I spent a week doing a Morning Show Tune-Up with a radio morning show in France.
We began with a full-day seminar…on a Sunday. Not at the radio station but instead at a hotel.
That was at my suggestion. When possible, I like to get the on-air people away from the station and into a less familiar, less predictable environment.
We ended in the late afternoon — which is the equivalent of mid-evening for a morning show.
When I arrived at the station the following day for our first post-program meeting, I learned that instead of going home after our Sunday seminar, the 3-person morning team had gone to the radio station and spent the next three hours working on new ideas for their show.
That experience reminded me:
Within any radio station, there are two types of employees:
A) People who happen to work at a radio station.
B) “Radio guys.”
I mean absolutely no disrespect for Type A.
But it’s “radio guys” who motivate me to stay in this business.
The two men and one woman who comprised this particular morning show all were Radio Guys.
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Dan, does your teachings (books…) come in a french version?
Do you give your seminar in french?
@D. Hennessey:
My books are not available in French.
When I do seminars for French radio people/stations or when I do morning show tune-ups for French morning shows, I speak in English with a French translator.
The only big difference between that and working with an English-speaking group is I’m not able to play some of the audio examples I often use to illustrate specific concepts.
The first time I worked with a non-English speaking group, I wondered how well it would work. Fortunately, it turns out that once they realize I actually understand their challenges as radio people — not as “French” or “Italian” or “Spanish” radio people, but as radio pros — it’s not difficult to have effective two-way communications even via two different languages.
I hear you loud and clear!
Are you able to get a clear understanding (sense) of what a french jock saying on an air-check?
@D. Hennessey: Yes. I’ve successfully coached 2 top morning shows in France (for the same company, different markets; they brought me back to France to work with the second show after the ratings came in for the first one) and conducted air talent seminars for 2 radio stations in Quebec.