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In the era of loud, fast-talking announcer DJs, my radio mentor, Todd Wallace, asked my fellow DJs and me, “Would you talk to your neighbor over the back fence like a pukey DJ or just in [...]

(What Personalities Can Learn From Dolly) We all came together over Dolly Parton. That’s quite a statement in this divided world. Left, right, young, old loved Dolly. Are there any other public [...]

The Rule of 3 is one of the most powerful communication principles because it’s how the human brain naturally organizes and remembers information. Whether you’re writing, coaching, or [...]

I once hired and coached a morning host in a Top 3 market who enjoyed tremendous success for years. Twelve years later, he was still doing the same bits, delivering the same energy, and making [...]

Disney has a performance policy that most guests have never heard of, but every Imagineer understands. It’s called Low Ride Out. When a ride consistently ranks at the bottom of attendance [...]

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Walt Kelly’s famous Pogo line perfectly captures how radio executives and owners engineered their own crisis. It applies just as well to [...]

When I was a baby DJ in Phoenix, as Scott Shannon likes to call them, I learned how not to coach talent. I was hosting middays at KUPD and had just delivered what I thought was a pretty [...]

How long is best to give a new show before management pulls the plug? Traditionally, the answer was at least 18 months. In 2026, many companies don’t have that kind of patience, but that [...]

Evaluating a radio show well is both an art and a science. Whether you’re a programmer assessing your station’s talent or a host critiquing your own show, having a reliable process [...]

Almost 30 years ago, I started journaling after reading Julie Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. One of her key recommendations was “The Morning Pages,” a daily journaling exercise designed to [...]