(By Randy Lane) I have had the privilege of working closely with broadcasters and station managers, helping them navigate the complex world of radio programming. Over the years, I have encountered several questions that consistently arise in conversations. This week, let’s address three radio FAQs.
As a program director, how often should I meet with the show?
In recent years, I worked with a top 10 market program director who met with an experienced morning show for 60-90 minutes every day! Most of the time he spent pontificating and telling stories. It drove the show crazy and wasted their prep time. Long daily meetings are usually counterproductive because it doesn’t give the show time to implement and refine the coaching points.
- Weekly show meetings work well to review audio, go over show issues, and communicate about upcoming promotions and contests.
- It is a good idea to meet daily with new shows until the show is running smoothly. Then gradually reduce sessions to weekly.
- Do say hello to the show daily, mention a great segment, or follow up if there’s anything pending.
Can we do interactive games with callers without prizes?
Yes, if your show is an established brand with high ratings in the market. Listeners will participate in games for the fun of it and because they have a relationship with the personalities.
Newer shows or shows that haven’t made a deep connection with their listeners will need prizes to get a game going. Once it gets traction, the audience will call without prizes.
Is it a good idea to run highlight clips during a talk show?
Yes, when non-P1/cume listeners tune in and hear a great moment of the show, they’re likely to be enticed to listen more to the show.
They could run a promo after a content segment into a stop set, or out of commercials as a rejoin back into the show. It makes more sense to slot them out of spots as a rejoin. It can be confusing to end a content segment and then suddenly switch topics on the imaging piece.
Randy Lane is the owner of the Randy Lane Company, which coaches and brands radio and television personalities, business professionals, sports personalities, entrepreneurs, and pop culture artists, helping them master communication skills to have an impact on their audiences. Read Randy’s Radio Ink archives here.
