“You can do anything… once”
I often heard those words from my dad’s booming voice. His acknowledgment of his son’s innate desire to reach out and try new things, while also mindful of his adolescent son’s propensity toward immature decisions.
Those words served as a life lesson of accountability. But, you know what? Those words were also true. I COULD do anything… once.
Continue readingIf you’ve never heard it (or seen his TV show on some classic channel), the Jack Benny Show was groundbreaking in its day. And it still has a basic formula that I assure you WILL work today: he made everyone else the star.
Whether it was his announcer, his wife, a singer, a guest, or any other cast member, Benny was quite willing to take a back seat. He never minded being the butt of a joke, overshadowed by another comedian, or made to look like a fool.
Do yourself a favor. Wander through your nearby Cracker Barrel store with the spirit of learning about how to better communicate your station’s attributes, benefits, and beliefs and values – the core elements of any radio station’s position in the marketplace.
This is what you’ll see.
Continue readingMusic format or Talk format – it doesn’t matter. There’s a real art to creating a phone call “culture” – which I’ve written some about before. But the actual taking of a phone call (or airing one live) can often be messed up in the first few seconds.
Here’s how to avoid that, in two easy steps: Continue reading
“Opinions are like noses,” the saying goes. “Everyone has one.”
I like her voice! She sounds nasal! He’s funny. He thinks he’s funny.
Subjective opinions are inevitable in an industry that is a combination of music and art. The question is… how do we keep subjectivity from driving our most important decisions, staying clear of those being driven by the loudest voice or the one in the largest office?
Continue readingBrevity is the most useful skill you can develop.
Sadly, instead of brevity, we often get bloviating. So let me help you with what I recently wrote in a coaching session recap…
Thinking “How few words can I use to say this?” is the road to brevity. As you police yourself to get rid of repetition and edit yourself better, your longer breaks will actually stand out more, as a result. (Funny how that works.)
Memorial Day weekend is a time to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Maybe, just maybe, there is a legacy lesson for our stations.
How will your station be remembered?
Will it be remembered as the station that plays 25-minute music sweeps without any talk, OR that it helped your community to be a better place to live and raise a family?
Continue readingHere’s a quick way to measure or grade your on-air performance: Is what you’re saying something you’d say at a backyard barbecue to a person you just met?
If it’s not, then why are you saying it?
“Too inside” is a disease. You potentially have a new person tuning in for the first time right now. What are you going to say to welcome that person in? And more importantly, what will you say that compels that person to stick around today, or come back tomorrow?
The simplest, shortest break you do may the one that catches that listener’s attention; that makes him or her think, “This person is like me.”
A legendary broadcaster recently asked me, “If you claim that your format can be so transformational, why are the stations so ordinary?”
Gulp.
Ken and Barbie in the morning, who replaced Ken and Barbie before them and few even noticed.* Nice Christian people talking about nice Christian things to nice Christian people.
Nice, indeed. But clearly not transformational to a listener’s life.
Continue readingMoods matter. Some shows I’ve heard recently have one – but ONLY one.
We’re humans. We have moods – all sorts of different ones, each day. So, the challenge for you is to not just plaster on a veneer every day, but to have a definable mood to each show.
Tip: Reflect the mood around you – what you feel at home, or when you stop at a store for coffee, or at the place where you work. Feed off that. Let it guide you to be in step with the Listener.
When I sense that you feel what I’m feeling, we bond. And as I always say, we’re not paid by the word; we’re paid by the connection.
