Blog

The key question to creating sticky A-level content is, “Will the premise lead to stories, humor, conflict, drama, character reveals, or engaging listener interaction?” Avoid these premises if you want to create captivating content. 1.   Yes/no topics: “Have you ever fantasized about a coworker?” is a dead-end topic ending in yes or no responses from listeners.  “How did your crush on a […]

If you are heading out of the studio to broadcast a radiothon for St. Jude, your local charity, or at a theme park, consider this checklist as you pack your headphones. 1.    Plan more. If you spend two hours a day planning a show in the studio, plan to spend four for an on-location show. If […]

Radio lost one of its most creative and inspiring personalities earlier this week. The Bob Rivers Show with Bob, Spike, and Joe dominated morning ratings in Seattle for 25 years. Before Bob and I began working together in the early 2000s at KZOK Seattle, I viewed his show primarily through his Twisted Tunes parodies. However, I soon […]

Conflict is the driving force of storytelling. It creates tension, stakes, and emotional investment, keeping audiences engaged. Without conflict, a story lacks mystery, suspense, and “What will happen next?” When you’re considering a story for your show, ask, “What’s at stake in this story?” Answering that question gives you an indication of your story’s strength. […]

How did Microsoft measure goldfish’s attention span to be 9 seconds and humans’ to be 8? Well, they didn’t research goldfish attention spans. It turns out that’s a myth you’ve probably read about. But it illustrates a great point. People are increasingly impatient with technology today, including radio. When talents start talking, non-P1/cume listeners with […]

Our guest blog this week is from my friend, Paul Kaye. He is the Vice President and Head of Audio Business for Rogers Sports & Media in Canada. Paul has also been head of Talent Development, Music Brands, and TV Production for Rogers. Whether you are talent, management, or corporate, Paul’s blog on comparison will […]

In our workshops, we define each player’s role on the show. We identify the mic order, who is the heart of the show, who is the lightning rod player, and so on. One of the most crucial discussions is who decides what content gets on the show or if it is a team collaboration. This […]

Many high achievers in sports, business, and entertainment, such as Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, and Serena Williams, use mental visualization to enhance their performance and achieve success. The list also includes Michael Phelps, Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and many more. Mental rehearsal, or visualization, has been popular in sports since the Russians started using it in […]

Massive news stories are always a dilemma for music station shows since many people listen to them to escape the news. This week, some shows avoided the DC plane-chopper crash story, while others were unsure how much and how often to discuss it. One show host told me, “We talked about it at 6:25 this morning.” […]

One of the most popular and effective exercises I do with on-air personalities is the Ben and Jerry’s Exercise. It is based on a story I heard about Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and how they checked quality in the company’s early days. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield loved experimenting with new recipes. Still, they set […]