Air Personalities ... Keep Learning & Growing

There's Always Room For Improvement ...

The goal in radio and all audio media should be to keep things in perspective and continue to grow. This is a business of practicing and having fun while doing it. The objective of the air personality is to make the listener want to listen to them; it's just that simple. Saying just enough on the air is an art form easy to learn, if you are willing to make the effort.

Your Own Pace ...

People learn and grow at different levels; it's what makes us human. A reoccurring theme for air personalities is learning how to show more of their personality. These days there are some programming experts argue that air talent is not all that important anymore. I disagree, a good personality can enhance the listening experience. In life and in radio, it's those with the exceptional ability to make us laugh and smile that make the best impression. In radio and audio media, it's about keeping pace with the best ways to communicate in a consistent, concise and entertaining way; that includes utilizing other platforms.

Personality Within Systems ...

Regardless of how restrictive you might think your PD is, there is always room for personality within the confines of the format. Displaying personality can be simple things like:

• Artist and title in a back-sell with a verbal transitional tie-in to a liner.
• One piece of music information in a front or back-sell of a song.
• A silly comment used to describe a song verse and a verbal bridge to something else
• How you use your personal station blog
• Social media; Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, etc
• It is learning how to smile through the mic and get your point across in the fewest number of words possible

Talk About The Music ...

Unless otherwise directed by your boss, center your music knowledge on what you are about to play or just played; stay in the moment. Listeners tune in to hear the music and learn a little something about the artist; maybe they were just nominated for something or coming to town for a concert. Playing a song and then giving music info unrelated to it, defeats the purpose of being special to the audience. The job of an on-air personality is to be an accessory to the musical moment or moments for the listener.

Never Forget ...

"Radio is theater-of-the-mind" and air personalities are the actors and actresses of the industry. Air personalities are telling a story of some sort with every open mic. It might be a liner or just a simple pre-promote for something about to happen in less than 20 minutes on your station. Always sell what you are about to say as if your life depended on it. I have heard actors/actresses talk about having one line of dialogue and trying to figure out how to make it meaningful. You should use the same approach with each open mic. It's not about how much you say, but how you say it.

Three Essentials ...

• Aircheck/demo every show and after your shift, listen back to each break.
• Once a week get your boss or someone to give you a critique of your work
• Be patient with yourself; and practice ... practice ... and then practice some more!

It's Not Brain Surgery ...

To be a successful air personality requires passion, practice, a willingness to learn, desire, an open mind, the ability to read, and an ego in check. Air personalities anchor the broadcast industry and the microphone is the power.