June, 1994, Part 1: Long-time readers (e.g., dating back to 1993) who have nothing more important to clutter their memories than details of my past trips might vaguely remember my European tour (11 seminars in 4 countries in 13 days) of the previous September.
My first trip to Europe for 1994 was less hectic: only 5 seminars in three countries in 10 days. The first country was the United States (that’s just below Canada, for those of you following along on your “Where’s Dan?” maps).
On Friday, I conducted an air talent seminar for Vermont Public Radio, thanks to the efforts of program director Chris Wienk. It was quite interesting to see how much the VPR staffers seemed to care about their audience and also how much pride the people of Vermont have in VPR.
Although I was raised in Connecticut (until the age of 11, when I left home and moved in with a pack of wolves — see, “O’Day, Feral Period of” in my soon to be released autobiography) and have a great love for New England, this was my first visit to Vermont. Everyone told me how beautiful the scenery would be, but I wasn’t prepared for how gorgeous it is there: very, very green.
Just making the five-minute drive from my hotel to the VPR studio in Burlington was enough to make me want to spend the summer there. (I’m told the weather is not like that — 75 degrees and sunny — all year ’round. Apparently for a couple of weeks in February in gets a little nippy in Vermont.)
Although this seminar primarily was focused on on-air performance, we spent a couple of hours discussing methods of creative fundraising. (This is public radio, remember.) VPR’s on-air membership drives are lots of fun, and listeners often comment on how much they enjoy hearing their favorite show hosts loosen their ties a bit and relax on-the-air.
One VPRer asked for ideas on how to sustain that personal relationship throughout the year. Of course, to a large extent that’s the focus of my air talent seminar — reaching your listeners on a personal level. But we brainstormed some off-air ideas, too, and the group came up with a simply, nifty idea that you might be able to use:
Every public radio station (in the U.S.; “public radio” is a completely different animal in Europe) has a listener database: their “member” or “subscriber” list. These are people who have given money to support the radio station. Although it’s not uncommon for commercial stations to gather birth dates of its database members, public radio stations seem to think it’s not worth the bother.
Why not, I suggested, ask for birth dates of all new members (and old ones when they renew)? Then send a nifty VPR birthday card to each member on his or her birthday — the front of which could be artwork done by a popular Vermont artist.
Big deal, you say. A birthday card. Nice idea, they said, but we can’t afford it.
Ah, but here’s my big inspiration: Inside every card is a certificate good for a free ice cream cone at any Ben & Jerry’s in the state.
(Okay, full disclosure time: I actually said something like, “…and then get someone like Baskin-Robbins — ” at which point the room erupted in a chorus of booing. In Vermont, Ben & Jerry’s is like a religion…and any other ice cream purveyor represents the dark forces of the netherworld.)
A printer provides the printing in exchange for on-air thank-yous (“Thanks to Ed’s Printing for its support of VPR”), while Ben & Jerry’s pays the postage. VPR pays nothing, while Ben & Jerry’s helps support the arts (which they’re quite willing to do) while stimulating in-store traffic. (Think about the last time you got a coupon for free ice cream or frozen yogurt: Odds are you brought someone with you to the ice cream shop, and that person probably made a cash purchase.)
A small idea, to be sure. But who among us would not react favorably to a birthday card that brought us free ice cream? (Special note to anyone who might decide to set this up with a local ice cream shop: Do NOT agree to include a “two-for-one” or “half-off” coupon. It’s got to be a genuine, no-strings gift.)
In keeping with the “isn’t nature wonderful” feeling of our surroundings, this seminar was attended by a young bird that had been rescued by a VPR staffer just a couple of days earlier. It sat perched on the staffer’s shoulder for much of the day.
After the seminar, I summoned the will-power NOT to stay for the VPR staff barbecue and instead drove the 45 minutes to Stowe, Vermont, where on the following day I would speak at the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Convention.
Dave Kimel and Eric Michaels had arranged for me to conduct How To Create Maximum Impact Radio Advertising, preceded by a 45-minute freewheeling discussion of the challenges of managing people in a broadcast environment. Upon my arrival in Stowe, I checked into the Commodores Inn and went directly to…the VAB barbecue.
(Would I have been able to resist the VPR barbecue had I not had another barbecue awaiting me down the road? I refuse even to dignify that question with a response.)
Good food, good company. The first person I saw there, in fact, was the NAB’s John Abel. John and I keep running into each other at functions like these. This was the first time, however, that I’d seen him not wearing a tie.
The Commodores Inn fronts a small but beautiful lake — like a fragile postcard memory. The Inn itself isn’t at all fancy, but the staff seemed nice and the food was good…and the surroundings were worth considering a vacation there.
My VAB seminars were attended by an unexpected guest, too: a cat that wandered in and out. Looking for the previous day’s bird, no doubt.
Next Week: On to England, where I nearly get into a fistfight with a maid at London’s Swallow Hotel.
