Fix The Three Things That Drive Listeners Crazy

Radio listeners are a picky, fickle bunch. They listen less than we would like, have little loyalty to a favorite personality or station, and are quick to tune out anything that annoys them. Every radio show can reduce audience turnover by fixing the three things that drive listeners crazy (not counting commercials. There’s nothing you can do about that yet).

Imagine you opened a terrific restaurant featuring a fantastic chef with a unique menu. Critics are raving about it. But there are a few problems.

Problem #1: It’s in a hard-to-find location that doesn’t appear on navigation systems.

Problem #2: The chef’s identity is hidden, and guests know nothing about him or her.

Problem #3: The restaurant is always loud, with music blasting and bright lights. It’s impossible to have a relaxed meal.

These are barriers to success. Wouldn’t you make changes that unlock the potential? Of course, you would. So why wouldn’t you fix these common problems that drive your audience crazy? Radio stations create barriers to listening, but it’s fairly easy to fix the problems if it’s a priority. For personalities, listeners have a problem with:

Problem #1: Confusion

The restaurant can’t assume customers will magically discover them. It needs to be convenient and to find. Similarly, radio personalities often assume the audience knows more than they do, creating a barrier to usage. We assume listeners know you have a husband, two young kids, and a golden retriever because you talk about them “all the time.” Uh, no, they don’t. Most don’t know your name (see problem #2), let alone the names of family members. Or, since you talked about a topic 10 minutes ago, you assume the current audience heard it and recalls it. Probably not. The audience turns over quickly and those who have the radio on aren’t paying attention. Or, we do this feature every day at the same time. It’s the same phone number to call and everyone knows the details. No. They don’t. Not at all.

The most important job of a host is to ensure the audience doesn’t get “lost.” Every host should become proficient in resetting the topic,  communicating the basics, and providing necessary information so the audience isn’t confused,,,every time.

Problem #2: Who’s Talking?

Wouldn’t you want to know the name of the chef who created a culinary masterpiece? Listeners want to know who’s talking on the radio. But many personalities make it difficult to figure out “who’s who,” especially on team shows. Introduce yourself frequently, and never assume the audience knows your name to make them feel welcome. Even if you’ve been introduced at the beginning of a segment, try to name-tag one another during the conversation. It’s awkward at first, but it allows listeners to sort out who’s talking. This is particularly important on shows with cohosts of the same gender and on shows where one name could be either a male or female.

Problem #3: Talking On Top Of One Another

This drives listeners crazy more than the others. It comes up in focus groups all the time. When more than one voice is talking simultaneously, listeners can’t sort it out. It’s chaos, like a noisy restaurant with a lousy ambiance. You can fix this by training yourself (and your team) to listen and respond rather than blurt a comment when you firstr think of it. Wait your turn and develop hand signals to smooth the conversation flow.

Conclusion

Fixing these common problems can make a huge difference. It’s the difference between the audience tuning out because they don’t understand what’s happening and being glued to the radio to hear what happens next.

Pic designed by KarlYukav for Freepik.com.

Tracy Johnson is a talent coach and programming consultant. He’s the President/CEO of Tracy Johnson Media Group. His book Morning Radio has been described as The Bible of Personality Radio and has been used by personalities worldwide.