Help your air staff grow and develop as talented performers. This is a great time to take a fresh look at their performances. Our job as programmers is to motivate, stimulate, counsel, and critique the staff. Programmers make time for the air talents, display a genuine interest, and help them perform better. Conduct a coaching session at least once a week, and more often with the morning talent(s). Consider these guidelines:
- Talents are actively involved in the station’s social media efforts. This goes beyond simply having their own separate Facebook page and Twitter. They contribute every day to the station’s social media accounts. One compelling post that listeners can weigh in and share is more powerful than a “shotgun approach” of multiple posts.
- Music is “on the money,” perfectly programmed by the software and hand-edited with precision by the Music Director. It’s listener-compatible song to song, hour to hour, shift to shift, day after day. The talent is familiar with the music and doesn’t make unauthorized changes.
- All personalities relate well to the target and provide interesting local information and artist/song relatables. The DJs are as into the music as the listeners. This may be the toughest tenet for some talents: a 20-something DJ needs to relate to a 40-something Classic Rock listener on the customer’s terms, as do 45-year-old talents relate to the younger CHR audience.
Air Talent Coaching Tips
Help your air staff grow and develop as talented performers, and the New Year is a great time to take a fresh look at performances. Our job as programmers is to motivate, stimulate, counsel, and critique the staff. Programmers make time for the air talents, display a genuine interest, and help them perform better. Conduct a coaching session at least once a week, and more often with the morning talent(s). Consider these guidelines:
- Conversations are succinct and well edited, leaving the listener wanting more, not less. Idle chatter is MIA.
- The station is TSL-driven as the personalities give listeners genuine reasons to stay tuned by promoting upcoming music, contests, or memorable information. Appointments are “set” for more tune-in times throughout the day.
- All information elements, the music, and talent contributions flow with continuous momentum, never giving the audience a reason to tune away.
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John Lund is President of the Lund Media Group, a radio programming consulting firm with specialists in all mainstream radio formats. Did you find this article useful? You can leave a comment below or email John at John@Lundradio.com.