Radio Works Best When Looking Ahead

 

Shut Up and Play the Hits!

If radio works best when looking forward, why do so many announcers insist on looking back?

I listened to a local radio anchor run headlong into a train wreck. Four breaks in a row with multiple mistakes. I've been there. I learned through experience, not to dwell on the mistakes. Things were coming at me too fast to dwell on the past. As soon as you stop, as soon as you hesitate, the more likely it is the whole thing will come crashing down. Listeners don't have a lot of tolerance for this.

After the shift, and before the next shift, is the time to focus and analyze what went wrong, and find solutions.

• Show prep is key to a successful shift.
• Good forward promotion (next ten to 20 minutes) encourages increased time spent listening.
• Dwelling on a mistake leads to the DJ's nightmare, a train wreck shift.
• Surprises are great on your birthday, but catch you unaware when live, on-air, leading to more mistakes.
• Talking up to a time post is the ultimate in the immediate future. Eliminate the upcuts!
• Long stop sets drive listeners away. Keep the back-sell short. Idle chatter turns listeners off.
• Only share your best stuff.
• Anchors and DJ's who look back, espousing the greatness of the story or music just aired, assume to much of the listener. The listener doesn't really want you to tell them what to think. They want to know what's coming up. All motion needs to be forward.

I found running a skimmer was a great tool for making adjustments. Most of the time I found I was just trying to do too much. Other times it's a lack of perpetration. I actually had a dream last night where I was fundraising on CPTV. It was for Sesame Street. We were discussing how to pitch it since it is no longer unique to Public TV. As was the case back then, I was called on to ask for funds two minutes before airtime. Dreams and the subconscious lead to some pretty strange things, but no stranger than reality.