Today, I arrive in Atlanta, communing with 500 attendees at Don Anthony’s 29th annual Morning Show Boot Camp – most of them air personalities on stations and in markets that run the gamut. So this post comes with a certain amount of danger because I may have to actually defend my words in front of people who will definitely have opinions. Or perhaps to their program directors.
Today’s post was appropriately spurred by Mike Stern, our top-notch consultant who among other things, spends a lot of time with air talent in coaching and aircheck sessions. He came up with the idea of reading an article in Psychology Today: “6 Pieces of Bad Advice We Give Our Kids.”
Here’s an example of how they drew it up:
What we tell our kids: Play to your strengths
What we should be telling them: Make mistakes and learn to fail.
You get the idea. So, with a little twist on the theme, it turned itself into a look at the way talent is often coached and trained in radio. And perhaps it underscores some of the things personalities are told that simply aren’t constructive or additive to their careers – or to our radio brands.
Now here’s an important caveat. This post assumes you as a programmer, manager, or owner truly value the power and skills of your on-air personalities. In an environment where every song ever recorded fits on a device that fits in your pocket, and anyone can build their perfect playlist, radio’s air talent are often the difference-makers that set stations apart.
So here are our “6 Pieces Of Bad Advice We Give Our DJs.”
What we tell DJs: Limit your breaks to :30. Don’t risk losing a listener.
What we should be telling them: Talk as long as you’re more entertaining than the next song.
Now obviously, every station has its own tolerance for talk – especially those that play music. But when breaks are mandated to not exceed certain lengths, we may be missing out on great opportunities for personalities to truly shine. John Gehron talked about this extensively in his Conclave speech last week. He created the format – his airstaff worked around and within it to make WLS a special station. Not much has changed.
What we tell DJs: Don’t talk about yourself.
What we should be telling them: Use relatable, interesting life experiences to create content and build your brand.
Not everyone can be Steve Dahl, Howard Stern, or Tom Barnard. But it’s the stories and the authenticity that people remember the most. I am still amazed when I moderate focus groups how people recount hearing a DJ talk about a personal incident or encounter that has stuck with them – sometimes for decades. That’s what feeds loyalty for personalities – a factor that Pandora and Spotify simply cannot match.
What we tell DJs: The ratings are inaccurate and are unreliable.
What we should be telling them: I’ll show you how the ratings work, and how the measurement system impacts our station and your show.
We become better and more professional when we’re armed with knowledge. And in the case of the ratings – whether you’re in a diary or a PPM environment – understanding the inner-workings of the system only serves to make you wiser and craftier. Learning the tactics and the tricks can help a personality create more occasions, ensure that commercial stopsets and other interruptions time out properly, and that the very best stuff airs when the most ears are available. Rather than denigrating the ratings, working with talent to better understand them is a much better path.
What we tell DJs: Read the liner card just that way it’s written.
What we should be telling them: Here are the basic facts – find creative and relatable ways to communicate to them with entertainment value.
It’s a skill to take bullet points and turn them into a compelling, interesting promo. But that’s what the best personalities learn to do. Encouraging them to use their own words, work in the key points, and do it in a way that doesn’t sound the same every time is where the art comes into play. Your benefits and positions will sound more credible and they’ll be more memorable.
What we tell DJs: We’re not playing that song – it’s a stiff.
What we should be telling them: We conduct music research that’s a barometer to how our audience feels about songs. Here’s how the system works, so you understand why we play and why we don’t play songs.
Taking the voodoo out of research – whether it’s for your music or perceptual studies – can take the fear and mystery out of the equation. When the airstaff has a basic understanding about the data that leads to strategic decisions or even why this song was added and why that one was dropped. Giving DJs a better sense for why certain calls are made also leads to them respecting your procedures and systems, rather than them thinking it’s arbitrary or totally subjective.
What we say to DJs: We’re doing it because corporate/the consultant/the new owners are making us do it.
What we should be telling them: We’re doing it because our team worked together to carve out this strategy. Let’s give it a chance to work.
As a programmer, you may disagree with an edict, mandate, or strong suggestion about the format, the music, a promotion, or anything else that comes down from above. But to the airstaff, you have to own that strategy, rather than enabling and fostering an us vs. them mindset. Fight your battles with the powers that be on your own time, rather than dragging the airstaff into it or urging them to side with you. Angrily carrying out orders doesn’t strengthen your management credibility or make you look any more important in their eyes.
So that’s our dirty half-dozen. I’m betting both programmers and air talent can think of a few we’ve left out. But hopefully, your main takeaway here is to rethink the messages, communiqués, and other signal managers send to their airstaffs.
Our personalities are the most important pieces in our strategic puzzles. They set our brands apart, and drive loyalty. How we nurture, coach, and manage them can truly move the needle and make the difference between success and being an also-ran.
Now, I’m off to hang out with a few hundred of them at MSBC.
Good times.
Join me, along with iHeartMedia’s Chris Peterson, Cox Media Group’s Tim Clarke, Entercom’s Kim Reis, and Amplifi Media’s Steve Goldstein for “New Skills For Survival,” tomorrow at MSBC.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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I’m going to have to disagree with you about the points on the liner card. I’m the manager of what is arguably Canada’s largest radio buying group. Not only are we responsible for buying the commercial airtime but also for creating customized on-air platforms, sponsorships, endorsements etc. Let me tell you that announcers are the bane of my existence. And here’s the reason… Radio stations make business commitments to their clients and advertisers that often include involvement with, and/or on-air presentations by the announcers. And then those same announcers are not held accountable for their on-air execution by the same station management that made the commitment to the client. Not only do some of them (I know its not all of them) mess up the liners and talking points, they can go off on tangents and provide unrelated editorial while some of them will even trash clients or prize packs as they’re giving them away. Yes, those are extreme cases but they occur with alarming frequency. And when they do happen, the station isn’t even monitoring it, they don’t tell the client what’s happened, we have to hear about it from a listener or catch it ourselves. All in all, not very good business. Once you’ve been involved with an on-air execution that goes off the rails because of the talent, it tends to color your perception. After you experience several of them you can’t help but understand why radio itself may have a perception issue with some clients and agencies.
Yes there’s hard work, insight and art in creating their brand and on-air experience but these so called professionals also need to understand that certain business commitments will still need to be met. And station management needs to be less afraid of “upsetting the talent” and actually instill some business reality when it relates to implementing commitments made on their behalf by that same management. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to control what they say when they’re doing their show, but we need those that don’t believe that they have to deliver commitments made on their behalf to actually step up and deliver when station management has said that it will be done!
Just write it into their contracts… “The station will be making commitments to advertisers that will include your involvement on-air. In these instances you will deliver upon the commitments made on your behalf in a positive, professional manner. If you do not, it will impact your performance review.” Seems so simple…
David, I think both of us are correct.
When hosts take a creative approach to promoting stations events, prizes etc. it makes the breaks more memorable for the listeners and, in turn, the association for a sponsor is stronger and more positive than if the talent just recite talking points in order and bore listeners.
That doesn’t mean that certain parts of the break, mostly those relating to sponsors, shouldn’t be handled properly. Talent should be made aware of plugs and liners for clients that must be included and handled properly each time.
And hosts denigrating sponsors, prizes or station promotions should not be tolerated.
David, I appreciation the indignation. When you cut a deal with an advertiser, it had better run as sold. Interestingly, when I was referring to liner cards, I was thinking about station positioning, promos, etc. Certain advertisers allow some leeway in live reads – others have to have it a certain way. Those distinctions are important.
When I programmed and these circumstances came up, there were occasionally opportunities to have your cake and eat it, too. In those cases, I would underline facts in ads that were mandatory, surrounded by bullet points the jocks could use to tell their story. But when clients demand it be read a certain way, there’s no slop. It has to be executed properly.
Thanks for commenting, and compelling me to be clearer in what we were trying to say.
If announcers are “the bane of your existence,” perhaps you need to adjust your thinking. Maybe unprofessional announcers are “the bane of your existence?” Having worked for both small, and large radio companies, I can tell you that programing vs. sales management tension will keep your team from working together, and create an environment where announcer feel free to bash a client, service, and misread a sponsorship. Furthermore, liner cards are usually programing related and should be switched up from jock to jock, while sponsorships should be read verbatim. Maybe with that distinction you are more likely to agree with Fred. Just a thought.
Bill, thanks for keeping the conversation going. This post generated a great deal of interest. And the heart of it goes back to the age-old relationship between management and talent. We’ve come a long way, but there are still vestiges of the past.
Bill is right. That line that announcer are “the bane of your existence” doesn’t make any sense at all. The announcers are the lifeblood of your existence. Otherwise, get a computer voice and cut all your liners.
I could argue, using David’s logic, that transmitters are the bane of your existence. Well, after all, they break-down, need replacement parts, cost a lot of money to operate and take up space in the building.
Oh no Fred, are you proposing that stations let DJ’s show “personality”? It’s about time someone stood up and said it. Thanks Fred
Thanks, Bryan.
What we say to DJs: That 11:50am break was a disaster! What were you thinking?
What we should say to DJs: A lot of good things on your show today. I liked A, B and C. Now, about the 11:50am break: learn from it and move on.
***If 11:50 keeps happening, it’s another discussion.
Have you been a consultant before? 🙂 Thanks, Keith.
I actually agree with every single point. Good piece!
I do get David McDonald’s issue. But as you note, liner cards are different from paid-for live reads.
If he really hates announcers, any station’s Production Department would likely be happy to come up with recorded creative that can be approved, and then run exactly as it is. Not need to flog all creativity out of announcers to keep clients happy.
Having said that, a DJ that trashes a prize while giving it away is doing their last show for me. One can be creative while still honoring the client… and the gig.
Zeb, thanks for the thumbs-up on the post. And we’re on the same page with David McDonald. It’s essential that Sales makes clear the parameters of a read – is there any room for creativity or is it simply a matter of reading it as written?
I feel like I’ve thought all of this before. you just happened to say it much better 🙂
Our current situation at our station is awesome. We’re winning in mornings and we’re able to do all the things the right way. It’s like our current PD and you are just alike
However, it makes me sad that talent can’t flourish in so many places because old school stuck-in-the-mud PD’s
Radio is a thriving business because of talent! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this article
Have a blast at MSBC
Dan & Michelle
Sacramento
You have thought about all this before. A lot of it is obvious, Dan & Michelle. And remember, it’s a lot easier for me to write it than it is for me (and others) to put it into practice. But I feel like we need to raise the bar on our teaching and coaching. There are some great programmers who read this post, and deleted it, because they’ve always done these things – and beyond. Appreciate the kind words.
Honestly, “what we should be telling them” is what I’ve always told them. Always. Plus I tell them to say if they don’t like a song. And I have PD’s get rid of the liner cards.
Thanks, Walter.
oh and Dave McDonald he was referring to STATION self-PROMO LINER CARDS not paid-for advertiser copy.
David McDonald says: “Announcers are the bane of my existence.” Spoken like a true salesman. Have you considered selling just automated stations? Looks like sales vs. Programming is still an age old war.
Don, there’s clearly been some negative experiences there. I think, in the main, the relationship between talent and management has improved greatly over the years. But I’d love to hear from both DJs and managers/owners tell me whether that statement is accurate. Thanks for chiming in.
As to point #3 – we hold many webinars with the air staffs at our clients’ stations. We show them how Nielsen works and how they can leverage the process to help advance their TSL. Excuse me – AWTE. You need to know the rules of the game.
Steve, most definitely. Every time I host a ratings webinar, I find talent appreciates the information – even if they’re heard it before. When you’re talking about the currency of how they’re evaluated, they’re very dialed-in. Thanks for the comment.
I’ve done mornings at 3 stations in the same town (Portland, ME) over the past 25 years. A lot of people (well, maybe not that many people) recognize me at the grocery store, mall, etc. Nobody has ever said to me “Gee, I loved that Dire Straits song you played in 1994.” But they have said, plenty of times, “I loved that story you told about your son”, or “That time you got that award from President Clinton (a made-up bit) was so cool!” If your break is better than the next song, do it!
Tim, thanks for the insight. In actuality, it’s a high bar. They may have heard that Dire Straits song hundreds of times before – and they can hear it anywhere. But what is it about your story and your content that’s more interesting and entertaining? That’s the question, and it needs to be asked from both sides of the desk. Appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Honestly, other than Howard Stern (shut up it’s just an example), how many jocks do you know that are “more entertaining than the next song”?
This is actually great advice but only the fewest of the few can pull this off. And who wants on the job training for a jock that may only have a few years of on-air experience? (side note: this is what they make overnights for}
My attitude is, “You have to know the rules, and execute the rules, before you can break the rules”.
We’ve all gone to work at stations where jocks are just rambling aimlessly on the air. If they DON’T have guidelines like the “30 Second Rule” it’s usually on air chaos.
And as a far as bullet points on a liner card instead of copy…
Again, read it straight a few times before adlibbing. Like my previous point, how many jocks do a great job of adlibbing? This takes, in my opinion, MANY years of training.
Now, taking a jock by the hand and GETTING them to the point where they may be more entertaining than the next song, or adlibbing liner cards is the right course of action.
Depending on his/her level of experience and talent is what will determine how you train.
New jocks get locked down with the rules until they prove themselves.
More experienced talent that you trust get to massage the rules a bit.
Let me say that as a jock I was horrible at adlibbing right off the bat. I needed to read liners as written for a week or two before I got comfortable
What this all means, I think, is that it comes down to proper training. I used to aircheck morning shows EVERY day. Other dayparts got twice a week, and then once a week minimum FOREVER.
The PD is actually the responsible party. And what I fear in 2017 is that there is a new generation of PD’s who don’t know HOW to train their airtalent BECAUSE THEY THEMSELVES WERE NEVER TRAINED PROPERLY.
And this is because when radio hit the shitter many years ago future PDs, when they were also jocks, got told to shut the fuck up and follow the rules. Most of these people really DON’T KNOW how to train talent.
And that’s merely one of the reasons we suck today.
So listen Ick Stern, modify that list!
Nothing like a Max rant to liven up these comments. You are right, Max. Only the fewest of the few have the brains and talent to truly be more entertaining than the next song. But they should still aspire to pull this off. As you point out, training in radio has diminished to a point where DJs go to Morning Show Boot Camp and Conclave to learn “the right way.” Max, this sounds like radio’s version of a “TED Talk.” Just sayin’. Thanks for being outraged enough to comment.
Great to re-read some 5 years later!!
All of this advice is completely wrong. As the listener, I can tell you that there’s only piece of advice to give DJs: stop talking and just play music.
Nobody cares about you, the stories you want tell, or whatever nonsense you’re trying tell me about some celebrity’s dating life. Shut up and just play music. Nobody wants to listen to you. The fastest way to get your listeners to change the station is to open your mouth.
We’re listening for the music, not you.