Being In-Studio Versus Onstage ...

Over the holidays, I went to a couple of outdoor shows and watched some of radio's finest introduce acts. Some of what I saw was good and some was painful to watch. Air personalities are in a controlled situation in a studio behind a mic. Everything changes when you are onstage in front of an audience. There are many PDs who instruct on the stage do's and don'ts. However, too many personalities still get minimal training for this skill. I can't count the number of times personalities have said they were told, "It's normal to be nervous; watch some others do it and take notes; get the name of the act correct, and take a couple of deep breaths before going out to bring on an act." Not much to go on.

It's Basic...

It's about maximizing the time you are in front of people without ticking anyone off and possibly being viewed as part of the event and not just some talking head with a mic. I learned a few tricks over the years and always shared it with every personality on staff prior to those scheduled for stage duties. It's all about making an impression without blathering on.

Some Suggestions...

Never ask an audience questions like "Do you love our station?" or "Do you know about our new contest?" You might get negative responses or comments. It is okay to make brief statements, "I am Joe Bones from WXXX where we are giving away $1 million. (The audience will go wild.) Come on, you can get louder than that." And as they are screaming, say the name of the act and what music label they are on and that's it. Occasionally you may have to make some stage announcements for the venue before going into your spiel to bring on the act or the manager of the act might have a set thing for you to say. Always try and read the mood of the audience and adjust accordingly; for example, if you are at a State Fair, a lot of folks may have never heard of your station.

Instruction Can Only Go So Far...

I learned over time that it was a good idea to learn about the crowd before going out onstage for any event. Even with instruction, there are some things which you must learn from experience. For example, my favorite MC story took place at Vacaville State Prison in Northern California while I was working in the Bay Area.

I Did Not See Her Beard...

The PD had tricked me into emceeing the prison's annual show for the inmates. There were four or five acts, and like all shows, the stage lights were too bright and I could not really see the crowd very well. Every time I was onstage, I would say something concise and keep things moving, but would always make it a point to tell the ladies in the audience how gorgeous they looked. The inmates allowed to enjoy the show were not the hardened criminals or at least that was what I was told. The restrooms had guards; there were no dressing rooms and the acts that day came prepared to hit the stage. But back to the bathroom thing; I could not hold out any longer and had to go. So, I cautiously went in and noticed one of the ladies from the audience was at a urinal, and it hit me, those were not ladies in the front row.

Be Ready

No worries, with more experience you will get comfortable bringing on acts regardless of the size of the venue or circumstances. The important thing is to know what you are going to do before you go out onstage. Whenever you see an air personality do a great job onstage and seem to have the audience in the palm of their hand, remember ... they weren't born that way; it took time to master the skills to make it look easy.