Every format seems to have a default setting – what it reverts to without proper care and feeding. Some can sound cluttered, others can be inconsistent.
I’ve found that the CCM format has the tendency to default to sameness. Songs can sound alike. Air talent can sound instructive rather than inspirational. Sometimes it can sound like nothing more than…
…nice Christian people talking to nice Christian people about nice Christian things.
Continue reading“Beat Bobby Flay” is one of my wife’s favorite TV shows, and watching it the other night, a thought struck me.
The format is that two chefs compete with each other to see who then goes up against Bobby Flay. Then Flay has to make that chef’s standout dish, and it’s amazing how many times Bobby wins.
I’ve never met Isaac but I did get to witness what is likely one of the highlights of his life.
A few months ago Isaac was able to meet Matthew West prior to a concert and shared his dream of singing on stage with Matthew. While some might have viewed that as small talk with an artist, Matthew saw it as another opportunity to share a fan’s story. A few hours later Isaac was on stage singing “Truth Be Told” with Matthew West.
In his showcasing a fan Matthew demonstrated a technique that I’ve referred to as making big things little and little things big.
Continue readingOkay, this tip is for radio and TV talent, but it’s also kind of for life in general.
I wholly believe that if you want to be successful – and be respected – the key is speaking well. This will get you ahead in almost any profession, but I believe it especially applies to radio and TV.
In my work with hundreds of on-air talents, and particularly with the TV personalities I’ve coached, we stress two essential ingredients: Continue reading
A sea of red, it has been described. For the past 25 years in my other life I’ve served as the public address announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals’ spring training. That means for the month of March I’m surrounded by visitors from the Midwest and beyond that embrace the identify of Cardinal Nation. I know many of their names. And yes, they wear red.
A brand is much more than just a combination of attributes.
Attributes are the elements that any station can do. Songs, deejays, contests, information elements like traffic and weather. A brand is bigger than that.
Continue readingWhile flipping around You Tube the other night, I rewatched the “Inside the Actors Studio” episode with the great Robert Redford. I hadn’t seen it in a long time.
At one point, host James Lipton asked Redford what he looked for in a movie that he might want to act in or direct. Redford noted three things, to which I’ve added my thoughts as it applies to Content on the radio: Continue reading
I was driving along minding my own business when the announcement came on the radio for “The National Bereavement Conference 2024.”
“Egad!” I thought. Were they talking about an amazing get together of caring people that come alongside those whose lives are forever changed due to the loss of a loving spouse? You’d never know it by what sounded like the label to a file folder.
There is no promotion so brilliant that it can’t be made utterly ineffective through the presentation of data, such as a list of dates and times.
Continue readingI coach show prep and Content constantly. One of the questions I get asked about most is, “How do I make a subject work on the air?” Sometimes it’s a good idea, but that air talent just can’t seem to find the “connective tissue” that really clicks with the audience.
So, a couple of simple guidelines about Content: Continue reading
Don’t worry! I’m not going to ask how many times you play “Easter Parade” by Judy Garland and Fred Astaire.
Easter, from a programming perspective, is not like Christmas with 27 different versions of “Mary, Did You Know?” that we can play.
But the principle is the same.
Continue readingYears ago at a radio gathering in Nashville, a dear friend and outstanding morning show talent and I did a Content seminar.
My friend had himself drifted a bit himself, doing old creaky bits like “This Day in History” and “Stupid Criminal Stories.”
…until I started coaching him.
