1-17-2014
A friend to radio whose name recognition is exceeded only by his credibility, Roy H. Williams (The Wizard of Ads), has been aiding radio advertisers for decades by delivering tremendous results. Note that I said for decades, and yet, I wonder, how many other radio organizations have embraced and implemented his strategies for selling and techniques for generating commercial copy? I am standing by for updates.
In a recent email, Roy mentions the work of audio neuroscientist, Seth Horowitz of Brown University. While containing a great deal more information, Roy?s missive included Dr. Horowitz pointing out that ??stimulus-directed attention is controlled by pathways through the temporoparietal and inferior frontal cortex regions, mostly in the right hemisphere (emphasis mine) ? areas that process raw, sensory input, but don?t concern themselves with what you should make of that sound.?
These observations are consistent with my continuing assertions about the functioning of ?The Radio Brain.? While some readers have made their own assertions that this material is sketchy, unsubstantiated, and has no particular relevance to radio, it would be culpable behavior on the part of broadcasters who fail to give this material their full attention.
I cherry-pick from Roy?s email because it suits my own agenda. Plus, plagiarism can be a nasty business. Still, the research has been around for decades that certain stimulants from the environment are being processed by different parts of our brain. Electronic media provide a distinct class of stimuli ? processed differently by parts of the brain than would, say, the reading of ?hard copy? or interacting in a personal, real-time discussion with someone who is also in the same environment.
When a person is listening to the radio and brain activity is measured by a PET (positron emission tomography) scan, there is more snapping, crackling, and popping going on in the right brain (subdominant hemisphere) than those little elves on the front of my Rice Krispies package could ever produce. Where radio has been missing the point for, like, forever, is in a lack of understanding that the listener?s dominant hemisphere or ?left brain? leaves the listening-party and goes out to check the oil in the car. This really sucks for those radio advertisers, agencies, or station production departments who are relying (almost) exclusively on pure content/information in their ads to do some kind of an adequate sales job. These strategies can be described as ? using strictly technical terms ? ?a colossal waste of time and resources.? These are the same strategies that keep radio at the bottom of a pile of more desirable and effective media.
While I am referencing commercial content here, the exact same principles apply to all on-air presentations from all sources. When I hear PDs talk about their desire for their talent to speak on the air as if they were talking to a close friend, it is only because I am a sympathetic and understanding grown-up that I don?t stick my finger down my own throat. These same PDs, meanwhile, never say, ??. to a close friend who is prepared to be bored to tears.?
To be effective in future, a radio presenter must engage the listener(s)? ?radio brain? ? the right brain ? the subdominant hemisphere. That means: more enthusiasm, more sincerity, more sensory references, more changes in speed, tempo, tonality, volumes, more content surprises, more switches in approaches, more humor and, most importantly, more precision in using the language. Tall order. Necessary and required.
Religious broadcasters, in many cases, have an advantage. Either by tradition, intuition, or sometimes with intention, this cadre of presenters demonstrate far more of the elements mentioned above than does the average radio presenter or pre-produced commercial.
When I was a kid, part-timer at my local station, one of my duties was to set up and monitor remote broadcasts from a number of churches in our city. I quickly learned that part of the preparations for working remotes from any of the local Anglican, United, or Presbyterian churches was to remember to bring a fork so that I could stab myself in the leg in order to stay awake. I learned this little trick from the parishioners in the pews who brought their own forks.
At the Salvation Army broadcasts, the band was terrific, but the sermons were still fork-optional events. Gospel, Baptist, and Pentecostal broadcasts were another story altogether. During these sermons there was shouting, cheering, wailing, and moaning. There was laughing and crying, and only the devil had a fork. I looked forward to the Baptist remotes as the folks there let me bring my own tambourine. My timing and tempo were up to snuff as I was already an accomplished accordionist. Yes, I had some chops ? only my repertoire was for dorks. Meanwhile, going to church could be exciting.
The point here, of course, is that, generally, religious broadcasters place fewer limitations on their deliveries and, particularly when in the broadcast mode, are feverishly engaging the right brain capacities of both the parishioners and the radio audience.
Meanwhile, all this information might be offered prematurely as other decisions are going to need to be made before any of this stuff can be effectively applied and exploited. Most music-radio stations can hang a ?Vacancy? sign on the doors after the morning show team drag themselves out of the control rooms. The decision to bring in numbers of better educated and more skilled talent becomes the only rational recourse for these stations if they wish to prosper.
Sales departments are going to require far better products to take to the street, as well. Engaging an audiences? ?radio brain? is the priority for their prosperity, too.
Ronald T. Robinson has been involved in Canadian Radio since the '60s as a performer, writer and coach and has trained and certified as a personal counsellor. Ron makes the assertion that the most important communicative aspects of broadcasting, as they relate to Talent and Creative, have yet to be addressed. Check out his website www.voicetalentguy.com
