Never Be Negative On Stage ...

Sometimes we lose sight and go off the rails. However, as radio personalities, you should always be aware of your surroundings. Especially these days with smart phone cameras. An isolated incident in front of a few listeners is one thing but mouthing off on stage about a client in their own venue, that could be a final paycheck.

Just Bring On The Act ...

Becoming a self-appointed man of the people is self-destructive for an air talent with an inflated ego, a microphone, a huge audience, and station management backstage. It's important for an air talent to understand their role at a concert, it's to make stage announcements and bring on the act or acts.

Know Your Place ...

This personality forgot they were a representative of the radio cluster. The air talent emailed for advice and tried to get me to justify his actions.

Air Talent: I don't think our management pays attention to what's going on in our community. I addressed some things on stage before I brought out our main act at a recent station concert. The PD and promotions director flipped out on me, totally disrespected. This venue has a reputation for being nasty to young people and minorities.

Coach: The purpose of a station concert event is fun. Your job as a personality is to make station or venue announcements and bring the act on stage. That's it, unless otherwise instructed.

Air Talent: Well I am on the phones talking with listeners every day and this place is the worst. They've been jerks to those they think don't fit their idea of the ideal customer and for whatever reason my station got with them to help put on a hip hop concert. Of course, thanks to our station, the place was packed.

Coach: What did you say on stage?

Air Talent: Before I brought out the act, I told the audience that hopefully this show would end all the poor treatment people had been getting from this venue.

Coach: Why did you do that?

Air Talent: I was trying to put some light on the problems with this place. I thought it was the right thing to do.

Coach: How did that go over?

Air Talent: The crowd was eating it up. I was relating to them and they got fired up. Off stage I could see my boss waving at me with both arms and giving me the finish up sign. I brought on the group and when I got off stage, the PD and promotions yelled at me in front of others and now I am suspended for a week. I think a station should deal with what listeners are concerned about and that would give us a big boost in ratings.

Coach: What or how a station deals with its station image is up to programming and management. What you did as a representative of the company on stage was irresponsible and reckless. Even though the PD and Promotions Director could have used a little more discretion in terms of dealing with you in front of others, I can understand why they were upset. You are lucky they only suspended you for a week.

Air Talent: I am supposed to go in for a meeting this Wednesday. How should I handle it?

Coach: Be Humble and apologize, don't say anything more, sit and listen. To be honest, they might let you go.

Air Talent: But I have the highest rating at the station and another year on my contract.

Coach: Getting fired is usually never about the ratings. And in terms of the contract, all of them have an out clause, and with what you did it could be used. Have you done this sort of thing before?

Air Talent: I've had disagreements with some things the station does, but never suspended. I will take a lawyer with me.

Coach: Take whoever you want, but I don't think it will do you much good. Whether they fire you or not, my advice is to apologize, learn from this, and don't do it again.

I've been there ...

At a station concert, I once had a personality get up onstage and rant on about a city's program for towing cars and handing out fines during concerts in the summer. He even told the audience they should double check and make sure their cars were okay before the concert was over. I can still hear those words "You can't trust those Muther###ers at city hall." A lot of the attendees ran out to the parking lot and it was a mess. This one air personality cost us our relationship with the city and the venue, future earnings with clients in attendance, and put the company in an indefensible position.

Just Don't Do It ...

Never say or do anything on the air, on social media, or at a station event that could cause bad publicity or a loss of income for the company. If you can't do that, then either go get a job with a station that thinks like you or save up enough money to go buy your own station.