Blog

If it is your goal to do a podcast, simply whip out your mobile device, open one of the many podcast apps, and press “record.” For many, doing a podcast could be fulfilling for the host, but it often doesn’t attract listeners. If it is your goal to do an original podcast that people listen to, […]

O’Reilly Auto Parts or Walgreens are likely spending tens of thousands of dollars running commercials on your radio station. Yet, so many stations don’t take advantage of the free advertising on their own station to promote a star morning or afternoon show. In last week’s blog Go Big On Personality Branding, Jeff McHugh cited multiple ways to brand […]

We received positive feedback on my recent article, Updating Your Station Brand, which included ideas like: Promote your star talent at least as much as your music — if not more. Use more personality voices in promos. Audiences like your station voice, but bond with their favorite hosts. Run best-of show promos at least every hour, 24/7. Thanks for the […]

This past week, I’ve been recharging my batteries on vacation in Tennessee. The KVJ Show West Palm Beach is a perpetual ratings juggernaut. Host Kevin Rolston is one of radio’s most creative and driven personalities in this hectic business. He has inspired me to maintain my creative energy and work smarter when I’m back in the office […]

Ed McMahon was the quintessential sidekick. He laughed in all the right places and never upstaged Cason. He was the butt of jokes and the show whipping boy. As a recent New York Times article points out, today’s audiences view that role as “punching down” or abusive. The Conan O’Brien Show transformed the role of the traditional […]

I was 13 years old when my brother-in-law gave me a parachute. He was in the Air Force and brought me home a little parachute they used for cargo. It was about the size of a fitted sheet. I knew, as a 13-year-old, I had to do something special with it. I wasn’t stupid enough to jump […]

Years ago, stations would thump their chest about transmitter size. 5000 watts! 50,000 watts! 100,000 watts! Mine is bigger than yours! My first programming job was at WWDM in South Carolina, nicknamed The BIG DM by listeners because of its thermonuclear signal. In the 1980s, we appeared in top-ten Arbitron ratings 120 miles away. But listener’s love [...]

Have you ever noticed yourself using filler words such as “kinda,” “sorta,” or “like?” Last week’s Coaching Tip about “Trash Talk” prompted me to think about my own filler words. I’m noticing myself using fillers such as “Uh,” “you know,” and “let me ask you a question.” Damn it, I’m not practicing what I teach! Many […]

You tune in to a show in the middle of a story and hear the host say, “She said she’d like to tour again, but he said she’d be safer and more productive spending time in the studio and doing virtual concerts.” The host wraps up by saying something like, “We’ll find out next month what they decided to do.” The listeners […]

Does your show have a villain or lightning rod character with an extreme, malicious, or mischievous point of view? The antagonist could be a cast member, a bumbling boss, or any character whose menacing ways highlight the host’s endearing characteristics. If you have been coached by The Randy Lane Company, you know that our Role and Character […]