As a radio person, you will have noticed by now that you listen to the radio in a very different way to non-radio people.
The non- radio person may tune into a station and stay there because they like the music, or enjoy the talk, or just through pure habit.
I’m sure you’ve been sitting in someone else’s car when they turn the radio on.
They listen to songs all the way through and tend not to change the station much. Or, horror of all horrors, they change station when the presenter starts talking! What’s that all about!?
Radio people, although most of the time we’re not aware of it, will channel hop like crazy. Preset buttons are always being pressed as we search out the next link. That’s right, we’re generally not looking for music, we’re looking for links and promos and the nuts and bolts that make each station either great – or not so great!
I think most presenters do this.
I guess we’re just trying to find out what the ‘other guys’ are doing and whether they have any new ideas.
I know, personally, I’m a compulsive station flipper.
In my car, I have one of those frequency changers attached to the steering column, so I can keep my hands on the wheel and still flip around. Lovely.
Here’s how my routine begins.
Get in the car, start it up and put on the radio. Then it’s a rapid flick through the first six presets to see what’s going on. Then the next six. After that it’s back to the original six to see if anything has happened in the fifteen seconds I have been away!
Aha! Someone is coming to the end of a song. I’ll hang around here for a bit just in case there’s a link. Invariably, there is one and I’m off.
This continues until the link is over and then I’ll scan around for another upcoming link from somewhere else. Never once waiting to hear a full song (unless I’m in the mood).
Do you do something similar?
OK, I’ll admit when I’m working with the radio on, I will stick to one station that I have decided to monitor, but that’s different. In the car, it’s general listening and done only as a radio person would do it!

I have been doing a lot of driving this past week and, therefore, listening a lot too.
I now present for you, the five links I reacted to most over the past seven days…drum roll please!

Link 1:

This involved a presenter coming out of an ad break. The break was rounded out with a station jingle. No problems there. I expected a song and was just about to flick stations when…the DJ spoke!
The jingle went along the lines of (sing along if you wish): “Billy Bland in the afternoon on XYZ Radio”.
The presenter’s link was: “Yes indeed, this is Billy Bland on XYZ Radio and here’s the latest from Kylie Minogue”.
Did he not hear the jingle?
The jingle announced his name and the station ID. Just to make sure you heard it the first time, he repeated it. How very thoughtful…and totally unnecessary.

Link 2:

I liked this one. Going into an ad break the presenter said, “In the next fifteen minutes we’ll play a song from a lady who likes walking around town in her bra…and it’s not Amy Winehouse”.
The first person I thought of was Amy Winehouse. Who else could it be? I flicked around a while and came back after about ten minutes to find out. He got me!
OK, it might not be the greatest Hook and Tease in the history of the Universe, but it was quick, to the point and served it’s purpose – getting the listener back. The good ole Tension and Release was doing it’s magic.
By the way, it was Madonna.
Pretty obvious really, but effective nonetheless.

Link 3:

Coming out of Bryan Adams ‘Everything I do’, the presenter opened the link in a nice sultry, soothing voice and said “What a beautiful track that is…”
To some, it may be a beautiful track (song?).
The point being, hasn’t it become a bit of a cliché that whenever we play a slow ballad or love song, we always come out of it by behaving very sincerely and saying what a “beautiful track” that was? You nearly know it’s going to happen before it happens.
What are we saying here? Are we trying to convince the listener that it’s not a load of rubbish? If it’s a beautiful song for me, then I don’t need to be told. If I have no real opinion on it’s beauty, then do I need to hear someone tell me that it’s beautiful? Why not just leave it be?
That song spent five thousand weeks at number one – it’s a very popular song. Do we need convincing and if so, why?

Link 4:

This one made me scream at the radio. I really thought we had moved on from this, but no, apparently not.
The presenter went looking for requests and said at the end, “You know the number by now…and if you don’t – shame on you”!
Then he finished his link – without giving the number! (Excuse all of the exclamation marks, but sometimes I need to use them)! (!).
You know the number by now. It’s one of the oldest and most tired clichés of the lot and here was a professional on a national station using it.
Maybe I don’t know the number by now. Maybe it’s my first time listening to you. Maybe you should just give me the number and then I’ll know it.

Link 5:

Start of a show. I was turning on a roundabout at the time and nearly veered the car onto the grass verge when this one struck.
It was Wednesday afternoon when I heard this link. I wouldn’t have known this but for the fact that the presenter told me.
He then told me the time and hoped I was enjoying myself. Actually, here is the link as I remember it:
“Two twenty five and I certainly hope your enjoying this Wednesday afternoon”.
I don’t mean to sound cynical, because I know we all do the best with what we have available to us at any particular time. However, this is basic stuff. The very fact that the person has been hired to be on air mid-afternoon on a weekday should indicate that he has learned enough about presenting to know not to fall into this bottomless hole of bad links.
If you analyse what he has just said, basically he’s saying that he hopes we’re enjoying this Wednesday afternoon. Well, what about last Wednesday afternoon, or the one before that? Would he like to hear about those? Don’t they matter too?
If you are going to mention the day, then have a really long think about why.
I have a funny feeling that most of your listeners have a rough idea what day of the week it is. Why stop at the day? Let’s give the date and year too – “It’s Monday, December 10th 2007 at twenty one and a half minutes past the hour of nine o’clock”!!

There you go, just my thoughts on random links heard in the car over the past week.
Like you, I hear an awful lot of really entertaining and well thought out radio too. Most of the ones highlighted above are just reminders of the basics – both good and bad.
We still do them. All of us. When we break one bad habit you can be sure another one will try and come along to replace it.
It’s just a case of being aware.
Be aware of the clichés and the traps. Trying to avoid them can be difficult, but it’s your profession. Sometimes it’s hard work getting it right.
Put in the hard work and you will sound focussed and in control.
Avoid the hard work and you’ll get away with it for a while…but that’s about all.

I need to do less driving!

Have a great week.

Brian.

brian@bmacmedia.com

(The following was the final BmacMedia Ezine of 2007).

Funny time of year this. Short days, dark nights. Sometimes it’s difficult to pick yourself up and feel inspired. It’s a good thing they put Christmas on at this time, otherwise we’d all go a little bananas!

At the end of each year, you will find people putting a lot of pressure on themselves. Pressure to be better next year. Pressure to gain more, to be more, to achieve more.
That’s all great and admirable.
Naturally, there is no harm in trying to advance yourself to be the best you feel you can be.
It becomes a problem, though, when we ask too much of ourselves too soon.
You’ll hear people say that they are going to lose weight, quit smoking and go to the gym from now on.
Brilliant.
But, what happens when they find that after one week the are back smoking, have packed on a couple of more pounds and can’t remember where their gym gear is?
I think that’s what’s called feeling like a ‘failure’.
Let’s face it, we all want to be better and strive to be better people, both personally and professionally.
Asking too much of ourselves too soon, though, will only lead to ‘failure’ and therefore re-enforcing the idea that we’re not able to do ‘it’.

So what’s the solution?

Figuring out one thing that you would like to work upon and sticking with it until you have brought it as far as you think possible.

It all comes down to the basic premise of having your goals set out.
If you have been receiving this Ezine for a while, you may have noticed by now that I am very big on the whole concept of ‘Goals’.
The reason I feel so strongly about Goals is that it really is an incredibly simple way of stripping back all of the ‘mind talk’ that goes on in your head.
‘Mind Talk’ being the constant chatter that you hear whenever you are left to think your thoughts.
“What if I can’t? / How did they get the gig? / Maybe I should move / Maybe I should stay / What did he mean by that? / Does the PD think I’m rubbish on air? / I should quit now / I should stick at it / I do everything at work and never get recognised / I wish I could speak up more / Where am I going with this…?”
That’s Mind Talk.
It’s the constant soundtrack that we hear in our head, telling us what to do and not to do. Talking us through each scenario. Questioning our abilities. Making us doubt ourselves.
Mind Talk exists because we allow it to exist.
The great news is that it’s really easy to extinguish.

Pick a Goal.
That’s it!

When you have your Goal and concentrate on it every day, it sets forth a series of events in your mind. It’s vital that you think about it every day in order to allow your mind to focus on it.
What you are doing here is basically re-training your mind. You are re-training it to your advantage.

It’s funny, when you think about it.
The only person who can place thoughts in your own mind is…you!
You’re it.
I can’t place a thought in your head if you don’t want it there. Neither can anyone else. Sure I can suggest something, but in the end, it’s you that decides whether you want to go with that thought or not.
Why then, I wonder, do so many of us, think self-damaging thoughts.
“I’m not good enough…They don’t like me…I’ll never make it…”

These are your thoughts about YOU.
In our lifetime, we will hear enough people try to put us down or keep us in our place or give their (unwanted) opinions of our skills and us as on air people.
They will have their own reasons for doing this.
What reason do you have for adding similar thoughts?

None, as far as I’m concerned.

Imagine what you could do if you gave yourself a chance.
Imagine how you would feel if you were able to stop those voices.
Imagine what it would be like to be able to control the Mind Talk and decide what it is you wanted.

One Goal.
That’s all you need.

Decide what that Goal is and work on it.
Every day.
Focus on that Goal and it’s outcome. Stay focussed.
You are re-training your brain, not to knock you down and question your abilities. You are re-training your brain to build you up and help you succeed.

Is that what you want – to succeed?

Whatever success means to you, then that is what you aim for.
Success could be getting a fulltime on air gig. It could be to land the morning show or become APD or just get on air for the first time. It doesn’t matter what your personal goal is. The point is, there will be enough people telling you that you can’t do it. Why be another one of those people?

Your mind is there for a reason. It’s there to help you. That’s its job. It’s not doing its job very well if it’s not allowed help.
How can your mind help you, if you won’t give it the chance?

Take a look at yourself right now.
What have you achieved that you are proud of?
Can you think of anything?
Most people, when I ask this question, try to think about big events in their lives that have had a major impact on them.
That’s not necessarily what I’m talking about here.

I am trying to show you that everything in your life that you have aimed for and achieved has been a major milestone.
When you were a kid in school learning to read, did you stop because the teacher told you you got a word wrong?
No. If you did, then you wouldn’t be able to read this Ezine now.
Did you stop when an adult said that you were wasting your time ‘messing around’ with that fantasy of being on the radio?
No. If you did, you wouldn’t be a radio professional now.
They are two examples of how you, unconsciously, stopped the ‘Mind Talk’ and focussed on your Goal.
Your goal was to read – you learned to read, despite the setbacks.
Your goal was to get on the radio – you got on the radio, despite people telling you that it was a waste of time.

You just knew that you could do these things and nothing and no one was going to stop you.

Can you take that drive and that belief into the New Year, do you think?
Can you take that self-belief and determination that has taken you this far, further?
I believe you can.

One Goal.
Find it and face it.
Then concentrate on it.

If you have too many goals at one time, then it just becomes too difficult to maintain the level of dedication needed to see them all through.

If you were the person who needed to lose weight, give up smoking and get fitter – you would be better off maybe trying the smoking thing first and reaching that milestone, before taking on another.

If you are the person who wants to work the breakfast shift at Major Market FM and are currently the Weekender at Minor Market FM, then setting yourself your first goal would be the task for you.
Figure out your steps and take those steps. Step one is Progress Goal Number One as you go for the Big One!

When you let up on your focus, then it’s just like quitting the gym and eating the extra slice of chocolate cake. You won’t drop the pounds while you’re concentrating on Black Forest Gateau, in the same way you won’t reach your Goal if you don’t concentrate on it every day.

Thanks for a great year.
I have loved writing these Ezines and am genuinely grateful that you have chosen to receive them.
To all the people I have met and spoken with through BmacMedia over the past twelve months, it truly has been my honour.
There are so many wonderful, professional people in the radio industry and I have been lucky enough to meet a massive amount of them in 2007.

I wish you the best and know that if you want it and if you focus on it, then you can achieve it.

By the way, my Goal at the start of 2007 was to start BmacMedia. Then it was to work alongside radio presenters and hold Radio Workshops.
It’s been a good year.

I have set my Goals for 2008 and have no doubt that I will achieve them.
That’s not me trying to be cocky.
That’s just the confidence you can bring to yourself by losing the ‘Mind Talk’.

Best wishes for 2008.

Brian.

I love holding Presenter Workshops. Not only because it means I get to talk endlessly for hour upon hour (!), but also because so many new and different comments and questions come up over the duration of one day events like these. Questions that get me thinking in a new way and make me look at a common problem from a different angle (see, it’s all about ME)!!

At our most recent Workshop in Dublin, one of these questions came up.
It was a beauty and gets right to the heart of the reality of being on air:
“Why does radio pay so badly”?
Isn’t that brilliant?
Where’s all the money and how come we’re not getting our fair share of it?
Sometimes, when you are asked a question, you just have to answer it with your gut, as honestly as you know.
My honest, gut level answer was: “Because we let them pay us badly”.

OK, let me expand on that one a little bit.
You’re possibly thinking, “But it’s not up to us how much we get paid, is it”?
Well, I think it is…to a degree.

Let me put it to you this way.
If you go for a job in McDonalds, the pay is set out before you. There is no haggling about salary or perks. This is the money, take it or leave it.
If you go for a job as a receptionist or secretary, generally the salary is already stated. How many job ads have you seen that say, “Salary starts at 24K and rises to 32K after three years”?
You know where you stand immediately.
Radio jobs don’t do this.
You will never get a preview of the available salary. It’s just not advertised. So how do you know what to ask for? How do you know what the management have in mind? How far will they go?

I believe that in order to make the standard of pay rise for you in your radio career, you have to be professional about it.
Unfortunately it’s been beaten into us over the years by the people who run radio and pretty much everyone associated with radio, that we Radio Presenters are the lowest people working at the station.
What do we do? We play a few songs, talk a little bit and go home. How difficult is that? Anyone could do it.
I’m sure in the past; you’ve been told that you have it ‘easy’. A nice cushy gig. Three hours a day?? That’s not work, is it?
Well, if we’re told something enough times, it eventually sinks in. If the same message is repeated often enough, it tends to become fact. After a while, we start to wonder if maybe we do in fact have it easy.
I’m here to tell you that you don’t.
I’m here to tell you that, not only do you not have it easy; you actually have the most difficult and most important job at your radio station.
Without you, the radio station has no personality, it has no soul, and it has no distinctive voice.
Without you, the radio station cannot communicate properly.

Being a Radio Presenter is not just a job or a ‘gig’. It is a profession.
Like any other profession, you are automatically a Professional. There can be no debating this one in your mind.
We all, at one stage or another, have ‘landed’ ourselves a gig and though “brilliant, I’m on the radio”.
Once on the radio, we will do anything to stay on the radio.
The GM or CEO could decide that they are going to cut our salary in half due to “Budget restraints”. No problem, we’ll take less money because we are ‘on the radio’.
We’re delighted with ourselves. We’ve got a gig. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you thank you.
Is that behaving in a Professional manner?
I don’t believe so.

What is then?
To me, behaving in a Professional manner as a Radio Presenter (note the capital letters there) involves carrying yourself in a Professional way and being a real Pro.
Part of that means not fighting with the other guy for scraps. Not allowing your ability to be undermined.
Asking for what you believe you are worth.
If you go into a PD’s office with a salary request, the first thing he/she will do is laugh it off. That’s their job. The PD, though, is willing to play the game.
The game being, you aim high, they aim low and you will eventually meet somewhere in the middle.
Usually.
If they won’t budge at all, then you can ask yourself, do you really want to work in a building where your talent and ability is not recognised?
How does it feel when you are undervalued? That’s basically what is happening to you when you get less money than you are looking for. You feel undervalued.
The sales rep that started work in the station six months after you is now driving around in a new BMW, while you are still there battling away for pennies.
Good for the Sales Rep (well done), but not a nice feeling for you.

How does the sales rep get to that stage?
By bringing in the money. Money talks. GMs and CEOs love money.
Speak their language. Tell them what you will do for them. How many listener you will get for them. How you will increase their AQH.
More AQH = More Listeners = More Money!
Ask them questions: “How much would an extra 2,000 listeners per AQH be worth” to them?
Find out the advertising rates for your shift (or the shift you are applying for). Do the maths yourself and show them that by you coming in and performing that shift, you will increase their revenue by XXX amount of money.
Show them that you know what you are doing here. You’re not just some person who “wants to be on the radio”. You are a Professional. You have done your research. You have done your homework. You are telling them that you can increase the value of their product.
You can.
If at the end of this they still see you as having a ‘handy gig’, then I’ll ask you the same question again: Do you want to work long term for people who don’t value or respect what it is that you do?

Sure, you’ve got to eat and you’ve got to work. Do you quit immediately after a failed salary meeting?
No. Hang on, but start looking elsewhere.
Staying where you are indefinitely will bring you into a low paying comfort zone that is very difficult to get out of. Stay where you are until your search for better comes to an end. Then move, on your own terms, to the better place. It’s always out there.
Don’t take any rejection of your salary request personally. It’s not personal. It IS business. Be Businesslike.
You are a Business.

So, why does radio pay so badly?
Because we all, as a body of Professionals allow it to.
We’ve swallowed the line forever: “Anybody could do that”. Deep down we think, maybe they’re right.
I’m here to tell you that they’re not.
Fact.
The presenter is the most important person in a radio station. Never forget that.
Sales are important, promotions too. Music is important, production too. They are all parts of the radio station. I agree.
But who puts it all together? Who presents and creates around these? Who brings these elements to life and relates them to the customer?
You do.
Without you, there is no complete end product.
No listener ever says, “Oh, I love the way the different parts of that promotion were thought out”. They talk about how the promotion felt to them. What it meant to them. They are talking about how YOU nurtured and developed that promotion.
Without the Presenter, a radio station has lots of elements…none of them are complete until you pull them all together in your own individual way.

Quick example:
I went in for a contract meeting in the past with my then ‘boss’.
All the usual lines came out – ‘Budget’, ‘Ratings’, ‘Projections’, ‘Tougher market place’ etc.
None of which I cared about, some of which I didn’t understand.
The problems they lay before me were, as far as I was concerned, their problems. Not mine.
My problem was getting what I wanted out of them. I had increased their ratings and brought in more money for them, now I felt I deserved my share.
After three meetings I got about 60% of the money I asked for. The rest I was able to make up in items that they could write off.
I got a monthly expenses allowance, a paid holiday each year, an allowance to go and buy a computer and computer software (for Show prep)! And a few other minor items including the introduction of a Bonus Scheme. These cost them nothing as they could write them off. For me, they were very nice ways of saving money.
I was able to do this because after years of not asking for what I wanted, I began asking. Once I started asking, I started receiving.
As simple as that.
Just ask.
All they can say is ‘No’. And they will say ‘No’. At first!
Keep asking.
Keep convincing. Have your facts. Have your figures. Be a Professional. It’s business.
Don’t believe the hype.
Don’t listen to the putdowns.
Once you listen to the putdowns, you can very easily believe them. Then you undervalue yourself and you will gratefully accept whatever they offer.

Imagine if we all decided today to become Professional. In every way. In our outlook, in our meetings with Programming, in the way we dressed at work, in the way we spoke at Presenter meetings…in every aspect of our day-to-day life in the radio station.
Do you think it would be noticed?
You bet it would.
The reason it would be noticed is because we don’t do it.
We’re the ‘Crazy DJs’.
You don’t take a clown seriously, and you definitely don’t pay them much.
A Professional?
You’ve got to take them seriously.

That includes paying them properly for their unique services.

Brian.

To find out more about ‘Being a Professional Presenter’, contact:
brian@bmacmedia.com

Passionate About Radio.

What do you think of the title of this week’s Ezine?
“Read This Now”.
Do you think it’s maybe a little bit pushy?
Possibly a wee bit rude?
Can’t say I blame you.
Who do I think I am anyway, telling you what to do??

Funny how, on the radio, we can sometimes come across as pushy and rude with our listeners though, isn’t it?
‘How so’, you ask?
Well, let’s take a look at some of the words and phrases we use and how they can be interpreted by our audience.

Phrases like:
“Stay right there” and
“Don’t move” and
“Make sure to be here”.

Let us for a moment take an example from your life.
Imagine you have arranged with your friend to meet up for a coffee and a chat. You haven’t seen each other in a while and the arrangement was made three weeks ago.
You are excited to meet up again and the morning of your meeting you decide to send your friend a text message.
Your text reads :
“Coffee. Today. 4pm.U better show up”.
I bet when your friend receives that text he/she won’t be too impressed.
Comes across slightly arrogant, don’t you think?
We know that what you were trying to do was show your friend that you are excited about the meeting and that you want to show this, but the wording you chose conveys a different message.
If you wrote:
“Looking forward to coffee 2day”, it would be seen in a completely different light.

Now, walk into the on air studio with me again, where we see the presenter in the middle of a gig. Coming up in fifteen minutes is the ‘Top5at5’.
Naturally, the presenter will want to alert the listener to this fact. It’s a big feature. An important bench mark.
So, the words used are:
“The ‘Top5at5’ is on the way. You better be here for that. Make sure you don’t miss it”.
Right?
Well, if the purpose of the link is to order the listener about, then sure. By all means. But, if the aim of the link is to persuade and invite the listener to stay with your station until 5PM, then definitely not.
Speaking like this is ordering the listener about.
It’s telling them what to do.
It’s bullying, of a sort.
“Don’t miss it”, “Be here” are not invitations, they are orders.

The fact that it’s fairly apparent that they are orders means we all recognise them and that we have all, at one stage or another, used them.
Maybe they are crutches, maybe they are used as a bridge. Whatever they are used for does nothing to change the fact that they are orders.

“You do as I say”, “I’m telling you what to do”. That’s what comes across.
“You better be here at 5PM, or there’ll be trouble”!!!!

It simply does not work.
It’s the exact same as the hostile text reminder to your friend.
Your friend will probably show up for coffee and maybe be a little annoyed with you.
Your listener, however, probably will not show up.
And the harder you try, the further you push them away.

There are so many better and effective ways of reminding your listener.
Nice ways. Subtle ways. Friendly ways.
You can use the old Hook and Tease:
“Madonna was number one on yesterday’s Top5at5 but there’s another song getting more votes tonight…..they’ll battle it out at five o’clock…….”,
or
“I wonder will your favourite song be on tonight’s Top5at5”?
Or
“So far Robbie Williams’ new song is the big vote getter on the Top5at5 Would you like him to be number one? You can vote for your song on……..”.

It’s the same message: ”Top5at5 on the way in fifteen minutes”, but a different manner.

You are now including your listener in the conversation, rather than ordering them about.
We all love to be included, don’t we?
So will your listener.

By the way, the title at the top of this article should have read:
“You might enjoy reading this article”.
Nice. Don’t you think?

To find out more about ‘Speaking To Your Listener’, contact brian@bmacmedia.com

Have a great week,
Brian.

http://www.bmacmedia.com

Passionate About Radio.

If you have been receiving this Ezine regularly for the past few months, you will know by now that I spend a lot of my time listening to radio stations around the world.
OK, first of all you might say it’s time for me to get a life (!)…….fair enough.
But the one reason I listen so much is so I can hear what all of the great (and not so great) presenters are doing on air.
I may spend an unhealthy amount of time doing this. You don’t need to. But I would suggest that you listen to at least one ‘out of market show’ per week, if you can.
One thing will always strike you.

This week, I was listening with one main point in mind.
I wanted to discover how presenters end their links.

To me, the end of a link is just about the most important part.
The last words out of your mouth will be the ones that your listeners remember the most.

It’s a basic premise that you will come across in other parts of your life.

For example:
You go to see your favourite band play live in concert.
The show starts off with a bang – literally. Fireworks, an amazing entrance and the atmosphere is electric.
The band play some of your favourite songs.
Then, halfway through the show, they decide to experiment a little by playing some new songs off their upcoming album. You don’t know these songs and the show slumps a little for you.
Near the end, though, they get back into their popular tunes.
Then the show ends.
Hey, hang on a minute – they didn’t play their biggest hit! They didn’t play the one song that they are known for. Their massive, worldwide number one. The song everybody associates them with. How come? What’s going on?
Cue, the encore.
Out come your heroes who blow you away with that song. The one you have been waiting for. Wow!! What a show.
You leave the concert enthralled. That last song was brilliant. The opening was good too. The bit in the middle? You’ve pretty much forgotten about it now because the ending was so good.
That’s why performers leave their best song until last. That’s what will be fresh in your mind after the show. That’s what you will take away with you.

Leave the best for last.

Musicians know this.

So do comedians.
You don’t put the punchline at the start of a joke do you? You don’t put it in the middle, right?
At the end. That’s where it goes.
Now, that might seem pretty basic to you.

So, why is it that a lot of radio presenters work really hard on the start and middle of a link and end poorly?
This week I heard a guy in Adelaide Australia doing a great piece on a local event in that market. It appears there was a sporting event taking place there and he wanted to put his own ‘spin’ on it.
So he began his link with a Station ID, a name check and then into the link.
He related it to his listener, he involved the listener in the link by naming some local area that they would recognise, he spoke about an athlete from the area that the listener would also know and he generally brought the link alive.
It was 3D instead of 2D.
Then, right at the end of the link he said,
“So there you go, that’s sounds great and …eh, maybe you could go down there and eh……em……have some fun with that. I probably will if I can get the time and maybe you should too……em……if you have nothing else going on this weekend. You could do worse…….”.
End of Link!!
The last words out of his mouth were, “You could do worse…..”
That’s what he left his listener with.

He lost me. He totally lost all credibility in his link by ending with such an un-focused approach.
All of his good work was ruined by “eh” and “em” and his unsure attitude.
I know why this happened.
Do you?
He hadn’t prepped his out. That’s all.
He was so involved in getting the facts about the event just right, that he neglected the out.
He presumed that it would all fit in at the end and run smoothly for him.
He’s like the band playing live in concert……..without giving the encore.

Place yourself back at that gig.
The band come onstage again for their encore and proceed to play another new song that you have never heard before. Then they leave and the houselights go on.
Your lasting impression of the show changes.

When your ‘out’ is strong, you leave the listener with a feeling of confidence. They know you are in control.
You can ruin a great link and destroy all the work you put into it by finishing weakly.

Work on the ‘out’. Right it down if you need to. But know what it is. Always.
If you lose your way during a link, or forget where it’s meant to lead to, or just have a mental blank (it happens), then your strong ‘out’ will rescue you. Always.
It’s always there to back you up.
When you finish a link with a strong and confident ‘out’ it will make up for any short comings the rest of the link may have had.
And it will enhance a great link.

Have a brilliant Week.

Brian.

To find out more about “Leaving the Best For Last” contact : brian@bmacmedia.com

http://www.bmacmedia.com

Passionate About Radio.

If you were around in the Golden age of Cliché radio (the early 1980’s), then you will remember some of the great clichés used by radio presenters back then.
I’m not talking solely about certain phrases they used or ‘cool’ words, although there were plenty of them, (yes indeedy)!
Rather, I mean the whole persona that certain presenters on certain stations tried to put across to their listener.
For some reason it seemed totally acceptable for radio DJ’s in those days to portray themselves as completely separate from their audience.
The bigger the presenters’ profile, the more they tried to distance themselves from the listeners’ lives.
Listen to some old airchecks from that era and you will hear on-air talent yapping on about how they are friends of the stars. How they drive to work in their latest model BMW and how they have so much money that they don’t know what to do with it all.
They really enjoyed this image of being wealthy, international socialites, who knew all of the important people,went to all of the important places and owned all of the trendy labels.
The classic cliché is of the Radio 1 DJ finishing his show, getting into a helicopter and flying back to the 100 acre farm in Shropshire for dinner with Nik Kershaw
(not’arf)!
They really loved to portray this image and actively encouraged it both on and off air.
Meanwhile, their listeners were going to work on the bus in the rain, sitting in an office for eight hours, going home on the bus, having some dinner and watching TV until bedtime.

These days, if you were to even attempt that, you’d be laughed off the dial. There is no way a current day listener would put up with that attitude on the air.

Why was it acceptable then and not acceptable now?

Obviously a huge reason is the de-mystifying of the media.
Back then radio and TV presenters were real celebrities. They could actually influence public opinion by what they said or didn’t say. Their words held weight. They really did have a public platform.
Then along came commercial radio and satellite TV and suddenly the public had a choice between listening to a presenter who raved about his amazing life while spewing opinions and presenters who asked the listener’s about THEIR lives.
Presenters sounded like them.
The more choice the listener was given, the more selective they became in their listening habits.

The poor old Cliché jock was on the way out.

This is why I feel it is now essential to learn how to sound like your listener.
By that I mean, know your listener.
Know where they live, what they do for fun, how they spend their spare time, how they get to work, how many kids they have, how much money they have to spend, where they buy their sandwiches, what kind of car they drive, what makes them laugh, what annoys them, who their favourite movie star is. Whether they like concerts, if they rent videos, where they eat out, what they drink,if they like travelling abroad, if they have Sky TV or NTL, if they like football (if so which team), what makes them angry, are they political, do they care about the environment, do they pay for amenities, are they in any clubs, is there a train service near their home, do they go to the chipper, have they got an umbrella for the rain, do they buy books……..and on and on and on !

Why ask all of these questions?
Because when you know these things, then you can talk about these things on air.
When you talk about these things on air, you are talking about their lives.
When you are talking about their lives you are being one of them.
When you are one of them, you are accepted more.
You are the same.
You and your listener. You are now the same.

Part of human nature is being attracted to people who look and sound the same as us.

You can now have a two way relationship with your listener.
Radio is just like any other relationship. Both parties have to be actively and equally involved.

You can use this powerful tool to speak to your listener on a one-to-one basis and not from high up on a pedestal (mate).
Do you think the cliché DJ’s, with their money in the bank, their helicopter on the landing pad and their massive estate in the countryside would now sound the same as their listener?
Definitely not.
Nowadays, they would be run off the air.

Sounding the same as your listener is a compliment to them. You are telling them that you know them, you recognise them and you are just like them. That you like them
I’m your pal. You can trust me. Let’s have some fun on air today because we like hanging out together.

Same old Same old.

To find out more about sounding the ‘same’ as your listener, contact :
brian@bmacmedia.com

Have a great show……I hope the helicopter arrives on time for you !!!
Brian.

I was asked a question this week:
“Do I need to sound like a ‘Jock’ to succeed on the radio”?

Well, what IS a ‘jock’?
What do you think about when you hear that word?
Personally, I hear a guy stuck in the mid 80’s, putting on his best ‘radio’ voice and talking in cliché’s.
(Now, when I say ‘guy’ I am also talking about female presenters here. It’s just a little cumbersome to always have to write him/her, he/she all the time. I’m sure the ladies here understand).

“Yes indeed……”, “Great to have you along……”, “Alrighty then……..”.
Yep, stuck in the 80’s, when those types of sayings were more acceptable.

But guess what?
It’s not the 80’s anymore.
Cassette tapes are gone.
The Rubik’s Cubes were binned a long time ago.
Kajagoogoo are working in B&Q.
Nobody wears drainpipe trousers and white socks (at least I hope not )!.
Times change. People move on.
So what’s the deal with ‘Jocks’ still on the airwaves?

These days radio is in a transition period.
You will hear people say that the days of radio listening are gone.
Radio is on the downward slope. We hear all about the iPod destroying radio forever.
Guess what?
I totally disagree.
In fact, I believe the opposite.

I see the next few years as the start of another Golden Age in radio.
Radio broadcasting has always been about communicating.
One-on-one communication between the presenter and the listener.
Over the past twenty years or so, we have turned our backs on that idea.
Stations all over the world have been churning out their
‘9/10/11 Hits In A Row‘ philosophy.
How instantly recognisable are these sayings to you ? :
More Music Less Talk.
The Most Music Allowed By Law.
More Hits Back To Back.
Pretty familiar, I’d say.

That’s because, up until now, it was the best way for radio stations to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
“More Hits In A Row – Guaranteed”.
That was a legitimate boast and a great selling point for a radio station back then.
If a listener wanted to hear non-stop music, the radio really was just about the only place they could get it.
Fast forward to 2007.
There you are playing eleven songs this hour while your competitor plays only ten. You win right ? You’ve played more music. You get the listeners, right?
Well, no.
Not now.
Not anymore. Maybe back in 1986 you would have won.
But not now.
Why ?
Because no matter how many hits you play, the new kid on the block (the iPod) will always play more.
You can’t beat the iPod for music.
With the iPod I can hear as many songs as I like in a row and they’re ALL my favourites. I don’t need to wait for the DJ to play it for me.
So the radio station could boast about playing 150 songs an hour (!), it doesn’t matter.
It can’t compete.

So, how is this a Golden Age for radio?
It’s a new Golden Age because Talk is coming back.
Not Talk Radio.
Just Talk.
Speaking .
Being yourself on air. The ‘real’ you. An identifiable person with a real personality.
Now we can get back to what radio is all about.
Communicating. Entertaining.
This is done through the spoken word.
Through the presenter.

Radio’s role to the listener now is much freer than back in the 80’s. The formats are still in place, but PD’s are beginning to realise that in order to stand out from iPod’s we need to be more for the listener. We need to give more.
You will now hear presenters flexing their creative muscles more on air.
Presenters are now being given the chance to stretch themselves, to use their talents fully and not just read a liner card ahead of twelve songs in a row.
Will the ‘Jock’ survive this?
I don’t think so.
Unless the Jock can re-brand himself into an actual person with an actual and recognisable personality, then he’ll wither away and die.

The radio listener will demand more. More entertainment is what they will want.
Their iPod can’t provide that. It is an inanimate object. It can’t relate to you, nor you to it.
It has no personality.

You do.

The Jock has had a good run at things.
Now it’s time for the entertainers to step in.

To find out more about how to be a radio ‘entertainer’, get in touch anytime:
brian@bmacmedia.com

BmacMedia Expert On Air Coaching.
http://www.bmacmedia.com

There is a radio station based in the city I live in that isn’t a great ratings performer.
Each book that comes out they have either held their lowly position or gone down slightly.
It’s a little sad to see because it is a station with great potential.
They just seem happy to plod along and maintain their current status.
I have been listening to them on and off for the past week trying to figure out what it is that isn’t working for them.
The list is long.
The music is wrong, the focus is wrong and their overall image is disconnected.
However, that’s not what interests me.
I pay special attention to the presenters.
Even with a poorly focussed product, a good presenter can pull decent ratings out of the fire.
But in order to do this, they need goals. They need direction.
It’s obvious, listening to this station, that they get none of these.

Today I listened for one-hour non-stop.
I ended up shouting at my radio (I can get a bit passionate about bad/good presentation)!
‘Stop talking’, I cried. ‘For the love of God, quit talking now’!!

I’ll give you an example of what I was listening to and why I got a little carried away.
Let’s say the station is an Oldies format. Just for argument’s sake.
And let’s say I was listening to the afternoon drive presenter.
The first thing that drove me crazy was the amount of crutches he used.
“A very good afternoon to you”
“Hope all is well in your world”
“How is your Friday afternoon going for you”
“The weather is awful out there today”, that sort of thing.

Next was the biggest crutch of all: the time check.
It was great to know that it was “5:15” and then”5:21” and then”5:25” and let’s not forget “5:31”.
I would never have thought to look at my watch if I needed to know the exact time (every five minutes)!

Then there was the needless back sell.
An example being, “That was Elvis Presley there”, (no kidding).
This was followed by more needless back selling that told us nothing, moved the station no where and sounded like the presenter was speaking just for the sake of it (which he was).

The biggest crime I heard, however, was two fold.
In this one particular link, the presenter proceeded to do a piece about Lindsay Lohan, the actress.
This could be a fine piece of showbiz fluff.
However, let’s remember the format here.
We’re talking Oldies.
We’re concentrating on an audience that enjoys that style of music and the people that went along with it.
Is Lindsay Lohan someone that an Oldies audience will relate to?
In my opinion, no.
To me, it’s like working on a Country format and doing a major piece of 50 Cent,
What is the point?
Well, you say, she’s a big star.
That’s true. Sometimes big stars are worth the mention.
That could come down to you making a programming decision on that one yourself. I only give my opinion on that.
However, the Lindsay Lohan piece lasted a full two minutes and twenty three seconds, (yes, I did time it. Pathetic, I know)!
That’s a lot of time on one idea. On a music station.
The killer for me, though, was the fact that the presenter was reading it. Out of a magazine. A magazine that I had read last week.
I remember the article. I remember sitting down and reading the very same article. Word for word.
He was reading something to me that I had read for myself one week ago.
Why did he do this?

He did this because no more is expected of him.
The station’s standards are low.
Their expectations are low.
Their level of commitment is low.
Their basic requirements are low.
Their feed back to the presenters is low.

They really sound as if they don’t care.
Why should he put any extra effort into his link if he doesn’t feel the need?
The PD won’t say anything.
The GM won’t notice.
Why bother?
The very fact that it ‘sounds’ as though he his presenting is enough for him.
By reading an article, he is giving the listener nothing.
If you are going to present a piece on Lindsay Lohan, wouldn’t it be better to put it into your own words? Put your own unique spin on it? Make it your own?
The journalist that wrote the piece did just that. Why would a radio person be lazy and think that that was good enough.
Well, possibly for that very reason: it’s just ‘good enough’.
Not ‘good’, just ‘good enough’.

Even if the expectations placed on you by your PD are low, there is no reason to plummet to that level.

That presenter let himself down.
He didn’t let the station down (they’re doing a pretty good job of that themselves, without his help).
For the four hours on the air, he was the radio station. He could have made it sound like the market leader, just by raising his game.
He could have related to me and been my friend and sounded the same as me.
Instead he was just another ‘DJ’, going through the motions waiting to go home.
In fact he said so:
“I’ll be here until six o’clock”.
He actually told us when he was quitting work. It was obviously on his mind.

No matter the feed back or level of expectation – you be the best you can be.
You give it all you can give it.
Hey, if the station is performing poorly and you are performing brilliantly, just think how you will stand out!
Your work rate will sound amazing compared to any lethargic co-workers that happen to be on the schedule.
You will be the main person on the station.
That presenter I listened to didn’t sound bothered and neither was I.
I won’t be listening to him again.

To find out more about being the ‘Star Player’ contact brian@bmacmedia.com

http://www.bmacmedia.com
Passionate About Radio.

It’s a strange phenomenon in radio stations that the On Air studio is often seen by other members of staff as a nice place to ‘hang out’.

I have no doubt that you have experienced the production guy or sales person, walk into your space (usually when they are bored), just to have a chat and kill some time.
Usually they will come in on the premise that they have something to tell you.
This is followed up with a, “so how are you”? , type of question.

How are you??
You’re busy.
That’s how you are!
You’re working. You’re concentrating. You’re thinking. You’re writing. You’re editing. You’re planning. You’re generating an atmosphere. You’re performing. You’re focusing.
That’s how you are.

What you are not is :
You are not in a position to chat. You are not in a position to humour another person’s mood. You are not there to fill their need for conversation. You are not there to discuss anything other than what is relevant to that particular show on that particular day.

If you think you are, you are fooling yourself.
If you find you have five or ten minutes to chat while in the studio, then you are not working hard enough at your gig.
Let’s face it. The only people in your building who know what it’s like to be on air are your fellow presenters and other members of programming staff.
The rest of the people at your station, (sales, admin, promotions etc), all think you have an easy job that requires little preparation, planning or concentration.
All you are doing is playing music and talking every now and then.
How difficult can that be??
Well, way more difficult when you are constantly and needlessly interrupted!
They look in the window and see you standing there, apparently idle.
What they don’t understand is that, while you may be physically standing still, you are working. You are thinking. Planning ahead.
How does the next item fit in with the last one?
How can I word the next link?
What’s my ‘out’?
Do I have time to edit this call before my song ends?
You are working.
Don’t expect them to understand this. Chances are they never will.

But you can set ground rules that make it obvious you won’t accept unnecessary intrusions.
The only people who should be allowed into your room at any time are the other members of your show team and your PD.
That’s it.
No sales person should ever walk across the threshold. No promotions. No admin.
Ever!
“No sales person ever? But what if they need to tell me about a promotion for that day”?
Well, first of all they need to get to you before your show.
However, I concede, this is not always possible.
The route to take is this:
They need to tell your PD. Your PD will then decide if what Sales need to say is important enough to disturb you. It is then the PD’s job to go and relay the information to you.
Of course, the PD will also have to wait until you are ready to speak.
If you are up to your eyes for the next ten minutes then both the PD and the sales member will have to wait.
If you have ninety seconds to edit a call into twenty seconds and then get it on air before the ad break finishes in two minutes and nineteen seconds, then you really don’t have then time to chat. Do you?
Let’s understand this. A radio station is only as good as the sound coming out of the listener’s speakers.
You are that sound.
Disturbing you disturbs the radio station.
A good PD will know this.

If you are uncomfortable about asserting yourself in the On Air studio when situations like this arise, here are some phrases you can use to politely get your point across:
“Just a moment, I’m editing”
“Can you give me five minutes”?
“I have to take some calls”
“I have to get this on the air in ninety seconds”
and
“Can you come back when I’m done with this next link”?

Most people will accept these as reasonable.
If, however, you are still having problems with people killing time in your room, then have a word with your PD.
He/She will be happy you have approached them because it shows that you care about your work and want to concentrate on making your radio station sound as great as possible.

To hear more about the On Air environment, contact:
brian@bmacmedia.com

Brian.

http://www.bmacmedia.com

Passionate About Radio

As radio presenters, we are always told how important it is to relate to our listeners. How it is essential to reach out to them and be just like them.
We do this in lots of different ways – some consciously, some unconsciously.
For instance, we will relate stories to their lives. We will Hook and Tease them using references they are familiar with.
Basically we want to get on their ‘good side’. We want them to like us.

One way we unconsciously do this is through laughter.

When we laugh we are basically saying to our listener that we are good fun to be around and that we are happy. That is when we laugh genuinely. Maybe a co-host has brought on a spontaneous laugh, maybe something you have ad libbed has made you laugh genuinely.
However, there is another laugh that we sometimes use. This laugh actually ends up doing us more harm than good. It is a crutch and a ‘turn off’.
This laugh is the Nervous Laugh.
You’ve heard this laugh used by presenters everywhere.
The presenter says something that they’re not sure about or is nervous about saying or has made a slight formatic error and loses their way and to show that they are just fooling around will follow the comment up with ‘The Nervous Laugh’.

Example: “I see Paris Hilton is in the news again today…….I tell you what, I’m sick of her whining……heh heh heh”.
Or: “Looks like that song doesn’t want to start. Oh the joys of live radio…..heh heh heh”.
You might cringe when you see these sentences written down. That’s because they are cringe worthy. That’s because they have happened and we all know that using the laugh as our crutch is our automatic response.

So what’s so bad about that?
Well, in order to figure this out, let’s take a look at why people laugh, in general. What is it that a laugh does and why do we feel the need to force one?

Here’s the Science Bit!

The reason we, as human beings, laugh is Social Interaction.
When we laugh, we release a chemical in our brain called Oxytocin. Oxytocin helps us to feel calm, serene, loved, happy, relieved. All wonderful sensations.
We laugh for lots of different reasons.
One being, Relief.
What is the first thing most people do after a fright? They laugh.
You’re watching a horror movie. The main character is looking in the mirror in their bathroom when suddenly a face appears in the background. You get a fright. Then you laugh with relief when you realise it is just a movie and they ’got you’. The laugh releases Oxytocin into the brain and you feel better.
That’s what laughing does.
It’s why the punchline of a joke works so well. We are brought on a little journey during a joke, when suddenly the punchline arrives and surprises us with a twist we didn’t see coming.
Surprise. Laugh.

So how is this a Social Interaction?
Well, studies show that people are more likely to laugh out loud when in a group as opposed to being alone.
A great example of this is when you read/hear a joke.
I could write a joke here for you now. If you find it funny, chances are you might smile or chuckle a little to yourself.
If I was to tell that same joke to you in a room full of other people, you are more likely to laugh out loud. It’s a social thing. In the group setting you are attempting to share a feeling with others. You are trying to be similar to them.
It’s why people feel very left out when they are the only ones in a group not to get the joke. We have all felt a little left out of things when everyone else is laughing except us. They all got the joke, you didn’t. It actually can be quite upsetting. Why? Because you are the only one not socially interacting. You are not part of the group.
Jokes work in a group setting because laughter is contagious.
The reason laughter is contagious is because we are all releasing this mood altering drug (Oxytocin) into our brain. We are all on a High. We are all sharing this high and are all interacting on the same level. We are sharing and bonding.

The radio presenter that can make their listener laugh is using this feeling.
Humour works on the radio because when we make our listener laugh, we are literally affecting them physically. You have influenced a chemical reaction in their brain.

What trait do single people say is most important to them when looking for a partner?
Sense of humour.
It’s that important to our social outlook that it is regularly number one in attractive attributes. We actively seek out people that can make us laugh.
Making another person laugh helps to develop deep pathways in the brain that help keep you both together.
It’s why we have a favourite comedian. They make us feel good. The affect us physically.

On air, you can develop this type of relationship with your listener.
I’m not suggesting that you change your style and start firing off one-liners and rim shot jokes in every link.
Maybe you don’t think of yourself as a funny presenter. That’s OK. Not everyone is a comedian. But everyone is human and as a human you have the ability to laugh (genuinely).
When your listener laughs at something you say you have just:
a) Socially interacted with them,
b) Created a chemical reaction, and
c) Developed a bond with them.
(By the way, women create more Oxytcin than men. Handy to know if you are trying to attract more female listeners).

Verbal humour also works best. Which is one reason why being on the radio is great. It’s like the joke read or the joke heard. The heard version will always create a stronger reaction.
Verbal humour works so well that people in day-to-day life attempt to re-create it when using the written word for communication.
Have you ever sent a funny Text message and ended it with a Smiley face? Of course, who hasn’t?
Or sent an e-mail with ‘LOL’ at the end?
The person reading your message might not know that the message you sent was meant to be funny……but you make sure they do by placing a ‘humour symbol’ at the end.
That’s you socially interacting with the other person.
The same way a presenter tries to socially interact with the listener.

Let’s get back to the guy in the studio. He has just made a little error on air and covers it up with a quick “heh heh heh”.
What does this say to the listener?
It says that the presenter is trying too hard to be part of the group.
Human beings have the ability to tell the difference between a fake laugh and a real laugh. And the difference is enormous.
The real laugh is a genuine thing. It is a basic thing. It shows that we are all part of the one feeling.
Part of the one group.
We are all similar and belong together.
We are all sharing this feeling and bonding and creating a relationship.
The fake laugh shows that you are trying to get into the group. You are outside the group. You don’t belong. You are not like me.
Fake laughing can be quite detrimental to your on air persona.
In my opinion (and it’s just my opinion) it is one of the most damaging crutches a radio presenter can have.
At it’s most basic level, it is saying to the listener “I am desperate for you to like me. Please like me. Please”.

A genuine laugh will help forge a deeper relationship with your listener.

Have a great show!
Brian.

To find out more about ‘Laughing on the radio’, contact:
brian@bmacmedia.com

http://www.bmacmedia.com

Passionate About Radio.