Share The Knowledge ...

I always tell this story whenever anyone asks why I became a radio coach. I was in college at the Univ. of Missouri and fortunate enough to be working part-time at one of only three commercial stations in town. One was KFRU and at the time it was a privately-owned News/Talk/Sports/MOR (father of AC formats). My shift was Saturday overnights into Sunday morning, midnight to 8a. One of my duties was ripping and reading a five-minute newscast at the top of every hour until 6a.

I Was New ...

Being new to the business, I was struggling with reading copy and wanted to sound as good as the seasoned veterans on staff. It did not help matters that another part-timer, just three-years older than me, could read anything on-air without pre-reading a single word; and could do so even if he had one too many.

Practice Repeat ... Practice Repeat ...

I spent countless hours practicing in the production room and had tried to get help from some of the veteran personalities, but to no avail. Then I came up with the idea of pre-taping my casts and airing them; the intent was to give a flawless presentation and hopefully get to the point I could read it live without a hitch.

He Put His Arm Right Through the Glass ...

The pre-recordings were doing the trick and I was getting better with my delivery until one summer night. I was filling in on an earlier shift while the full-timers were playing in their weekly softball league. Right in the middle of airing one of my taped newscasts, I heard glass breaking and I looked up to see the GM with his arms covered in blood and wearing his softball uniform. Unfortunately for him it was the one time I followed company rules and had locked the back door; he had attempted to shove the door open and his arms went through the glass pane portion. He was screaming at me because he had come back to pick something up and could see from the back door I was not reading the news live on the air. While still screaming in pain, he told me to be in his office at 9a on Monday morning and he left to go to the hospital (I assumed). I still had two more hours before my shift was over.

Facing The Music ...

It was a long, anxiety-filled weekend and on Monday I headed in as instructed. When I got to the station I found the owner, the GM's father, sitting in his son's office and his son nowhere in sight; apparently junior was too embarrassed with how he handled the situation. I explained what happened and his dad said he understood, but explained I should have asked permission to pre-tape the newscasts.

A Learning Experience ...

The experience taught me that not all directions are clearly communicated in radio, not all co-workers have your best interests at heart, and management can say things in the heat of the moment that they later regret. It also made me realize there was a lot more to radio than being behind a mic. Over the years, as my career advanced, various personalities would ask me for advice. It was then that I realized, "You never know how much you know until you coach someone else." Eventually, I got into programming and have been fortunate enough to work with some outstanding air personalities and become friends with many skilled programmers. Along the way I learned a few things that I always pass on to those who want to learn.

Common Traits Of Successful Radio Personalities

• They come to work on time
• Adapt easily to new direction
• Have egos but are not egotistical
• Are open to learning
• Word efficient in their on-air presentation
• Have the verbal ability to take content from two trains of thought and tie them together
• They observe 24/7
• Know how to do show prep
• Can display personality and work within a format
• Are aware of personal limitations
• Are creative
• Participate in community events aside from paid appearances
• Attempt to mentor others
• Always leave their supervisor and company in a defendable position
• Might disagree with management off the air, but never on the air
• Get along with others in the work place
• Stay relevant with current culture and trends

Things You Should Do ...

• Listen to your OM/PD and follow directions
• Avoid long wordy talk sets
• Steer clear of long phone bits. Don't extend the time of recorded winners because their excitement level is low
• Back-sell the music played just prior to commercial breaks (Unless instructed not to)
• Do not talk excessively on the phone during your show
• Stay focused during your time on-air
• Do not confuse vulgarity with being hip or relevant
• Work on not sounding mechanical with your delivery
• Develop a flow and rhythm of speech; avoid sounding choppy or talking too fast
• Remember personality does not mean talking endlessly
• Strive for consistent energy levels within a talk set
• Learn basic editing and production skills
• You will need a sense of timing; it comes with practice either in the production room or on your home computer with editing software

How to Prolong Employment & Growth

• Do not gossip about colleagues
• Stay away from cliques at work
• Take responsibility for your actions. If you make a mistake, be the first to say so
• Learn the importance of each department within the station or cluster
• Have a life away from radio; it will keep you balanced
• Complete assignments on time
• Depending on your time slot, come in before your shift or stay after and let folks see your face around the office
• Never complain unless you have a suggestion for improvement and only suggest if asked

Conclusion ...

Whenever you work with someone who is approachable and seems to need guidance, help them. Remember, along the way someone helped you.