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This One Thing Will Ruin An On-Air Break
September 3, 2021
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As an on-air talent plans a break there’s something that many do during the execution of the break that completely ruins forward momentum. Let me explain.
In a recent coaching session, a show that I work with had a great break that should’ve ended at a certain point, but it didn’t. Let’s dissect the break. It was a “3 Things You Need to Know” segment that happens once an hour, and they do such a great job of making it less newsy and more conversational.
They Were Crushing It Until...
So, the second story in the segment was about a sunrise nature hike, and the male co-host was painting a scenic picture of walking down by the river and how peaceful it would be. He also mentioned that the planners of the event were encouraging people to bring their own coffee to enjoy while walking. The female co-host started to smile really big at that point, and the male co-host was wondering if he had said something wrong. So, he asked her on the air why she was smiling. The female co-host said, “If I’m bringing coffee, they better have restrooms nearby!” They both cracked up…like authentically lost it. In trying to regain their composure the female co-host broke out laughing again two sentences into the third story. The male co-host, of course, then belly-laughed too. They ended up pulling themselves together in order to finish the third story.
The Break Actually Got Worse
As the three of us were listening we could feel that the break actually got worse past the point of the natural exit. The male co-host said that he thought about dumping out of the break when they were both laughing so hard. But, he didn’t. He will next time.
The moral of the story is to trust your instincts even if it means not getting to the PLANNED exit (in this case the third story). Never allow structure to get in the way of great radio.
Todd Stach is the Christian Format Editor at AllAccess.com as well as coaches and consults with his business, Beyond (615), where he strives to build confidence with clarity and creativity.
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