Keep Denise Out Of Your Life Dang It!

by JJ Duling

I'm on a campaign to make 'artificial intelligence' DJ software like Denise irrelevant. I addressed this topic recently, released a follow-up on "How To Keep Denise Out Of Your Life" last week and started this based on hearing from so many of you, "I keep reading how I need to engage but nobody's telling us how".  I'm blessed to have worked with so many talented personalities and learned a ton from them.  Thus, my postings to help get you thinking about what you do, how you can do it and help keep radio relevant.

TALK TO YOUR LISTENERS-NOT ABOUT THEM
Like you (unlike 'Denise'), your listeners are breathing, thinking, active human beings.  Listening to a lot of radio, you'd think they were ornaments on an end table as many refer to them as 'people' (i.e.:  "wow, we had a lot of people at our event Saturday" or "thanks to all the people calling in").  That's what I mean by talking about your listeners, as if they're not actually part of the conversation.

How about, "hey, great to see you at the..." or "lots of you calling in...".   Think "you/we/us" vs. "they/them/that".  A lot of us were trained to put a photo of a target listener in front of us and talk to them- that's actually not a bad visual.  The way you connect and engage is to bring them into your show and not keep them at arm's length.  As I was about to publish this, I saw a video of Valerie Geller, author of "Beyond Powerful Radio", talking about this very thing with Mark Ramsey and it's absolutely worth taking ten minutes to check it out.

TELL STORIES vs. READING COPY
I've no doubt driven many jocks batty by reminding them to "stop reading the forecast- just tell 'em the weather".  You're thinking, "the weather- really? Not very big-picture" but, it's a good example of typical, generic radio-speak to which many of us can relate. Almost every station does the weather and most of the time it's, "partly cloudy/mostly sunny/30% chance of", right? National Weather Service meteorological terminology.  Can you imagine getting up in the morning and asking your spouse "what's it gonna be like today?" and hearing "well, dear- it'll be partly to mostly sunny with a 40% chance of rain and a high in the low to mid 70s".  They'd probably say, "looks like it could rain but it'll be 75".

A cool example of this was on a spring break, my friend Bruce Peckover and I drove to South Florida...we're on the beach, all sun, Y100 rockin' on the radio, and Don Cox comes on over this six second intro and says, "Y100 Weather...great today, better tomorrow.  It's 84 at Y100".  No NWS phrasing, no attempt to sound official.  He told the story and, if you were listening, you got it.  This applies to any content- promos, music info, contests...engage them by turning somebody else's (liner writer) words into something they can conceptualize and understand.

Anybody can open a mic and read words-use your special gifts and personality to develop your on-air character and tell the story.

GET PERSONAL
Quite often, we hear "hi to Sue, listening to us at work today" and if we're being totally honest, about 95% of the time, it's made up...right?  Why not  keep a copy of your station's loyal listener database in your studio and, a couple of times an hour, do actual personal shout-outs BUT say their first name, last name and where they work/where they're from.  Yes, saying an actual listeners whole name and workplace!  Why?  There thousands of "Sues" listening but only one "Sue Daniels working at PNC Bank".  If you're voicetracking, it doesn't  matter if they're actually listening the precise time you do it- it's the fact you're confirming that other real listeners are tuning in (making the same great choice as your other listeners) and you're truly grateful that they listen.  And, on the off chance that somebody who knows them hears it, that's an added bonus when they say, "hey, Sue- they said HI to you on XXXX!".  This is great social proof, further cementing the bond with your audience.

Admittedly, this is pretty fundamental and basic but if we Programmers aren't teaching our talent more than what to do but how to do it, we won't really hear it come out of the speakers.  When CBS Radio's Dan Mason announced his thoughts on I.D.ing the music recently, I shared some ways on how to actually do it effectively so you'd have some direction and so your audience would hear it and appreciate you for connecting the dots for them.

Radio is the most intimate form of show business...does your show live up to that?  Are you ordinary or engaging, entertaining and memorable every day?

 Do your listeners think, "he/she is like me" when they tune in or is it all the same old noise to them?   Please don't allow a 'Denise' to replace you because she can say what you say, just cheaper.

JJ can be reached at JJDuling@aol.com
http://www.jjduling.blogspot.com

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PD's Here's How To Keep 'Denise' Out Of Your Life

I recently wrote an article about the new 'artificial intelligence' radio personality, 'Denise' and got a lot of feedback. The spirit of my piece wasn't that a computer-generated disc jockey is the answer for anybody or that developing her was radio blaspheme, but that if today's radio talent want Denise's aircheck relegated to programmers' junk mail folder, you should make sure you don't sound canned, generic or like everybody else. 

I guess I'm just one of those delusional programming types who still believes in the value of our on-air talent and how you can be what distinguishes us from being just a jukebox or a Pandora.  In these days of smaller staffs and more duties, it's not uncommon to take an assembly line approach (even unintentionally), however it shouldn't be an excuse for being ordinary.  Much of what you'll see over the next several postings will seem terribly obvious to many but I'd challenge you to listen to a lot of radio in various markets and tell me that, save for a few driven, motivated stars, there's much inspired, passionate, fired-up radio going on.

SMILE, HAVE FUN AND GET INTO WHAT YOU DO!-  There's nothing more boring than hearing a radio personality sounding detached or uninterested.  Whether live or pre-recorded, think of some sort of 'pre-game' ritual to get fired up before your show.  Deliver your station's calls/logo and positioner with passion and enthusiasm (never just rush through it just to get to what's next).  If you don't sound pumped and interested in your listeners, they'll likely never be interested in you.

GO IN WITH A PLAN- It's been said that great radio talent is in show prep mode 24/7/365 and that makes a lot of sense.  What's the day's big buzz?  Who's saying crazy things?  What are your listeners talking about?.  It could be a hot movie or major local event, tonight's big game or some unusually great/ bad weather...there's always something.  If your listeners are talking about it, you should be talking about it.  The best talent aren't just great at talking but also at listening...hearing what's going on around you and your audience.  Prepare your breaks and how you're going to get in and get out of it so you're totally confident.  More than ever, being totally focused and concise is vital.

YOUR VOICE IS YOUR GIFT...SO IS YOUR MIND- When I got into radio as a teenager, I was worried I didn't have a good enough voice to be much and was told "it's not what voice you have but how you use it".  How true.  Examine your pacing, intensity, inflection.  And, use the great range God gave you as an artist uses different hues and colors.  The calls/logo doesn't necessarily have to sound exactly the same all the time, nor does your pacing.  Tailor your approach to the song you're presenting or coming out of.  If you just rip through breaks, they'll all tend to sound the same.  Just think of going through a fast food drive-through and how much of their introduction tends to sound like 'noise'.  Why?  Because they repeat basically the same thing the same way hundreds of times a day, smoking through it so they can take your order.  That's why many of us think, "huh???" when we hear them.  Since you're far more talented and skilled, please don't allow yourself to fall into that trap.

DITCH THE CLICHE WORDS/PHRASES:  In other words, speak your listeners' language.  "On your Tuesday", "your chance to win", "keep it here", "register to win", "by request"...many jocks say this sort of thing hour after hour, day after day, week after week, all at about the same pace, tone and intensity.  There are about a thousand ways to say nearly everything but most talent don't get much past #2 or 3.  If you have a crutch you're having a tough time breaking, one exercise is to get a legal pad and write your crutch phrase at the top; then, give yourself sixty seconds or so to jot down alternative words or phrases.  You won't even have to take that into the studio- the exercise itself will stimulate your mind and help steer you out of the ditch.

I realize a lot of these things might seem like Radio 101...basic, fundamental, obvious stuff.  Yet, as multi-tasked as you're asked to be, it's sometimes easy to just crank your show out and not put lots of thought and preparation into crafting your content so it sounds fresh, different and uniquely you.  None of us wants radio talent to become irrelevant and if we're constantly finding ways to stand out from the crowd, we'll more easily maintain our value.  Radio is, after all, the most intimate form of show business.  Are you putting on a show or just whipping through to get it out of the way.  That is our choice.

Reach out to JJ at JJDuling@aol.com or visit his blog at http://www.jjduling.blogspot.com

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