Don’t ask how I obtained this video, but it was recorded at a Radio Advertising Bureau conference a few years ago.
I was scheduled to speak.
For 90 minutes.
Just before I went onstage, an RAB official grabbed a microphone and announced that due to scheduling conflicts, my presentation would need to be reduced to just 45 minutes.
The audience’s outrage was…Well, take a look for yourself.
View this Radio Advertising Bureau video on YouTube.
I cannot offer a more valuable piece of advice than this to a radio personality:
Surprise your listeners.
One surprising break can go a long way with your audience.
Most radio people do the same things in the same ways every single day.
That makes it easy for the radio people but boring for the listeners.
Listeners are dying to be surprised. They don’t want you to be predictable.
But what about the cherished old radio axiom of “consistency”?
In radio, consistency is good. Predictability is bad.
Consistency means they know what kind of a show to expect from you. If they have to come expect a lighthearted, humorous program, that’s what they will hear when they turn you on. That is consistency.
Predictability means they know what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. And in radio, being predictable means being dead.
Here is the secret to surprising your listeners:
Before you do anything on the air, ask yourself, “What are my listeners expecting to do right now…and how can I do it differently, yep appropriately for them and for me and for my station?”
The reason listeners love being surprised is that most radio people do the obvious thing. There’s some big news story that everyone is interested in. The jock thinks for a moment and then says the first thing that pops into his mind.
The problem with that is all the other jocks in the market have that same first thought, and they all go on the air and say the same things.
I’m not insisting that your initial reaction be different from everyone else’s. I’m suggesting that you allow yourself to have that first, reflexive response…and put it aside.
Don’t put it on the air. Put it aside and look for other equally real responses that wouldn’t otherwise see the light of day…because they weren’t the most obvious, first thought.
It actually is quite easy to stand out from the rest of the crowd of radio hosts. Just ask yourself, “What will every other jock in the world do with this item?” — and then do something different.
By default, you will look like a creative genius, simply because you did something other than the most obvious.
A few years ago I conducted this impromptu interview with radio personality and imaging wizard Howard Hoffman.
As you’ll see, in less than 5 minutes we manage to cover the highlights of Hoffman’s career…
…including, of course, his involvement in the legendary NINE tape.
View this Howard Hoffman Nine Tape video on YouTube.
This is the final in a series of career advice for radio professionals.
There is at most only one person at your radio station who truly cares about your career.
If you don’t care enough about what happens to you when there’s a change in format or management or ownership or ratings, don’t expect someone to come along and tell you what you should be doing to insure your professional and financial security.
Here are three things you already should be doing.
1. Saving your money
Financial experts commonly recommend stockpiling the equivalent of six months’ salary. (I’ll pause for a moment for the laughter to die down among our readers.)
No matter how much (or little) you make, resolve to put 15% of each paycheck into the bank.
Yes, it might take some budgeting on your part. But it might also mean the difference between finding yourself unemployed and desperate for any job that’s offered…and being able to wait for the right offer to come along.
2. Negotiating your employment contract
Whether or not it’s in writing, you do have an employment contract.
Most jocks are told, “Here’s our first and final offer; take it or leave it.” That’s almost never the truth — and certainly not when a station seeks to retain a proven performer.
There are plenty of resources that unravel the mysteries of negotiation. Here’s my favorite crash course in negotiating. Asking for what you deserve doesn’t need to be as daunting as you think.
3. Making friends in your local radio community
Yes, I know this will turn some program directors apoplectic. They look upon radio as nothing short of war, and having friends at other stations is tantamount to treason.
But look around you.
Our industry offers disc jockeys less security than ever before. When your shift suddenly is voicetracked by someone from out of town and you’re on the street, will you be glad that you treated your fellow professionals like scum…simply because they had the audacity to choose the same career as you?
