I knew Donna Brake, which is to say we were on a few panels together and exchanged ideas in rare conversations. But if you were anywhere near her, somehow, you did know her. Donna was gifted in so many ways. Mostly, she was a world-class human being. Early in her career at WSM-FM. then later as PD for Atlanta's WSB-FM, Donna did even the simple basics elegantly. Her instincts about people and their potential, her exceptional "ear" which she bequeathed many a talent and program director, her help incubating new artists and as importantly, new radio talent, all became the color portrait that defined Donna.

A professional is a person who can do his or her best at a moment when they don't particularly feel like it. Donna always found time and visceral connection with peers and ascending talent.

It happens once a quarter or every six months, depending on the market you're in. And it's one of the most stressful of days for programmers and radio personalities. What do you do if the ratings gods go against you and you have the dreaded bad ratings? In a radio ...

Your role as a host or co-host does not stop when the mic's turned off. The primary off-air role for hosts and co-hosts is planning the show content, which typically includes: Audio Final call on content Video Imaging Phones, editing Writing for the ...

...has this. Does yours?  Every great sports team has at least one player who's great ... and most have more than one. Every single one. And, over the years, I've learned that every great radio station has at least one great talent on their team, and usually ...

Format graveyards are filled with failed brands-gone-bad. Three things can happen when we rush into a format definition: (1) The brand is not understood; (2) the brand is misunderstood; or (3) no one notices. The problem with all positioning for radio stations is that ...

Radio personalities are taught the importance of keeping their show simple and easy to interact with, and that's sound advice. Listeners aren't paying that much attention. A basic premise in working with clients is to treat each break as if you're explaining it to a ...

How do you determine if you are a host or co-host? It comes down to whether your personality comes out best setting up content as a generator or your personality comes alive reacting to others. Hosts are natural generators; co-hosts are natural reactors. Many air talents ...

While the Internet (mostly Alphabet and Facebook) has been busy overtaking TV to become the #1 ad platform in the U.S., AM/FM has quietly increased its rank from fifth to third in total ad revenue. The challenges facing TV go beyond cord cutting and Netflix overtaking ...

Guess who? "Almost anybody can learn to think or believe or know, but not a single human being can be taught to feel. Why? Because whenever you think or you believe or you know, you're a lot of other people: but the moment you feel, you're nobody-but-yourself." "To be ...

In the early 2000s, Jim Collins hit the Barnes & Nobel shelves with "Good to Great." Like many, I read it immediately, since the book introduced some new perspectives. The premise was simple: That "good is the enemy of great" is not a business problem but a human ...