{"id":19583,"date":"2017-03-27T00:03:56","date_gmt":"2017-03-27T07:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/?p=19583"},"modified":"2017-07-24T00:53:48","modified_gmt":"2017-07-24T07:53:48","slug":"radio-ratings-increase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/radio-ratings-increase\/","title":{"rendered":"This Card Magician Has the Secret Formula for Increasing Radio Time Spent Listening"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"increasing<\/a>One difference between a \u201cradio announcer\u201d and a \u201cradio personality\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n

The job of a radio announcer is to do what they\u2019re supposed to do, efficiently and correctly.<\/span><\/p>\n

The job of a radio personality is to keep people listening longer than they intended.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s Two \u201cUsual Alternatives\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Once when working out the story of a movie, Alfred Hitchcock<\/strong><\/span> said to his collaborator, \u201cIn other words, we\u2019re back to our usual alternatives: Do we want suspense or surprise?\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hitchcock believed that suspense \u201cis the most powerful means of holding onto the viewer\u2019s attention.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Both Suspense and Surprise are crucial to the programming of a successful \u201clive\u201d radio station. <\/span><\/p>\n

Radio Suspense<\/strong> <\/span><\/h2>\n

When does suspense exist on the radio? Whenever the audience is wondering what\u2019s going to happen next. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That can occur in the space between your asking a provocative question of a guest and the guest\u2019s response.<\/span><\/p>\n

One common example of Radio Suspense is the Tease:\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn just a moment, we\u2019re going to hear the Beatles song that they left until the very end of the recording session…because they knew it would completely ruin John Lennon\u2019s voice for the day and they\u2019d only be able to give it one take.\u201d <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Radio Involvement<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Another famous film director, Francois Truffaut,<\/strong><\/span> declared,\u00a0 \u201cThe art of creating suspense is also the art of involving the audience.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not enough to say, \u201cWe\u2019ve got something interesting coming up but we\u2019re not going to tell you what it is.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve got to involve your audience. They\u2019ve got to actively want to hear what\u2019s coming next.<\/span><\/p>\n

This Card Magician Has the Secret Formula for Increased Time Spent Listening<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a well-known card magician named Darwin Ortiz<\/a>, who has coined Darwin\u2019s Suspense Formula: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMake them care, then make them wait.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s how you build suspense. Make them care….And then make them wait.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

The Structure of Surprise<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Remember, Hitchcock had two choices when he wanted to move the story along: Suspense…and Surprise. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Surprise is something happening in the wrong context<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Without context, there can be no surprise.<\/span><\/p>\n

But when something happens in the wrong context, it can be both surprising and hilarious.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the off chance that you\u2019re not among the 80 million people who already have seen this short video, here\u2019s an example of something completely unremarkable occurring in the \u201cthe wrong context.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n