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Listen Like A Listener ...
October 8, 2019
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Listening to your station is like spellcheck. The difference being any corrections don't come in real time. The flow of a station must be reviewed after you've had time to digest a broadcast day. You won't know how it sounds until you do.
Check-Check ...
I recently gave a listen to the station of a client and heard some serious problems; during a song-to-song situation I heard a recorded liner/drop/jingle which said, "Now back to more music." It gets better; at the end of the fade of the very next song a new song started but suddenly the previous song came on again before giving way to the song which continued to play. Wait, there's more: At the end of the very same song, it ended abruptly, and a new tune started. These things happened within a 10-minute period.
A Thousand Little Things ...
I called the owner/GM/PD of the station to find out if he was aware of the problems on his midday voice tracked show from a sister station in another market. He was a bit embarrassed and indicated he would call to check with his production guy to see if the station was having problems with its automation system. He also said, "It's the thousand percent factor, it's the thousand little things that can add up to hurting the station's numbers and image."
So True ...
I agreed with him because it's never one thing but a bunch of little things. By themselves the little things seem like small glitches, but a lot of these daily minor problems mean your station's presentation is off the mark. You must listen to your station regardless of whether is automated, semi-automated, syndicated (Weekly/Weekends/Holiday Specials), or voicetracked.
Every Moment Counts ...
An air personality should mirror the same thought process when it comes to their show. One of the first things I do when working with an air talent is to have a casual conversation. These talks provide insight into their verbal skills -- talking too fast, wordiness, phrasing, the use of voice, and the ability to express clearly. We are drawn to those who can effectively communicate.
Make A Connection ...
Every time a personality opens the microphone, it's a chance to connect with both the passive and active listener. It's an important part of a station's presentation. Every moment in 24-hours should give the audience a reason to stick around or come back. It might be a brief humorous back-sell concerning an artist or song, music information, a smooth segue way between songs, or pre-promoting something coming up after the commercial break.
Necessary Versus Unnecessary
An important part of a music station's presentation is to get the air talents out of the habit of saying unnecessary things like, "Thanks for being here." It would be okay to say if it were attached to an event or something the audience took part in during the show. It is a very general statement without meaning. Now, if it was embedded in a recorded promo receiving lots of impressions or part of a catch phrase, it might be something people would take to heart and associate with the air personality or the station.
Small Stuff Adds Up ...
The more the unnecessary is eliminated, the sharper the on-air moments for a station. There was a time when PPM and trends didn't exist; only two books a year were released, and each rating period lasted only a few weeks. The programming goal was no mistakes. Radio is an inexact science. A programming buddy of mine says," listen to your station like a listener and not a radio insider."
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