5-24-2013
The more I listen to current radio hosts, the more I go crazy. They do not practice the PPM skills they need to succeed in the ratings, which of course translates to more revenue. The old Arbitron way is out. Radio hosts need to change or they will be changed.
I was listening to a radio host in a Top 10 city the other day and the dude was so horrible at teasing into segments and brutal at carrying an audience from segment to segment. If you want to succeed at talk, whether it's politics or sports, here's some advice -- get to the meat of your tease within the five-minute mark after returning from your spot break. If you don't, your audience is lost and has no idea what you are talking about. The result is...CLICK.
Most radio listners hang around a radio show for about five minutes a day. The host simply must punch the topic in the first five minutes of each segment or face losing the audience bulit up from the previous segments. Hosts and producers need to watch time and teasing with interviews...one of the MOST destructive things a radio host and producer has to deal with are live guests. Radio guest are the fastest way to destroy a PPM hour if the host doesn't know how to reset and the producer doesnt watch the time of the interview.
Ninety percent of all interviews should be taped so the timing of PPM stays in the format. There are daily examples on the radio of producers getting a guest on late and a host blowing through the break. That PPM hour is lost. If the guest is late put him on and ask if he can stay for the next segemnt. It's more important to stay in format than getting the scheduled guest on. Unless that guest is President Obama or Hank Aaron -- you get the point. Producers have a tough job but sometimes the producer of a show lets their ego get in the way of what's right for the show.
It's also important for the program director/host/producer to be on the same page when it comes to benchmarks, whether it's contesting or trivia or any other benchmark. One of the most important things to a show, especially when a station doesn't have massive cume, is repeat visitors. The more repeat listeners, the better chance you have at getting great PPM ratings.
Guys like Rush, Stern, or Beck are awesome storytellers, with Limbaugh being the best of all time, but he's not the greatest at PPM. His storytelling is like listening to Hemingway read "The Old Man And The Sea" on the air. He's a brillant writer but he doesnt really practice PPM skills. But, he's Rush! The point: There are exceptions to PPM. However, 99.9 percent of us have to use these skills today or, as I said, "change or be changed."
Dan Sileo, also known as "The Bonecrusher," is a sports talk show host who has worked at KGO & KNBR-WDAE and WQAM. He can be reached at Umiam93@yahoo.com and on Twitter at @dansileoshow
Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend
