One of the questions that often comes up when working with shows is "What is great content?"

For many shows the idea of creating great content feels like chasing a mythical creature. "Does it exist?" "How will we know if we have discovered it?" Many shows don't know what great content should sound like. They have heard people talk about it but have never experienced it for themselves. No one has ever taken the time to define it for them let alone explain what they need to do to achieve it. That's not a reflection on the shows, but a reality of not clearly defining what great content is.

Too often we judge 'great' purely by the results we're achieving. In radio, we declare a show as great because of the ratings it garners. If the ratings are high the show must be great, right? That isn't always the case. There are many shows that are marginally better than their competitors and so dominate the ratings. They aren't creating great content; if your competitors are delivering poor content you can win by having slightly better than poor content. That doesn't sound like a legacy anyone would want. Winning ratings alone doesn't make you truly great. Achieving greatness means creating content that lives on past the moment of consumption; consistently deliver content that does this and you will win ratings for the right reasons and for a long time.

Being on a multi-player show is tough. It's especially difficult when you're just starting out. The pressure you feel to perform at a consistently high level is immense. You're often paired up with someone you barely know -- sometimes a team of complete strangers! ...

I had dinner with a colleague this week. As you would expect between acquaintances working in the same industry, our conversation touched on our current work-related experiences, our challenges, our hopes and our fears for the years ahead. My friend spoke at length ...

It's easy to blame other people for our shortcomings. When a project doesn't go as planned it's almost instinctive for us to point the finger, "It wasn't my fault." You can complain that you didn't have the resources. You can believe that your less than desirable ...

You know how frustrating it is when you're driving and there's someone sitting in the back seat, wincing and groaning as you manouver through traffic? They're barking orders about which way to go, and when to move over into other lanes. There are many managers who act ...

Top performance is hard to sustain. We have all experienced times when we are not performing at our best. We can feel those moments as they occur; we just intuitively know we could - even should - be performing at a higher level. When we are at our best - those ...

We are in business to win. Winning is the only desirable outcome. The secret to winning, and to the continuation of winning, is to build the best team. It is essential to form a cohesive group of individuals all working to achieve the same goal. Having a bulletproof ...

The best content has always originated from stories. Words are simply words unless they are used to tell a narrative. Words come alive with meaning when they are part of a well-crafted and well-told story. Great communication really is the simple exchange of ...

Recently, I got to answer some questions about talent and the importance of talent for the health of radio. Now we're sharing the transcript of that conversation. How important is talent in today's landscape? And, if it's so important, how do we as an industry do a ...

Successful stations are always well branded. These stations invest in saying their name (which often has included dial position) on the air, over and over. Safe in the belief that repetition builds recognition. These stations have understood - and embraced - the ...