We can probably all agree that ideally, everything you do on the air should play to a strength. If not, it’s probably best to eliminate it.
I feel sorry for air talent with no training in News writing or delivery being forced to do headlines.
Really, except for All-News or NewsTalk stations, News – I’m talking about actually doing a newscast – seems kind of outdated, to me. Not that many people come to a music station for News these days, because there are so many other sources to get it from.
Please understand that this shouldn’t mean that you ignore the News. But what I’m recommending is that if there’s a significant story, you just do a break about it when you stop down, without the formality of a News structure. It’s my opinion that we turn what’s likely to be a liability into a true strength this way.
Obviously, this is something that Programming has to okay.
We’ll address another so-called ‘service element’ – the Weather – in the next tip.
