Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Who Are Ya ??


I spend a lot of my time explaining to programmers what it is I do exactly.
"So you aircheck..." Well, yes. Yes  do...but not the way a PD does.
"So you train..." Yes, I do. If the person needs 'training'.
"So you teach..." There's an element of teaching alright, but not always.
"So...what is it you do??".

Can't blame them really. There's no actual, written in stone, description for what a Radio Presenter Coach does.
Some people need motivation, others don't. Some want technical guidance, others don't. One presenter may just need a confidence boost, others need to face their reality.
There's no One-Size-Fits-All method to coaching and that's tough for a programmer to nail down.
Presenters get it. They 'get it' because once we start our work together, they realise the process is aimed exclusively at them. No one else.

Swansea City coach Bob Bradley arrived at the Premier league club recently to howls of protest. He's American , you see...and the pundits demanded to know what a Yank could teach them about football.
Turns out he brought one valuable lesson they hadn't expected. When asked his main strength, he said "I know who I am".
In other words, whatever criticism is levelled at him or how many times he hears comments questioning his abiities, he can deal with them because he knows his strengths and weaknesses. He knows how to be the best he can be. He knows what will work for hm and his players and he passes that onto them.

If I had to sum up what a Radio Presenter Coach does, it's just that - helping presenters find out who they are, so they can use that on air. That helps the radio station sound confident, solid and in control wheteher it be CHR, Talk, AC...
What programmer wouldn't want that?

Thanks for asking :)  

Monday, November 28, 2016

Nobody Was Fired!



Nobody got fired!
Everyone kept their job!
Result!!

Last week, I encouraged some presenters I coach to do just 'one thing' different in their show. More if they want, but at least one thing. 
Something new, something original, something only they can do.
It's not as easy as it sounds. 
BUT - it is possible (as Broadway Bill at CBS-FM told us) "if you feel you can do it".
Getting to that stage requires work and time...once you ht that mark though, you just know you can try something new.

* One presenter developed a theme...he threw out a topic and ran with it for an hour. First time he ever tried something like that on air.
* The second presenter attempted a live call; not a pre-record. He said he was nervous in case it didn't work and he wouldn't know how to get out of it, but felt he was ready. It did work.
* The third presenter dropped the music BEDS she usually uses for her CHR-style delivery once an hour and stretched her dry read a little longer than usual. She said it sounded odd at first "just me and the silence", but (again) it worked on air.

My point?
Each presenter was looking for a way to stretch their talent. They each wanted to be 'more' on air. In order to do that, they needed to try something they had never done before. 
Part of the fear was related to rocking the boat...not upsetting the PD. We all prefer not to get the PD's attention at times like that. 
However, you have to stretch. You have to learn what you are capable of. These are tiny steps but they lead to much bigger and far reaching steps in the future.
Try something. Anything (if you feel you can do it).

These three did and they're back in work behind the mic again today :)

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Got Nothing.


I hit a bit of a roadblock today.
There were three blog post ideas bumping into eachther inside my head but none of them fully formed.
So, I grabbed a pencil and piece of paper and tried to work through the thoughts. A note here, a line there.
Nope. Nothing.
Basically, I was trying to force the issue...or 'Trying Too hard'.

Have you ever had one of those days on air when your brain seems to have decided to take the day off (rhetorical question)? When the ideas have gone on holiday and your usual spark has decided to have a lie in (lots of visuals there!).
The usual response is to try harder. Force the issue. Work at it.

Sometimes it's OK to just relax and let the format do the work for you. That's what it's there for. It's alright to not always be absolutely amazing and award winning on air every day.
The 'Try Too Hard' approach can make your listener feel uncomfortable because your pace and tone and delivery all change when you try too hard, so you no longer sound like 'you'. Your pace quickens and voice raises in pitch - which is exactly what it does when you are in panic mode. Your listener is a human being (usually) and human beings are hard wired to notice these changes and to react. Panic means out of control and needy...two traits the listener is NOT looking for!

You don't need to force a conversation with great friends...that's why silence was invented!
Take a deep breath, take the pressure to perform off your shoulders, don't think about what you feel is expected of you and allow yourself some space. Then, you gradually find your way again. Listeners won't miss what you haven't done.

See? - I just wrote a blog post about nothing!

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

How to be Average and Mediocre.


I'm a big fan of marketing writer and thinker Seth Godin.
What he writes about 'average' and 'mediocre' can easily be used to debate radio.

If you're spending the money and taking the financial risk - average makes sense. Average output is what you want. It builds reliabiity and predictability. An average product for an average market - so you hear the same songs and similar promotions on different stations, with presenters pretty much saying what they said yesterday. 
Nice and safe. 

But (he says), for groups - average can mean mediocre. Not worth seeking out. Boring. And remember, your listeer listens in groups of one.

Average stuff is fine for a while. It's taken for granted, not talked about. 
It's fine...until something new and above average shows up. 

As a presenter, you generally have very little control over station output...music, promos etc. What you DO have control over is what comes out of your mouth.
It can be average = mediocre = taken for granted.
Or you can try something.

I'm not saying you need to go out and break format and shock jock the life out of your listener...but try something that's not average. Try raise your game. Mediocrity is not why you are on air. Be great at what you do. Be above average every day.
Life's too short to be average at something you love. 

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Got Prep?


There are lots of Prep services out there...you may have tried a few. You may have tried them all!!
Sometimes the radio station you work for has a station subscription but if not, it can be an idea to take a look around and see what's available.
Some of the BIG sites such as Radio-Online or Complete Sheet offer free trials. In the UK, Francis Currie's Radio Warfare is worth the £1 for one week trial period.

I have been in touch with the creator of Pepper Prep recently. It's well worth a look.
It's designed so that everyone can afford it. The owner has added a 'Pay per Day' option because (as she says) she is "well aware that some individuals only need to buy prep a few times a month". 
Very true. You don't always need lots of prep every day. Sometimes your life gives you enough :)

The service has been around for a couple of years, so it has legs now. It's based in Canada but can easily be used by presenters/podcasters/internet radio stations anywhere.

This is NOT an ad for PepperPrep...I'm just passing on a nice find. 

Oh and last of all -  The referral program is quite simple for subscribers. For every person you refer that subscribes, you get two weeks added to your subscription.

Your call : http://www.pepperprep.com/


Friday, November 18, 2016

What Laurie Anderson taught me about radio.


I recently bought tickets to go see Laurie Anderson in concert. That Laurie Anderson...the 'O Superman' woman. I'm a huge fan (personal musical taste there mayte!)
In an interview a few years back she was asked to describe what she does. She said, "I'm a multi-media artist".
The interviewer asked her what that means...she said "I don't know...but it gives you something to write ".

Her point was - she likes to sing. She also likes to speak, she enjoys writing poems and long essays, she creates video and audio, she dances and sits, she conducts and plays, she plays a violin and electronic keyboard, she uses on stage visuals and darkness. She does LOTS of stuff on stage...each one with it's own description. Each one with it's own relevance at that time. So, 'What do you do?' is an impossible question to answer.

It's the same with you. A 'Radio Presenter' is a talker, laugher, provoker, teaser, messer, information giver, surpriser, emotion bringer, story teller, antagonist, musicologist, agony aunt, debater, friend, annoyance, creator, innovator....

You get the idea.
Yes, you are a 'Radio Presenter'...but don't let the label hold you back from being whatever that means to you at any point in time.

You can be that 'O Superman'...or 'woman' :)

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Why you can NEVER 'Be Yourself' on air.


Have you ever been told 'Be yourself' on the radio?
Good advice...if you know yourself inside out - which most people don't.

I prefer - 'Find the part of you that you want to present on the radio and be THAT'.

Let's say your name is John. John at work is different to John at home or John at a party or John alone. Same person, different interpretations. It depends on where you are and who you are with. Radio is just an extension of that.

'Be yourself' is too vague.

Think of the superstar presenters - Stern, Moyles, the late Gerry Ryan in Ireland.

Each one has/had ONE particular charaacteristic that they became known for. Think of Stern and you know exctly what to expect...the same for the others.
They take that one trait and expand upon it; but that one trait is their foundation. They build the other rooms and floors on top of that.

The listener needs to know what they are listening for. Then you can begin the process of building around that.

 If Chris Moyles jokes for 3 hours on air and then wants to be serious for 20 minutes, we accept it - because he built his foundations strongly.

To have any chance at success though, you need to ask yourself a few questions. Questions only YOU can answer.
What are your values and beliefs? What motivates you, gets you passionate, angry, sad? What do you find funny, tragic? What will you say/won't you say on air...?

And on and on.

If you don't know who you are then how can the listener be expected to know who you are?
It's impossible to communicate your message effectively without doing this. Impossible!

Imagine all of these other presenters trying so hard to be something on air - and they don't know what that something is. So they use crutches and clichés and "Hey how are ya" because they don't know.
And that sounds super unnatural (because it is) and that's what turns listeners away. It's not just the cheesy lines, it's the unconscious feeling of not knowing who that person is. This person on the radio seems odd because nobody they know speaks like that.

So...who are you?

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

PD's New Pal ?

I received an email this week from a presenter who was having trouble finding a gig.
Audio sounded fine, CV was nice.
So what was the problem? I couldn't figure it out.
"Send me over your cover letter" I wrote.
Problem solved!

The cover letter was written in the style of a wannabe stand up comedian.
Lots of LOL's, Ha Ha's and attempts at humour.
Example being: "Hope you enjoy the audio...more than some of my listeners in the past Ha Ha".
Seriously?

Here's the deal: An accountant applying for a job won't write in a cover letter - "Here's a sample of my work...hope I balance the books for you and don't lose the company lots of money LOL".
Or an airline pilot won't write: "The last company I worked for were very impressed with my loop the loop skills Ha Ha".

That's because they are professionals.

The PD (or whoever you send your audio to) is not looking for a new pal. He/she is looking for a professional who they believe will create memorable radio and increase ratings. That way everyone gets to eat.
The demo will showcase your humour. The Cover letter is the business end.
Treat yourself with the respect you would like to receive and you will receive it.

It's easy to dismiss a clown.

Friday, November 11, 2016

WeAreRadio


It's been an interesting week.
On Monday I started the series called #WeAreRadio - the idea being to ask radio professionals I admire/like/notice - presenters, producers, PDs, consultants, coaches - to share their radio message.
The response has been wonderful and it proves to me what I beleved to be true - we are all trying to create great radio and all of our methods are valid.

I never subscribe to the 'enemy' mentality of the business. I understand the need for healthy competition but always felt that as an industry we are better together.
That was one of the reasons for this series - to hear from radio people from all over the world and realise they want what you want - to be great, to succeed, to have fun.
No one wants to suck!!
The feedback I have been getting is that everyone seems to agree with these sentiments.

In Ireland, overall radio listenership is down. As a community of professionals (worldwide) it's our duty to fix that...and nothing gets fixed by pulling it apart.
So thank you to the great pros who have taken part in this series so far and to you for reading and commenting on them.
Feel free to share them around if you know someone who might like to see them.

I will present ten more quotes for you next week. Each one an inspiration steeped in experience and passion.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

1010 WINS Big Time.

Valerie Geller shared this a couple of days ago and with New York being the centre of the media universe today, I thought it might be nice for you to see it.

Here we have veteran news man Lee Harris running the top hour headlines at 1010WINS in NYC.
This is like watching a great conductor guide his Orchestra.
It all just flows beautifully. Smooth and on purpose.
I suppose nowadays, this would be termed #radiogoals (I know, I'm so hip).

For two minutes of your time...it's well worth the look.


Monday, November 7, 2016

RIP Sir Jimmy Young.


We all have people we credit with getting us interested in radio. It might be a person we know who encouraged us to listen to some show or other, or you may have listened for music and stayed because you liked the host.
When I was a very young lad - before I even appreciated Radio Luxembourg - I knew about Jimmy Young.
As a family, we travelled to Liverpool a lot to visit relatives. I used to think we were actually FROM Merseyside ;)
I have memories of sitting in a kitchen, the transistor radio on and rushing over to turn up the volume as Jimmy Young and Terry Wogan slagged eachother, joked around and generally had fun as one took over from the other.
There was nothing quite like it on Irish radio. It was cheeky, funny, irreverent and sounded completely off the cuff. A far cry from the staid, straight back RTE offerings.
I loved it. They made me laugh.

Earlier this year we lost Sir Terry. Now he has been joined by his pal. Maybe they're having a good old laugh again. 
I learned it's possible to entertain and try to be funny and cheeky while maintaining your class and style, from Jimmy Young.
I owe him.
Big time. 

A Great Radio Producer.

I'm a massive fan of Katherine Boyle.
Katherine and Iain lee have produced some of the most innovative, creative, funny and absolutely surreal radio I have heard in years.
Together they have built up an understanding that goes beyond most radio partnerships.
I've written about their current late night show on talkRADIO on different forums, but usually from the perspective of the presenter.
However, without a great producer - great radio like this can't happen.
Katherine Boyle is more than the producer of this show - she is a personality in her own right with an instinct for what makes radio great...plus the ability to deliver it.
This stuff can be taught up to a point...then, the pure talent and genius takes over. There - I said the word!
So I'm thrilled she agreed to contribute to this series today :)

Radio Thoughts from Professionals.

I'm a big believer in the fact that if you work in radio, you contribute to radio.
Whether you are aware of it or not.
Every time you open the mic or line up a call or edit a feature, you are contributing to how the industry sounds and is received.
I always say to new presenters - when you are on air, YOU are the radio station. YOU become the programme.

We get caught up in ratngs battles and how our promotion is bigger than theirs - but the bottom line is, we all work in the same industry. We all go through the same challenges. How we face them, is down to personality and experience.

As a broadcaster, what you do impacts me and everyone else in radio. Likewise - I impact you.  The better you are at radio, the better the industry becomes.

With that in mind, I asked some people I admire (presenters, producers, podcasters) to share their thoughts on radio.
I thank them for doing this - these people get the fact that even if we are competing, we are also gaining and learning from eachother.

The first contribution is later today - here, on twitter, facebook and instagram.
I hope you enjoy them.

Friday, November 4, 2016

Secret Weapon They Don't Teach You.

Ever see one of those ads that claim "Here's the secret they don't want you to know"?
Well, at the risk of sounding like one of those...here IS somethng they don't tell you about - but usually it's because they DON'T know.

One of your most important weapons as a radio presenter is your voice. It's obvious, right? You have no career without a voice. It's the ONLY way you can make a living as a radio presenter.
So, how come we are never taught how to USE the voice?

We are airchecked about mechanics and elements per link and hooking and teasing etc. All very important, but once you master these and know them unconsciously - then what? How do you deliver your message as YOU?
Your voice.
I don't mean the 'sound' of your voice. I mean the way you use it as a tool for communication.

Do you know about the different effects a quiet or loud word can have on your listener? How you can change their emotion with a whisper or yell and how to harness the wonder of your voice to hit exactly where you want to?
Do you know how Olfactory, Auditory, Kinaesthetic words can impact a listener?
How saying "Let me tell you" and "Let me show you" attracts different people?
How vowels reveal your true emotion and how you can create that emotion with your listener?
Most PDs and consultants don't talk about this because they are not aware of it.
But you CAN be.
I call it the Thinking Behind The Talking. You do it every day in 'real' life.
Learn how to use your voice and learn how to make your words work for you.

Delivering words alone is like driving a Rolls Royce to the corner shop and back wearing a blindfold.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Z100 for the first time.

When I was a kid...(no, it's not a 'Good Old Days' post) whenever I, or one of my friends, went away somewhere we always brought back some tape of local radio.
Especially from the States.

I remember one time a pal of mine arriving home from a trip and handing me three cassettes full of radio from Boston, Hartford and....New York!!!  I spent hours listening to the presenters (the 'DJs'), the imaging, the callers...everything. Mind blown before 'mind blown' became a thing. This really was the only way to hear US radio - you had to literally travel there. 

Now, with a little bit of  streaming creativity, you can listen to pretty much any station you want. Anywhere.
One thing you notice now is how inter-changeable stations have become. That CHR in New Orleans is the same as the one in Phoenix as the one in Boise. Big corporations buying up and playing safe etc. 
Once again, the main difference at any station is the presenter. The presenter is the real voice of the radio station. That's why I still get excited when I hear something new and fresh. It's like listening to Z100 for the very first time.

What gets you excited about radio?
What gives you that 'mind blown' feeling?
If you can figure that out and draw on that emotion, it will help you as you become the presenter you know you can be.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

When Great Gigs Happen to Great People.

I'll admit it - I LOVE when great people land great gigs!

Two success stories for you.

Tracey Lee.
Tracey is an Irish presenter who has been living in Malta for the past few years (who can blame her - what a place). Tracey had a lovely career on Irish radio working with South East Radio and nationally with Today FM, among others.
Radio took a back seat to her family life...until last month!
Now you can hear the Irish lilt of Tracey Lee on XFM in Malta during lunchtimes Monday to Friday.
Malta is a tough nut to crack (sometimes the so-called 'smaller' ones are) but she has cracked it and they're lucky to get her.



Erin Wilde.
I first met Erin when we both worked together at Z95.3 in Vancouver in the mid-90s.
Erin was always fun to be around - positive, engaging, smart, funny and mischievous. Perfect combo for a radio presenter :)
Erin ended up in Calgary presenting for a long time on a particular station...until the radio industry did what it is good at sometimes - eating it's young! The job disappeared.
NOW, you can catch Erin on afternoon Drive with KISS959 in Calgary. Her positive never-say-die attitude got her back in the saddle (a pretty great saddle too).

I'm delighted for both presenters...class is permanent.