Mike Stern is often guilty of letting his imagination run away from him. And in today’s guest post, it’s definitely a good thing. Painting pictures with words – and sound – is what got many of us into radio. Here are some great observations. – FJ
One of my Facebook friends recently posted a link to an article about a couple who went to great lengths to convince their children that while they were sleep, their toy dinosaurs actually come to life. Apparently, it started as a lark when the kids woke up to this chaotic breakfast table scene:
From there, the dinos’ escapades spread around throughout the house:
And then went far beyond simple destructive rampages:
Not only was I completely charmed by this couple’s efforts, but it got me thinking about radio and its ability to stir the listener’s imagination much like these two parents are doing with their children.
We spend a lot of time talking about the natural advantages radio has over Pandora or iTunes when it comes to the listener experience. We’re local, interactive, and when done right, can even provide a better music discovery experience.
But there is one other advantage that we rarely discuss – radio’s ability to paint a picture and uniquely entertain – something algorithms and playlists simply cannot do.
Consumers tune in wanting an escape from their daily lives, yet very few personality shows take the time to write or pre-produce creative content. Instead, they rely on pulling stories off the Internet or a prep service to discuss among themselves and then troll for callers. The same applies to a lot of our music daypart hosts who don’t make the effort to find creative, enticing ways to present station promos or talk about relatable content.
It may be cliché to say, but radio is at its best when it goes back to its theater of the mind roots. There are plenty examples from public radio that prove this model still works. Sometimes, all you need are some sound effects, and with some creative writing, those rampaging dinosaurs could very easily be in the studio with you tomorrow.
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Hi Fred!
A radio friend forwarded this article to me today and it restores my faith in the ability of radio, which
can get beaten down sometimes. It’s easy to forget. 🙂
Thank you for this!
Laurie
KKGO/LosAngeles, weekends
Laurie:
Thanks for the kind words. Don’t forget the great stuff we can do on the air. It’s truly what makes the medium special.
Mike
Terrific and inspiring! Thanks for sharing.
I think the summary from the original posting really brings the lesson home:
“Why do we do this? Because in the age of iPads and Netflix, we don’t want our kids to lose their sense of wonder and imagination. We want our kids to experience a little mystery”
Similarly – in an age when popularity coded Selector scheduled playlists rule FM Radio, yet any song you want to hear is a simple Spotify or YouTube search away – what are we doing to ignite our listeners sense of wonder and imagination?
What are we doing to create mystery?
And perhaps the bigger question – are we willing to invest the bit of extra time, energy and creativity to re-ignite our own sense of wonder & imagination so that we may attempt the same in our listeners as well?
As a guy who’s no stranger to theater of the mind, these are great points and great questions. It’s so obvious that hardly anyone’s doing it. Thanks for contributing, Jeff.