A Loyal Reader Writes:
“I’m always trying to find things of interest to listeners, but I’m never sure if I’m on target. Are people truly interested in artist news, tops at box office, top TV shows for the week, etc.?”
It all depends upon how interestingly and relatably you present it.
If you do it like most radio people — “Here’s a list, delivered over a music bed” — it makes very little impact.
Sometimes in my seminars I play an aircheck of an “Entertainment Extra” as presented on a large market, music station morning show.
For 90 seconds, the two hosts list the upcoming weekend’s television programs.
“Entertainment Extra?” It’s definitely not Entertainment.
But it is Extra, in the sense that it’s irrelevant and of no use to anyone.
Guess what? If your listeners want to know what’s on TV, they have ways of finding out.
They also can find out the week’s best-selling records, top movie box office hits, etc.
Trust me, no one in your audience awakened this morning thinking, “Oh, if only someone would tell me last week’s ten highest rated TV shows, starting from #10 and ending with #1!”
Does that mean you should avoid any use of such listed information?
No.
But you should utilize such “boiler plate” copy only if it serves a purpose grander than just “reading a list”:
- Giving the host something to talk about in an interesting, entertaining or compelling manner. (Not just reading the list.)
- Sparking a conversation among on-air team members
- Sparking listener phone calls
- Providing an excuse to involve a character
- Ultimately, connecting to your listeners in a meaningful way
But following the typical radio model of “Here’s a list of stuff. I’ll read it for you, and then I’ll move on to something else” makes no impact on your audience and does your radio station no good.
This radio commercial has two major flaws. Can you spot them?
The biggest problem: If after hearing that commercial you picture only one thing, that one thing isn’t Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. It’s not a children’s hospital. It’s not even a hospital.
If you picture only one thing, you picture those children in pre-school, singing their A-B-C’s. Too bad this isn’t a commercial for a pre-school.
If you picture anything else, it’s a copy of U.S. News and World Report.
Here comes the clue train.
In a radio commercial, the picture you paint in the listener’s mind is what the listener will remember about your ad.
Oh, the other Big Dumb Thing is their Call To Action: “To learn more, visit CHLA.org.”
Umm….To learn more about…what? To learn more about your hospital? Your award?
On the other hand, this radio spot accomplished the client’s most likely goal: to brag about its award. (Take that, UCLA Medical Center!)
