People loved last week’s column from Minneapolis morning star Dave Ryan. This week, he takes a deeper dive into the Eternal Morning Show Truths. – Randy Lane
I’ve seen it happen. A Program Director keeps you under their thumb, never supports the show, and only contacts you with bad news. Too many times, these people are jealous that you’re you and they have to be on corporate conference calls about budget cuts and the comeback single from Macy Gray.
If you notice your manager at any level doing damage to your show, it’s time to leave. People don’t quit their jobs; they quit their bosses.
GUARD YOUR REPUTATION
It’s everything. Never get a reputation for lying, backstabbing, bullying, or manipulating. That follows you around forever. Oh yes, we all have worked with someone who was a complete ass, and we marveled at how they got away with it.
Screaming at the staff. Payola. Playing favorites. And at the same time, accepting awards. What the hell? But it catches up to them. One thing I’m extremely proud of is that I’ve never had to lie, backstab, manipulate, or bully anyone in my career. Ever. It’s harder to make it on hard work and determination alone, but it’s a lot more stable.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS FREE
You know how it works, but do you know what does work? If not, talk to someone who does. And don’t make it all about your face, talking into the microphone. We love to look at ourselves, but the average person, scrolling past you at five posts per second, doesn’t care about your face. Well, unless you’re hot.
NEVER STOP LEARNING.
Many morning talents get zero mentoring or coaching. I was talking to a show in a pretty big market recently, and I asked, “What does your PD tell you about how to execute that bit?” I’ll never forget what the jock said: “It’s cute that you think we get any coaching at all here.” Look, I get it. Your PD probably doesn’t have time to mentor you, and, frankly, a lot of PDs know nothing about doing mornings. So how do you learn?
Listen to Mojo. Listen to Elvis. Listen to Woody. See how they execute. Notice how long it takes them to get into content, the pacing, and how they end a bit well before you’re thinking they should. Watch funny movies. Watch game shows.
Hire someone like Randy to do a few sessions with your show. I know it’s not in the station’s budget, so consider investing in yourself and scraping together the funds to make it happen.
BALANCE EXPERIENCE AND A YOUNG PERSPECTIVE
Speaking of Randy, neither he nor I is what you’d call young. I mean, we’re still super sexy, but we’re probably close to your dad’s age. That’s why it’s so important to remember, “Experience” and “Youth” are great partners.
If the 25-year-olds on my show say, “Dave, we need to talk about ‘Euphoria’” or “Dave, this video is trending, we should do it”, I listen. And if I say, “Your idea is okay, but you need to make it shorter and funnier,” they respect that. Nothing is worse than some old jock trying to dictate what 30-year-old women want to hear on the radio.
PREPARE
Jimmy Fallon doesn’t improvise his show. “Friends” was written. Heck, even reality shows are scripted to a degree. Leave some room for being spontaneous, but never go into a break thinking “I’m just going to see what happens.”
Morning radio is different from what it was when I started. It’s harder. You have to be better. You must figure out how to create buzz when there’s no budget or even a promotions staff to help you out. There are no billboards to tell everyone how wonderful and funny you are. TV? Forget it.
But radio is like nothing else. Spotify can’t create a connection. Apple Music doesn’t make anyone your friend. Lonely people (and there are more lonely people than you think) get a magical connection with radio that no one else, not even podcasting, can duplicate.
Enjoy radio. Make it thrive. Love it. Care for your show as you would care for a friend. Radio is still magic, and it still gives back just as much love as you put into it.
