Month: September 2004

In the past several commentaries, I’ve been particularly critical of radio personalities. Someone was kind enough to throw my words in my face and say, “You can be part of the problem or part of the solution. So far, you’ve defined the problem. Can you offer any help on a solution?” I hate it when my own words are used against me!

 

With that in mind, I found a memo written by a program director to his staff. This memo certainly offers solutions to those in radio who want to be better than a tune-out factor. And more than just the personalities, programmers should take notice. How many PDs have written a similar memo in the past nine months?

 

The memo is as follows:

 

There are a few things on my mind that we should all concentrate on:

 

(1)  Do not mention your name on music sweeps. The only time you mention your name is at the top or bottom of the hour and on backsells! (The only time this doesn’t hold true is between midnight and 5 AM when there are no stop sets to backsell your name.)

(2)  From now on, we’ll be on a first name basis only. The only time you’ll use your full name will be at the top and bottom of the hour. In backsells, use only your first name.

(3)  The top and bottom of the hour ID’s are to be sold as they are…if you embellish them, it better be fantastic. Always give the hour and half-hour exactly. It’s 8:30…never 8:29 or 8:31.

(4)  You are not to mention song titles, your name or the time in one-liner positions. Sell the liner and go directly into the spots.

(5)  The liners are important. Unless you come up with a super way to sell the liner, use the same words that are written on the liner cards.

(6)  The liners are on your clocks for a reason. Don’t move them around. If they are listed at :18, they go at :18.

(7)  Keep everyone out of the control room while you’re on the air. This means engineers, newsmen, request people and other jocks. If you’re not on the air, keep out of the control room!

(8)  Be inside the radio station a minimum of one hour before you go on the air. Use the time to prepare your show.

(9)  Never make any comments like, “…that’s what it says to do” or “I just read these, folks,” when selling liners about the station. Be positive. Or be negative working somewhere else.

(10)                   Don’t billboard an upcoming song before a set before the weather or PSA. Just roll into the song. If you really feel strongly about the song and you feel you should say something about it, do your rap going into the spots…and never mention the title or the artist.

(11)                   One thought per set is a must!

(12)                   Except for the morning show, you should never be talking without music under. Say what you’ve got to say as the song fades. When it’s out, you should be out also.

(13)                   Some of you are pulling the music out too low when you begin the backsell. Keep the music up and under.

 

Now, the most important aspect of KHJ is your thought process behind what you’re saying. Most listeners can’t tell you what the jock said, but they can tell you how they feel about what they’re hearing. When you open that mic, have a positive thought pattern going! Don’t say the words, believe them! Concentrate so hard on positive motivation behind your words that your listeners will have to feel it. You can communicate without words. You can communicate feelings and that’s what we’re after. Your positive motivation should be on how you feel and you should communicate this to your audience: yourself, the music, and most important…K-H-J!

 

I can’t take credit for these words. This memo was written by Gerry Peterson, PD of KHJ

There was a time when being a dee jay was one of the coolest things you could be. My early years were defined by a meeting with WNOE New Orleans dee jay Jim Stewart. When he walked into a dance party appearance wearing a washed out blonde with big boobs, he typified cool. All I wanted to be was a radio star.

 

Today, the term “washed out” is more apt to be used as a description of jocks themselves.

 

Next to commercials and music repetition, dee jays are the number one tune out for radio listeners. And is it any wonder? With a few notable morning exceptions, when is the last time you learned anything of value from a dee jay?

 

Radio listeners once listened to their favorite dee jays to get the latest music and artist information, as well as local notes of interest. Now, the brightest thing heard from the mic is, “Now that you’ve won those tickets, darlin’, tell us what your favorite radio station is…”

 

Pathetic.

 

When I was programming, I required every dee jay to read certain material before their air shift. The daily newspaper was a must, plus music and teen magazines that were marked for importance by others. The public affairs department also compiled a daily information sheet of required reading. Every jock was required to work this information into that day’s shift. I mention this not to pat myself on the back for requiring an air staff to be up to date, but as a comparison. Today, there is much more important daily information available, yet I don’t hear jocks using any of it. Where we had to search for pertinent information, it’s now a click away on the Internet, yet it could be as far away as Mars to most.

 

If the music is the same, what makes you different? It is what you can add between the music that will make you stand out from the crowd. But instead of seeking the spotlight, most dee jays seem to shrink from it.

 

Of course, it isn’t all the dee jays fault. Most programmers put a premium on silence. But I don’t know one programmer would wouldn’t allow more room for a dee jay to speak if the information was something that could be deemed a positive.

 

What do programmers require of air personalities today? What are they challenged to do on a daily basis? How are they stimulated to stimulate the audience?

 

Radio is losing audience almost daily because there are no surprises…no reasons to listen. Unfortunately, part of the problem is unexciting, unprepared air personalities. There was a time when the audience listened to what the dee jay had to say. Because it was important. Because it was informative. Because it was cool.

 

Today, it’s mostly clutter.

 

Too bad.