In the olden days, there were two factors that were utmost for a radio station to succeed: Reach, and Frequency.
Reach was about the signal. Without a good signal, it was hard to build a bigger audience.
Frequency wasn’t about where on the dial a station was. It was about what are now called listening “occasions” – how often or how long someone chose to listen to you.
It is said that Michelangelo is the greatest influence on western art in the last 500 years. Most of his sculptures, paintings, architecture works, and poetry were in service to the church. When asked how he was able to accomplish his most famous sculpture The Statue of David, he responded simply,
“I just took away everything that didn’t look like David.”
That’s a quote that I often refer to when coaching talent.
Michelangelo lived in a time where most of the art in the world was influenced by the Christian faith. Today, obviously, we live in a much different time. In fact, our faith is virtually absent from culture and the public square. That is, with one exception that perhaps you’ve not thought of.
Continue readingA lot of young people who do want to a career in media aren’t even messing with radio. They only want to work in TV. Or do a podcast.
(Everyone and his dog does a podcast. And the dog usually has the more entertaining one. “Today on Barks and Recreation, we’re ruffing out what new flavor we’d like to see in dog biscuits.”)
Seriously, this is bad for radio, because finding a great air talent these days is already hard enough. We need new people to come in, get trained, and shine. Continue reading
I just want to warn you this Frost Advisory is going to be a little different. But that’s okay because that is the point.
The CCM format is known for many good things; inspiring hope, encouraging people in difficult times, and offering a more eternal perspective.
But let’s face it, our format is not particularly known for being creative. We can all name well-known radio stations that don’t sound much different than they did twenty years ago.
Continue readingYou have ten seconds to “get” me… to make me want to listen to whatever else you have to say.
If you don’t get me in that ten seconds, then nothing else you do matters. It’s simply human nature to decide quickly whether or not something is a waste of time.
So think about what that opening ten seconds of whatever it is you’re going to talk about is going to be BEFORE you open the mic. No matter how good you are, this is something you can improve.
On this 54th anniversary of man on the moon I reckon’ it’s a good time to bring it up.
With the historic words, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon, followed closely by the planting of the American flag to show that the USA was first in this historic achievement.
Radio stations whose foundation is “Beliefs and Values” have an opportunity to communicate that position by putting their flag in the ground.
Continue readingThere are so many voice trackers these days, and if you’re in that world you know that it’s hard to keep improving if you’re not on the air in real time and don’t get any feedback that you can trust. Here’s a simple system I recommend that’ll improve your work and keep you sharp. It’s “go, stop, go.”
Go. Record an hour of breaks. Continue reading
I first loved baseball because my dad loved baseball. In fact, my first game ever was a really big deal – I got to see my baseball hero Mickey Mantle get the first hit in the very first indoor baseball game at the Astrodome in Houston.
My dad simply said, “You should see this.”
Continue readingLike most people, I listen to the radio at some point every day. I hear promos. I hear commercials. I hear songs. I hear people trying to sound cheerful. I hear people trying to be funny.
What I all-too-rarely hear is something that actually surprises me. Gee, I wish that wasn’t true. Surprises are great.
I want Surprises. I loathe The Obvious. And I’m not alone. People want companionship. They want entertainment. They want pertinent information. (We’ve all heard the voice-tracked Talent that’s really cheerful while a tornado is headed our way.)
Don’t fall for the “This is good enough” trap. “Good enough” … never is.
SURPRISE ME.
Everyone’s favorite radio station is the station that plays their favorite music.
Why does this matter?
People love what is familiar, and what is familiar is what we love.
Continue reading
