Note: This post is written for Copywriters who also work an on-air shift – and we are starting off covering the basics.
Any On-Air Jock worth their salt does show prep. And I don’t mean sitting around reading the paper for half an hour before they go on-air, or skipping through the news and gossip websites.
Nope. In the many, many years of radio experience I have had (it’s about 16 years in total), there has been only one that just walked straight in from his car and started his show – and it was obvious that he did this because he had no idea what was going on in the world – and his shift could easily have been cut and pasted from one day to another and you wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.
So what should you do? Here are 8 things that I am often reminded of when I hear a bad show on-air:
- Prep begins with a mind set – you are NOT doing a ‘shift on-air’. You are putting on a show, so it should be approached as such. You are there to entertain, inform and guide listeners through their day. So knowing you have to do that should be the first part of your plan.
- What you want to do is connect with your audience, and you do that through understanding them. Why they are listening to you during your show is important because you need to connect with as many ‘me too’ moments – as in – ‘they get me’, or ‘yes I agree’. So if you are doing a drive shift, talking about breakfast foods is not a great way to connect – unless you are cross promoting with your breakfast crew about tomorrows topic. You need to understand what it is that they are doing ‘right now’ and relate with them, or you can go the opposite and make them make them fantasise about what they ‘could be doing’. The best thing is that being a copywriter, you should be better at this than anyone else – you should be able to shift your mind set to how other people think, be able to connect faster and understand a range of topics quicker, which leads me to
- Almost any topic should be open for discussion on radio – IF IT IS RELATED to what you are covering. Talking about someone famous doing something and not relating it to anything at all that is relevant really disconnects the listener from their experience of your show. Relevant ‘stories’ make a connection. Research the topic just like you would research a new business client. Find a way to relate it to what your listener will identify with and bring it back to what/how it will affect them.
- While sitting in the booth by yourself may be a lonely experience, and while also having a plan about what you are going to cover is a good thing to have… who are you talking to? Are you pitching your show to the right person – I have always been told that you are trying to connect with that one person out there who needs some companionship. They may be in a car driving from one place to another while running errands, or they may be sitting at home working on a computer with the radio on. You need to connect in your minds eye with that one person. One station I worked at had a photo up in the studio with a sign under it saying ‘this is Jane… SHE IS WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO!’ So avoid saying things that make you sound disconnected from your audience, like “Hi everyone”, “anyone out there?”, or, “some of you might think…”, or my least favourite… “dear listener” – nope it should be all “you and I” type of conversations.
- Remember your voice – YOU are the one in charge of your show and (unless you have a producer) you have final say on what goes to air. You must keep your voice energetic (but not too crazy) and you need to act as a guide for your listener. Don’t talk too much, or too little. Large words (unless that is your audience) and rambling never ending stories just make people turn off. Stay focused on whatever the current topic is, and keep the show going in ‘your voice’. AND… If you are talking about a complex issue, then your listener will be able to tell when you are reading something that has been prepared by someone else. So write what you want to say about a particular topic down, and word it the way you would say it.
- This shouldn’t need to be said, but you need to know your microphone – where you sound better with the position of your microphone can make a huge difference to the experience of a listener. Also – don’t keep on touching the microphone stand to reposition the microphone as you do your show. Move yourself so you don’t have to shout, so you don’t sound like you are off in the distance making a coffee while talking about the topic of the day. The same goes for “popping p’s” and breathing too heavily into the microphone. Remember the basic rules of microphone use – also – and I say this because I can hear it and it irritates the heck out of me… don’t drink coffee before or during your show to stop that lactose ‘click’ in your voice. Stay focused on your best friend – your microphone, and it will focus your voice in the listeners ear.
- Never be formulaic. One show you do should sound different to another one done a day ago, or last week. Sure you have segments that MUST be done at certain times – and it is easy to fall into the trap of saying the same thing at the same time, day in and day out. Break it up, shift bits around that you can and add some variety to spice up your show – talk about things you wouldn’t normally talk about. This is why it was always recommended to me to keep your show prep notes and talk break notes so you know what you did yesterday or last week – and sometimes it pays to do a call back to that time or moment if it resonated with your listener.
- Most importantly, be yourself, be a friend to your listener. You got this.
Now – I mentioned in that short list (short?!) a show prep sheet – some people call this an outline, I call it a prep sheet, broken down into 15 minute chunks, with a note on dedicated segments or places that need to be covered at that time, AND also notes on what you could talk about and why they might be of interest. For example, if you are doing the drive show, and it’s around 3.30pm, then you know its a good time to mention slowing down around school zones – or something similar. So write that in.
Also I found it very useful to write down notes about particular artists on those sheets, date or day specific information or quirky facts – what the topic of the day is, etc.
Having the show prep form in front of you while you on-air will keep you focused on the job at hand, and attached HERE is an example of a very, very basic show prep sheet, for free, no sign-ups, no emails – nothing. It is the bare minimum you will need to plan your shift, but it will help to give you an idea about what you can start with to design your own.
And finally – my biggest tip on show prep – never, ever, ever finish your show saying that you are “off now, catch you tomorrow”. NO! You are staying listening to the same station and the next show – this invites listeners to join you in the experience. It’s a minor thing that bugs the hell out of me – but seriously – plan a different sign-off and forward promote the next hour, the next show and that you are staying listening.
Until next time, don’t forget the difference between your A-B Channels, and stay on the air.
