How do personalities improve their shows and attract more listeners?
Plan every show. What are the Big Three topics that everyone is talking about today? Research these talking points and focus on what people are talking about. These are likely local topics. Work them throughout the show.
Over prepare. Many morning talents prep two hours for every hour on the air. Map out each hour on a Show Planner. Develop new ideas for your Benchmarks.
Have a good balance of local relatables. Talk about fun or interesting things to see or do in the local area. These are more useful to listeners than national topics. With major news events, find the local spin that localizes a national topic or breaking news story. The local angle makes you unique. Be the mirror on the radio – people look to you and see themselves, their families, and their community.
Use audio clips to accentuate topics. Keep them short. Get them from TV shows and the Internet. Audio actualities are part of the production elements that make a well-prepared show sound interesting.
Sound contemporary. Be fast-paced and hip to new ideas and fresh execution styles. Older folks will listen to younger people and feel younger, but younger people don’t gravitate to older-sounding people and old topics.
Fill the show with tight formatic basics and fascinating content. The audience constantly turns over; deliver the station name and your name often. Set appointments for the audience. People tune out because they must do something else – brush their teeth, make breakfast for their kids, and get ready for work. Constantly set an appointment to keep them listening or tune back in later. Jim Ryan at WNEW-FM says a song may be better than mediocre content, but great content may hit a chord regardless of demographics. An experienced morning talent works to present great content, the human touch, and make an emotional connection with listeners.
