Update Your Show Prep Before It’s Too Late

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(By Loyd Ford) We all know that what you place between the songs makes a huge difference for radio brands. Otherwise programmers and consultants wouldn’t spend significant time working on imaging and making certain that the on-air elements of the brand are supported in a positive way. However, the on-air personalities and their contribution to the sound, emotion and power of a local radio brand can be even more important. Yes, even in the 21st Century. Especially as we head into 2021. So, now is a great time to review and reframe your show prep so that you are certain your content is up to date and the most balanced and powerful you have ever been as an on-air personality in the broadcast business.

Here are some thoughts on this.

  • Review everything about where you get your show prep now. If your show prep sounds like your competitors, that is a challenge. Listeners should choose us because of our unique factors that make us unlike all others.
  • Look for new sources for consistent show prep; anything that would give you unique perspective and a higher ability to connect with the emotion of real listeners in your market.
  • Make everything you do in reviewing the content you bring to your show about updating you to be in the absolute now. This isn’t saying nostalgia shouldn’t ever appear on your show. Seek that wisdom from your program director. Just make certain that you are shaking up the old and outdated and preparing to make certain you are ‘in the now.’
  • Pay special attention to improve the way you tease ahead of content and where you place those teases for maximum effectiveness. Teasing is critical to expand opportunities in both PPM and reported listening markets.
  • Review your sound hour (how you put your content and where). When prepping your show, consider the balance of what you place where so that listeners get consistency, but they also get freshness of content and balance so you are always interesting.
  • If you’re working outside of mornings, make sure you are consistently supportive of the morning show brand and station goals.  
  • If you are on a music-based radio station, pay close and special attention to your fresh resources for content connecting you to the stars of your format and the unique music you share.
  • In the creation of your sound hours, consider your impact on social media and your social media platforms as well as content that gets you attention without straying into areas that could get you into trouble (we are not recommending controversy here).

The bottom-line is this: We are fast heading into a new year and a lot of things have changed. The challenge is upon you to be essential for more listeners. They key to doing this is to present them with unique content and balance what you are doing each hour. Your goal should be to have exceptional content on your radio show and to match point-for-point the goals of your program director and company so your brand sticks out and shines as a critical show in your market for more listeners in the new year. You are not as likely to achieve this if you don’t significantly update your prep sources, review your overall show approach as well as individual sound hours.

I have long held the theory that personalities in the modern Google era should spin content so they give away the ‘baby’ (that is what any listener can look up at any given moment without you) and search for something additional they can give listeners that cannot be looked up on the internet. This will mean your teases have a more exclusive feel and listeners will remain dependent on you because you don’t take the easy way out and always have the scoops on info they can’t seem to find. Hard work always pays off.

Placing this work in now on how you prep, tease and populate content inside your show can elevate your value to your local brand and make it clear that you are an exceptional talent that is essential to the station goals and future.

Loyd Ford consults radio stations, coaches personalities, and provides behavioral and strategic programming to radio that propel ratings (and revenue) with RPC. Reach him anytime. 864.448.4169 or [email protected].

 

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