A Loyal Reader Asks:
“Do you have a checklist for air talents as they prepare for and
handle themselves at a live remote…?”
At a remote (on-site, live broadcast, known in some parts of the world as an “O.B.”), the sole job of every staff member — air talent, technician, intern, salesperson — is to make friends for the radio station.
Too Hip For The Showroom
Here’s the attitude that most radio people have at remote broadcasts:
“I’ll stand around, and if someone comes up to talk to me, I’ll be polite to them. Maybe.”
But that’s not enough.
Every remote broadcast, every public appearance is a golden opportunity to win new friends…to become their “favorite radio station.” And many of those potential new friends are intimated by you.
They are shy.
You are in “show business.” You are a celebrity….Or, at least, part of the “glamorous” world of radio.
They would like to talk to you, but they don’t know what to say.
How do you make friends at remotes?
1. Take the initiative; don’t wait for them to work up the nerve to approach you.
2. Smile.
3. Offer your hand.
4. Look them in the eye.
5. Ask them for their names and then use their names while talking to them.
6. Introduce them to others at the event — fellow station employees, sponsors, or other attendees.
If after a remote broadcast your radio station doesn’t have more friends than before it began, your station hasn’t done its job.
