If Your Show Today Isn’t A Home Run

Not every show you do is going to be a home run.  I’ll be honest with you.  My show today was probably one of the weakest of the year.  I was preoccupied, a little unprepared and we were missing one of our regular players.  We had some bits and features scheduled, but none of them went quite the way we wanted them to.

We did the standard “Confession” bit and kept getting lame ones with bad story-tellers.  The showbiz gossip was light, and even though all of us had some good “Weekend” stories, everything just seemed a little flat today.  Instead of four hours rushing by like they usually do, the show seemed to take a little longer today.

I’ve learned to give myself permission to have a bad show once in awhile.  Not very often, maybe once or twice a year, we’ll have a show that just doesn’t click.  EVERYBODY does.  And I’m here to tell you, it’s okay.  Heck, even world-class athletes totally blow it once in awhile.  Peyton Manning might throw four interceptions in a game.  Derek Jeter strikes out.  Alex Rodriguez fails to nail a super-model.

I don’t know any big-time athletes, but I’m guessing if they’re good, and they are, they probably spend a few minutes figuring out why they sucked that day.  For me today, like I said, I was under-prepared.  My head wasn’t in it.  I honestly should have shut up and played more music, and made the most of the material I had, rather than stretch it out thin.  I’ll remember that next time I spend “Show Prep Sunday” out on my boat!

Next time you have a sub-par show, take ten minutes and figure out why it wasn’t your usual amazing four hours of entertainment.  And then MOVE ON!  Be ready for the next show, do some extra prep, try something different as far as content for a day or two.

Oh, and one final note.  Everytime you have a lame show, your PD will see you in the hallway and say, “You guys were on FIRE today!”

It never fails.

-written by Dave Ryan

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