to be self deprecating, in fact it's endearing.  Just be YOU.