RELENTLESS RADIO

 

Author:	Jerry Williams
Published:	September, 1998

 

Did you find yourself among the different types of jocks in Part 1 of this article? Chances are you have some aspects of several jock types in you. Hopefully you're aspiring to mold all of them into The Communicator. Remember, with consolidation and more and more stations opting to get their programming from a network or making use of voice track capable systems like Scott Studios, there are less jobs for jocks. But there will always be a prime position for a real Communicator. If you want to be a Communicator, there are three elements you must master. BE LOCAL: One of the strengths of local radio (and one of the things that will keep local radio alive in spite of competition from satellite radio systems, if they ever materialize) is the very fact that it's local. Winning radio stations are tied into their communities. They serve their community as well as cover it, there is a difference. Networks can't do that. Jocks on the networks can say "I took the wife and kids to the park Saturday. We walked around, kids went on the swings, then we went home." But they can't say "I took the wife and kids to Forest Park Saturday. You know how hot it was. Well we got to the new fountain, the giant dinosaur one with water coming out of the raptor's mouth. Remember how much trouble Mayor Quimbey got into over how much that thing cost? Anyway, it was so hot that we all jumped in the fountain....." You get the idea. You can tie into places and events that are touching your listeners lives right now. But being local is more than dropping the names of a couple of landmarks or people. It's having a real sense of your community, knowing the peculiar concerns and points of view of your little corner of the world. If you were born and raised in the market where you work, you have a headstart. If not, you need to do a little homework. Get up early one Saturday and hang out with the soccer moms down at the school yard. When you go to the supermaket, purposely get into the longest line, and listen to what people are talking about. Attend the art festivals, local theater, ethnic fairs. Follow your local sports teams, whether that's major league or high school, and know the names and exploits of the star player, hot prospect, and the coach. Know how your local government is structured and how it works, or why it doesn't. If your listeners are talking about it, concerned about it, interested in it, then you must know about it. That doesn't mean you have to talk about all that stuff, but you do have to be aware of it, and ready to reference it on air when it's appropriate. When I first went to St Louis from Louisville, it was the middle of the school year. Rather than take the kids out of school in the middle of the year, I moved in with my brother in St Louis, and drove back and forth every weekend. I got to listen to a lot of radio across Illinois and Indiana over those five months. But most of the jocks I heard could have been anywhere in the country. They never tied into their communities, never said anything that let me or their other listeners know that they were part of the community. And by missing out on being local, they missed out on connecting with their listeners in a very real and basic way. It's that kind of connection that builds a relationship with listeners, and keeps them tuned in longer and more often. That's the kind of connection a Communicator makes. BE PREPARED: The implications of those two words are enormous. So much goes into getting prepared for your air shift, and so much hinges upon how well you prepare. It's such an important topic that we'll be coming back to it, and various aspects of being prepared, again and again in the coming months. Effective communication doesn't happen by accident. The Communicator doesn't rely on "winging it", but is always prepared, always knows what he's going to say or do next. That's not to imply that every thing you say must be scripted. But you do have to know where you're going with a break every time you open the mic. Before you enter the studio: How many times have you rushed from the production studio into the air studio with just enough time to toss on your headphones and open the mic for your first break? And then run back to production to try and finish up that promo before the song ended? You need to set aside some time immediately before you shift to get into on-air mode. Make copies of the program and music log pages for your shift so you know ahead of time every song and spot you'll play that day. Scan your local paper, USA Today, and whatever prep service you use. Then plot out each break on your cue sheet. In the studio: First thing, every day, pop a clean cassette into the aircheck recorder. Then bolt the door. You have to guard against distractions, and the biggest offenders are your own co-workers. If you're having a problem keeping sales staff, traffic, the receptionist, the GM, anyone out of the studio while you're on the air, go to your PD. He or she should be more than willing to help you keep in house distractions to a minimum. Think of your station as a ship. The studio is the wheelhouse and while you're on air you're the captain. You may not be the highest ranking officer in the fleet, but in that studio your word is law. If people keep coming in you have to keep throwing them out. If co-workers are the biggest source of distractions then coming in second is you. Check this list of common self induced distractions: Calling spouse/significant other on phone Balancing checkbook Paying bills Doing nails Catching 40 winks during a Ray Boltz song Playing solitaire Working on your novel Working on your resume Working on your tan Answering nature's call (in the famous words of everyone's father, "Why didn't you think of that before you got in the studio!?") If you're doing any these while you're on the air, you're not doing your best work. A special note to jocks using a Scott Studio or comparable system that has an automation feature; fight the temptation to pop it into auto during song sweeps so you can finish up production, chat with the receptionist, or run to McDonalds.  When you're on the air you belong in the studio. Concentrate on your next break, keep the board work tight, edit down the phoners. Prepare. BE YOURSELF: Master this element and you'll take your performance to another level. Your air shift will become a show. You'll go from an announcer to a personality, a Communicator. There's more to this than just using your normal speaking voice on air, though that's the first step. Listeners can tell when you're trying to be Voice Guy. And, they figure, if they can't even believe your voice is real, how can they believe anything you say is real. Let the real you show. While you have to talk about the things your listeners care about and are talking about, you're building a relationship, so you have to let them know the things you care about. You don't want to do this all the very next time you open the mic. One of the great things about radio is that you can develop that relationship with listeners over time. Day after day they listen and come to know you a little better. Providing, of course, that you're reasonably intelligent and interesting. Expose a little of yourself each day, (I heard that snicker, where is your mind?) through the things you choose to talk about and how you say them. Anyone can comment on the day's top news item, read the "this day in history" list from the prep service, or promote your station's big contest. To rise above the level of a mere announcer you have to do all of those things in a way that no one else can. Find a unique way to present information. A way that is totally and exclusively your own. A way that no one else would think of. A way that your listeners will come to recognize, and admire as yours. That'll keep them coming back and it'll keep you in demand as a Communicator. This being a communicator business is tough work. The difference between a good jock and a communicator isn't always obvious, but for your career to continue, it's essential that you master it. There are more and more good jocks every day looking for work. But stations all over the country are always on the look out for a Communicator.

 

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