Coaching Talent: The Outline To Design A Successful Show

(Mike McVay) The turmoil of this past year has led to a number of shows changing out their talent as well as other stations making a significant number of adjustments to their programming. I crafted an outline that is designed to be used when adjusting or redesigning a morning show. It can be applied to any day-part that is personality driven.

The design begins with the sharing of the goal and the objectives to accomplish in order to achieve your goal. If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there. The basics are the skeleton of building out this radio human. The basics are important because if you don’t get credit for the listening that your station attracts, then it never happened.

Goals and Objectives
-What is your goal
-What are the objectives to accomplish to reach your goal?
-What does “Success” look like?
-Who is your target?

The Skeleton: The Basics
-Service Elements
-Imaging
-Positioning
-Cross Promotion
-Recycling; Repeat Tune-In
-Occasions of Tune-In
-Don’t telegraph commercials

The Muscle: Organs & Tissue
-Who are you?
-What do you stand for?
-Why do we listen to you?
-Where are we used? (Listening Locations)
-When do people listen?
-How do listeners use you?

Breathing Life Into The Body
-Great talent are great storytellers
-They are relevant and relatable
-They get to the point; efficient
-Content that is Perishable
-Content that is Non-perishable
-Post-show prep; Plan for the next show

The level of competition today is at such a high level that one cannot enter a studio without being prepared. They cannot turn on the microphone without knowing what they’re going to say. You have to know who your audience is or you’re sure to have a difficult time reaching the masses. Attention to detail is the difference between winning and losing the ratings game.

Mike McVay is President of McVay Media and can be reached at  [email protected]