THE WAY I SEE IT

THREE TIPS TO WINNING WITH CHRISTMAS MUSIC

2011-12-15T10:14:00.009-07:00

We all know how powerful "All Christmas Music" stations are this time of year. Stations that go all Christmas in December will roll in big numbers. Probably many in the double digits.

But, you can’t just play all Christmas music and expect to win. There’s a strategy. Here’s three tips to winning with all Christmas Music:

IT’S ALL ABOUT NOSTALGIA
The more you can remind people what it was like to be eight years old on Christmas Day the better. Take them back. Make them nostalgic for yesterday. Do this with imaging and features.

PLAY THE CLASSICS
It’s what people want to hear. I would have a classic/standard every other song. Bing, Perry, Burl, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, etc are the artists that bring people back. Have a nice balance between the classics and newer Christmas music. Run a tight list. Play the hits and play them often.

MAKE YOUR STATION “FEEL” LIKE CHRISTMAS
Not just with music, but with imaging, promotions and features. Use little kids. Embrace a charity and give back. Make it about memories, family, and traditions. Don’t think that just playing Christmas music is enough.

Here in Denver, Studio 1430 KEZW does a great job. They are now 24/7 Christmas playing only the classics. The ones that remind people of being a kid. They also are running :60 features talking about different Christmas traditions and how they got started. The whole station is full of nostalgia and it sounds great. Even their website is nostalgic. Check them out. www.kezw.com.

THE ENERGY BUS

2011-11-30T10:59:00.005-07:00

I got this from one of my on air personalities. It's from the book, "The Energy Bus", by Jon Gordon and has some great points.

The day you die, you will still have 30 or 40 emails in your in-box that will not be answered. You’ll never get it all done, so you might as well relax and enjoy the ride.

The best legacy you could leave is not some building that is named after you or a piece of jewelry, but rather a world that has been impacted and touched by your presence, your joy, and your positive actions.

Your positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone’s and everyone’s negativity. Your certainty must be greater than everyone’s doubt.

When you are enthusiastic, you project an energy that convinces people to get on and stay on your bus.

People are always buying you and your energy.

When you use the signs to find the right path and make a decision to follow it, God will move heaven and earth to support you.

The higher you get in an organization, the more it is your duty to serve the people below you rather than having the people below serve you.

2011-11-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

This is a re-post of something I did last year. I think it's worth seeing again.

Thanksgiving is this week and I thought it would be good to reflect on some things we should be thankful for working in radio. Now before you roll your eyes, I realize the last couple of years have been really tough with downsizing, cut backs, programming options forced down our throats and more. This is not just something radio is dealing with, it's everywhere. All businesses and industries are suffering. Radio is still a great gig and here are a few things to be thankful for:

• We work in radio. We play music and connect with people for a living. Pretty cool.

• We get to go to concerts for free and many times meet the artists backstage.

• We don't have to get up at 5am in the pouring rain to collect people’s trash.

• We get to talk to thousands of people each day that think of us as a friend. We have thousands of friends!

• We get to create magic (or at least you should be creating magic).

• We get to listen to music and get paid for it.

• Many of the biggest stars in country music know us by name.

• The chicks (Just kidding. Seeing if you are still paying attention).

• Our office environment is unlike any other place on the planet. Try working for a lawyer or CPA. Their offices are boring and stale. I've never worked in a radio station where someone didn't have a guitar in their office and played it often.

• Most of us are doing what we've wanted to do since we were kids. I bet most of your non radio friends can't say that.

• Over 90% of all Americans listen to radio each week. That's an impressive number. Very few media outlets connect with that many people each week.

• Each day we get to make people laugh, cry and think.

• Every day is different. Perfect for radio people that have ADD...which is most of us.

• We get free tickets to nearly everything.

• Competition makes us all better and radio has a lot of it.

Stay positive and take this weekend to think about all the great things that come with working in radio. There are many.

WHAT BUGS ME

2011-11-07T14:34:00.011-07:00

With the passing of Andy Rooney, I thought it was time for me to do "Ya Know What Bugs Me (in my best Andy Rooney voice)?"

So here goes. These are a few of the things that I hear on the radio that bug me.

1) SAYING "WWW"
If someone doesn't know that websites start with "WWW", then they aren't online and don't care about the website you are giving out.

2) CLICHES
There are a ton of them. "Hump Day", "Comin' Atcha", "Around the Corner", "Let's Go To The Phones", "Happy (day of the week) to you", and many more. Why do people on the radio feel the need to talk different than a regular person when they are on the air?

3) SELF SERVING JOCKS AND STATIONS
Jocks that run phoners from listeners saying how great they are, or how much they love listening to them. Edit that out.

Also, there are very few real "Legendary" or "World Famous" stations in the country. Those descriptions should be reserved for the true ones. There may have been more legendary stations 40 or 50 years ago, but not today. Listeners don't care. It's hype.

4) HEARING MORNING SHOW PROMOS ON FRIDAY
It's the start of my weekend. The last thing I want to think about is Monday morning. Have your morning show promo start on Saturday, not Friday afternoon.

5) RADIO THAT ISN'T ONE ON ONE
The best radio is one on one. Just YOU and ONE listener. Talk to just one person. Use "you" and "I", not "everybody", "folks", "our listeners" or "all you people."

6) JOCKS THAT HAVE BEEN "PPM'd."
I hear this a lot. Jocks that talk so fast and sound so rushed (because they only have a few seconds before the listener turns them off) that it's fatiguing to listen to. Let your show breathe. There's no need to sound like you are in a hurry to finish the break.

7) JOCKS THAT MAKE EVERYTHING ABOUT FACEBOOK
I get that Facebook is important and we need to be where our listeners are, but I hear jocks that talk about nothing more than their Facebook page. I would bet your AQH is much higher than the number of people that would ever friend you or check out your Facebook page. Even for national shows. Play to the masses and the biggest common denominator. That's your listener, not your Facebook Fans.

OK, I'm stepping off my soap box now.

I miss Andy Rooney.

THE RIGHT WAY TO APPLY

2011-11-03T15:20:00.007-06:00

With all the recent layoffs in our industry, I thought it would be good to re-visit a past blog of mine on the right way to apply for that next gig.

It’s been my experience whenever I’ve posted for a job opening most of the applicants I get are awful. I’m not talking the demos themselves, but the overall package and presentation. I’ve realized that many people have no idea how to apply for a job in today’s radio environment.

Times have changed. PD’s are doing more and moving faster than ever before. Trying to find great talent to fill an opening is a massive chore. The easier you can make it on me, the better shot you have at getting the gig.

If you are looking for work, this is your one chance to impress me and get my attention.

Here’s a list of what NOT to do the next time you have to send a demo.

1) Send everything I asked for in the posting all in one e-mail. I don’t have time to chase you down for your references (I hate the line “references available upon request.” That tells me you don’t have any and you need to call some people to get them). I’ve actually had several people not even send an audio demo with their resume.

2) Don’t just send me a line in an e-mail that says “check out my website” and not include anything else. I don’t have time. I want (and many times need for HR purposes) hard copies of the demo and resume. Again, if I have to chase you down for this, you probably won’t get the job.

3) If you attach your demo and resume file to the e-mail, label it with your name and what it is. I’ve gotten some that were generically labeled “Resume” or “Demo.” I had to re-name them so when I put them into my “Opening” file on my computer, I know whose who. Again, it’s a small thing that can really help a busy PD. A few people did include their name and phone number of the file name. I liked that a lot.

4) Send me a demo that’s about three minutes. One guy sent me an eight minute demo (that locked up my e-mail) and another guy sent me a :14 second, one break demo. Obviously, send your best stuff and put the best of the best at the start of the demo. I know you’ve heard that before, but you’d be amazed how many people don’t put a lot of time or effort into the demo. That’s the single biggest thing you are sending me. Make it count.

5) On the topic of demos, don’t open your audio demo with an artist saying “hi this is (famous star) and you’re listening to …”. I want to hear you, not the artist saying your name. Most PD’s are not impressed by that.

6) Do your research. With the web, you can research a ton about the station and the market. Know who is getting the demo and a little about the station. It’s amazing how many people still write “Dear Sir/Madam. I’m always impressed when someone out of town knows a lot about the station and the area.

This last part is for the PD’s that may be looking for someone.

I was a former jock once that sent out airchecks and never got a call back. It was frustrating and demoralizing. I vowed that one day, no matter how hard it is, I would respond to everyone. Even if it was a short e-mail saying “thanks, but it’s filled.”

We as PD’s owe it the applicants to return their phone calls, or respond to their e-mails. I realize it may not be the same day, or even the same week but as PD’s, its part of our job. I constantly hear PD’s saying “where’s tomorrow’s talent coming from?” If we’re not making time to respond to them (or even offer advice/critiques to them) then we are just as much to blame at the lack of talent as anyone else in this industry.

I was lucky enough when I started to have a few PD’s help me and to this day, I’ve never forgot them and still look up to them. I love this business and think we as PD’s owe it to all talent to give them some attention and coaching, even when they don’t work for us. Trust me, it will pay off.

THE BEST OF STEVE JOBS

2011-11-02T16:13:00.003-06:00

1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better." Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, "I'd get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about." That's how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.

2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then-Pepsi President, John Sculley, "Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?" Don't lose sight of the big vision.

3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn't have any practical use in his life -- until he built the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don't live in a bubble. Connect ideas from different fields.

4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year period. Why? So he could put the "A-Team" on each product. What are you saying "no" to?

5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?

6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can't communicate your ideas, it doesn't matter. Jobs was the world's greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation.

7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. He knew that tablets would not capture our imaginations if they were too complicated. The result? One button on the front of an iPad. It's so simple, a 2-year-old can use it. Your customers don't care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you'll win them over.

VOTE FOR ME!

2011-10-29T08:27:00.000-06:00

Like it or not, we’re entering political season and it’s going to be here for awhile.

I was reading an article from Campaign Strategist Mark McKinnon on what it takes for someone to win the Presidential nomination, or any office for that matter.

Take a look at Mark’s “Must Do’s” and see how many similarities there are between his list and a winning radio station or air talent:

OBSERVE THE INCUMBENT, THEN BE THE OPPOSITE
The more different you can seem from the other guy, the better.

DELIVER YOUR MESSAGE IN SEVEN SECONDS
Look at how successful Herman Cain has been in recent weeks with his 9-9-9 plan. Short, quick, concise.

SHOW SOME HUMANITY
It’s more important to be human than perfect.

BE BOLD
People don’t vote on the issues, they vote on the attributes, and the most important one is strength.

ALWAYS BE A HAPPY WARRIOR
Even when things are rough and not going your way, smile. Be happy.

Looks like we can learn something from Politicians.

JUST BE FUN

2011-10-22T07:27:00.000-06:00

According to the latest Nielsen TV ratings, six of the top ten TV shows are comedies. Three are sports related and there's only one drama in the top 10.

It's crystal clear that people want fun. They want to escape all the grim news of the day. Even if it's only for 30 minutes.

Radio needs to be more fun. We need to be an escape for people that are constantly bombarded with negative news.

I've wrote about this before, because it's important.

Admit it, radio isn't nearly as fun as it used to be. There are many reasons why, but that's a whole other blog. Instead, let's talk about bringing the fun back to radio

I'm not talking having personalities that try to be funny with cheesy jokes. Fun is an attitude. It's your enthusiasm, the smile in your voice, a clever comment. It's making people feel good when they tune in.

Listeners want to feel happy when they listen.

So, next time you're prepping your show and on the air, think fun. Be fun. Have fun. It's contagious.

INTERVIEW QUICK TIPS

2011-10-04T14:10:00.002-06:00

Interviews are one of the hardest things to master. Many people think they can interview, but most I’ve heard show the opposite. It takes years of practice to be able to nail the interview. Here are a few tips to help you get here faster:

Prepare. It’s amazing how many people think they can pull the interview off by just talking to the guest. You need a road map to help guide you through the interview.

Listen to the answers. All too often you can tell the person doing the interview isn’t listening to the answer. They are too focused on what they are going to say next. This happens consistently on TV news. The anchor in the studio asks the reporter on location a question that was already answered in the report. There’s no excuse for that.

Ask the question, then shut up and let them answer. Don’t be afraid of having a little dead air between the question and the answer. A little dead air means that the interviewee was just asked a question they have never been asked before and they need to think of an answer. That’s a great complement to you and your question.

Ask a topical question that everybody around the water cooler is talking about. Stay away from cliché questions like “what’s on your Ipod?”, “boxers or briefs?” “who are your idols?”, “any advice for up and comers?” etc. Ask questions people really want to know. That’s what makes Howard Stern a tremendous interviewer.

Keep your interviews short. Shorter interview segments spread out over two or three breaks work best. Remember the big teases to get you from one segment to the next.

Get your guest to tell a story. People love stories and if you ask the right question, you’ll most likely get a story.

If you pre-record your interview (which you always should) make sure that it’s not overly edited. Leave some room to breathe with your edits.

If you have other tips, I'd love to hear yours.

THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

2011-09-22T13:24:00.003-06:00

I was recently at a funeral for the father of a friend of mine. I didn’t know the man who passed away, but after the funeral I felt like I had known him for years. All due to storytelling.

His funeral was packed full of stories about the man who died. Some sad, most funny. I had never met him, but that didn’t make the stories less interesting and entertaining. I was riveted hearing things about a man I didn’t know. Honestly, I didn’t want the funeral to end. The stories were just too good.

If you can master the art of storytelling on the radio, you’ll probably always have a job and a huge audience. People want to hear stories, not reports. Stories don’t have to be long winded. You can tell a story in just a few lines and still be riveting, but it takes practice and a plan.

Here are a few storytelling tips that I've learned along the way:

Stories are not reports

The subjects are about common and relatable life events

Have moments of genuine humor

Are delivered one-on-one and allow for interactivity

Are rehearsed so they have maximum impact when told

The listener should think of you as a friend. The best way to do this is to open up and share personal stories, experiences and opinions with your listener.

Don’t be afraid to make fun of yourself. Self deprecating is not only relatable, but endearing.

Good story telling not only has the ability to make you stand out and be remembered, but it also can help you feel better

If you want to be known for one thing, be known as a great storyteller.

DON’T BE TOO PERFECT

2011-09-16T12:20:00.005-06:00

When talking to consumers, new research has discovered that a sales person who makes an occasional error when speaking far outperforms sellers who deliver their speech perfectly. This totally relates with being on air.

This goes back to something that I’ve preached for years. The best radio personalities are real, genuine and honest. No matter what format they are on. They make small mistakes in their breaks (“err”, “ahh”, etc). It’s OK. It makes you more human and real.

I’m not saying be totally unpolished and not professional. I’m saying the more real you sound, the more listeners will connect with you. The same way a consumer connects with a sales person that makes an occasional error and doesn’t come across too perfect and polished.

HOW IMPORTANT IS A SMART PHONE?

2011-08-17T16:03:00.002-06:00

Here are some interesting stats from a national TeleNav survey of 514 American owners of smart and feature phones. The respondents were over the age of 16 and the survey was conducted on-line. The emotional bond presented here may useful information for on-air promotion or on a sales call.

• 40% say they would prefer to go shoe less for a week rather than give up their IPhone

• 40% say they would prefer to give up their toothbrush over the IPhone

• 83% think that other IPhone users would make the best romantic partners

• 33% would be willing to give up sex for a week over giving up the IPhone. 70% of those respondents were women

• 70% would give up alcohol before their phone

• 63% would give up chocolate

• 55% would go without caffeine

A STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE

2011-08-07T17:19:00.005-06:00

My wife recently found a box of cassettes in the basements and asked me “why in the world do you still have these?” I told her not to touch them. They are gold to me. Over 20 years of radio airchecks from various stations where I’ve worked. Some I’ve never heard since the day I did the show.

I bought a machine that converts these cassettes to MP3’s and I can make CD’s out of the audio. I have one cassette player left in the house and I’m sure that will it eventually die.

I’ve been spending my free time listening to these airchecks and converting them to MP3’s. It’s been great. Yes, a little embarrassing, but totally fun.

It reminded me how important is was (and still is) to randomly record shows and keep them…forever. I would recommend randomly taking a show, recording it (no matter how good or bad the show was) and put it your personal achieves.

Someday, you’ll stumble upon them and be glad you took the time to save that show.

KEEP IT REAL

2011-07-31T16:34:00.002-06:00

Being real on the radio is an art and not one that’s easy to accomplish. It’s takes lots of practice to sound like you are having a natural conversation with a friend while you are sitting in a room by yourself talking into a microphone.

If you can master it, you will pull ahead of mediocre DJ’s who sound like they are just “a DJ talking on the radio.” We all know the most common tactic to making yourself sound real is to talk to a picture posted in the studio. While I think that helps, it goes far beyond that.

Here are a few tips:

Know your audience. It’s not enough to say “my listener is a 35 year old female.” Find out everything about them. Arbitron, Media Audit and Scarborough make finding this information really easy. If you don’t know exactly who you are talking to and who your target is, ask your PD. If you’re the PD, be as specific as you can on who your target listener is and share that with both the air and sales staffs.

Always be open and honest. Never say anything on the air that you wouldn’t say to your friend or neighbor. If you really want to understand this go back and watch the scene in Howard Stern’s “Private Parts” where Howard and his wife were moving back from Detroit and they stopped for gas. It was there he had the epiphany that he needed to be open, real and honest. It has made him extremely successful and famous.

Don’t worry about having a “great radio voice.” In today’s radio it’s more important to be real and genuine. People love listening to and watching real people. Just look at the popularity of TV Reality Shows. They are full of real people.

Practice your breaks on co-workers. If there is something you want to talk about on the air walk around the building and tell them the story before you actually do it on the air. It’s a good way to practice the break and see what people’s reactions may be to your story and delivery.

Don’t write out your breaks word for word. It could sound like you are reading it instead of talking about it. Instead, bullet point it on paper and practice it before you go on the air. Have a LAST WORD on your bullet points and when you hit that word, move on. Don’t feel the need to keep adding words when you have made your final point.

Jerry Seinfeld made his fortune on observing others doing every day things and putting a relatable/humorous slant on it. You can do the same. Look for everyday things in your world and work to find a way to talk about them on the air; of course keeping them as brief as you can while still being relatable and interesting. Remember, they don’t all have to be funny. Relatable and real is the key.

Don’t feel the need to always have a punch line at the end of your break. 95% of the time they won’t be as funny as you think they are. It’s OK if you just end the break and move on. It may feel odd doing it, but it sounds so much better than trying too hard to be funny.

Talk “to” not “at” the listener. Nobody wants to be talked at.

Finally, when you aircheck your self don’t listen to it the same day it was recorded. Wait a few days. You’ll be able to really hear what you sound like when you’ve forgotten what you talked about. When you listen, ask yourself “would I like to be stuck in a car driving cross country with this person?”

Bottom line, most people would rather be with a real communicator and friend than “a DJ talking on the radio.”

10 QUESTIONS WITH DIAL GLOBAL'S JEFF YOUNG

2011-07-18T15:51:00.004-06:00

All Access.com did recently "10 Questions" with one of Dial Global's syndicated morning jocks. Jeff Young works for me on the Hot Country format as is based out of LA.

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Started at KXFM in Santa Maria, CA, playing what passed for Triple A rock then. Jumped to Top 40 at KRIZ in Phoenix a couple of years later, then on to Detroit and L.A. before getting into programming. PD at a few stations then to morning drive for a few years at rock and pop stations from Houston to New York. Finally landed at Westwood One in the mid-90's, since acquired by Dial-Global. Worked 70's, Groovin' Oldies, and Hot AC formats before settling at Hot Country a few years ago.

1) Currently you are doing mornings on the Hot Country format at Dial Global as a solo player, after working many years with partners. What do you prefer?
Solo. Teams and ensembles sound great if the chemistry is right, but test tubes do explode. That's usually because management throws talent together without knowing whether they'll actually be able to co-exist in a small room for several hours a day without killing each other. Pros make it work anyway, but it can be miserable. I've had three bad and only one good team experience.

2) You are in the studio from 2:30 to 9:30! First of all what time do you go to bed and then wake up?
Show prep never ends. I'm usually still online researching and fine-tuning until about 9pm, then up at 1:30a. I keep saying "I'm going to bed at 7:30 no matter what. Ok, maybe 8." Never happens. Sundays are for sleeping.

3) Give us a snapshot of that time in the studio-how many hours of that are you on the air and then the rest is production time?
I'm on-air for 4 hours, and then interviews and promos, etc. afterwards.

4) How many markets are you in and how do the local stations customize and localize your show?
Dial-Global Hot Country is probably on about 100 stations, but in some markets they have their own morning talent. I don't know the exact number. I'm apparently on in enough places to justify my paycheck. As long as that keeps coming and my key fits in the back door at 2:30 every morning, I'm good!
As far as the way the affiliates weave DG talent into the local scene, we all cut liners and weather, etc., to keep it sounding local and timely.

5) You have been with the network since 1994-what kinds of changes have you seen?
Liners were still being mailed to affiliates when I came on board. It's all digital now, with nary a roll of recording tape, CD, cart, razor blade, or grease pencil in sight. Come to think of it, we even had to go outside back then to grab copies of USA Today from in front of the door. I recall fighting off the occasional Stegosaurus to get to the paper.

6) Before joining the network, you worked many formats at local radio stations. Do you prefer being at a network, and why?
I love network radio because I used to have to actually move to a town if I wanted to work there. Now I'm everywhere at once. I do miss meeting locals at hardware store and car dealer remotes, though, and telling them "sorry, I'm all out of t-shirts." I actually meet more listeners on Facebook than I ever did in person anyway, and learn a lot more about them. It's amazing what people reveal online - without being asked!

7) You've done a lot of formats-why do you love Country?
Country today is what Top 40 was when I was growing up. There's a great deal of variety in the music. When I punch up a pop station, it's hard to tell the difference between many of the artists. What amazes me is the number of young people we have listening. Aside from the cliché drinking songs that seem to hang on, there are plenty of love and lovin' life songs, too, with superb writing from the likes of Sara Buxton, Chris DuBois, Taylor Swift, etc. And unlike some pop songs, you rarely think you're hearing a munchkin sing.

8) Do you interview many artists on your show, and do you do them 'live' or 'recorded' and again, do you have a preference?
A ton of 'em. Country superstars are available and love to talk. Ronnie Dunn was on recently. I said to him "thanks for being on the show - we both know you don't need the PR and you'll get played no matter what", and he responded "I DON'T know that. You're talking to the most afraid guy in show biz right now." Most are very down to earth and grateful for their fans and their success. I never go live in case one of them feels the need to say a bad word that day. It's rare, but it happens.

9) Do you talk to a lot of air personalities at the local level who want to work for the network? What do you recommend they do?
As far as the application process, nothing out of the ordinary. Send demos to whomever you want to work for. Once you're on the network, you have to have a "big picture" mentality, keeping in mind that some listeners will be in the middle of their daily routine, while others may be starting or ending their day. You don't want to give away the ending of a TV show that hasn't aired in some places yet. No specific weather references allowed. You can't always be sure that an affiliate is carrying your next hour, so you can never tease anything in that hour. I don't do a four hour show; I do four one hour shows.

10) How do you interact with your all-star PD Johnny Paul? We imagine he yells a lot.
Boy have I worked for the "yellers!" John Paul is not one of those. He's proof that nice guys don't finish last. It's interesting because he is in Denver and some of us are in L.A. He listens to us on any number of affiliates that stream the format. He'll drop a note with a suggestion whenever he feels the need, does an aircheck review every few weeks, and keeps us up to date with daily memos. We have jock meetings via Skype when the need arises and he visits LA.

BONUS QUESTIONS
1) You are a real 'radio guy!' Are there hobbies that you have outside of radio?
Photography and 3 Card Poker.

2) What are some of your favorite new Country artists right now?Jason Aldean, Eric Church, and Ashton Shepard come to mind. Many others. Reba's not new, but just keeps getting better.

3) If you are getting up at the crazy time of like 1am what time do you eat breakfast?
About 12 hours later. Too busy to eat, but still getting fat. Haven't figured that one out yet.

LISTS ON THE RADIO ARE BAD

2011-07-13T15:41:00.003-06:00

Reading a list on the radio of any kind is bad, especially a "here's the top 10 ways to…"

Lists on TV are different. They have graphics and more time to pull it off. Time is tight on the radio. Without graphics and having someone just "reading" the list gets confusing and boring.

The only thing worse than a list on the radio, is a list with a ton of numbers, stats and percentages. No matter how you deliver it, it will be really hard to follow, confusing and boring. Listeners are only giving you a few of their seconds to decide whether they will stick around. Make every second count.

Plus, listeners can see the same list you are looking at somewhere online. It's not original content. Nothing is special about it.

Instead, focus on the top 5, or better yet, top 3. Don't give the entire list. Give highlights. Turn the spotlight on the listener. You can even start the conversation with the best three on the list, then have listeners call in with their ideas. That's something original that nobody could find anywhere else. You created exclusive content for your show.

Just putting in a little extra thought into the "list break" and not just ripping and reading "the top 10 things….", your bit will be exclusively yours and far more entertaining.

VIEWER MAIL

2011-06-30T14:46:00.006-06:00

I got some feedback from my last blog entry on "Developing Yourself Off The Air." Here's one from Sam Alex, Morning Show Producer at WMZQ in Washington, DC.

John - Here my thoughts from your blog.

-Read. Go to the library and check out books on business, life and everything else.

-Meet people. Join groups/organizations where you don’t know anyone. Co-ed soccer, alumni group, etc. Volunteering is another great way.

-Spend money. Take a road trip, go on your dream vacation…now.

-Use your radio skills in another medium. Stadium announcer at local college, host show on cable access TV, read books aloud to kids/senior citizens.

-No tech. Pick a time frame every day where you aren’t allowed to use your computer, cellphone or anything else with an on/off switch.

Sam Alex
WMZQ, Washington, D.C.

You can check out Sam's website at www.samalexradio.com or listen to him live at www.wmzq.com.

DEVELOP YOURSELF OFF THE AIR

2011-06-24T11:13:00.002-06:00

I got this e-mail from a reader of my blog.

John,

As a radio personality, what are some of the things I can do to develop myself daily (off air)?

Your thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Here was my response:

Here's my top simple things you can do:

-Have a life outside of radio. Get away from the station. Escape the day to day. Live life and have fun. Surround yourself with friends outside of radio. People who don't care that you are on the radio.

-Take in all things Pop Culture. Be up on everything your audience is up on (TV shows, movies, video games, magazines, etc).

-Stay up on technology. It changes every day. Know what's out there and what's coming. Embrace it, learn it and be open to changing technology.

-Have a hobby. Do it often. Radio is not a hobby.

-Take ALL of your vacation time. It's always amazing to me the people that don't (or won't) use their earned time off. It's part of your salary. Use it. Get away.

-Exercise. Be active. This will lower your stress levels.

Hope that helps.

If you have more, I'd love to hear them. Leave them here, or e-mail me. johnnypaul@hotmail.com

ABOVE ALL, BE FUN

2011-06-19T08:41:00.003-06:00

This was sent to me a few days ago. It's just too good and too true not to share.

A friend of mine does research for large media companies and discovered what listeners really want.

It’s so obvious, but really put things in perspective.

No, listeners aren’t asking for Two-for-Tuesday, 10-in-a-row or Free Money Friday. It’s not Traffic & Weather together. Not even Lite Favorites from the 70s, 80s, 90s and today.

Listeners want to feel happy when they listen.

Somehow, radio has forgotten that. But it makes perfect sense. Life is hard now. Everywhere you turn, the news is grim.

Slow economy, scarce jobs, natural disasters, foreclosures, wars, gas prices, declining schools etc. People are bummed and looking for relief.

Where can people turn for FUN? It should be US! We are their escape! We play music for a living! So, we should have the monopoly on fun.

I’m not suggesting that you tell jokes or try to be funny. Fun is in your attitude, your enthusiasm, the smile in your voice, a clever comment.

Fun comes when you talk TO listeners and share a common experience.

So, next time that you walk into the studio, remember that Job #1 is to make your listeners happy. They sure won’t get that from an iPod or Pandora.

TIME TO BE A LEADER

2011-06-05T13:50:00.005-06:00

When times are tough and uncertainty is everywhere, leaders need to rise up and take the lead.

According to the US Army, here are the Principles of Leadership (U.S. Army. October 1983. Military Leadership (FM 22-100). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office).

1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement - In order to know yourself, you have to understand your be, know, and do, attributes. Seeking self-improvement means continually strengthening your attributes. This can be accomplished through self-study, formal classes, reflection, and interacting with others.

2. Be technically proficient - As a leader, you must know your job and have a solid familiarity with your employees' tasks.

3. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions - Search for ways to guide your organization to new heights. And when things go wrong, they always do sooner or later -- do not blame others. Analyze the situation, take corrective action, and move on to the next challenge.

4. Make sound and timely decisions - Use good problem solving, decision making, and planning tools.

5. Set the example - Be a good role model for your employees. They must not only hear what they are expected to do, but also see. We must become the change we want to see - Mahatma Gandhi

6. Know your people and look out for their well-being - Know human nature and the importance of sincerely caring for your workers.

7. Keep your workers informed - Know how to communicate with not only them, but also seniors and other key people.

8. Develop a sense of responsibility in your workers - Help to develop good character traits that will help them carry out their professional responsibilities.

9. Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished - Communication is the key to this responsibility.

10. Train as a team - Although many so called leaders call their organization, department, section, etc. a team; they are not really teams...they are just a group of people doing their jobs.

11. Use the full capabilities of your organization - By developing a team spirit, you will be able to employ your organization, department, section, etc. to its fullest capabilities.

How many of these are YOU doing today?

THE POWER OF COUNTRY MUSIC

2011-05-26T14:25:00.005-06:00

I've been saying for several months now that “Country music is bigger and better than it’s been in over a decade.” Proof of that is what has happened this week on three of the most popular shows on TV (Idol, Celebrity Apprentice and Rascal Flatts being the last musical guest on Oprah).

If you are in sales and pitching new clients (or dealing with people) who don’t think country music is mainstream, part of pop culture and extremely popular, you may want to remind them of John Rich, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, and Rascal Flatts.

Nearly 30 million people watched the finale of American Idol and over 122 million votes were cast. A new record.

America knows that these two are all about country music and will be heard ONLY on Country radio (they are the most Country sounding songs ever to come off of Idol, IMHO).

While I work with multiple formats, I'm extremely proud today to be a part of Country music and Country radio.

Spread the word of Country music and Country radio's power!

A REALLY BAD CRUTCH

2011-05-18T11:03:00.004-06:00

I’m not sure what to call it, so for lack of a better term, I’ll call it “Playing With Song Titles.” It sucks. If you do it on air, stop.

I’ll explain what I mean.

I always hear jocks come out of a song (all different formats) and try to be cute and clever and tie in the title of the song they are announcing to something they are saying. In working with stations all over the country, here’s a couple of actual examples I’ve heard on the air:

“Travis Tritt’s T-R-O-U-B-L-E. You’ll be in some trouble if you don’t listen this weekend to win…”

“Lady Gaga and Born This Way. Hey, I was born this way and there’s nothing you can do to change it. Hahahaha…”

Really? That’s the best you’ve got? You basically have said nothing. Real people don’t talk that way. Where’s the listener benefit? Listeners don’t mind talk, as long as it’s relevant, relatable and focused. Tying in the song titles are none of those. It’s just a bunch of extra words that make you sound dated, unprepared and like you have nothing better to say.

In my opinion, there’s no exception to this rule. Just don’t do it. It’s not needed.

Don't waste the listener's time. Say something more meaningful.

WHERE'S YOUR PASSION?

2011-04-30T10:22:00.005-06:00

This is a letter I got from one of our Dial Global Radio Network affiliates. I'm not sure who wrote it or when, but it has some really good points.

I was totally enamored of radio when I was a kid. It was far and away the coolest thing I had ever stumbled across. I would dial around at night and knew the addresses and store hours of more businesses in Oklahoma City and Minneapolis/Saint Paul than my own town. I would listen until the moment I had to either turn the radio off or risk perishing from a lack of sleep the next day, and even then if it took me too long to fall asleep I'd flip it back on… just in case I was missing something really great. I had cousins who lived outside of San Francisco. They used to send me cassette recordings of Dr. Don Rose's show on a regular basis. And I couldn't wait for our trips from my hometown to the big city of Denver so I could glue myself to the mighty KIMN-AM. In an effort to sincerely give up for Lent that which meant the absolute most to me, I spent the Lenten season of my 14th year on the planet not listening to radio for 40 days. It damn near killed me. Did you ever feel like that about radio?

When was the first time you ever walked into a radio station? Ponder it for a minute and fix the experience in your mind. Spend a few moments remembering how you were really feeling at the time. Were you nervous? Excited? Awe-struck? Think back to your very first time with your hands on the controls. Your hands. Running the board. How did you feel? Thrilled? Paralyzed with panic? Confident? On the verge of passing out?

Later, I changed my major to Mass Communications. My parents completely passed out. I blew full steam ahead. I had my first full-time radio job within one semester. Before that, though, I remember taking my own vinyl albums over to the campus station to spend time in one of the "practice rooms" — crappy little boards and crappy little turntables hooked up to crappy little cassette decks. One night as I was leaving the dorm a friend asked if I was going to be on the air on the campus station. "I wish," was my answer. At that point I couldn't even conceive of being paid to do radio. My only goal was to actually get on the air, even if it was for free, on a low-power FM that had approximately 12 listeners. Were you ever that focused? Did you ever feel that excited about pulling an airshift?

Edward Deci, a psychologist at the University of Rochester, conducted an experiment that revealed an almost universal human foible: What used to be fun turns into drudgery once a paycheck is attached to it. His research was among the first of literally hundreds of studies showing that our internal drive to achieve that which we genuinely love can get very easily sidetracked. Just find a way to get paid for it.

Deci found a group of college students who loved solving puzzles. They were divided into two groups: Those who would continue doing the puzzles on their own time, and those who would actually be paid to do them. After evaluating the test subjects he found that those who were being paid to do what they used to really enjoy grew very resentful of having to solve the puzzles. Even though the people in the "paid" group originally expressed just as much of an interest in working these puzzles as the "unpaid" group, they very quickly lost their interest when they HAD to do it.

Consolidation, fears about the economy (and about losing a gig), non-radio people buying radio stations… it's all added up to equal a big ol' Politically Correct Ball of Blah. And if what you're presenting on the air is a Big Ball of Blah, what on earth is keeping your listeners from turning to their iPods? Why would they choose to spend their time with someone who doesn't even sound interested in being there? Think back to your first real radio gig. If you've been in this business more than a few years, you probably remember all kinds of crazy stuff going on… things that would probably get you fired now. But you probably also remember actually liking the people with whom you worked, and you might even remember hanging out at the station during your free time, just because it was fun and you felt alive and you were having the time of your freaking life.

Remember when you first got your driver's license? How you would BEG your parents to let you go to the grocery store just so you could have a few solitary minutes behind the wheel? What do you think about driving now? Probably not much, and you might even resent it. It's become one of those things that we adults have to do to get through our daily routines. Equate it to your work in radio. Has that which used to be such an absolute blast turned into just another task, or even worse, something that you really don't even enjoy doing?

Yes, the industry has changed, but perhaps your attitude has changed, too. Perhaps you now take for granted that which would have blown your mind back when you put your hands on that control board for the first time: You get paid for this. You probably don't get paid much, but that's not why you got into this business. Take a few moments focusing on why you did get into this business, and ponder how those very things never did leave. You just stopped paying attention to them.

BE A COMPANION, NOT A STAR

2011-04-24T13:17:00.004-06:00

I recently got an e-mail from a medium market PD. He told me that one of his jocks said “but why do I have to do that? I’m the star.” Really? Are you kidding me? In today’s radio you’re going to have that attitude?

Let's serve up some humble pie.

Long gone are the days when DJ’s were stars. Times have changed. While radio is still huge (294 million American’s will listen to the radio this week), listeners use radio more as an appliance. They don’t think about it. They turn it on when they need us and turn it off when they are done. Competition is everywhere for radio. It’s not just another station anymore. 30-40 years ago when all people had were their radio’s and a few channels on TV, then maybe you could be a star. But not today.

Very few listeners think of you as a star, at least the normal ones that know how to use PPM or fill out a diary. It’s time to stop trying to be a star and become a companion. That’s what people need. That’s what people want.

Don't make your show about you, make it about the listener.

Be a friend, not a star.

VOICE TRACKING QUICK TIPS

2011-04-10T18:17:00.003-06:00

Voice tracking is a way of life for most radio stations, programmers and air talent. Voice tracking doesn’t have to be negative. It can be a useful tool to have key talent on the air more often and to keep the station sounding consistent on weekends and holidays. Voice tracking the right way can not only make you sound live, it can free up talent to do other duties to make your radio station even stronger.

Here are a few tips to make your voice tracking sound as live as possible:

Always cut your voice tracks as close to the time they are going to run as possible. This will put you in the right frame of mind for your show.

Live shift or voice tracked? They need to sound the same. Be consistent.

Prep and prepare. Just like when you are live, bring your show prep and use it.

If you fumble or make a mistake, leave it in. It will sound more live and real this way. Most likely your live show isn’t perfect, your voice tracks don’t have to be either.

Find ways to reference the time. You can say "coming up in the next ten minutes before 1 o'clock I’ve got…" or "a few minutes after two." Simple tricks like this will make you sound even more live.

Be topical and in the “now.” Talk about things happening in your area while you are on the air.

Reflect your day part. If you are tracking midday’s talk about being at work. If you are tracking afternoons, keep in mind people are ending their workday and heading home. Tracking overnights? Most of your listeners are working a third shift or can’t sleep. Talk to them. Simple words will help you connect with what listeners are doing in different day parts.

Have a three ring binder that has all the exact same promo copy, liners and station information that’s in the studio. Consistency is key.

Never feel the need to say the day of the week (“…with you on a Monday”). It doesn’t make you sound any more live to say the day of the week. You just create useless words by telling people something they already know.

Think of your voice tracks as “a show”, not “a shift.” This goes for when you are live as well.

If you have the technical capabilities to run phoners, do it. They will make the show sound extremely live and help connect you to the listener.

Just like when you are live, think of just ONE listener. Use “I” and “you”, not “we” or “us.”

Above all, take some pride and put forth some effort in your voice tracks. A little extra work can make good voice tracks great.

HOW RADIO ROLLS IN AFRICA

2011-03-30T11:08:00.007-06:00

I recently got an e-mail from a reader of my blog in Africa. Ayo Owodunni works at The Beat 99 in Nigeria. I was instantly intrigued by radio on the other side of the world. Radio is HUGE in Nigeria (people spend a ton of time in their cars. Traffic is a nightmare as you can see from the picture above that Ayo sent me). Ayo agreed to answer some questions about radio.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE RADIO BUSINESS?
I went to high school and University in New Jersey. I actually attended Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. I joined the college radio station my sophomore year based on a tip off a friend. He simply said, “Ayo you have a big mouth and the radio station is looking for people to fill up program time." I ignored the big mouth statement and simply joined. That was the first time I ever got on radio.

WHAT TIME ARE YOU ON THE AIR?
I currently run five shows. I run a real estate show which airs every Monday from 12 noon to 12:30pm. I run a political program titled "Meet the Candidates" on Saturdays from 11am - 12noon. The elections are around the corner and there's a lot of excitement, anxiety and a whole lot of mixed emotions amongst the people. The previous election in 2007 was rigged so a lot of people have lost a lot of faith in the electoral process here. There's so much corruption in the political system so people have tuned off completely when it comes to politics. What's also interesting is trying to find the fine line, they are tired and frustrated but there's a need for change.

Our station is focused mainly on the youths so they are totally not interested in politics anymore. I basically interview political candidates and accept calls, texts and messages from our Facebook fans. I run another show called Fresh Beats. It's a new program that just started four weeks ago. We've spent sometime promoting and hyping this new show. The show is dedicated to unsigned/unrecognized artists looking for airplay. We've asked all musicians to bring their CDs to our office. We have a team of people who simply listen to the music and separate the good songs from the horrible songs (we get a whole lot of horrible songs) The idea is to basically get people to listen to the songs within this hour, text in their favorite artists and the artists with the most texts get their song on regular rotation, and come in for an interview at the station. We are now trying to involve a well known Nigerian producer who would give his feedback and advise to our top selected artists on how to make their music better. I also run a Sunday morning gospel show (8am to 11am) and a Sunday afternoon show from 12 -6pm. Nigeria is a very very religious country. There are churches on every corner and almost on every block. People enjoy listening to christian songs on Sunday and hearing a lot of inspirational, motivational talks. This is actually my favorite show.

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL DAY LIKE?
I am also part of the production team so I come in each day at 8:30am.
Due to the crazy traffic situation in Lagos, Nigeria, I have to leave the house by 6am to get to work by 8:15. I settle in, write down my to do list of the day and go about doing it. I enjoy going online to research a lot of positive motivational articles and stories to jot down to share with listeners during the weekend show. I also make sure my guys are listening to the artists trying to get their songs on Fresh Beats (and also making sure no one is collecting a bribe from these artists). I end up leaving around 6pm each day to get home for 8:30pm.

HOW OFTEN TO DO YOU MEET WITH YOUR PROGRAM DIRECTOR TO DISCUSS YOUR SHOW?
The group meets once a month and we're asked to bring in tapes of our recorded airchecks. We sit together as a group (all the on air personalities) listen to each tape and give feedback. We also bring our questions, concerns to our program director. Our program director has been in the radio business for over 20 years so he's well rounded and has a lot of knowledge.

DO YOU DO APPEARANCES? IF SO, HOW MANY PER WEEK?
I am currently new in Nigeria (came back in 2009) and also new at the radio station (started working here in December and actually just got my first show two months ago). I do hope I am able to start making appearances soon. I have been asked to MC a school pep rally, an entertainment magazine anniversary show and the launching of a new youth magazine.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT STATE OF RADIO IN NIGERIA/AFRICA?
The radio business in Nigeria is a HUGE industry. Due to the state of the transport system in Nigeria, an average Nigerian spends HOURS trying to get from one place to another in the economic hub of the nation (Lagos) The train system has been shut down for decades (due to mismanagement, corruption and bad leadership) so there are a lot of cars on the road. The roads are really bad with potholes and cars that are just not fit for driving...all this causes a lot of traffic on the road. On a regular Sunday (no traffic) it takes me 25 minutes to drive to work. On a week day the same drive would take you 2-3 hours. Now imagine trying to make appointments through the day. Driving to work and back can easily take 4-6 hours of my time. That's not mentioning the other hours I need to go to different places and still face the same traffic. All in all an average Nigerian can be exposed to over 6 hours of traffic on a daily basis. Since we don't have access to TV in our cars yet, we're still tuned in to radio stations to keep us entertained and informed on what's going on around us. The radio is an average Nigerians best friend. Everyone here has their favorite station, favorite personalities and favorite shows.

DO YOU GUYS HAVE "BUDGET CUTS" EVERY YEAR WHERE PART OF YOUR STAFF IS CUT?
We've not had any issues with budget cuts or staff cuts lately. Like I said the radio business is a huge industry and it has been projected to keep growing until the leaders begin the reform the economic sector of the country. Companies are still advertising and people are still buying airtime to run their shows.

WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST COMPETITIVE THREATS TO YOUR STATION?
Our company has three stations under its belt. Classic FM 97.3 (which plays a lot of old school music ranging from 70s to the 90s from Nigeria and abroad).

Beat 99.9FM which is geared towards to the youths and those who are
youths at heart and finally 102.7fm which is a local station...the
local language is spoken and it's geared towards the average citizen.
I work for Beat FM 99.9. We have two stations that are our competitors.
Cool FM 96.9 and Rhythm 93.7. We sound a like and play the same kind
of music. Our radio personalities sound a like also. I believe the only
difference is the content provided by the presenters. Everything else
sounds the same. As of now Naija 102.7 also has a competition with
another station called Wazobia They are also a local station. (actually the only two local stations in Lagos....so the Average Joe is listening to either of the two)

Classic 97.3 won the radio station of the year award last year. They are only
two years old (actually all the stations are two years old) so my hope is
the awareness continues to grow and the content continues to expand)

WHAT'S YOUR STATION'S WEBSITE? CAN WE STREAM YOUR SHOW?
Yup....we are live on air. www.thebeat99.com. click on the listen online button and voila! You’re tuned in.

ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO TELL RADIO BROADCASTERS IN THE UNITED STATES?
I miss US a whole lot. I miss listening to KWY news early in the morning on the way to school or work trying to catch up on all the latest news. I miss listening to power 99fm in Philadelphia, PA to keep up with all the latest hip hop and R&B songs. Unfortunately there's a new policy in the US where you can't stream your radio station outside the country (I can't listen to my favorite stations again over here) but here's all I have to say...Keep on doing what you love doing. I don't think we realize how many people we touch daily with our voices. We are a voice of hope, a voice of change, a voice of joy, a voice of information, a voice of entertainment to the people out there. Don't take your job for granted and always remember your responsibility. Also I would like to beg us all to spend more time adding value to the lives of our listeners. There's a station I listen to here every morning on my drive to work (I try to listen to all the stations to figure out exactly what they are doing) they spend time giving career tips on a daily basis. They do this for just about 30 minutes a day but I LEARN SO MUCH FROM IT. Please add value to the lives of your listeners. They will thank you for it years down the line.

You can e-mail Ayo at ayo@thebeat99.com.

NEVER WASTE A BREAK

2011-03-26T14:46:00.003-06:00

I spend a lot of time listening to personalities in all dayparts from all over the United States and Canada. One thing is clear, there’s not a lot of prep going into these shows. I hear a lot of wasted breaks. If I could see the live video feed from the studio I’m sure it would look something like this; the personality is reading the paper or surfing the web, the song is nearly over, in a rush grabs the headphones, clears the throat, takes a breath, turns the mic on and then says “here’s Brooks and Dunn’s My Maria on KXYZ.” WOW! Magic. Pure magic.

I’ve always used this analogy when working with jocks, say you are emceeing a sold out concert. There are 15,000 people (close to a large/major markets AQH) looking at the stage. The road manager hands you what they want you to say. You’re a little nervous, pacing and practicing. I bet you spend at least five minutes working on your break. You get on stage and nail it. It was perfect and thousands of people cheered. Why wouldn’t you spend that much time and focus on each of your breaks when you’re on the air? You have thousands of people listening, granted you don’t see them, but you and I both know they are there.

Many people may only hear you talk a couple of times each day. Use every opportunity to showcase your station and talents. Having the internet makes finding relevant show prep easier than ever. Here are a few tips to help you come to the studio prepared and find things your listener really cares about:

First thing is to know your audience. Not who you want them to be, but who they really are. If you’re not exactly sure who your target is, ask your PD. Once you know, then you can customize your show prep to them.

I learned from Jaye Albright years ago to “bring five things.” It instantly changed not only my show, but the whole station. Before you enter the studio find five things that are going on in the world that you want to talk about and your listener wants to hear. They can be local, national, personal, etc.

The internet is an endless source of prep. I love Yahoo.com. You can search news by most popular and most viewed. It’s a great way to find out what people really care about at this exact minute. You can also find a ton of local stories by simply entering your zip code.

Have more prep than you’ll use. If you have prep left over, then you came to your show with enough.

When prepping for your show always try to find audio to use on the air. Talking about Dancing with the Stars is good; having audio from the judges or the contestants reaction makes it great. Imagine how boring a TV newscast would be without video and graphics. Radio needs audio to enhance our product.

Prepping for your show shouldn’t be something you do ten minutes before you go on the air. Show prep is 24/7. There are a few things that are essential to have with you all the time. Pen and paper to write down things that you may want to use on the air and a digital audio recorder. We’re an audio medium and you should always be on the lookout for recording things from real people you can use on your show. Finally, go buy a HD Flip Mino Cam. The sound quality isn’t great, but the picture quality for a camera that small is awesome. Use the camera for your website. Video on the web is what pictures were in 1998.

Remember, having show prep isn’t a green light to talk and have long, unfocused, rambling breaks. No matter how much show prep you bring with you, it’s more important to keep your breaks brief and focused.

MUST HAVE BALANCE

2011-03-09T06:34:00.003-07:00

There are many factors that go into making a winning radio station. One of the most overlooked (and if broke, easily fixed) is balance. The music, imaging, spots, even on air content all need to be well balanced.

Let’s dive deeper:

THE MUSIC
Every fifteen minutes should be an overall sample of what the station is about. Look at your clocks and listen to your station to make sure you don’t have back to back currents, or back to back golds. Never clump the same genres or eras together. Listen to your station for fifteen to twenty minutes. Do you hear a balanced sample of all the categories, genres and eras? Always keep it balanced.

THE IMAGING
Keep all the elements that run between the songs balanced. Equally spread out the produced imaging, talk breaks, promos, and jingles. Don’t clump the same elements in the same quarter hour. Equally rotate them. Talk, sweeper, talk, jingle, talk, etc. Always keep it balanced.

SPOTS
If you take two commercial breaks each hour and are not sold out, make sure that traffic will equally balance the number of units in each break. If you only have six units in an hour, then do three units in each spot set. Eight units? Then four units in each. It sounds far better to keep it balanced than to have one stop set with six units and the other with only two. Always keep it balanced.

CONTENT
All the content you talk about on the air should be well balanced and focused on the target. It's not smart to only talk only about sports, or only about Hollywood gossip. Be mass appeal in your prep. Hollywood gossip, local, sports, kickers, artist prep, public service, etc. Always keep your content balanced.

Step back and listen to your station. How balanced is everything? Is every fifteen minutes an overall sample of what the station is about? If not, it should be.

SPEAK IN TELEGRAMS, NOT COMPLETE SENTENCES

2011-02-27T07:28:00.003-07:00

Bill Dodd (current PD at KLOG and KUKN in Longview/Kelso, WA) was the first PD I ever worked for. I’ve learned a ton from him and still seek his advice. Out of all the things Bill has taught me over the years, the one that is the most effective and still my favorite is to “speak in telegrams, not complete sentences.”

The principle is simple. Cut out all the extra words.

When you watch an old Western movie and they are reading a telegram, it normally looks something like this:

“Shoot out. Noon. Tomorrow. Saloon. Need help. Come quick.”

If it were an entire sentence, it would read like this:

“The boys are coming and we are having a shoot out at Noon tomorrow at the Saloon. I really need your help. Can you get here as fast as you can?”

Speaking in telegrams is much more efficient, effective and gets you to the point a lot faster.

Here’s how it relates to your next break on the radio.

FULL SENTENCE BREAK (this was an actual break I heard)
"That’s Keith Urban and Kiss a Girl on 93.3, WXYZ. Good morning, the time is 10:20 and my name is John Doe. Coming up I’m going to play more of your favorite songs. I’ll have the brand new song from Carrie Underwood. Our weather looks like this, sunny and 56 degrees today, clear skies overnight and down to 47 tonight. More sun for tomorrow and around 55 degrees for the high.”

TELEGRAM BREAK
"Keith Urban, Kiss a Girl. 93.3 WXYZ. I’m John Doe. 10:20. I’ve got the brand new one from Carrie Underwood next. Sunny 56 later, clear 47 tonight, back to sun and 55 tomorrow.”

38 fewer words in the telegram break and still able to say the same thing.

It’s simple, just use fewer words. You don’t need to use every available word for your break. Not only will it get you to the point faster, it will increase your energy and momentum.

Go back and listen to an aircheck. Did you speak in a complete sentence, or a telegram?

WHY BRAND NAME ARTISTS GET A FREE HALL PASS, WHILE NEWBIES ARE STILL LOOKING FOR HOMEROOM

2011-02-19T08:18:00.010-07:00

Phyllis Stark from Radio-Info.com wrote an article this week in her Stark Country column elaborating more on my recent blog.

Click here to start getting her twice weekly Stark Country.
http://www.radio-info.com/newsletters/stark-country

Can an artist’s “brand” make or break the success of their singles?

Programmers say top tier artists can often get a free pass with listeners, who profess to like their new songs immediately simply due to their affinity for the artist. At the same time, an artist with a tarnished “brand” might not get a fair shake from listeners, even with a great song.

Dial Global VP of programming and Hot Country format PD John Paul recently blogged about the topic after Chris Young landed his third consecutive No. 1 hit with a single his label previously tried and failed with prior to Young’s more recent chart successes. That’s evidence, Paul says, that the format is still artist driven. On the plus side of that equation, Paul says, certain superstars get high marks just for their track records alone.

“We do a daily feature called ‘The Delivery Room’ where we play a new song and take votes,” says Paul. “Many times when people find out it’s someone they know, love and are familiar with, they give it a 10. Some will even say, ‘I didn’t even hear the whole song, but I know it’s George Strait, so I’ll give it a 10.’ Even country listeners will gravitate more to the bigger, familiar and more established stars.”

Quoting consultant Rusty Walker, WCOL Columbus, Ohio, PD John Crenshaw describes it this way: “People don’t know what they like, but they like what they know.”

“Artist brand name does mean something, and I’ve clearly seen certain artists’ songs test better than reality says,” comments KAJA San Antonio PD Travis Moon. “Pretty much any non-polarizing superstar will ‘get a pass’ from the fans when you put them up for a test.”

“Any established artist with hits will get an automatic thumbs up,” says Paul, “at least at the start of the single. After some time, radio will discover that songs from even established artists could be stiffs. [But] the big acts get a free shot in the beginning.”

KEEY (K102) Minneapolis PD Gregg Swedberg agrees with Paul that even songs by superstars must still prove themselves to be hits down the line, despite getting a free ride in the beginning of their chart life. “Artist brand names can sometimes get a record into power, but after it’s really sunk in, it [might] turn out the song isn’t as strong,” he says. “That’s always a fun conversation when the song has to come out of power.”

But an artist’s name can also work against them. Paul cites Jessica Simpson as an example when she tried to switch from a pop to a country career a few years ago.

“I did an experiment when her first single was released to country radio,” Paul recalls. “I put her in my online callout the first few weeks and didn’t use her name. The song did OK. Then I put her name in the callout and the song tanked, badly. People thought the song was OK until they knew it was Jessica Simpson, and then they hated it. Not only did that happen with our online music testing, it happened when we played the song on the air and didn’t tell people who it was. I would bet that’s part of the reason why her country career went nowhere. It was mostly about the artist.”

WUBE/WYGY Cincinnati, PD Grover Collins says that’s not limited to the country format either. “I remember doing nights at a top 40 station when Donny Osmond’s song ‘Soldier Of Love,’ [was released],” he says. “I was told to put it on the air but don’t say who was singing it so people would judge the song just on the song and not be influenced by the artist.”

Knowing how an artist’s name can affect opinions about their single, KSOP Salt Lake City PD Debby Turpin conducts all of her music meetings anonymously. “I play music for the entire staff every week,” she says, “[and] I never tell them who it is, so they form an opinion of the music, not the artist’s track record. Obviously, sometimes you can tell who it is by the voice, but I definitely get more candid feedback when the singer is unknown. Even after years of doing it this way, staff members still ask ‘Well, who is it?’ while trying to decide if they like it or not.”

One record promotion veteran agrees that an artist’s brand can be a double-edged sword. John Ettinger, now a principal in Quarterback Records and Ettinger Talent, worked all of Shania Twain’s hits and remembers her brand becoming fatigued at one point.

“As we turned from the ’90s to the next decade, all of us at Mercury learned a strong lesson,” he recalls. “Shania Twain’s name alone began to provide a certain amount of built-in burn to callout research. We derived that by telling a listener they were hearing Shania, it could add as much as 20% to the ‘tired of it’ answer in callout. If you never said her name, the burn dropped immensely.

“And, of course, after the merger with MCA, we looked down the hall saw the opposite effect happening for George Strait,” Ettinger continues. “I once joked with [then BNA Records VP of promotion] Tom Baldrica that his superstar—Kenny Chesney—wears a cowboy hat, hails from Knoxville, Tenn., and radio listeners figure they can have a beer with him at any time. My superstar is from Canada, lives in Switzerland, and brought more pop to country than all other artists combined. Which one’s harder to work?”

“I do believe that some artists carry negatives,” agrees Swedberg, who groups a whole gender into that category based on his observations of listener response. “Almost all females start with a minus 15%, and if they have a big hit they erase it over time,” he says. “[I’m] not sure why, but females can’t catch a break, but the hits do eventually test, like the current Taylor Swift … It’s really important to keep testing things, and occasionally you have to ride out first results until you get consistent data.”

That bias against new acts—regardless of gender—can make it really hard for a brand new country artist to break at radio. Paul notes that it’s not just listeners, but programmers themselves who naturally choose established stars over unproven newbies.

“Labels have to work really hard to get that first hit,” he says. “Once the star has a couple of hits, it becomes just a little easier to get airplay on the next single.

“Bottom line: PDs and MDs will automatically gravitate more quickly toward songs from established artists that have some hits under their belt,” Paul says. “If you only have a few minutes to listen to music and you have a new Zac Brown Band and something from a brand new artist you haven’t heard of or met, I guarantee the PD or MD will listen to the Zac Brown Band song. It makes it really hard for any new act to cut through.”

WYCD Detroit OM/PD Tim Roberts thinks “quality” can still cut through that clutter. “Sure, artists with negative reputations are going to hurt their chances of gaining acceptance,” he says. “However, honestly, a quality record like Kid Rock had with ‘All Summer Long,’ [even though he] may not be thought of as ‘country,’ can push through because of the quality of the song.

“Certainly with our core fans, a familiar artist probably gets a hall pass and probably is taken a little more seriously,” Roberts continues. “I believe the reason is that a power artist name probably piques interest and makes the fans listen a little closer, especially if the on air talent sets it up correctly. That’s why it’s absolutely critical that air talent really talk up new records.

“Ultimately, great music always rises to the top, but a great name or power artist can help it happen faster for sure,” Roberts adds.

KAJA’s Moon also believes the way the song is positioned on the air—or in the research—can have a big impact on how listeners react to it.

“Sometimes there is some bias in how the song is positioned for the listeners to give you feedback,” he says. “I’ve always tried to keep the testing climate sterile when I do ‘Travis Moon’s Test Tune.’ I remember when we tested Jessica Simpson, I just called her a mystery artist and let listeners grade it on her own merits. Her tune did pretty well in the test. But if I came on and said, ‘Wow, Jessica Simpson is trying to go country. What do you think of this song?’ it is a veiled attempt to fish for negative feedback. I’ve always found that you’ll get the reaction you are looking for depending how you frame a new song in a testing feature.

“That goes for research questions too,” Moon adds. “You can pretty much easily predict the results of this awesome loaded question: ‘Do you prefer hit songs from superstar artists or new songs from brand new artists?’”

“When you have a new song from, say, a Kenny Chesney, he is a brand that listeners are familiar with, and they are going to be much more excited and intrigued to hear a new song from someone that they already have a relationship with than an up and comer or brand new song,” says Collins. “I can’t even tell you how many occasions that we have sat in music meetings, heard a song from a new artist, and the comment would be made ‘That would be a No. 1 song if Kenny Chesney recorded it’ or ‘That would be a No. 1 song if George Strait recorded it.’ It’s forever going to be an ongoing battle, and it’s harder now, obviously, for these new artists with the record companies not making any money, because basically you get one or two shots.”

“Ultimately, listeners like what they know, what is familiar, what has been tested and proven to be quality over time, and what they can count on,” says Clay Hunnicutt, Clear Channel’s VP of country programming, and operations manager for the company’s Atlanta cluster. “Think of George Strait as Coke and Jessica Simpson as an energy drink. There is a certain segment of the audience that wants the new energy drink, but the masses want Coke. The energy drink is important and can carve out great fans and additional usage, especially on the young, engaged end, along with helping to redefine the future with more choices of drinks. As for Coke, people know it, love it, have memories of it, and it’s part of their life. The same with George. He’s been there. His music is a part of us. It’s set time markers in our minds with key events and life changing moments.

“That said, I think that as programmers—and music lovers—we have to build new brands and try to find the next Coke, or the next great ‘brand’ in an artist,” Hunnicutt says. “Because if we only have one choice, and it’s the same year after year after year, the music becomes predictable, disengaging to our audience, and detrimental to finding hits for radio and labels.”

“When you have a string of hits that is years long, it’s hard to deny the instant familiarity of voice and style,” says consultant and veteran programmer Barry Mardit. “For instance, when I hear a George Strait song for the first time, I immediately know it’s George. I can picture George, maybe even what the performance will look like in concert, [and] the video plays in my mind. Therefore, I’m more able to concentrate on the lyrics, which completes the package. An unknown or unfamiliar ‘newbie’ doing the same song doesn’t have that advantage, so it may take longer to sink in.”

In Providence, R.I., however, WCTK (Cat Country 98.1) PD Bob Walker says things can be a little bit easier for new artists. “Our listeners use us as a ‘hit machine,” he says. “The song is usually bigger than the artist (with [Brad] Paisley and Chesney the possible exceptions). We’ve had several big names that can’t run a song up our callout over the past couple of years, while Sunny Sweeney and Thompson Square exploded onto the scene—both with hit songs—almost instantly.

“Now if both majors and newbies are releasing hit songs at the same time, then the major gets the nod for sure,” Walker adds. “It’s comfort food. But when they don’t meet our fan’s expectations, even a big artist name doesn’t get off the ground.”

MAKE REMOTES WORK

2011-02-15T06:26:00.003-07:00

I listen to a lot of radio on the weekends. All different formats. One thing is consistent, most remotes sound terrible. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with remotes. I think they are a great way to billboard your station, (as long as there are tons of banners and the vehicle is parked in a highly visible place) meet listeners and welcome new ones. Most PD’s despise remotes and consider them a tune out. I don’t agree. It’s the client’s :60 commercial. If you weren’t doing the remote break (where you have total control over what goes into that break) traffic would fill the :60 with something else. Most likely something you don’t have control over. Look at remotes as another :60 seconds that you can control. With proper guidance and coaching they don’t have to be a tune out. Here are some tips:

Keep the breaks at :60. Many jocks end up going 1:30 or longer. Unacceptable. If the client is paying for a :60, then that’s what they get. Get a timer for the jock.

Try not to do the breaks via cell phone. Take a laptop and do them in Audition then FTP them back to the station.

Edit the break down before it goes on the air. If you have to interview the client, edit them down and make sure it’s the best :60 seconds. Not only does this benefit the station, it also benefits the client.

Have the talent get there early and walk around the store. They should talk to the owner and get a feel for the business. Just like prepping for their show, they need to prep for the remote breaks. You can always tell when a jock doesn’t know much about the business. That’s when the rambling and clichés hit.

Speaking of clichés, avoid them at all costs. While there are many, here’s a few:
Come by and say hi (this is awful)
You can’t miss us (I recently heard this three times in the same break)
The deals are amazing/unbelievable (avoid hype, while the deals may be good, I’m sure they are not amazing or unbelievable)
We’ll be here until 2 (nobody cares)

Run a pre-produced open for the break voiced by your voice guy. Don’t let the in studio jock talk to the jock doing the remote on the air. That will only make the break longer (and only be entertaining to the two jocks).

Treat the remote break like a commercial. Run it first in the stop set. After all, you want listeners to show up. There’s a better chance of that happening if the break runs first in the stop set and not last. Remotes are a premium and should be treated as one.

If you have a street team/interns with you on location, don’t talk about them being there or put them on the air. Nobody cares.

Focus on the benefits for the listener. Keep the message focused and brief. Your job is to get people to stop by. You don’t do that with a laundry list of things going on. A long list doesn’t make it sound any more exciting. Things the listener cares about will make it more exciting. Find the biggest benefits and promote those.

Every remote should have a special that’s only available while the station is there. This will make the remote even more of a big deal. Work with the AE and the client to find something to promote or win.

Remotes don’t have to be a tune out. If you eliminate the negatives and focus on what makes them great, they can be a win-win for everyone. Put some time into improving your remotes and embrace them. Work with your AE and promotions department to make them special. Who knows, maybe your cume will increase AND you’ll help the bottom line.

COUNTRY RADIO IS STILL ARTIST DRIVEN

2011-02-09T06:10:00.006-07:00

This one is going to strike a nerve and be pretty polarizing.

Chris Young is proof that country radio is still artist driven. He has the #1 song in the country this week with “Voices.” The exact same song he released a few years ago and it didn't do much. Back then he didn’t have any hits under his belt. Now he’s had two back to back number one songs and the label decided to try the song again as a single. It worked.

Miranda Lambert is another one. She had mediocre songs that didn’t really catch, then finally after several tries, “The House That Built Me” paved the way for her to have hit after hit after hit. She’s now up for 7 ACM’s and on fire and it's well deserved.

A weaker example is Jessica Simpson. I did an experiment when her first single was release to country radio. I put her in my online call out the first few weeks and didn’t use her name. The song did OK, then I put her name in the call out and the song tanked, badly. People thought the song was OK until they knew it was Jessica Simpson, and then they hated it. I would bet that’s part of the reason why her country career went nowhere. It was mostly about the artist.

We do a daily feature called “The Delivery Room” where we play a new song and take votes. Many times when people find out it’s someone they know, love and are familiar with, they give it a 10. Some will even say “I didn’t even hear the whole song, but I know it’s George Strait, so I’ll give it a 10.” Even country listeners will gravitate more to the bigger, familiar and more established stars.

All of this makes it really hard for a brand new country act to break at radio. Labels have to work really hard to get that first hit. Once the star has a couple of hits, I expect it becomes just a little easier to get airplay on the next single. PD’s and MD’s will always gravitate to the more established artists with proven hits. Count the unique artists you have in your Selector or Music Master, and then compare it to a CHR or Hot AC. You’ll see my point.

In order for country music to survive, we will always need new stars. That’s why it’s so important for you to find the best new music and when you play it, sell it on the air. It’s part of our job to make new music familiar and create fans of these artists and songs. The bigger fan someone becomes, the more they will listen to your station to hear their favorite star or song. That equals cume and TSL.

BE LIKE BRIAN

2011-02-05T13:26:00.003-07:00

A friend of mine Brian Huen works at Radio Disney in Burbank. Part of his benefits for working there are free passes to Disneyland. He can go anytime he wants. Does he use these free passes? You bet he does.

You see, Brian gets it. He works for a format that is geared toward Tweens (9-16 year olds, the largest demo since the Baby Boomers). That's the target and he knows he needs to stay in touch with them in various ways (he also watches the same TV shows they do, talks to teachers and spends as much time as possible with his nieces and nephews).

What a great tool he has by being able to go to Disneyland when ever he wants. He's never lost that special feeling of being at Disneyland. For many kids and families, it's a once in a lifetime vacation and Brian learns a lot about his job by watching and talking with those families at the park. Plus, being at Disneyland keeps Brian focused and motivated. He knows the day that he stops wanting to go to Disneyland will be the day that he starts to lose touch with his job and the audience.

Most of us don't have a Disneyland in our backyard, but we do have events, remotes and concerts. These are just as important. Especially the concert part. These are your P1's who have spent their hard earned money to see their favorite star. This is a great place to watch and talk to these listeners. Think of it as a mini focus group.

Go where your audience is. Watch them, ask the right questions and use that information to make your station and/or your show better.

Be like Brian and take full advantage of a gigantic resource that is right in your back yard.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE AN AGING RADIO DJ WHEN...

2011-02-04T06:12:00.002-07:00

I got this from a co-worker today and it made me laugh.

You were first hired by a GM who actually worked in radio before becoming GM.

Radio stations were no place for kids.

You got off on the sound of "dead air" on the competitor's station.

Sales guys wore Old Spice to cover the smell of liquor.

You were playing Elvis' #1 hits when he was alive.

Engineers could actually fix things without sending them back to the manufacturer.

You worked for only ONE station, and you could name the guy who owned it.

You remember when normal people listened to AM radio, and only"hippies" listened to FM.

Radio stations used to have enough on-air talent to field a softball team every summer.

You're at least 10 years older than the last two GMs who fired you.

You used to smoke in a radio station and nobody cared.

Engineers always had the worst body odor, not because they worked too hard, but because they just didn't shower that often.

You know the difference between good reel-to-reel tape and cheap reel-to-reel tape.

Religious radio stations were locally owned, run by an old Protestant minister and his wife, never had more than 20 listeners at any given time ... and still made money.

You have a white wax pencil, a razor blade, and a spool of 3M splicing tape in your desk drawer - - just in case.

You know people who actually listened to baseball games on the radio.

You can post a record, run down the hall, go to the bathroom, and be back in 2:50 for the segue.

The new guy you're training has never listened to an AM
station.

You knew exactly where to put the tone on the end of a carted song.

You spent most of the time on Friday nights giving out the high school football scores. And when they weren't phoned-in, you got really pissed off.

You only did "make-goods" if the client complained. Otherwise, who cares?

You can remember the name of the very first "girl" that was hired in your market as a DJ.

Somebody would say, "You have a face for radio," and it was still funny.

Sixty percent of your wardrobe has a station logo on it.

You always had a screwdriver in the studio so you could take a fouled-up cart apart at a moment's notice.

Agents were people like James Bond and the Man From Uncle.

You would spend hours splicing and editing a parody tape until it was "just right," but didn't give a damn how bad that commercial was you recorded.

You still refer to CDs as "records."

Dinner? Let's see what the last shift left for me in the refrigerator.

The only interaction between you and someone else prior to bedtime is, "Thank you. Please pull ahead to the second window."

Your family thinks you're successful, but you know better.

You played practical jokes on the air without fear of lawsuits.

You've been married at least three times, or never married at all.

You've answeed your home phone with the station call letters.

You used to fight with the news guy over air time. After all, what was more important: your joke about your ex-wife, or that tornado warning?

You knew how to change the ribbon on the teletype machine, but you hated to do it because "...that's the news guy's job."

You had listeners who only tuned in for the news ... and not you. You could never figure that out.

You know at least three people in sales who take credit for you keeping your job.

You have several old aircheck cassettes in a cardboard box in your closet that you wouldn't dream of letting anyone hear anymore, but you'll never throw them out or tape over them. Never!

You can still see scars on your finger when you got cut using a razor blade and cleaned out the cut with head-cleaning alcohol and an extra long cotton swab on a wooden stick.

You still have nightmares of a song running out and not being able to find the control room door.

You've ever told a listener, "Yeah. I'll get that right on for you."

You have a couple of old transistor radios around the house with corroded batteries inside them.

People who ride in your car exclaim, "Why is your radio so loud?"

You remember how upset people used to get about Richard Nixon.

You have at least 19 pictures of you with famous people whom you haven't seen since, and wouldn't know you today if you bit 'em on the ass.

You wish you could have been on "Name That Tune" because you would have won a million bucks.

You even REMEMBER "Name That Tune".

You were a half-hour late for an appearance and blamed it on the directions you received from the salesperson.

You've run a phone contest and nobody called, so you made up a name and gave the tickets to your cousin.

MAKE TIME FOR TALENT

2011-01-28T13:24:00.004-07:00

This is for PD's. It's important.

I was reading Mark Ramsey’s BLOG about AOL getting into the talent/personality business:

AOL will on Monday launch a late-night video block featuring highlights from podcasts by director Kevin Smith and comedians Adam Carolla and Kevin Pollak.

“The idea is to take these very popular podcasts with their very rabid audiences and find a platform-appropriate way to create a programming block,” said Amber Lawson, AOL’s head of programming. “We want to tap into their audiences and create video content that is consumable in one- to five-minute chunks.”

…AOL will likely add more elements to the comedy block in the future and is searching for women and minorities who fit the concept.

AOL sees the importance of compelling talent. Why doesn’t radio? Now more than ever is the time to make sure that you are coaching, motivating and critiquing your talent.

They want the feedback. They crave the attention. It will make your station better. It's a win-win for everyone.

It's amazing to me when talking to air talent how few of them get coached (or get any feedback) from their Program Director. I realize PD's are really busy and have a ton on their plates. PD's need to tackle the biggest priorities first. To me, there are very few priorities as big as talent. Especially today when there are so many different sources of media and entertainment competing for the listener’s attention, like AOL. Spending a little time with your talent is not only good for moral, but the future of your product.

While sitting down and listening to an aircheck together is always good. Sometimes just spending some one on one time with your talent "talking radio" has numerous benefits. Your talent needs to know your expectations, your philosophies and your goals. If they are not getting better, growing and meeting your expectations, it's really nobody's fault but yours, the PD.

If you’re not making time for talent, I would start. Let them know you care. And if you don't care, maybe it's time to find a new career.

REMEMBER WHEN PEOPLE USED TO SAY “I HEARD ON THE RADIO…”

2011-01-22T08:14:00.003-07:00

I wonder how many times people get to the work and say to their friends “I heard on the radio this morning…?” I would bet not as much as they used to. Not because they aren’t listening as much, but because radio isn’t doing a great job of giving people the content to have them say “I heard on the radio….”

Music doesn’t count. They can get that anywhere. I’m talking about things personalities talk about and do that’s riveting, interesting and relatable enough for the listener to go and tell their friends about.

Most radio stations have been stripped of all marketing money. So all that’s left is word of mouth. Unfortunately, many companies have also stripped down the personalities and taken away anything that will garner word of mouth. This needs to change. Playing just music with no real one on one connection, fun or personality is bound to make radio even less interesting than many stations are already.

I’d love to see radio get back to being more than just juke boxes. If done right, stations can play 12-14 songs per hour and still be fun and have the connection that used to make radio so great.

Ask yourself, “what can I do to make people say to their friends ‘I heard on the radio today?’” Your station will be more successful.

TEASING TRAFFIC AND WEATHER

2011-01-16T13:18:00.004-07:00

Don’t get me wrong, weather and traffic are extremely important to many radio stations, but how you tease those features could end up making your station sound old and outdated.

A majority of listeners can get traffic and weather on their phones or computers faster than you can tease it. I find it especially annoying when a jock will say “going to rain all weekend. I’ll tell you the latest forecast in fifteen minutes.” Hold on! You just told me the weather and I don’t have time to wait to hear anymore.

Same goes with traffic. Teasing me to wait for traffic will force me to turn on the AM news/talker, or just go to my smart phone to get whatever I need quicker than you can give it to me. Plus, many medium/smaller markets that do traffic don’t need to. If you are in these markets and do traffic and you’re not making money from it, I would think about dropping it. To your listeners it’s more likely useless clutter. Let real listeners call in and give you traffic reports when things are bad. 97 Rock in Buffalo does a great job with this. They call it “blowin’ in the fuzz” and it’s extremely popular and useful. Plus, they have real people, using real language giving the reports.

Today, people don’t expect or want to wait for traffic and weather. It’s an “on demand, give it to me now” world. Continue to give traffic and weather to your listeners. They count on that, but to avoid sounding outdated, be careful how you tease these elements.

ALL ACCESS POWER PLAYER

2011-01-12T16:34:00.005-07:00

I was recently interviewed in All Access.

John Paul had built himself an impressive career as PD at Country stations such as WYRK/Buffalo and KUPL/Portland, but when his latter gig was cut short during an ownership change, he used it as an opportunity to broaden his horizon. Which he found at Dial Global, where he became Sr. Dir./Country Programming. There he oversaw a plethora of stations and he got his first taste of the rapidly developing technology behind satellite-delivered formats. Here Paul describes what he has learned and how Dial Global programming dovetails with the current Country music scene.

What made you decide to work for Dial Global?

In August of 2009, I was laid off from KUPL/Portland when Alpha Broadcasting bought the station from CBS. I came to Dial Global a year ago to be the Sr. Dir./Country Programming. I was overseeing the six Country formats based out of the Denver; now I'm the VP/Programming.

What intrigued me about Dial Global was its people, its focus on talent and its commitment to producing a great product. I had gotten a little burned out on local radio and was looking for something still in radio ... just not the day-to-day grind of a major-market station. This job is certainly a bigger scale than what I'd been involved with before. I worked local radio for over 20 years; now I'm overseeing multiple formats with hundreds of affiliates and millions of listeners.

Was there a lot to learn in network programming?

There's a big learning curve with all the technology and tools we have available. I had no idea some of this technology even existed. We are able to produce great formats from multiple locations across the country and not even miss a beat.

Now it seems you're concentrating your efforts on multiple formats, not just Country...

In December, I was promoted to VP/Programming and I now oversee all the 24/7 formats that are based out of Denver. I also serve as the day-to-day PD for the Hot Country, which is one of six different Country formats we have. I'm also playing a big role in talent development for the company.

What's your view of Country radio in terms of quantity and quality of product to choose from?

There's always ebbs and flows. In, the last several months, the music has been really good. Acts like The Band Perry are breaking through; there's a lot of great new stuff out there. Of course, Lady A has been big for us, so the superstars have been putting out great music, too. It's been fun watching Zac Brown break through, as are Miranda Lambert, Billy Currington and Blake Shelton, who's close to popping into an "A" act.

I've also noticed a wide variety of Country music, from the poppier Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood to the bluegrassy Band Perry and hardcore straight-ahead Country stuff from Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson and Craig Campbell. If stations pay attention, they can be adding a wide variety of styles into their current sound.

Are you satisfied that you're getting a proportionate amount of quality music from all of those categories of Country?

It has been a while since had we had a problem finding different types of Country music. Recently, we haven't had an issue in finding a good balance of music to add each week.

Do you use research differently at Dial Global than you did when at KUPL?

That's probably been one of biggest differences. In Buffalo and Portland, everything was hyper-local; we primarily looked at local research, local Big Champagne numbers and record sales. Now all we look at is national data and we do online music testing with formats, which is great. We have close to 600 different Country affiliates; we reach millions of people each week, so we have thousands of people taking online tests to give us a big snapshot of what's going on in the entire country.

Is burn more or less a concern at Dial Global as it was on your previous stations?

I never saw Country songs burn real fast when I was in Buffalo and Portland -- and I don't see much burn from this vantage point, either. I remember Tim McGraw's "Live Like Dying" get 1,200 spins at WYRK, yet it was one of our least-burned records. So I learned not to pay a whole lot of attention to burn in Country.

I would presume that the Country acts whose hits were mainstream pop hits might be more impacted by burn.

I haven't seen it yet, but we are aware of the possibility. We absolutely watch Taylor Swift, Lady A and Carrie, not only because of their exposure on other formats, but on TV, too.

How many spins on Dial Global do you need to gauge whether the record is going to be a hit or not?

I still say the magic number is 100. It can be a tough situation for us, because we have so many stations. Hot Country alone is 80-90 affiliates - and every one has different scenarios. Some might have a Country competitor; which would warm up songs faster, while others may be the only game in town, which would take longer to familiarize the audience with the songs. So it can be tough to do from a national perspective. We still look at 100 as a number where you should start seeing songs stick.

Is what makes for a successful personality on Dial Global any different than one on a local station?

It is different. First off, our company is doing a great job in investing in personalities. We know that it's between the records that matters most. My boss, Beau Phillips, once told me that jukeboxes are great for diners, but not for radio. Our goal has been to invest in talent and give them the tools they need to be more than just a "title and artist" jock.

The difference here with a 24/7 format is that the things our personalities talk about have to be more generic and more national in scope We can't get too local, although we do have a new product we just bought from The Waitt Radio Networks called Dial Global Local. It enables us to put out a 24/7 format that can be customized for each affiliate in real-time. An affiliate can send us something; we can cut a track for it that only runs on that station.

DG Local is currently being used for Classic Rock, Classic Hits, AC, Hot AC and Country stations that are designed to emphasize more local content. It's really amazing how it works; as long as the affiliates feed jocks local info; they'll be able to get something back within five to 10 minutes. We hired over 30 new full-time jocks over the last couple of weeks to be part of Dial Global Local.
That's a huge reason why I was excited to take this job -- seeing the investment Dial Global puts into talent. Unfortunately, through no fault of their own, a lot of great talent is now available. We're just trying to find the best ones

Are any of Dial Global's air personalities "stars" on the magnitude of Gerry House or a Rick Dees?

That's a tough one. Some of our jocks have a higher profile than others, they've been here a long time and it could also be the nature of their show. It could also be the nature of show and format to not stand out as much as bigger personalities -- but that doesn't lessen their importance to us. A quality jock is as important as quality music; they way they sell the music gives people a reason to listen to radio beyond the songs.

What impact has PPM had on the way your air personalities operate?

That's hard to say, because our PPM stations are primarily in a lot of shadow markets to PPM markets, so we do get our stations encoded. But the majority of our formats are on stations in diary markets. Nevertheless, one of the things I focused on last year was the idea that just because a majority of our stations are in diary markets, it doesn't mean we can't learn from the PPM.

We try to teach our jocks that as long as they talk about compelling, relatable things, in organized breaks and in an entertaining way, it doesn't matter if they're in a PPM market or not. Each jock should get right to the point and have something worthwhile to say, so you don't waste a break.

Does Dial Global have a strong web presence?

It's a different situation here, because a lot of affiliates have their own websites, so we haven't developed a web strategy. I would love to see our company get more involved with the websites for our affiliates.

Where does Dial Global stand on the prospects of HD?

That, too, is a local level decision. I have mixed feelings on HD. A non-radio friend of mine summed it up when he asked, "Why do I need an HD radio when FM radio sounds great enough as it is?" There's a lot of truth to that. If radio were to invest in some really compelling content and talent for HD -- and give listeners some good reasons to listen to it -- it might be different and HD may have more traction than it does today.

Describe Dial Global's relationship with the labels.

Hot Country reports to Mediabase, as do our AC and Hot AC formats, and they all have a great relationship with the labels. The labels know our stations hit millions of people every week - many in markets were people are still buying a lot of CDs. There's a Wal-Mart in every town. There have been VPs of labels who have told me that we're their secret weapon on the street date because we're also hitting markets they can't hit because there's no reporting station in that area.

It there more pressure from the labels in adding their records today?

It's more intense now. I don't know if that's because of the size of Dial Global's audience, or because airplay is getting harder to get at a local level. You ask a Country PD of any station, not just ours, and I bet you they'd say the intensity has increased. I don't remember a time when more Country labels were calling me. A lot of small indies now call us regularly, too.

Do the major labels use the size and roster to give their new acts a step up above the indies?

We look at every song the same regardless of the label it came from. One of the things we do here is we listen to lot of music. Every Friday at noon all of Country PDs meet in my office; we bring our lunch and just listen to music and watch videos on CMT. We probably listen to more new music than any other country station in the U.S. We look at it as part of our job as programmers.

What kind of goals to you set for Dial Global?

We definitely want to go up-market; that's why we're using the DG Local technology to make our product more local. We're slowly building that; there's still a lot of room to grow. We just hired over 30 new jocks and we're building a bunch of new studios to make room for them.

There's a lot of interest from owners and GMs, who check out what the technological changes have done for satellite-delivered formats. It's flawless if the local stations follow our directions and do it the right way; the listener can't tell where the programming is coming from - and we have affiliates who execute the programming flawlessly.

What kind of personal goals do you have?

I started radio part-time in the 8th grade in 1987 at KLOG-A in my home town of Longview, WA. I've been programming since 1995. My original goal was to program KUPL - and I got my chance. Due to an ownership change, it didn't last as long as I wanted, but looking back now, that was a blessing in disguise.

Being a VP/Programming has been another long-term goal. I see radio being around for a long time, but we can't survive by being a jukebox. We will continue to focus on creating compelling on-air content. There's no place I'd rather be doing that than here at Dial Global. It's a real exciting time and I've never been happier in my career

DIAL GLOBAL AWARDS VP STRIPES TO FOUR PROGRAMMERS

2011-01-10T11:59:00.002-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2010 New York City, NY.

To keep pace with Dial Global’s rapid growth, the company today announced the promotion of four senior programmers. Accepting expanded roles are:

David Felker Vice President, Programming (based in Valencia, CA)

Tim Maranville Vice President, Programming (based in Seattle, WA)

John Paul Vice President, Programming (based in Denver, CO)

Chris Reeves Vice President, Programming Operations (based in Denver, CO)

Dial Global’s President of Programming Kirk Stirland comments “Our philosophy is to attract talented people, give them the tools to grow and then promote from within. Here’s a great example, with four managers who have clearly risen to the challenge.”

Beau Phillips, EVP Programming adds “We are committed to delivering quality products and services – which requires sharp people leading the charge. Dial Global has experienced explosive growth with our formats over the past two years. Our new programming VPs will help us to manage that growth and better serve our affiliate stations.”

BE BIG IN JANUARY

2011-01-09T13:00:00.005-07:00

If you haven’t done this already, it’s too late. But make a note for next year.

If you work at a Country station, chances are you got killed in the ratings in December. Your enemy, the All Christmas AC station. Face it, women love Christmas music and they leave country radio for a few weeks in December and spend that time listening to the AC station. Those few weeks are enough to really have a really big impact in your December PPM or your Fall numbers. In non PPM markets, the numbers for All Christmas AC stations are so big in December, it can be enough to carry that station for the entire fall book.

Now that Christmas is over and everyone is back to their routine, it's time to make sure that January is a big month promotionally (in the past I've done "Live Free for a Year" in January). Have something big on the air and promote the sh*t out if it. Typically, January hasn't been a big month for promotions, but it's time to re-think that and have a strategy to welcome back those listeners that left you in December. Start teasing your major contest right around Christmas Eve/Day. Sell it, remember you will constantly have new cume who left for Christmas music and are now coming back. They may have no idea what’s going on with your station. Find subtle ways to welcome them back and keep them going into the New Year.

CHRISTMAS MUSIC

2010-11-28T10:54:00.001-07:00

Let’s face it, if you’re a country station, you’re probably going to get killed in the ratings in December. The AC station playing all Christmas music will probably clean your clock. Don’t worry, the women you lose will be back on the 26th. December has become a really hard month to win in the ratings if you’re not wall to wall Christmas music. Even then, it’s can be tough. It’s not about playing all Christmas music. It’s about playing the right Christmas songs and having that “feeling” at Christmas time. Let me explain.

Just playing Christmas music isn’t good enough. It’s all about playing the songs that remind the listener of being a kid. That’s a secret. I’m sorry, the brand new Christmas song from a brand new group isn’t nearly as effective as Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis and even Mariah Carey’s 1994 Classic “All I Want For Christmas is You.” Those are the type of songs you should be playing, regardless of your format. Those are the songs that make people think of that best Christmas’s ever…when they were a kid.

Same goes for your imaging. Find drops from classic Christmas TV shows and movies. Go to a school and ask five or six year olds what they think of Christmas. Use that in your imaging. Again, it’s all about getting that “feeling” and putting it on the air.

Promotionally, have something big in January to welcome back the listener that went away. Traditionally, January hasn’t been a big month for radio promotions, but I think that should change. Start your contest right after New Year’s Day, but start promoting the day after Christmas.

If you want to keep your listener listening for a few more minutes before turning you off and going to the all Christmas station, then jog their memory. Make them think of Christmas when they were seven years old. It’s all about nostalgia.

BE THANKFUL...

2010-11-19T18:38:00.002-07:00

This is a re-post of something I did year ago. I think it's worth seeing again.

Thanksgiving is this week and I thought it would be good to reflect on some things we should be thankful for working in radio. Now before you roll your eyes, I realize the last 18 months have been really tough with downsizing, cut backs, programming options forced down our throats and more. This is not just something radio is dealing with, it's everywhere. All businesses and industries are suffering. Radio is still a great gig and here are a few things to be thankful for:

• We work in radio. We play music and connect with people for a living. Pretty cool.

• We get to go to concerts for free and many times meet the artists backstage.

• We don't have to get up at 5am in the pouring rain to collect people’s trash.

• We get to talk to thousands of people each day that think of us as a friend. We have thousands of friends!

• We get to create magic (or at least you should be creating magic).

• We get to listen to music and get paid for it.

• Many of the biggest stars in country music know us by name.

• The chicks (Just kidding. Seeing if you are still paying attention).

• Our office environment is unlike any other place on the planet. Try working for a lawyer or CPA. Their offices are boring and stale. I've never worked in a radio station where someone didn't have a guitar in their office and played it often.

• Most of us are doing what we've wanted to do since we were kids. I bet most of your non radio friends can't say that.

• Over 90% of all Americans listen to radio each week. That's an impressive number. Very few media outlets connect with that many people each week.

• Each day we get to make people laugh, cry and think.

• Every day is different. Perfect for radio people that have ADD...which is most of us.

• We get free tickets to nearly everything.

• Competition makes us all better and radio has a lot of it.

Stay positive and take this weekend to think about all the great things that come with working in radio. There are many.

KNOW YOUR TARGET

2010-11-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here’s an easy and extremely helpful way to get everyone on the same page about the exact target of your radio station. This is something I’ve done at nearly every station I’ve programmed. I put this list together using actual research from Arbitron, The Media Audit, Scarborough, and local perceptual to come up with this list. I gave this list to everyone at the station. Here’s a sample of my “Target Listener.”

Board Target Demographic
Adults 25-54

Narrow Target Demographic. We must OWN this demo!
Adults 35-44

On Target Demographic. We must always use her as a filter.
33 Year Old Female
• Married
• Young family
• Employed Full Time
• Contemporary in fashion and trends
• Trendy
• Not afraid to go out in the city
• Very into family/friends, but loves weekend getaways with husband
• Drives a foreign car (only 23.7% of metro population own a domestic car)
• Faithful/Spiritual
• Gives of her time to charity. Volunteers
• Loves new movies and Hollywood gossip
• Reads People, OK!, Women’s Day, Glamour, Cosmo
• Loves to watch ET, Inside Edition, E! Entertainment Television, HGTV, Food Network.
• Loves to find TV shows the whole family can watch at the same time
• Wants to protect her children from off color humor
• Has a college education
• Median Household income is $52,000
• Didn’t listen to country music before the early 90’s. Loves Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Brad Paisley
• She listens to the lyrics and knows their meanings
• Also listens to Hot A/C, A/C and CHR

SELL THE MUSIC

2010-11-07T10:01:00.001-07:00

Most radio stations don’t sell the music anymore. They feel that just saying the title and artist is enough. Many stations don’t even do that because they are jukeboxes running jock less.

In every piece of research I’ve ever seen, listener LOVE to know the title and artist of every song. It’s always at or near the top of what they want. Yet, so many stations don’t even do that.

I’d think we need to take it a step further and actually SELL the music. Talk about the songs, the stars, have audio from the artists run over the intro of them talking about what the song means and how it came to be. Make the song a big deal. Be excited about being able to play it. Isn’t that a big reason why most of us got into radio?

Think about it. If we sell the music and make the listener a big fan of the artist and their song, they will want to hear them more and spend more time listening to us to hear that song. They may also go out and buy and download the single. It’s a win-win for records and for radio.

I think it’s not only our job to play the music, but to sell the music and make fans of the songs and stars.

FIVE LESSONS RADIO CAN LEARN FROM BLOCKBUSTER

2010-10-31T05:58:00.002-06:00

This is from Mark Ramsey. Like almost everything he writes, this is dead on. Check out more about Mark at http://www.markramseymedia.com/

Blockbuster once defined the video business. Now in bankruptcy, it has shuttered thousands of stores and fired thousands of employees.

Flash back 25 years, and Blockbuster was revolutionary. All the videos most folks wanted – and all in one place and easy to rent. Blockbuster quickly became THE way to experience movies at home. It became the established way.

The analogy to radio is obvious. The established way to consume content – check. Purveyor of the hits most people want most of the time – check. Conveniently located and part of your daily habit – check. Local to your community – check. A vast network of outlets nationwide – check. Thousands of employees and managers all clinging to the status quo – check.

And like radio, Blockbuster drifted into a business model that calcified over the years. With tremendous scale and tremendous profitability comes a sense that you can do no wrong – that your way is the way, come Hell or high water. With scale and profitability comes a sluggishness to respond to change and competitive threats.
Competitor Netflix was once a flea on Blockbuster’s butt. After all, they were the upstart – a virtual company mailing DVD’s to people at home and later, laughably, actually streaming content online. Let’s see, an industry confronted by a competitor streaming content online…where have I heard that before?

Now Netflix’s profits are up 25% in the past year. They continue to ramp up deals with the Hollywood content-makers and are likely to offer a streaming-only option soon. Today, Netflix streaming accounts for 20% of prime-time Internet traffic.
Meanwhile there’s another competitor that brings the best of the Blockbuster experience to a corner near you with even greater convenience and an even lower price: Redbox. In the second quarter alone, the “DVD services” revenue of Redbox’s parent corporation were up 44%.

Blockbuster could have responded to all this; indeed it eventually did in efforts that are generally viewed as “too little and too late.”
So back to radio, the established way to consume content featuring the hits most people want most of the time, conveniently located and part of your daily habit, local to your community, with a vast network of outlets and thousands of employees and managers working with a calcified business model.

What are five things radio learn from Blockbuster?

1. Pay attention to the way habits change

People didn’t wake up one day and start ordering DVD’s online or streaming them direct to their TV’s and mobile devices. It happened gradually over a decade. But the habits were changing decisively, and Blockbuster generally ignored them until it was too late.

Like Blockbuster, radio broadcasters proclaim the dominance of their reach and give primarily lip service to the changing behaviors of the listening audience. When 75 million Americans are registered to use Pandora, you can assume that behaviors are changing and the wind is no longer at your back, radio. Like Blockbuster, radio’s investments are too little.

One hopes they will not be too late.

2. Don’t buy your competitor until you invest in your future.

How did Blockbuster respond to weakness in their sector? By trying to buy their competition, Hollywood Video. That acquisition fell apart in 2005, well into the growth curve of Netflix. In other words, Blockbuster focused on buying more outlets like themselves rather than investing in the future consumers were heading towards.
If deal money were available to radio, would we use it to invest in our multi-platform digital future? Or to buy more radio stations? You and I both know the answer to that. Hello, Blockbuster!

3. Act fast and with commitment

Netflix began renting DVD’s by mail in 1999. Blockbuster introduced an online DVD rental service in 2004. Naturally, Blockbuster is dwarfed by Netflix in this space. That’s what happens when you’re five years late to the party.
Redbox began to sprinkle its kiosks around the country in 2004. Blockbuster created its own kiosk business in 2009. Naturally, Blockbuster is dwarfed by Redbox in this space. That’s what happens when you’re five years late to the party.
What trends is radio five years late on? Frankly, what trends are we not five years late on?

The key is not only to act, but to act fast and with commitment.

4. Talk to consumers about the experience they want, not the one you’re giving them
Value is in the eye – and the ear – of the beholder.

Netflix and Redbox are both more valuable than Blockbuster to a growing number of consumers because they offer a different and richer value proposition: Greater convenience, greater choice, lower cost, greater personalization, etc. Blockbuster viewed the problem as a “how do we maximize profits from our customer base and get new customers into the store” problem, rather than a “how do we increase the value of our offerings to consumers who can and do have choices” problem.
Today, radio is in a similar dilemma. Consumers want value, not “radio.” They want music and information content on their terms, not yours. It is the wise broadcaster who understands the difference.

Do you know how many times a broadcaster has asked me to provide a research-based roadmap to the future consumer for the kind of content radio provides and to map out how that broadcaster can satisfy that consumer regardless of distribution channel?
Zero.

5. Recognize that you’re not in the business you thought you were in

Part of the reason why Blockbuster was so slow was that they envisioned themselves as being in the “brick and mortar” video rental business, when in fact they are in the business of “distributing entertainment content to consumers any way consumers want it.”

That’s a huge difference with huge implications for strategy and action.
Radio, meanwhile, sees itself as being in the “radio business,” the business of selling spots to agencies to reach listeners who are measured by diaries or meters.
Instead, radio must recognize that it’s in the business of connecting local consumers with clients via the megaphone of the broadcast. Where these two groups meet and how they meet and what medium brings them together may be propelled by your radio tower, but it is not limited to it.

Yelp and Google Local are growing at your expense. Groupon is growing at your expense. Pandora is growing at your expense.

Until you understand what business you’re in, you won’t even recognize your competitor when he steals your consumers from under you.

Hello, Blockbuster.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT POLITICAL SPOTS

2010-10-28T07:30:00.000-06:00

I'm sure by now you are as sick of political spots on the radio as I am. You can't escape it. According to a story in All Access, an increasing numbers of complaints about political advertising on radio and TV are plaguing station owners.

At times there is so much mud slinging, hype and over exaggeration, I can't tell the spots apart or who the candidates are. It got me thinking, if I was running for political office, what I would do in my spots to stand out. How would I be different? How would I cut through the clutter? The simple answer is to be real, genuine, open and honest. Much like a winning radio station's air talent and imaging should be.

1) Be real. Don't hype.
2) Be genuine. Don't be flashy.
3) Be open.
4) Be honest. Never lie to the listener.

Instead of "calling out the competition", hyping myself and talents, exaggerating or lying about what I've done, or what my competitor hasn't done, I would be organic, real and genuine.

If you are doing those with your imaging and air talent today, think how much of a relief it is for listeners to hear your station after a break full of political ads.

WHY YOU MUST HAVE PERSONALITY

2010-10-21T09:11:00.003-06:00

This is from talent coach Tommy Kramer
tommykramer.net

Here’s why you simply have to have personality on the radio. Just being a music source isn’t good enough anymore (if it ever was), because the way it’s set up on iTunes or Amazon, they make recommendations based on what I’ve already listened to or bought.

So their sense of what I might enjoy is actually far more accurate than your little playlist, which contains at least a hundred songs that I could never stand in the first place, or I’m sick of now and never want to hear again—no matter what your format is. You have to entertain to offer something different, so people will abide the songs that aren’t their favorites. And you want the feeling that we’re just sitting in the living room playing songs while we talk—you know, like in real life.

Ask yourself every day “What did I do today that was really entertaining?” It doesn’t have to be a big, shiny production; just something that made listening to you worth the time I spent.

Otherwise, it’s “Hello, iPod.”

IT JUST WON'T MATTER

2010-10-10T18:06:00.002-06:00

There’s a lot of talk recently about how an FM receiver could be built into all cell phones. I’ve heard a few radio executives get really excited about this. Some may even think radio’s troubles could be over when this happens. Don’t hold your breath.

If there is no content worth listening to on the radio, no matter how much distribution you have, it won’t matter. Stations that are “most music” and “less personality” have the most to lose with the FM receiver in cell phones. Many people have their entire music library in their phones. No commercials. Why would they choose to listen to a radio station that has no compelling content on their phone, when everything they want musically is already there?

My point is, until there is something compelling, relatable and riveting on the radio, having a FM receiver in cell phones won’t matter. When radio wakes up and starts investing in talent and gives people a reason to listen beyond the music, then it may matter.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL INTERACTION

2010-09-26T18:23:00.000-06:00

Radio personalities campaigning for votes (ratings) is very similar to Politicians who are campaigning. Getting out and meeting as many of your listeners as you can is extremely important. Shaking hands, kissing babies, showing up at events, and personally asking people to listen is a big part of your job and success.

Tim Johnson is a Republican Congressman in Illinois. He has made a promise and goal to personally call around 100 of his constituents every day. He calls them on his way to work, on his way home, during lunch, his morning walk, or time he sets aside each day. Some calls are 15 seconds, others are an hour. That’s well over 300,000 calls a year. Congressman Johnson gives his constituents a chance to personally talk to him, ask questions and share concerns or issues they may have. 100 each day. One on one. Personal.

By the way, he’s never lost an election.

HOW TO REALLY USE FACEBOOK

2010-09-15T12:14:00.002-06:00

We have a format here at Dial Global Radio Networks called SAM "Simply About Music." Gary Thompson is the PD and came up with this promotion for one of our affiliates. It's great. This is from Mark Ramsey's BLOG.

There’s a SAM affiliate in Illinois that’s been with Dial Global for a couple years. Over the last year, the station had flattened out in the ratings. Earlier this year, we developed a plan to get some street buzz for the station. Like most stations they had no money for promotions. On Fridays instead of calling the station SAM, we rename it after a “facebook fan” that we select….its called FACEBOOK FAN FRIDAYS. We re-do new imaging for the station every Friday, calling it stuff like “Tina Smith-FM”. We run promos saying what we’re doing. We play up the fact that “all this great music is thanks to Tina”…and “if you see Tina today, thank her.” Turns out people like to hear their name on the radio ALL DAY, and end up telling their friends. The station’s Facebook friends have gone from a few hundred to a few thousand. And for whatever reasons, the ratings doubled in the last book. I’ve given this idea to other SAM’s, along with producing generic Facebook fan imaging for them.

Interesting tactic that’s less about gathering Facebook fans and more about generating some excitement and word-of-mouth out in audience-land.
Now if the station has a mechanism to “can” that word-of-mouth and make the whole process easier to share and communicate to friends (exactly the purpose of social media), you have a great opportunity to power the ability of an audience to share themselves with each other in your presence.

That, my friends, is called “branding.”

Will this branding yield ratings like it seemed to do in this case?

Try it and find out.

RADIO'S TRUMP CARD

2010-09-10T16:16:00.002-06:00

Doug Erickson printed this on his website www.ericksonmedia.com. It's written by John Hendricks www.johnhendricksbroadcast.com and makes total sense.

~~

As a career broadcaster, the thought that Radio could be over sends a chill up my spine. Those of us in the USA have, for the better part of a century, enjoyed FREE radio and television.

Now, in a very real way, Radio is the only free media still standing. Think about it...

•Internet Radio, at the very least, requires subscription to a high-speed ISP. Cost: around $60 per month.
•Cell phones with internet access cost about twice that.
•Even before television converted to HDTV, most viewers subscribed to either cable or satellite service. Now, for many to access local channels, they have to subscribe.
Anyone who has ever worked with Cable and Cell Phone providers knows that they understand the absolute basic premise of the media business: Distribution.
No matter how great the programming is, if you can't get it to a mass audience, it will fail.

And if they control the distribution, they control everything. Steve Jobs understands this.

Cable and Mobile providers have invested hundreds of billions of dollars into developing their distribution platforms -- and they fully intend to see to it that nobody will make more money from the use of their platforms than they do.

As James Carville might say: It's all about distribution, dummy!

The day is quickly arriving when we'll be down to 5 major systems of distribution:

•Internet
•Mobile phones
•Cable
•Small dish networks, such as Direct TV and Dish Network
•Sirius/XM satellite radio, which is now using portions of many of the above
This leaves terrestrial RADIO as the only FREE service left. It seems to me this is something worth fighting for!

Before Radio tries to make 'friends' with the digital world, it should consider what that will mean:

•Radio will be at the mercy of out-sourced distributors.
•Radio will no longer be free, forcing us to compete with all other media, including video, on the same platforms.
•Radio will no longer have the ability to connect advertisers with 240 million American consumers on a free platform, and that will lead to huge losses in ad revenue.
To some degree, this loss of ad revenue is already happening. Don't believe me? Just ask one of your local account execs. Ask who's getting the budget your local station used to get?

You'll discover that cable television offers local insert rates (into FOX, CNN, A & E, and local network television) that are, in many cases, lower than your station can offer, and considerably lower than the local TV stations.

So, what can Radio do to protect its place in this new hyper-competitive media world?

Only one thing: Create programming content that people do not want to live without.

And there is a contemporary example we can emulate: HBO.

About a decade or so ago, HBO realized they had become just another 'movie channel,' and that they were forced to bid higher and higher amounts for the top box office films in order to keep them off competitor channels.

HBO was becoming a commodity with ever-increasing product costs that were out of its control. How would they survive and thrive?

HBO began creating original programming. At first, true hit shows were rare, but then The Sopranos hit Sunday evenings.

Suddenly, HBO was the "movie channel" everyone had to have, the premium TV they were more than willing to pay for.

You've seen the result. HBO continues to invest in original content, and to pay for quality programming that is not available anywhere else. HBO has increased its value, and its differentiation at the very time network TV is struggling to produce real hit shows, seen by fewer and fewer eyeballs, producing less and less revenue.

If Radio, as the last totally free medium, is to survive and thrive, giving in to cell phone apps and online streaming is not the way. Cutting costs, cutting talent, becoming music services with lots of ads, will only hasten our demise.

It really is All About Distribution, Dummy!

And with a weekly cume of nearly 240 million unique listeners, Radio's distribution far exceeds that of any of our competitors.

We already have the audience on the best platform available, because it's ubiquitous and free. Now we need to invest in original content that cannot be duplicated anywhere else.

It's not the playing field that has to change, it's the plays.

Ode To A Dying Breed - The Radio DJ

2010-09-06T17:21:00.000-06:00

By Cory Cory

Radio DJ's going the way of the dinosaur

Sooner or later, your favorite local radio music format will be gone. One day, perhaps without warning, it will be replaced by talk, news, or some “contemporary” format. Popular songs you once enjoyed, or maybe loved to hate, first become oldies and suddenly one day a program director somewhere decides the demographic skews too old and those songs just vanish from the radio.

The final cut comes when the format’s premiere disc jockeys disappear. Recently, one of the country's top jazz DJs, Dick Buckley from Chicago, died. For several decades before his last broadcast two years ago, when it came to jazz he had few peers. Like the best DJ of any format - classical, country, rock, R &B - Buckley introduced old songs to new listeners and new songs to old listeners. Interspersed with his tales of hanging out with Count Basie and Duke Ellington, he typified the emotional hold a talented DJ with great music could exert over listeners.

Author Michael Chabon discusses the power of local radio in his essay, Radio Silence, “(The song) "Runaround Sue" by Dion & the Belmonts (1961) was my mother’s all-time favorite. We used to hear it sometime on WMOD (“Washington DC’s Goldmine”), and she always got a certain look when it came on, something between surprise and reverie. All those songs, and even more, their familiarity and evident importance to my mother- the associations and memories they stirred, the good feelings they engendered – came to mean something to me. Their lyrics, their instrumentation, the outmoded crooning or falsettos of their vocalists, their monauraul shimmer, became part of my understanding of the era that had produced them, and my understanding of my mother, and of the way she saw and talked about her life.”

Unfortunately, formats pass on. AM radio stations that once filled the airwaves with 1940’s favorites, the Andrews Sisters or Dorsey Brothers, are long gone. That music may as well be Gregorian chants. 1950’s formats that made their bones on doo-wop, Chuck Berry or the Everly Brothers have become distant memories like poodle skirts and saddle shoes.

The 1960’s, which popularized FM, were the decade that was supposed to change it all. But you don't even hear much 1960’s music on local radio anymore. A few warhorses like "My Girl," "Satisfaction," or "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" survive, usually on FM, but they are token exceptions. Even Beatles and Stones’s playlists have dwindled to an overplayed few. The legendary AM stations like WABC or WLS in Chicago, which once hooked Boomers on rock and roll, don't even play music anymore.

The 1970’s are on their way out, also. "Black Magic Woman," "Stairway to Heaven" and "Ramblin’ Man" may still be around, but it means scouring the dial to hear them, if you're willing and haven't grown tired of them yet. Take note, Billy Joel, Prince, and Phil Collins, your days on local radio are numbered.

Who cares, you may ask? Besides satellite radio, it’s possible to download any of these artists, and thousands of others, anytime on your iPod. Your MP3 player will play "Purple Rain" all day if you like. People with iPod buds wander ubiquitously through suburban malls (resembling nothing so much as those emotionless drones from the Invasion of The Body Snatchers, the original "pod people." Without question, musical choice is more varied and available than ever.

But something has been lost, which brings us back to the disc jockey. Chances are, no matter where you grew up, some DJ affected your life at some time - was it Cousin Brucie? Larry (Uncle Lar) Lujack in the Midwest? Early "The Soul Man" Wright in the Delta? (The Real) Don Steele in L.A.?

The best of them were shamans, communicating from a spiritual world, conjuring powerful magic. Their medium might have been Wagner, Beethoven, Hank Williams, Miles Davis, Bruce Springsteen or B. B. King. But the magician behind the curtain was that DJ.

Precious few shamans remain. Jonathan Schwartz remains one of the best things about satellite radio. For years, he could switch seamlessly between AM and FM, playing Sinatra and discoursing on Sinatra songs all the way back to Frank’s 1930’s Hoboken days. Then, he might segue smoothly on another show and play Frank Zappa (Google please, if you're under 40).

The best DJs, like Dick Buckley or Jonathan Schwartz, don't just play music; they are artists producing indelible aural memories. Soon, like their formats, they will disappear and we shall not hear their like again. The iPod and the MP3, and whatever technology comes apace will doubtless provide more music, better quality, and easier access. But no technology will ever recreate the great DJ’s and the intimacy of local radio. Future generations will be poorer for it, having missed out on one of life’s little pleasures.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO RECYCLE

2010-08-30T06:18:00.002-06:00

I don’t hear enough recycling of great bits on the radio. When I talk to talent, many are afraid to recycle. They think the listener will think “they aren’t creative or funny enough and keep doing the same thing over and over” or the talent thinks they can hit home runs 100% of the time in every break. Neither are true.

Don’t be afraid of recycling. If you have a great bit, phone call or an idea, why just do it once on the air? If you put a lot of energy and effort into the bit/break, why not do it two or three more times and expose it to a different set of ears. Of course, be strategic in your recycling so you can hit the most different listeners.

Look at all the major brands that are built on recycling and extremely successful doing it. Watch CNN Headline News. It’s the same stories over and over repeating every 15-20 minutes (probably about the same time as your TSL). 1010 WINS in New York is consistently one of the most listened to radio stations in the country and they have built their success on “give us twenty minutes and we’ll give you the world.” They recycle news, traffic, and weather every twenty minutes. If you have HBO you know how much HBO recycles movies and TV shows. It’s helped make them one of the biggest premium channels in the world with over 40 million households.

I could go on with more successful examples of other media outlets that are successful with recycling their programming, but you get the idea. Recycling isn’t bad. Go for quality, not quantity.

WHAT IF...

2010-08-22T18:53:00.001-06:00

What if record labels could no longer do promotions at radio for adds or conversations? Not even a box of CD’s. How different would the chart look?

What if PD’s and MD’s had more time to listen to music and more freedom to add or convert what they wanted, not what a VP/Programming dictated to them? How different would the chart look?

What if a song only got added or converted based on nothing more than the merit of the song, the relationship the PD has with the label rep and how good of a salesman the rep is? There was no tit for tat. How different would the chart look?

What if radio stations were not allowed to play a song every hour overnight to get the song more “spins.” How different would the chart look?

Think about it. Probably the top 10 or 15 would look pretty close to what it looks like now. But, positions 20-40 would look drastically different. The chart would probably move faster, mediocre songs wouldn’t stand a chance, let alone get into the top 30. Not even the ones from superstars. I bet country radio would be healthier because radio stations would be playing more “hits” and less of the mediocre songs. The label’s balance sheets would probably be better off since they are not spending millions of dollars a year in promotions at radio stations for songs that ultimately don’t make their way to recurrent and then a power gold.

I would love to see what that chart would look like.

RE-ENGAGE YOUR LISTENER

2010-08-16T06:19:00.001-06:00

People use radio as an appliance. They don’t think about it much. They certainly don’t listen like we think they do. They turn it on and most likely it plays in the background as they go about their day. We need to constantly re-engage and remind them of who they are listening to.

For years Classic Rock stations have done weekly music themes. Mainly so they don’t sound like they are playing the same 400 songs over and over again. But they also do it to re-engage the listener. Do something different that the listener doesn’t expect to hear and they will do a double take and be reminded of who they are listening to.

There’s no rule that says only Classic Rock and Oldies stations can package up their music differently on the weekends. I think nearly any format can get away with it. Legendary AAA station KINK in Portland, OR does some really cool theme weekend’s and theme months. They do them to re-engage and remind the listener about KINK.

We need to always be looking for ways to re-engage the listener. I see no reason why a Country station can’t do theme weekends. People use the radio different on the weekends. They are in a different mindset. I’ve personally had HUGE success doing “Retro Weekends”, “Two-Steppin’ Weekends “(two back to back from the same artist), “Summer Song Weekends”, “Christmas in July”, “Songs that went to #2”, etc. I tried to do anything I could to get attention and separate myself from my competitors. In a competitive situation, you need to cut through the clutter of all the radio stations in the market. Especially, if you are playing a lot of the same music.

Getting listeners to sit up and take notice of your station should be a priority. There’s a lot of noise on the radio, do what you can to cut through and garner attention.

WHY AUDIO IS IMPORTANT

2010-08-09T06:06:00.001-06:00

Imagine how boring a TV newscast would be without video to accompany the story. Audio on the radio is the same things as video on a TV newscast. Your show should be packed full of outside audio. Phone calls from listeners, artists talking about their music, even topical drops from TV shows, movies and local news will make your show sound even bigger.

Today, there are a million ways to get audio. It’s much more entertaining to hear the actual artist talking about their new single, then to have the jock re-hash in their own words what the artist said.

I hear a tremendous lack of show prep when I listen to different radio stations all over the country. Many jocks that are live and local sound lazy. Not a lot of preparation or thought is going into their breaks. They crack the mic, say the title and artist and move on. Having audio takes preparation and time but the reward is great. Adding audio will not only enhance your show, it will give you more entertainment value.

Remember, we’re in the audio business.

TEN PHRASES TO AVOID ON THE RADIO

2010-08-02T06:47:00.002-06:00

Why do radio personalities feel the need to talk different than real people when they are on the air? Is there something in the studio not seen by the human eye that makes people use phrase like “good lookin’ Monday”, or “comin’ straight atcha?” I’m being facetious, but trying to make a point. There are many phrases that shouldn’t be uttered on the radio and while many of today’s top talents don’t use them, they are running rampant in radio all over the country. Here’s a few phrases that never need to be said again:

Saying the day of the week. The listener knows.

“…straight ahead”

“…with you”

"Hope you are having a great day.” It always comes across as insincere.

Trying to tie the song title into what you are going to talk about.
Ex. “Keep on Loving You from Steel Magnolia, and I’m going to keep on loving you as long as you keep listening.” I actually heard that on the air. I call it “playing with the song title.” It may have been cool 40 years ago, but not today.

Using “we” and “us” on the air when it’s just YOU and ONE listener. Use “I” and “you.” Think singular, not plural.

“…Hey” or “did you hear about…” or any other transition to get you into a bit/break. You don't need them. Just start the bit and move on.

“Outside” or “out there.” You are with the listener no matter where they are. Don't blow the theatre of the mind by separating your location from the listener's location.

Giving the time any other way but digitally. Just say “10:45”, not “fifteen minutes away from 11.” Also, no need for double time checks.

Saying “folks” or “ladies and gentleman.” You only have one listener, not a bunch. Again, think singular, not plural.

This list could go on and on, but these are the big ten. Stop saying these today and you’ll sound more natural and real tomorrow.

IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS

2010-07-26T06:19:00.001-06:00

In radio, we tend to focus on the big picture issues. Sometimes we’re so focused on the big things, we lose sight of the small things. The details. The things that would only take a few minutes to fix and would make your radio station better. Here’s a few “details:”

Wash the station van every Thursday before a busy weekend of remotes and appearances.

At appearances make sure your jocks are all in station gear. I always liked having my jocks in a “staff” shirt. Something different that the listeners won’t be wearing. It will make your jocks stand out among listeners.

Make sure your segues are tight. Many jocks just let the system do the segues and the pre-programmed “next starts” aren’t that tight. Go back through all your elements (sweepers, jingles, promos, etc) and make sure you are tight with the next starts. It will increase the momentum of your station.

When running promos, make them timely. Always record three different versions, “this Monday”, “tomorrow”, and “on now.” That will create immediacy. Make sure the sales people are doing the same thing with their client’s spots.

Speaking of promos, don’t run a morning show promo on Friday. Nobody wants to hear about Monday on Friday. Let them look forward to the weekend and not think about going back to work.

Always have a recorder with you and get listener audio. You can use it in either imaging or for your show.

Speaking of audio, when a winner comes to the studio to pick up a prize, ask to take them in the production room to record some station audio. If they say yes, they will appreciate the tour and the opportunity to be in the radio.

Take some time today to focus on the details. You may not need to sweat the small stuff, but sometimes you need to pay attention to it.

4th OF JULY MOTIVATION AND INSPRIATION

2010-07-19T06:21:00.002-06:00

With the 234th Birthday of America a few week's ago, I thought it would be a good time to motivate and inspire you with some famous Presidential quotes.

“Whatever you are, be a good one."
Abraham Lincoln

“Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.”
John F. Kennedy

"You ain't learnin' nothin' when you're talkin'."
Lyndon Johnson

“When you are in any contest you should work as if there were - to the very last minute - a chance to lose it.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
John F. Kennedy

“A man is not finished when he's defeated; he's finished when he quits.”
Richard M. Nixon

"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effect."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

"I have never been hurt by anything I didn't say."
Calvin Coolidge

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. In this life we get nothing save by effort.”
Theodore Roosevelt

"I never saw a pessimistic general win a battle."
Dwight D. Eisenhower

"A good leader can't get too far ahead of his followers."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

TAKE A MOMENT TO CAPTURE THE MOMENT

2010-06-28T05:47:00.001-06:00

Radio is immediate. Radio can react at a moment’s notice. Radio can capture the moment.

One of the biggest assets to radio is its mobility and the way we can capture the moment. Radio can turn on a dime and get something on the air fast. The moment can be BIG, like Mother’s Day, Christmas or even summer. But it can also be a brief moment in time like Tiger Woods’ press conference, the Bubble Boy over Colorado earlier this year, or the final episode of Lost. Better yet, it can be something local that is only happening in your town. The best radio stations can read the moment, react to it, capture it and find some way to relate it on the air to the listener.

It’s something you have to train your brain to do. Start by looking at everything in your life, your town, even in the news as if it’s something that could be translated on the air into a bit, sweeper, promo or a charitable campaign. Capture the Moment.

I always keep a note pad by my bed and in the car. If I see something that could translate on the radio, I write it down. You have to move quickly. What’s topical now probably won’t be in a few days, maybe even a few hours. Get your entire staff to be on the lookout for things that you could put on the air that would capture the moment.

Some of the Jack formatted stations are among the best I’ve heard when it comes to capturing the moment. Since most don’t have personalities, they do it in their imaging. If you want to hear a great example, listen to www.wbuf.com in Buffalo. Joe Russo is the PD and does a great job of being topical and capturing the moment in his imaging. Plus, a majority of it is local. WBUF is probably more topical and local with NO personalities, than many stations with full staffs.

Most stations today don’t have the staff or the time to dedicate to capturing the moment. If you do and your competition doesn’t, you become more memorable and a better radio station than them.

Take a moment to capture the moment.

THREE EASY WAYS TO MAKE YOUR MORNING SHOW BETTER

2010-06-13T13:44:00.000-06:00

1)
Kelly and Rider at KYGO in Denver do a great thing every Tuesday. It’s called “Tell Us Something Good Tuesday.” They air calls from listeners with something good happening in their life. Could be a birth, an A grade in school, buying a house or car, etc. I heard one a few weeks ago where a woman whose husband had been out of work for over a year finally got a job. It was one of the most touching calls I’ve ever heard on the radio and it made me feel good all day. People don’t want to hear complaints or negativity. They are dying to hear good stuff and this benchmark does a great job delivering that.

2)
Since we are on the topic of good things. We did a thing at WYRK in Buffalo that was awesome (and we ended up making money off it). It was called “The Good Kid of the Week.” Every Friday morning at 7:10 (do it before kids head to school), we would announce that week’s “Good Kid.” Listeners would send in nominations. We’d put the kid on the air, send him prizes and run promos for the next few days highlighting him and soliciting for other nominations. The response was HUGE. You can never go wrong with making parents proud of their kids.

3)
For a week, pick a different morning show in your market (doesn’t even have to be a direct competitor) and tape them while you are on the air. Listen to it later to see what they had going on. It always amazes me how many morning shows don’t monitor other shows in the market. Its good know what they are doing. Who knows, they may be doing it to you…

Here’s to a great show.

10, (or maybe 11) WAYS TO MAKE YOU INSTANTLY BETTER

2010-06-07T06:12:00.000-06:00

I listen to a lot of radio and do a lot of airchecks for jocks all over the country and Canada. I’ve noticed that a lot of my comments and recommendations are the same for many different personalities…no matter what market or format. Here’s my top 11 list of the most consistent recommendations.

How many of these do you recognize?

The best radio is one on one. Just YOU and ONE listener. Say “I” and “you” not “us” and “we.” Never, ever call listener “people”, “folks” or “ladies and gentlemen.” Think singular, not plural.

Always be topical, connected and prepared. Never crack the mic without knowing what you’re going to say and how you are going to get in and out of the break.

Include audio in your show and imaging. Audio is to radio, what video is to TV. Think how boring a TV newscast would be without video. Audio enhances any show and gives it another layer.

Slow down. Take your time and don’t sound rushed. Pause between your thoughts. Let the show breathe.

Smile. You can hear a smile on the radio. It will instantly make you sound friendlier.

When starting a bit/break, don't ask a question, make a statement. It's more effective to say “I'm love this new TV show...” instead of asking “have you seen this new TV show?” Listeners can't answer you. Hook them by always making a statement. Even if people don't agree with you, you'll hook them in.

Don’t play with the song titles. For example, if you play “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive” and come out of it with “it’s a great day to play The Generation Gap game….” It’s a bad radio cliché to tie the title of the song into what you want to say. It makes it sound like you have nothing better say. Just give the title and artist and don’t be cute with the title.

Be specific when you tease something. Don’t say “coming up” or “stick around for that.” Those lines do nothing to move listening. Instead say “I’ll tell you in less than 10 minutes” or “you’ll find out more at 11:20.”

Always call the listener YOU. If you are on a show with multiple people, always call your team mates them by their names. YOU is for the listener.

STOP THE SELF SERVING

2010-06-01T06:07:00.000-06:00

There’s a radio station I sometimes listen to that calls themselves “legendary” and it drives me nuts. I love the music and the overall presentation and the jocks are OK but saying your station is “legendary” may have worked 40 or 50 years ago, but not today. Unfortunately, radio stations today aren’t consisdered legendary by anyone other than the people who work there or the owners. Listeners don’t care. They don’t believe the hype. They are too busy and don’t use radio the same way they did when legendary radio stations did exist.

That brings me to my topic, stop self serving, both as an individual jock and the station as a whole. I hear it all the time. Personalities need to stop patting themselves on the back on the air, running calls from listeners telling the DJ how great he/she is and how much they love them. Radio stations need to stop calling themselves “legendary” or “world famous” (with the exception of KROQ in LA, they have the heritage and can back up that position). 18-34’s and 18-49’s are very sensitive to hype and hate it. Very few things turn them off more. There is nothing endearing or genuine about self serving and patting yourself on the back. You don’t need to tell listeners how great you are. They know. That’s why they are listening to you and choosing your station over the competition.

One of the best ways to endear yourself to the listener is to make fun of yourself. The exact opposite of self serving. Look at Howard Stern. He made fun of himself everyday and guys could relate with him and in turn were endeared to him. When Howard started dating a super model, moved into a huge apartment in Manhattan and talked about how much money he was making and the famous people he was hanging with his audience began to lose interest, couldn’t relate and weren’t endeared to him as much as they were when he was a typical married father living in the suburbs, bitching about his life and living a life most men could relate with.

Don’t do the show, or program the radio station for you, do it for the listener. There’s a big difference between selling your station’s benefits and selling the fact you think you are great.

MORE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR MORNING SHOW BETTER

2010-05-24T06:04:00.000-06:00

1) If you don’t have one, get a HD Flip Mino Camera. Awesome. Make two different promos each day for your show. A video promo to post on the web and an audio promo for the radio.

2) It’s all about recycling and promoting other dayparts. It’s a lot for a morning show to worry about each hour. Instead, have all the other dayparts record short :10-:15 promos promoting their show or a feature coming up later in the day. Run them going into EVERY stop set in the morning. Now you are reclying from your daypart to others without worrying about doing it live and taking away from your content.

3) Everyone seems to have a “Friday Song.” Many times it’s George Jones, maybe Steve Azar, even Todd Rundgren’s “Bang the Drum.” They are all fine, but take it a step further. Make it topical each week. Every Thursday take the past week’s topical audio from TV, news, movies and your show and put the drops in the song. Each Friday it’s a “week in review.” It’s always updated, topical and fun.

Here’s to a great show.

IT’S TIME TO DROP POSITIONING STATEMENTS

2010-05-17T06:09:00.000-06:00

“The best radio station”, "Bluegrass to 50's & 60's Rock n' Roll to 70's Golden Country and even some all time favorites through today." These are actual positioning statements that I’ve heard. Really, I’m not kidding. Do you really need a position statement anymore? Have they become too radioish, too cliché, too crutch? I think so.

Don’t confuse the station name and the positioning statement. The name is great. Calling yourself “The Wolf”, “Today’s Country 95.7”, “Power 106”, “New Country 93” are fine. It’s when you get into telling the listener your station is “more fun and the best country from yesterday and today” that it gets to be clutter and cliché.

When jocks say the positioning statement every time they crack the mic, it slows down the momentum and it’s just that much more time before the jock gets to the content. Plus, most jocks say the position statement so much, they don’t “sell it”, they are just “saying it.” How can the listener be excited for the station, when the jock doesn’t sound like he/she are?

AC stations are the worst. It never made sense to me on a format that is all about “less talk and more music” to have the jocks open up each break with “Today’s Soft Rock Favorites with more music and less talk” (another real position statement I’ve heard on the air). You say less talk, yet you just said a complete sentence of nothing but “blah, blah, blah.” At least that’s what the listener heard. Don’t believe me? Ask any listener to repeat verbatim your positioning statement. I bet they can’t do it…and would probably be embarrassed to do it in front of their friends because it’s just not a natural thing to say.

Talent Coach Tommy Kramer taught me something that instantly changed the sound of my station for the better. Have your jocks stop saying positioning statements and only have the voice guy read them in the station imaging. Your jocks can focus more on content, opening each break with something brilliant, not a positioning statement that becomes an instant tune out. Better yet, drop the positioning statement all together…yeah, I said it. Especially if you are a heritage country station. Simply saying “Country 95.5 WXYZ” is enough. Listeners know who you are and what you’re about by the music you play and the talent you have. Give them more credit than constantly thinking you need to remind them that you play “John and Jane in the morning with the best country from yesterday and today without a lot of talk all day on a no repeat workday.”

WHAT MAKES RADIO GREAT

2010-05-11T19:51:00.000-06:00

I’m a radio guy. I’ve always loved radio. Working on and around radio is all I’ve ever wanted to do. Blame it on WKRP in Cincinnati or the fact my Dad always had the radio on, maybe it was because I listened a lot when I was a kid. Thinking about how much and why I love radio got me thinking I should make a list of “what makes radio great.” So, here goes. They are in no particular order:

CONNECTION-If done right radio and the personalities can connect on one with the listener better than any other medium. I love being able to listen to the radio and not being able to imagine anyone else listening. The DJ is talking ONLY to me. It’s truly a one on one medium.

COMPANIONSHIP-When a listener is alone and they turn on the radio, it’s an instant companion. Sit in a quiet room all alone, then turn on the radio and listen to the difference. The radio can change everything about a quiet room.

IMMEDIACY-Unlike other mediums, radio can be instant. Whether it’s a topical sweeper, promotion or a brand new song you can’t wait to share with the listener, we can make that change and effect people instantly.

NEW MUSIC-Studies show that radio is still the biggest place for people to discover new music. New music has and always should be an important part of radio.

COMMUNITY INVOLVMENT/HELPING OTHERS-How many times is radio behind a massive benefit helping the less fortunate in your area? I bet a lot. Radio gives back to the community more than any other medium. We can move faster and do more than TV, newspaper or the internet.

PROMOTION-This is one of my favorite parts of the business. It’s a totally clean slate on anything you want to do. For those that are really creative, this is the area that will separate your station from the rest. I love the feeling after doing a promotion that has gotten everyone in the market talking.

IMAGING-Like promotions, the more creative you are, the more you will stand out from the rest. I love having an imaging idea in the morning and hearing it on the air later that day. I can’t think of any other business that can take something that’s playing in my head and in a few hours be able to share it with thousands.

HALLWAY VIBE-I know this doesn’t exist at every radio station, but it should. I have friends that are lawyers and CPA’s and I can guarantee you that their office environment is nothing like radio. We’re in the entrainment business and the hallways should reflect that.

There are many other things that make radio great (like free food samples from a new client) but these are the big ones. Make sure your radio station focuses on these and you’re station will be great.

LETTER TO THE COUNTRY MUSIC INDUSTRY

2010-05-04T11:11:00.000-06:00

This is a copy of a letter that we sent to the country music industry this week touting Dial Global's massive country audience.

5/4/10

Country Music Professional:

We are very excited about some news recently given to us from the American Forces Radio (formally Armed Forces Radio) pertaining to Dial Global’s Mainstream Country format AND YOUR ARTISTS.

Dial Global now supplies The American Forces Radio with our Mainstream Country 24/7 format and rebroadcasts it over their worldwide network. In addition to our network of over 200 radio stations in the United States that carry us through Dial Global Radio Networks, we are now heard in 188 countries around the world wherever there are military installations, bases, offices, etc. We are heard in every United States Embassy and Consulate around the world. We are also heard on 37 ships at sea, including all aircraft carriers. In addition, some of the installations broadcast us terrestrially so surrounding English speaking civilian support personnel and the native civilian population can listen. The conservative estimate is that the audience of Mainstream Country on the American Forces Radio Network is over three million per week. That doesn’t include the domestic cumes of nearly three million, making Dial Global’s Mainstream Country format the most listened to country outlet, not only in the United States, but around the world with a total weekly cume around six million.

For those of you that don’t totally know what Dial Global does, in addition to ten other formats, we program four 24/7 Country Formats (Hot Country, Mainstream Country, Classic Country, and True Country, all of them consulted by Albright & O’Malley). We provide a 24/7 radio station, complete with live talent, promotions, imaging and music logs to over 600 affiliates around the United States including Alaska and Hawaii

Country music is heard around the globe through our Mainstream format. Dial Global’s country formats are truly your one-stop to reach millions of country music fans around the world!

Please call us any time with questions. We are pretty proud of our massive audience.

Respectfully,

John Paul
Sr. Dir/Country Programming
Program Director, Hot Country
Dial Global, Denver

John St. John
PD, Mainstream and Classic Country
Dial Global, Denver

THOUGHTS ON THE ACM'S

2010-04-19T06:38:00.000-06:00

Here's what some of my Facebook freinds are saying about the ACM Awards:

Kelly Ford
Love the fans around the stage @ACM's on @cbs4Denver. It gives great energy to the performances. Blake Shelton nailed it! Wooohoooo for Lady A and song of the year. You heard it first on Denver's Kygo.

Travis Moon
Congrats to Luke Bryan!!!

Dale Desmond
Does Rascal Flatts ever sound good at awards shows?

Erin Heise Luecke
Way to go Darius Rucker for a great ending to a great awards show. Lady A....Amazing!

Jon Anthony
Well, at least they're doing a whole B&D special that will be TAPED tomorrow night. Surely, the (different!) sound guys will fix the screw-ups in post-production!

Jennie Smythe
Good lookin' crowd at the las Vegas airport at 5am... Present company @AshleyMixson excluded of course.

Jim Quinton
What an ACM awards! Congrats to Lady A, LUKE BRYAN, MIRANDA LAMBERT, Carrie Underwood and all the winners!

Chad Rachel Are Cloverdayle
Really enjoyed watching the ACM's tonight! LOVED Miranda's performance and watching Reba sing Terry's new song, "I Keep On Loving You"! So incredibly pumped to play w/ Jason Aldean's band for our showcase on May 19th too! ....But right now, I'm mostly looking forward to celebrating Rachel's birthday in the morning!!!! :-)

Lois Lewis
couldn't be ANY better: Darius Rucker just sang in my ear, "Lois, you look wonderful tonight." I mean.... wow.

Kerry Wolfe
It is 88 degrees in Vegas by the pool. John Crenshaw is here with long pants, long sleeve shirt and drinking Starbucks. What's wrong with this picture? Oh yea, he has wool socks on too.

Brandon Broda
just got in from capitol nashville after party... lady a ..luke.. took em down at acms tonight..back home tomorrow...

Heather Froglear
Yay Carrie! Hey, did Reba visit Troy J. Andreasen, M.D. Board Certified Plastic Surgeon? It looks like she got new boobies! Very nice!

Heather Froglear
I'll take a Jack and Dierks to go please.... slurp.

Heather Froglear
I'd like to be a marshmallow in a Rascal Flatts Smore Sammich...

Heather Froglear
Wow! These ACM's are great! Lovin all the performances so far.

Dale Desmond
Darius performing after the Entertainer award? What's next? Taylor gets shutout? Oh wait...

Dale Desmond
The sound guys are scrambling to fix Ronnie's mic. What a way to ruin B&D's big moment!

Erica Hall
ACM's are over, now off to stalk me some Matthew McConaughey. Last nite in Vegas

Christie Michael Matthews
Oh wait..... one more thing..... did Taylor win ANYTHING? I was so focused on Miranda....

Greg Frey
wants to thank Country Radio.

Dale Desmond
Man-crush on Tim!

Greg Frey
didn't know Keith Urban was such a Kinleys fan.

Erica Hall
Matthew McConaughey, Josh Duhamel and LL Cool J. I love the ACM's...hotties everywhere!!!!

Sue Wilson Cordle
Mic to music mix way off on ACM broadcast. Music overpowering vocals.

Greg Frey
has it on good authority that German metal pioneers, The Scorpions, will be presenting the Entertainer of the Year award at the ACMs.

SPRING BOOK TUNEUPS

2010-04-12T06:27:00.000-06:00

The Spring Book is on and it’s time to take a look at everything on your station and make sure everything is tuned-up and focused. I’ve never understood why stations only focus on “tuning up” going into the spring or fall books. To me, it’s something you should do all the time, not just twice a year. Your station and show should be the best it can be in all four seasons. Anyway, I digress. Here’s a quick list of some things to look over and tune up:

Make sure all imaging is fresh and updated. Imaging can burn as much as the music.

Are promos for music and your station position consistent and focused?

Make time to meet regularly with your airstaff. You can’t get them to improve if you are behind a closed door, on the phone and online all day.

Is everyone on the same page with the station plan? Including sales, promotions and the street team?

Make your contesting the most fun and compelling in the market with LOTS of tunes-ins.

Make the appointments to listen. TSL is about tune-ins.

With your contest and winner promos, make sure they are creative and direct ways to explain the promotions. Refreshing them every three to four days.

Completely review Selector or Music Master. Clocks/ Categories/ Rotations/ Rules/ Songs.

Do the call-out and auditorium parameters match the latest strategic plan? Double check demos and male to female quotas. Are they correct each cycle?

If you do callout, are you getting any perceptual data from the call-out?

Get away from the station, phone and e-mail and listen all day long. Completely examining everything on the station. Listen as a listener, not a radio person.

The market changes and competitors make audio chain adjustments all the time. Make sure the station continues to sound BIG and full against the market.

Do you have compelling content and a unique local experience? That makes our listeners have passion for our stations.

Does the station sound fun? Is there a good "vibe" in the hallways?

Good luck! Here’s to a great spring book!

10 QUESTIONS WITH JOHN PAUL

2010-04-05T20:56:00.000-06:00

I'm the subject of "10 Questions with..." in this week's AllAccess.com.

-----

John Paul
Sr. Dir/Country Programming & Hot Country PD
Company: Dial Global
Born: 11/18/73, Longview, WA
Raised: Longview, WA (40 miles north of Portland, OR)

April 4, 2010

1) Congratulations on the job at Dial Global-tell us exactly what the job description is?
We have 14 different 24/7 digital formats. Four of them are Country. I oversee the PD's that program Mainstream Country, Classic Country and True Country. I'm also the day to day PD of the Hot Country format. Our four country stations together have over 600 affiliates across the country with total cumes over five million.

2) How was the move from Portland, OR to Denver for you and your wife (Nicki), and your baby. You guys settled in?
We love it here. The Portland area is my home and Buffalo, NY is my wife's home. We are nicely nestled in between both. Denver is awesome. The move was extremely smooth. We found a great house and my wife gets to be a stay at home Mom to our 11-month-old daughter. She loves that. Plus, l've never lived in a city that's an airport hub to so many different airlines. That means tons of direct flights and really low fares. I actually like flying now.

3) Can you talk about the transition from terrestrial radio to a network? What's the learning curve like?
The learning curve is extreme. I'm learning something new every day. It will take a few more months before I understand everything we do and how it works. I ask a lot of questions. Going from looking at everything local, to now national is a huge adjustment. I love having live jocks in all day parts (that's something new to me), all of them with major market experience. There are some restrictions with what we can and can't do (because they affect so many affiliates) but we find ways around them. It's all about supplying great programming out of our building.

4) What's the biggest surprise about the switch so far?
The number of people we have listening. The numbers are huge. Our AQH is well over 300,000. It blows me away. That number doesn't even include the fact that we supply Armed Forces Radio with our Mainstream Country format. We are heard on military bases, major ships at sea and in embassies all over the world. If you want country music is Baghdad, South Korea, Frankfurt, etc., you listen to us. I laugh when I think of an Iraqi local listening to country music, and he's listening to us! Our cume alone from listeners to Armed Forces Radio (not including the cume from our domestic affiliates) is around 2.5 million. You add total cume for our Mainstream Country format and we are around 5 million listeners a week.

5) The way you left terrestrial radio was a lot different from the industry you started in. Was it still fun when you left and would you ever return?
It was fun, but really stressful. Part of what continued to motivate me at KUPL (while knowing we were for sale, and dealing with cutbacks, downsizing, loosing programming tools and live day parts, etc.) was the fact that my goal in radio was to be the PD of KUPL. I grew up listening to KUPL and even worked there part time when I was 18. Being able to work there kept me motivated, but in the end I knew I wouldn't survive the sale. I saw it coming, was prepared for it and was actually relieved when it happened. I knew I had bigger and better things coming. I love radio, whether it's local, national, syndicated or satellite. I would never say I wouldn't go back to terrestrial radio, but I can't tell you how happy I am doing what I'm doing right now. There aren't many companies left that really care and invest in programming. Dial Global is one of them and I'm so glad to be here.

6) How many people do you oversee? And do you do things like go over air-checks with them?
I don't know the exact number. With all the jocks, promotions, production and programmers with all of our Country stations, it's over 50. I also oversee some people that work out of our office in L.A. I meet regularly with my Hot Country jocks and daily with the PDs, MDs, production and promotions directors and constantly offer feedback. It's my job to help make the jocks and the other stations sound as great as they can. You can't do that by having your door closed, not communicating or not returning phone calls/e-mails.

7) If I owned a radio station, why would you say I should take a Dial Global service and what would be my choices?
We can instantly supply you with a large/major market sounding station. Just because you are in Small Town USA doesn't mean your listeners aren't entitled, or want great sounding radio. We have researched music, big promotions and top talent. It will save you a ton of money and you'll be the best sounding station in your market. Plus, we supply you with all the tools to make the station sound local. We probably do more to make the affiliate sound local, than most locally programmed radio stations do. We give you all the tools to win.

8) I know people always say that the local stations need to try and keep it 'local'- however let's face it-many times even when they are 'locally programmed,' in reality they're not-so can you keep a network station sounding local with the little staff that they hire?
It's tough, but many PDs don't have the time to teach, train and push their jocks to be local. It's a shame when I hear a live and local radio station and the jocks aren't doing phoners and involving the listener. They aren't connecting with the music or the area they serve. They are just title/artist/time/temp. It's boring. Our big push at Dial Global is to give people a reason to listen beyond the music. It's just as much about talent and programming as it is the music we play. I love that philosophy. It's sad that a lot radio companies don't share that vision.

9) How do you like Denver so far? Is it a great city?
We love Denver. The weather is great (it's sunny and 70 as I answer this). It doesn't rain. I have a view of the Rocky Mountains from my house and my office. There's lots to do and see. We are having a great time exploring the area and seeing the sights. My wife and I are avid outdoors people and can't wait to hike and camp this summer in the mountains.

10) You were the Agenda Chairman of this past Country Radio Seminar. Great job! Were you pleased? Why are you returning next year-I don't remember anyone else doing two years. Isn't this kind of what the guy in Russia did when he extended his term?
Mike Culotta was Agenda Chairman two years in a row. Yes, I was extremely happy with CRS and the Agenda Committee. We knew we had challenges this year and made some big changes that I think paid off. The response has been huge and it was great to see CRS attendance up over 3.0%. I'm returning as Chairman because I enjoyed the process of creating the biggest radio seminar in the country so much. It's fun to see it go from ideas at our meetings in July, to an actual seminar.

Bonus Questions
1) Do you really drive a Volkswagen Bug? That must move well up those Colorado Mountains!
I do. I have a 1973 VW Super Beetle. I drive it every day and love it. It's in perfect condition (I'm the 4th owner. It's all original paint and parts). It's been a great car. The chicks dig it.

2) How are the restaurants? Where are you taking me when I come out there and I don't eat sushi, Indian or Ethiopian?
I'll take you to a great place called Arby's. It's really fancy. Make sure you wear a sport coat

TOP TEN RULES FOR RADIO LIFE

2010-03-28T18:19:00.000-06:00

I came across this top ten list while cleaning out some files on my computer. I don’t remember where it came from, or who wrote it but I thought it was worth sharing. They are not in any particular order.

1. Do whatever it takes to get the job done.
2. Look out for each other.
3. Don’t suck up, don’t slap down.
4. Clean up after yourself.
5. Recognize accomplishments. Congratulate victories.
6. Smile.
7. Challenge the norm. Be creative and different.
8. Play to win.
9. Don’t fear failure.
10. Think like an owner. Owners focus on results, regardless of who is watching.

THE RIGHT WAY TO TEASE

2010-03-22T06:19:00.000-06:00

PPM is showing us something we’ve always thought and now we have it confirmed. Teasing is very important. Not generic teasing, but good, specific, hook with a benefit teasing. Gone are the days were you could say “win Taylor Swift tickets all day today.” Now you need to tell me exactly when I can win, and if possible how I’ll win. The art of teasing is to be as specific as possible. Here are some tips:

Always be specific. The more specific the better. Say “you’ll win Taylor Swift tickets at 3:50.” Or “in the next fifteen minutes, I’ve got your Taylor Swift tickets.”

TV has always done a better job of teasing than radio has. You never see ABC saying “Watch Desperate Housewives on Sunday.” They tell you to watch them at “9/8 central.” Radio needs to do a better job of specifically teasing something.

When teasing new music from a brand new artist, it’s pointless to say “Love and Theft coming up.” Nobody knows who they are. It takes a few years and some hits before listeners know who these new acts are. Hook them with something about the band. Say “I’ve got a brand new band that got their name from a Bob Dylan record…Love and Theft is next.”

Laundry lists of songs coming up are a waste of words. I still hear people rattling off three to four different artists that are coming up. It does no good. Pick one. The biggest song or artist, maybe a new act but have something cool to hook people to wait for them. People are too busy to keep track of your list of artists coming up.

Don’t make people wait too long. They are too busy to care. Have the benefit pay off soon (within sixty minutes. Then once paid off, start to tease to the next event).

Don’t say “next hour” when teasing something. “Next hour” is very radioish. Real people don’t talk like that. Instead say “coming up between 4-5.” You’ll sound less like a “DJ” and more like a real person.

Make the tease worth it. If the payoff isn’t worth it, the tease won’t matter to the listener. Your teases should have meaning and a benefit.

Whether you are in a PPM market, or a diary market, it’s all about occasions of listening. Your goal needs to be to get more occasions. Hook listeners to come back throughout the day and tell when exactly when to do it.

A FEW WAYS TO MAKE YOU A BETTER PERSONALITY

2010-03-15T06:24:00.000-06:00

One of the best lines I’ve ever heard about radio was “radio is a marathon without any finish lines.” How true. Whether you’re on air, in programming, promotions, or sales, the race is never over. There’s always room to improve, grow ratings, grow revenue, do a better promotion, and be better on the air. Here’s a few things that will help make you a better personality. They are in no particular order. Some of these may be a review, others may be new.

Avoid clichés. Saying things like the day of the week, “hump day”, “just around the corner”, “hey”, “let’s go to the phones”, giving the time any other way than digitally, are all examples of clichés. Thinking you need to talk like a DJ because your on the air is bad radio. The best shows sound like real people.

Cut the extra words. Speak in telegrams, not complete sentences. Don’t say “the time now is 3:15 with lots of blue sky, sunshine and 85 degrees.” You can say the same thing in half the time and have more momentum and energy. “3:15, sunny and 85.” Just say the meat of the sentence.

Write out your breaks. Not verbatim, but bullet points. Know where you want to go with the break and how to get in and out. Practice it before you crack the mic.

Be yourself and open up to the audience. Talk about yourself, but don’t be self serving. Don’t be afraid to make fun of yourself. Being self deprecating is not only relatable, but endearing. Look how popular it helped make Howard Stern.

Know your audience, not who you think they are, or want them to be, but who they really are. Study them and only talk about things they care about. Most listeners don’t mind talk if they can relate with it.

Very seldom do you need to have a transition between thoughts. Things like “hey”, “let me tell you about this”, or “did you hear about this”, are hardly ever needed. A simple pause and change in inflection will separate thoughts. It may feel a little weird, but it will sound so much smoother.

Prep. Not just going through papers, internet and show prep services. Keep a note pad with you all the time. Write things down you see while driving, at the store, things your kids say, etc. Take it a step further and keep a mini disc with you all the time. In radio all we have is audio and the more you have the better.

Talk TO the audience, not AT them.

Tape every call and include the listener. Listener interaction is key. Don’t just run phoners to run them. Run only the good ones. Make the listener the star.

Don’t listen to your aircheck right after you get off the air. Wait 2-3 days. You’ll forget things you talked about and it will sound fresh. You’ll have a better chance of truly critiquing yourself if you wait a few days.

Finally, have a life outside of radio. While working in radio is the greatest and once it’s in your blood it’s hard to get out, it’s important to have a life. Have friends that don’t care you are on the radio. Do things that your audience does and talk about that on the air. Learn to walk away from it every once in a while. It will keep you from getting burned out and help you relate better with your target audience.

Finding A Great Radio Job Still Possible; Here's Four Who Did‏

2010-03-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

THIS IS FROM PHYLLIS STARK'S "STARK COUNTRY"
WWW.RADIO-INFO.COM

After totally bumming everybody out with the first two installments in our series on the tough radio job market, we’re taking a break from the sad stories today to bring you four broadcasters who bucked the prevailing trend and were able to find great new radio gigs fairly quickly after being laid off from their last ones.

After exiting KAJA San Antonio, George King was only on the beach for two and a half months before landing a gig as station/operation manager for Citadel’s country WCTO and AC WLEV Allentown, Pa.

Asked why he was able to find a job so quickly, King says his keys to success were “keeping a positive attitude and perseverance. Keep your name out there, make sure you are accessible and keep an open mind to any and all opportunities. I would also suggest to anyone ‘on the beach,’ try to enjoy the time off and take advantage of it, if at all possible.”

John Paul was between jobs for four months after leaving the PD post at KUPL Portland, Ore., when it was sold, eventually landing a great gig with Dial Global, where he is now senior director of country programming.

In that four months, he says, “I took about three weeks to unwind. (The 18-24 months before I was let go were really tough with all the downsizing, cutbacks, layoffs and knowing we were for sale. The job got to be not very fun and extremely stressful.) I got lucky and Jaye Albright at Albright & O’Malley hired me to work part time and help them with special projects. I was able to stay connected to the business and people I love while looking for a full time job. Had I known how great the four months I was out of work were going to be, I wouldn’t have worried once about losing my job. I got to work for Jaye and be a stay at home dad. I didn’t expect it to be such a relief to be out of the rat race.”

Paul credits networking as the primary factor that helped him land a new job. “I treated looking for work like a full time job and talked to everyone,” he says. “Also, because of the part time consulting work I was doing for Jaye Albright, I was able to keep a level head and not panic. I actually was able to really enjoy my time off and make smart decisions.”

Former WMZQ Washington, D.C., APD/MD/air personality Jeffrey T. Mason spent four and a half months job searching after leaving that station, eventually landing dual gigs in January as afternoon driver at country KMLE Phoenix and midday jock at sister oldies station KOOL.

Asked about his strategy, Mason says, “It’s the age old saying: Never burn bridges. I’ve been lucky to stay in touch with many of my former PDs and co-workers. One of those was Kris Abrams, PD here at KOOL. We’ve always respected each other’s work and philosophies on radio. When things started to open up at KMLE/KOOL, he reached out to gauge my interest. After talking about it for a couple months, we decided it would be a good fit for everyone, so here I am.”

But Mason is well aware that his relatively short job search puts him in the lucky column. “Believe me, I KNOW this is a rarity, and I am grateful!”

Mike O’Brian ultimately decided not to pursue a new gig at all after leaving the PD post at Clear Channel’s KUSS San Diego. Instead, he went into business for himself using skills he’d honed during his time working inside stations.

“I have never wanted to leave San Diego,” he says, “so when I was let go back in April I built a studio in my house and started doing voiceovers full-time. I now have agents in LA, Chicago, N.Y. and London and my business has really taken off. Some of my clients over the past six months include Cadillac, Animal Planet and Microsoft, and I just did a session for the Discovery Network. The only way I would even contemplate getting back into radio would be if I could just do a morning show and then have the rest of the day to do voiceovers. Never say never, but I can’t imagine ever programming again and, honestly, I don’t miss it.

“Life is good. No complaints,” O’Brian adds. “I feel incredibly blessed to be able to do something I love from the comfort of my own home. I’m doing things I never would’ve had the chance to do had I not been let go.”

WHY THE “WIN ONLY ONCE EVERY 30 DAY” RULE IS A BAD IDEA

2010-03-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

I’ve never liked the term “prize pig.” Yeah, they like to win prizes and can really be an annoyance to the airstaff and promotions department, but a majority of these people are Super P1’s and would most likely take part in an Arbitron survey if asked. So why do we take our most loyal (and I’ll admit sometimes the most annoying listeners) and refer to them as “pigs?” There’s a hardware store in my neighborhood I love and I’m very loyal to. I spend a lot of money with time with them. If I ever found out the owner referred to me as a “pig” behind my back, hello Home Depot.

I’ve also never been a fan of the “you can only win once every 30 day” rule. I have no idea where it came from, but it never made any sense to me. If you have a winner win a prize and you say “you can only win once every 30 days,” guess what? They are gone for the next 30 days. They are going to your competition to listen and try to win from them. It’s our job to keep them listening to us as much as possible. So why would we tell our most loyal listeners “go somewhere else for 30 days?” Why not let your most loyal listeners win as much as they want? Now, if you are giving away a huge prize like cash or trips, then yes, one winner every 30 days, but smaller prizes…who cares? Not one listener would ever call and say “man, John Doe sure does win a lot.” Listeners don’t listen that close and if they ever did call and question your contest philosophy, you could reply with “you too are eligible to win as much as you’d like. Unlike other stations in town, we don’t limit your winnings to once every 30 days.” I bet they’d understand and be excited to keep listening and trying to win.

Another contest pet peeve of mine is when a personality is airing the winning call and asks “have you won anything in the last 30 days?” Why air that? It’s a bunch of extra words you don’t need, people don’t care and it’s a negative. Even if that’s your policy, personalities should edit that out and tell the winner that off the air.

I know this is a polarizing topic and I’ve had many heated debates about this with nearly every promotions department I’ve ever worked with. But logically, it makes total sense to “thank” our P1’s and reward them for listening as much as we can. I challenge you to convince your promotion department, GM or company to look at the “30day rule” and saying the phrase “prize pig” and stop doing them both. They do more harm than good.

CRS 2010 ATTENDANCE UP 3.5%

2010-03-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

**This is a press release from the CRB**

New CRB Officers, Board Members Announced

(Nashville, TN – March 1, 2010) Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.® has announced the attendance figures for CRS 2010, reflecting a 3.5 percent increase over 2009 Country Radio Seminar attendance numbers.

This year’s CRS 2010 total attendance was 2,181, with 1,576 full registrants (attendees, exhibitors, panelists and sponsors) and 605 participant registrants. Participant registrants represent attendees that register for individual events or single day passes, but not the full three-day seminar. Last year’s CRS 2009 total attendance was 2,106.

"We are extremely pleased that CRS 2010 not only met our expectations, but exceeded them this year in many ways,” says CRB interim Executive Director Bill Mayne. “The attendance, sponsorship, participation, and enthusiasm were especially heartening. The level of artist talent was stellar, and the radio agenda panels were thought provoking and relevant. We were encouraged to see the Country Radio industry really get behind this year’s seminar, and our attendance figures show that. Every participant had the opportunity to walk away with valuable resources, relationships and ideas, and we look forward to continuing to improve the CRS experience as we move forward with this event for many more years to come.”

Several changes to the CRS agenda committee and CRB board of directors have been announced, including the creation of an additional CRS Co-Vice Chair position.

The newly elected CRB board officers and CRS agenda committee members are as follows:

CRB President: Mike Culotta (WQYK, Tampa, Fla.)
CRB Vice President: R.J. Curtis (Arista Nashville, Nashville, Tenn.)
CRB Secretary: Carole Bowen (WKIS, Miami, Fla.)
CRB Treasurer: Jeff Walker (The AristoMedia Group, Nashville, Tenn.)
CRS 2011 Agenda Chair: John Paul (Dial Global, Denver, Colo.)
CRS 2011 Co-Vice Chair: Clint Marsh (Talking Stick Communications, Warsaw, Ind.)
CRB 2011 Co-Vice Chair: Annie Sandor (Curb Records, Nashville, Tenn.)

“We feel it’s important to emphasize the sales side of Country radio at CRS 2011, so we have added another Vice Chair position to our agenda committee,” says Agenda Chair John Paul. “With the addition of Clint Marsh, we now have a Vice Chair who comes from the General Manager side of things, while the other Vice Chair, Annie Sandor, comes from the label/promotion side. With my experience in programming, we have nearly every angle of our business covered as we begin planning CRS 2011.”

The newly elected CRB board members are Jim Asker (All Access, Nashville, Tenn.) and Charlie Morgan (Emmis Communications, Indianapolis, Ind.). Both will serve three-year terms on the CRB board, along with re-elected members Becky Brenner, Joel Burke, Mike Dungan, Renee Leymon, Mike McVay, Joel Raab and John Zarling.

Continuing their terms on the CRB board are: Tom Baldrica, Carole Bowen, Natalie Conner, John Crenshaw, Mike Culotta, R.J. Curtis, David Haley, Clay Hunnicutt, Keith Kaufman, Scott Lindy, Bill Macky, Michael Osterhout, Royce Risser, Denise Roberts, Tim Roberts, John Shomby, Jeff Walker and Rusty Walker.

Newly elected CRB President Mike Culotta summed up CRS 2010 this way. “Wow! What a vivacious, energetic Country Radio Seminar we had this year! I think it proves that when we work together as an industry, even during these challenging times, there's nothing this event can't accomplish. I've always been a huge believer in CRS, and we all need to believe in it now more than ever. Let’s continue to grow through learning and innovation, because that’s what distinguishes leaders from followers.”

CRS 2011 will be held March 2-4, 2011, at the Nashville Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. Visit www.CRB.org for more information about Country Radio Seminar and the Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.

About CRS:
The Country Radio Seminar is an annual convention designed to educate and promote the exchange of ideas in the country music industry. Country Radio Seminar is a registered trademark of Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. CRS 2011 will be held March 2-4, 2011, in downtown Nashville, Tenn.

About CRB:
The Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. ® is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization founded in 1969 to bring radio broadcasters from around the world together with the Country Music Industry to ensure vitality and promote growth in the Country Radio format. More information may be obtained at: www.CRB.org or at the CRB office at 615-327-4487.

AVOID LISTENER FATIQUE

2010-02-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

Someone recently said to me when describing a station, “that’s the most fatiguing station I’ve ever heard.” We ended up having a conversation about what makes a station fatiguing to the listener and the damage it can do to your TSL.

Here are some of the most fatiguing things I’ve heard on different radio stations (thank God these all weren’t on ONE radio station):

• Way over produced. I love good production, but loud in your face production really wears on the listener.

• Fully produced imaging and production running over the intro of the song (I’ve heard this a lot recently and it’s brutal). Listeners hate it when we talk over intros, running production/imaging so loud you can’t even hear the intro is as equally brutal.

• Jocks talking “at” me, not “to” me. Be conversational. People don’t like to get yelled at in person, why would they listen to a station where the jock is “yelling” at them?

• Jocks that talk too fast because they want to have energy. Energy isn’t talking fast, it knowing where you are going with your break and how you are going to get there.

• Too much stuff coming at the listener. Letting the show and the station “breath” is not a bad thing. You can do this and still have nice pacing and momentum.

• I’m cool with speeding up song a bit…but just a bit. Stations have are 2 ½ or 3% is a little much and that can cause some fatigue.

• Not being familiar enough with the music. Too many unfamiliar songs when the listen is expecting to know the songs and the artist can be fatiguing.

Step back and monitor your station for listener fatigue. You may be surprised at how many things you are doing that are causing listeners to listen to you a little less.

WHAT I LEARNED WHILE BEING LAID OFF

2010-02-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

I lost my job at KUPL in Portland on August 18th. Within a few weeks I was working for Jaye Albright part time while looking for my next full time gig. After four months I landed a new job as the Senior Director of Country Programming and Program Director at the Hot Country format at Dial Global based in Denver. The four months I spent as a “regular listener” changed my programming philosophy forever. In those four months I was given a great gift…to be able to listen to the radio as a real listener, not as a PD. I was able to “listen to the radio, not monitor the radio.” In that time I learned some things that I’d like to share:

Pandora is cool and it defiantly a big competitor to listening. I signed up for a Pandora account right after I was laid off and I love it. The downside, it’s not nearly as mobile as my Ipod (it will be soon), they play commercials and I missed the companionship and information of a personality.

It takes a long time for listeners to get familiar with new music. By the time I started to know and like a new song, it was being moved to a recurrent and I heard it less on the radio.

I listen to a lot of different stations. It would take PPM to tell me who I was a P1 to.

When I didn’t have to “monitor” my station or the market for my job, I listened to the radio less. It was on in the car every time I drove (but not working full time I was driving less). I listened in the bathroom and if I was working in the garage. No longer was I listening to the alarm clock or in the kitchen.

Most of the time I had no idea what stations were talking about since I wasn’t listening as much as they thought I was. There was a lot of “inside stuff” or no real explanation of contesting or bits. I felt like an outsider at a dinner party who was the only one who didn’t know anybody. You need to find a way to explain things all the time.

I don’t care about position statements. I only care about what’s on the radio. I’m smart enough to know what the format is by the song people are playing. I think most people are. Positioning statements can be just added clutter.

I only knew a few stations in Denver (KBPI, KYGO, The Wolf) so when I wanted to populate my pre-sets, I used the scan button until it landed on a song I like and I set the station. I bet that’s how most people find new stations when they move to a new city.

I finally became a real listener and can see how people really use the radio and what drives them to keep listening. It’s tough to do, but challenge yourself to listen like a listener, not like a radio person.

AN EASY READ

2010-02-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

I love quotes. I like them because they are short, memorable and to the point (like all your breaks on air should). This week is nothing but quotes that hopefully will inspire you.

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Harold R. McAlindo

You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.
Brian Tracy

You don't lead by hitting people over the head - that's assault, not leadership.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

If you'll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives.
Vince Lombardi

Formula for success: under promise and over deliver.
Tom Peters

He that cannot obey, cannot command.
Benjamin Franklin

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
George Bernard Shaw

Great effort springs naturally from a great attitude.
Pat Riley

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
George Patton

Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.
Zig Ziglar

Leadership does not always wear the harness of compromise.
Woodrow Wilson

Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders.
Tom Peters

You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.
Henry Ford

My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.
Abraham Lincoln

I don’t know what the key to success is, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
Bill Cosby

To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
Elbert Hubbard

…and my personal favorite

Beer is proof there is a God and he wants us to be happy.
Ben Franklin

Here’s to a good show and great ratings.

THE FOUR AGREEMENTS

2010-02-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

Like most things in radio, a lot of great ideas are stolen or copied from smart people or great stations. This blog is no exception. I wish I could take credit for writing it. It was given to me a few years ago from fellow PD (CBS Radio’s KUFO/Portland) Chris Patyk who was the guest speaker at a college class I was teaching. Someone gave it to him and it had an impact. The same impact it had on me and I hope it does on you. Here are the “Four Agreements.”

1. Be impeccable with your word – Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth.

2. Don’t take anything personally – Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t make Assumptions – Find the courage to ask questions and express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always do your best – Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

Programmers Welcome Country’s New Clearasil Brigade, But With Caution

2010-02-03T06:03:00.000-07:00

This is Phyllis Stark's article she wrote for radio-info.com on 2/2/10. My comments in the article are highlighted.

by Phyllis Stark, www.radio-info.com

Less than two months after Taylor Swift aged out of her teen years, Nashville labels have a batch of new teenage acts lined up for release to country radio this year. These include “iCarly” TV star Jenette McCurdy (Capitol), Tyler Dickerson (Lyric Street), Jordyn Shellhart (Sony) and the band SHEL (Republic Nashville) comprising four sisters ages 16, 19, 20 and 21.

This sudden abundance of teen acts is reminiscent of exactly 10 years ago when—following the success of LeAnn Rimes and Lila McCann—there was a previous Clearasil brigade at country radio (all females that time around), including teens Jessica Andrews (DreamWorks), Alecia Elliott (MCA), and a trio of 11th graders known as 3 Of Hearts (RCA), as well as 20 year olds Rebecca Lynn Howard (MCA) and Jennifer Day (BNA).

Of the new batch of teen acts, Dickerson is the first out of the gate. His debut single, “Tell Your Sister I’m Single,” has just begun being worked to country radio and appears to be receiving a favorable response thus far. Dickerson has the distinction of being a teenage boy, something the format hasn’t seen since Blaine Larsen made his debut in 2004 at age 18.

While, of course, nearly everything will depend on the music these teens produce for the format, radio programmers are generally unconcerned about having a new batch of underage acts, even though virtually no country stations actively target teens, or even young adults. Swift’s proven ability to bring in younger demos may have helped pave the way for some younger stars.

“A hit is a hit,” says WBCT Grand Rapids, Mich., OM Doug Montgomery, who is excited about McCurdy’s upcoming debut in the format since he watches “iCarly” with his daughters. “If the song is a hit, it should be played. I don’t really care if is a kid or an extra-terrestrial singing it.”

WUSN Chicago APD/MD Marci Braun thinks this new crop of teen acts will be healthy for country radio. “Bring it on,” she says. “As a format, it can only be a good thing that Taylor brings younger, active listeners to our format. They’ll get to discover other artists, [and] hopefully buy some of their music as well. Plus, I hope they stick around and listen to us.”

Ryan Dokke, APD/MD at WKKT Charlotte, N.C., says if the music is right, younger artists “are great for the format. I don’t imagine we’ll see anything like we’ve seen with Taylor for a while, but if a young artist brings a few stellar songs to the table, it can’t hurt the format by converting a younger group of people to country P1s.”

“I’m for anything that will bring new cume to the format, although the chances of one of these new younger acts having the same success as Taylor Swift is pretty slim,” agrees John Paul, senior director of country programming for Dial Global and PD of the network’s Hot Country format. “I bet one of these new acts will have some success, the rest will probably eventually go away.

But, Paul cautions, “We need to make sure we aren’t afraid to be a country station. Having artists like Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser [and] Alan Jackson keep at least one of our feet firmly grounded in country. I think as long as there is balance in the music we are OK. It’s all about balancing the sound and not leaning too young/poppy or too traditional.”

“Country is the last ‘Big Tent’ format. Everyone’s invited in,” says KPLX (the Wolf) Dallas APD Smokey Rivers. “So it’s important that we not only cater to the center of the audience (35-44), but to also constantly work the edges of the audience demos as well. Mainstream artists that attract the center will always be in abundance. Plus, we can count on Reba, George and Alan to keep the 45+ folks interested. But maintaining a real presence with the 18-34 crowd has always been much harder to do. While younger artists have the potential to bring us much-needed new cume, you have to really pick your shots. But make no mistake; we must constantly be listening for acts that can bring young audiences into our tent now. Young P2s and P3s grow up to be solid P1s.”

But Rivers urges caution as well. “Taylor is fulfilling a need right now for the younger female side of the audience, but her success doesn’t signal a sudden shift in our core audience’s expectations,” he says. “The basic radio rules still apply. Over-delivering on new, younger acts will cause a station to become unfamiliar and that spells disaster. To work the younger fringes of the format adequately, you only need a couple of strong acts to break through. But you have to closely follow the audience’s lead to know who those artists are.”

Despite teen acts being well below the target age of most country stations, programmers say the audience is not as concerned with age as with content.

“I don’t think the younger demo cares about the age of the singer, but I’ve heard from many upper demo listeners (45+) that aren’t Taylor fans because they can’t relate with songs like ‘Fifteen,’” says Paul. “The older the audience, the more the age becomes a factor.”Montgomery agrees that “songs like ‘Fifteen,’ because of the narrow appeal, are going to be a concern, but no more so than songs about putting asses in sand like Zac Brown Band’s ‘Toes,’ because some listeners are upset by the word ‘ass.’”

“The core audience [instinctively] knows when an artist is too young for the station,” says Rivers. “Men especially notice it. They are also vocal about it if they sense they’re hearing too much of it. But I think the country audience also understands that you have to play newer and younger acts. The key is whether there truly is something compelling with the artist, their back-story or the song. That’s why Taylor’s music has worked so well for us. She’s so unique a talent that she immediately breaks through. The teen acts that are sure to come along will not have such luck. Taylor was first in that particular category, and first in wins.”

Braun is unconcerned about the age of the acts not matching radio’s target audience. “These teens and young adults will grow into our demo,” she says. “If we balance it correctly, we can both serve our demo while trying to bring in the younger audience. But balance is very important.”

Dokke is also among those who think the audience doesn’t care about how old the artist is. “We live in an age where a lot of the listening is controlled by ‘the kids.’ If the songs are great and relatable, whether targeted to the middle of the demo or younger, then I don’t think it matters the age of the audience,” he says.

Still, Dokke cautions, “I hope we don’t see every label trying to create a version of their own Taylor Swift. I don’t think I totally understand the rush to put these 14 and 15 and even 16 year olds out there so soon. Why can’t we let these kids finish school and have normal lives?”

AIRCHECKING QUICK TIPS

2010-02-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

Meeting with your air staff on a regular basis is key to the long term success of your station. I know from personal experience that consistently meeting with your staff is a challenge. Demands on PD's time are at an all time high. But spending some one on one time with your air staff needs to be at the top of your “to do list.” Here's a few air checking quick tips to make the meetings more productive and less of a drain on time.

 Radio people love to talk radio. Meeting with your air staff doesn't always need to be an air check meeting. Sometimes just “talkin' radio” is enough. For a jock, getting some one on one time with the PD can easily make the difference on how the show sounds, even if the PD doesn't even offer any critiques.

 Never critique a show without having audio to play for the jock.

 Whenever possible, use simple logic and analogies. It makes it easier for the jocks to learn and remember what you are asking them to do.

 If you use Audio Vault, ask your GM or engineers about getting AV Logger. It's an awesome program that makes doing air checks extremely easy.

 Don’t feel the need to give the jock a laundry list of things to work on. Sometimes just two or three key points are all you need to make a difference.

 Prepare for the air check meeting. Take some time before the meeting to listen, write up some notes and be prepared with what you want to say.

 Always give the jock written notes recapping the session. Chances are they will only take away a couple of things you tell them. Give them a written re-cap and they will remember everything you said.

 Start with positive feedback and always keep the meetings positive. If jocks dread the meetings, the chances of them getting anything productive out of them are slim.

 Leave no grey area. Be very black and white when telling the air staff what you need and want them to do. Leaving them guessing and not clear on the goals doesn't do anyone any good.

 In the meeting, don't talk about any other jocks on the staff. It's all about the person you are meeting with.

 Never tell the jock to do something that you can't back up as to why you want it done.

 Tell your staff to listen to their voice tracked show while they are on. Listening to themselves in real time is one the best forms of air checking.

 If you have out of market voice trackers, spend time with them on the phone. They work for you and need to hear directly from you what is working on their show and what isn't.

 Have a plan and make sure the staff knows it. Nothing is worse than a radio station full of air talent that isn’t aware of the plan. Make sure everyone is on the same page.

As a PD, you are responsible for everything that comes out of the speaker. Your air talent is a majority of that time. Just spending time with them, having an open door policy and being honest with your talent will have a huge return on your time investment. If it's not a priority, make it one. It's a win-win for everyone.

BE PROUD OF YOUR STATION

2010-01-26T06:14:00.000-07:00

In today’s radio landscape getting marketing dollars to increase your cume is a major challenge. I think it’s ironic that most radio companies put added pressure on the sales staff to get more advertising money from clients, yet marketing money to promote the station is always one of the first lines cut.

I’ll assume you don’t have any marketing money and have been tasked with increasing cume. One of the easiest ways to do this is to be proud of your station. Wear your colors everywhere. I remember a few years ago at CRS someone was giving Tony Thomas from KMPS/Seattle a hard time about Tony always wearing station shirts. Without missing a beat, Tony replied “how can I expect listeners to be proud of my station, if I’m not proud enough to wear the logo.” Nicely said. Be proud of your station.

I’ve always had a rule at any station I’ve programmed. I call it the “Twenty-Five Logo Rule.” At any remote or appearance, there better be at least twenty-five logos up in highly visible places. The van counts, banners count, staff sporting logos on their shirts count. At one remote in Buffalo we even had logos above the urinals in the men’s room. It was perfect placement for a rock station. Be proud of your station.

Pay attention to the details. Park the station van in the most visible spot possible. It’s amazing how many vans I see parked in a regular parking spot nestled nicely between civilian vehicles. During the appearance ask the store manager if you can park somewhere where everyone will see you. Use the van as a billboard. It will benefit you and your client. Oh yeah, make sure the van is always clean and freshly washed. What kind of message does a dirty station vehicle send to potential listeners? Be proud of your station.

Be outgoing and accessible at events. Most of the guys who would hide behind the station van and smoke cigarettes during a remote are no longer in the business, and probably for good reason. Shake hands, look listeners in the eye and be interested in what they are saying. Think like a Politician asking for their vote. When listeners meet you, make sure they walk away thinking of you as their friend. Loyalty is very powerful. Be proud of your station.

Say yes to as many events that require you to emcee as you can. This is a great way to get in front of a lot of people, give back to your community and personally get out and meet current and future listeners. When you are meeting new people be proud of you station.

Finally, always talk about your station with pride. Don’t expect everyone you meet to know about you or your station. When you meet someone who has never listened, invite them to tune in. Personally inviting someone to listen is very powerful. What do you think would move the needle more, a TV commercial talking to the masses (that will most likely not be seen due to a DVR) or the morning personality shaking hands, looking them in the eye and asking them to listen tomorrow? Be passionate about where you work and what you do. Again, like Tony Thomas said, “how can you expect listeners to be proud of your station if you aren’t?”

TALK TO ONE PERSON

2010-01-18T07:34:00.000-07:00

There are many tips to help make you a better talent. Far too many to mention in one blog. But one of the most important is to be one on one. Talk to one person, not a bunch of people. The best radio is personal. The best radio is one on one. You don’t have thousands of people listening, you have one listener…and they think of you as a friend. Here are a few tips to help you be a little more one on one:

If you are doing a show by yourself, never say “we” as in “we’ve got Taylor Swift coming up.” It’s always “I.” Remember just YOU and ONE listener. Say “I’ve got Taylor Swift coming up.”

Never say “over there”, “out there”, “listening area” or “down there.” It blows the theatre of the mind. Remember you’re not stuck in a studio somewhere, you are with the listener no matter where they are. Sitting right there beside them. Do everything you can do to be a companion.

It may be cliché but I think it totally works, and that is to put a picture of your target listener in front of you in the studio and talk to her.

Know your audience. Not who you “want” them to be, but who your audience really is. Know everything about her before you start prepping your show.

Always call the listener “you.” If you are on a show with multiple people, always refer to them by their first names and save “you” for the listener.

Talk to the listener the same way you would talk to a co-worker in the break room, or your best friend over dinner and drinks. Just because you are talking into a microphone, doesn’t mean you have to sound different or use words that real people don’t use in everyday conversation.

Never, ever, ever call the listener “folks”, “everybody”, “my friends” (instead say “my friend”). Remember it’s just one friend listening.

Every once in a while there is a break that I hear that I will never forget. I remember hearing Blair Garner back in 1996. It was one of the few breaks where he wasn’t funny, he wasn’t doing an interview, contest or show prep. He simply cracked the mic and said “I’m Blair Garner. It’s just YOU and ME all night long. Nobody else.” It was awesome. He was talking only to me. I never forgot that. I wish I heard more personalities doing breaks like that today.

DIAL GLOBAL HIRES JOHN PAUL AS SENIOR DIRECTOR OF COUNTRY PROGRAMMING

2009-12-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DIAL GLOBAL HIRES JOHN PAUL AS SENIOR DIRECTOR OF COUNTRY PROGRAMMING

He will oversee the company’s country formats and 600+ affiliate stations

December 15, 2009 – New York, N.Y. Dial Global today announced the hiring of John Paul as Senior Director of Country Programming.

John Paul will based in Denver and oversee the programming of Dial Global’s four country formats. He will be responsible for managing the Program Directors of Mainstream, Country, Classic Country, True Country and serve as PD of the company’s Hot Country format.

Paul has built a successful track record as Program Director at KUPL, Portland and WYRK/WBUF, Buffalo. He has a reputation for his versatility; integrating product knowledge with branding, management, promotion and sales. This is evidenced by Radio Ink naming John “One of the Top 10 Best Program Directors in America”.

John Paul is also the Chairman for the 2010 Country Radio Seminar (CRS) and has served as a consultant to Albright & O’Malley.

John Paul commented: “I am thrilled to work for a company that values great programming and ideas as much as Dial Global. Overseeing multiple country formats and being the Sr. Director of Country Programming is a job that has always been my goal. I just bought a new winter jacket and a Broncos hat, so I'm ready for Denver!”

Beau Phillips commented “Within minutes of meeting John, we were convinced that he is one of country radio’s brightest stars. John sees the big picture and shares our passion to put the magic back into radio. We are confident that he will take our country programming to new heights.”

Programming President Kirk Stirland added “hiring a quality programmer like John Paul is another big step in Dial Global’s mission to redefine the role of a radio network. John fits in perfectly with our plan to set the bar higher for radio performance.”

John Paul replaces Jim Murphy, who resigned his position with Dial Global last week.

Dial Global is radio’s largest full-service, independent radio network, providing services to more than 6,000 radio stations nationwide. Dial Global, is the leading provider of 24/7 music formats, with broadcasting operations in Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, Omaha and Nashville. The company also handles national advertising sales representation for over 200 radio programs and networks in addition to their own programs and services.

RADIO WILL MISS JAY TRACHMAN

2009-12-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

Jay Trachman passed away on Saturday, November 28th. For those that weren’t familiar with Jay, he was a true friend to radio and one of my original mentors. Jay was a tremendous talent coach, teacher and author of “The Handbook for Radio Personalities.” A book that didn’t look like much on the outside, but once opened, it would transform any mediocre personality into a true communicator that understands what makes personalities great. Here are a few of my favorite tips from the book:

Be Yourself.

Know your audience.

Talk to ONE person.

Understand the nature of entertainment. Entertainment means helping people to experience emotions in a safe environment.

Have something to say.

Respect your listener.

Don’t lie to your listener.

Assume your listener is as intelligent as you.

Time Matters. Brevity is essential.

Be unique.

Make your listener feel.

People bond with people.

Get a life (one of my favorites). You’ve got to be an interesting person before you can be an interesting performer.

The book has much more, but those are some of the basic principles. I’m not sure how many of his books are left, but his son Will may be able to find you a copy. I was lucky to become an acquaintance of Jay’s. A few years ago as a Christmas gift to my entire air staff at KUPL, I bought everyone a copy of Jay’s book. I could tell talking to him how proud he was that after all these years his message of being one on one, yourself and real was still being taught. Like I posted on his Facebook page, radio needs more people like Jay Trachman.

BE THANKFUL THIS WEEKEND

2009-11-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is this week and I thought it would be good to reflect on some things we should be thankful for working in radio. Now before you roll your eyes, I realize the last 18 months have been really tough with downsizing, cut backs, programming options forced down our throats and more. This is not just something radio is dealing with, it's everywhere. All businesses and industries are suffering. Radio is still a great gig and here are a few things to be thankful for:

• We work in radio. We play music and connect with people for a living. Pretty cool.

• We get to go to concerts for free and many times meet the artists backstage.

• We don't have to get up at 5am in the pouring rain to collect people’s trash.

• We get to talk to thousands of people each day that think of us as a friend. We have thousands of friends!

• We get to create magic (or at least you should be creating magic).

• We get to listen to music and get paid for it.

• Many of the biggest stars in country music know us by name.

• The chicks (Just kidding. Seeing if you are still paying attention).

• Our office environment is unlike any other place on the planet. Try working for a lawyer or CPA. Their offices are boring and stale. I've never worked in a radio station where someone didn't have a guitar in their office and played it often.

• Most of us are doing what we've wanted to do since we were kids. I bet most of your non radio friends can't say that.

• Over 90% of all Americans listen to radio each week. That's an impressive number. Very few media outlets connect with that many people each week.

• Each day we get to make people laugh, cry and think.

• Every day is different. Perfect for radio people that have ADD...which is most of us.

• We get free tickets to nearly everything.

• Competition makes us all better and radio has a lot of it.

• If you are unemployed right now, know that 2010 is going to be a great year for radio. When some of these big companies break up, we'll see more locally focused radio programming. The pendulum will start swinging soon.

Again, I know it's been a rough year for everyone. Stay positive and take this weekend to think about all the great things that come with working in radio. There are many.