In the course of a “reboot” for a station, the first tactic is often to limit the length of breaks, and/or limit how many “Content” breaks there are in the hour.

The reaction is almost always the same: the air talent gripes about being “held back” or “not being given the time I need” to do Content.

I wish every air talent had taken a creative writing course in school, and/or written a LOT of commercials.  It’s really important to learn about story construction – how to pull the listener in quickly, how a story moves from one point to another, how to be concise, and how to provide an ending that takes us somewhere, instead of just some lame “moral of the story” wrap-up or obvious punch line.

And it’s equally important to be able to fit something over a song intro, where you only have a few seconds.

The bottom line is that skill in constructing and telling a story + having time restrictions = expertise in written or spoken word.  Sounding relaxed, but being as brief as possible, can quickly make everyone ELSE sound like they can’t shut up.  That’s a huge advantage for you!

No doubt about it, Content is the biggest challenge for any air talent.  RELEVANCE to the listener is the key.  Not settling for something that your listener only has a passing interest in is a huge step in making your show different from all the others.

– I can read Facebook without you.
– I can see “filler stories” on any website without you.
– I can get stories about other people, in other places, that bear no resemblance to where and how I live my life…without you.

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Three simple rules for great phone calls in music radio:

1. Have a clear ending in mind.  ‘Real’ people can be entertaining… but not all that often.
2. Let the caller finish his sentence before you jump in.  If two people are both talking at the same time, it’s hard to make out what either one of them says.  You’re going to edit the call anyway, so be patient.  That makes for good audio.  (If you’re taking live calls, that’s like rolling a grenade into the room.)
3. Remember that to the listener, it’s a conversation.  But to us, it’s a sound bite.  Do a nice, compact setup (or reset), hit the call, take the “out.”

My friend and associate John Frost says I’m the only one he knows who can talk for an hour about editing, so I’ll try to keep this short: Keep things short.

Condense.  The fewer words you can use, the easier it is to follow.  You don’t have to feel restricted, but as you put a break together, throw out words that aren’t really necessary.  That makes what you leave in stand out more.

Think about it; very few long quotes ever get cited by anyone.  It’s usually the short, most direct one that gets remembered and repeated.

Note for Talk Radio: this does apply.  It’s amazing how short, impactful sentences get the best response.  Longer, wordier diatribes tend to get more placid response… or the same person who called yesterday with the same type of comment he’s making today.  Three short sentences get better reaction than one sentence three times as long.

I don’t like asking questions, but here are two that you should ask yourself, whether you’re an air talent, Programmer, or GM:

1. What do you have that I can’t get everywhere else?
   In the current era of “cookie cutter” formats, this is crucial.  If all you are is a corporate playlist and people reading liners and crap from the internet, the answer to that question is “nothing.”
2. What do you have that I can’t get ANYWHERE else?
   And remember, it has to be relevant.  Just being “different” isn’t enough.

The answers to these two questions will decide your future.  There are too many entertainment alternatives available today for you to expect people to waste their time listening to boring radio.  Do SOMETHING… rather than do nothing.