Many on-air shows, solo and teams, are only creating surface connections with their audience. They opt to keep it light by choosing low hanging fruit content, ignoring the big things (or just mentioning them to check off a box) and…

When we make the jump from on air to programming on a music station, regardless of the format, the first thing we’re taught is a very simple rule that sounds easy to follow yet trips up so many. Depending on…

When I’m evaluating an on-air personality or show, regardless of the daypart, one of the main two things I’m listening for is the amount of content they brought to the show that day and what they added to that content.…

I’m a firm believer that radio stations should man as many dayparts as their budgets will allow so they’re as live and local as possible. However, there are a lot of different definitions for what those often tossed around terms…

Here’s the long-term vision of most of the big radio groups: ‘How few people can we employ at the local level, and how cheaply, without MAJORLY hurting ratings, digital stats and revenue?’ I say majorly because they fully understand that…

Meetings are an essential part of any company with more than a few people. They help us communicate so everyone’s on the same page, brainstorm new ideas, plan ahead and a whole host of other things that are great for…

Going into this season most NFL analysts agreed that the Philadelphia Eagles won the off-season. It pains me to say that as a life-long Cowboys’ fan duty bound to despise all things Philly, but clearly those talking heads were on…

Sticky content is just what it sounds like, content that sticks with the listener. Things they go to work and tell their coworker, recount later to their friends and significant other, or even to the on-air talent themselves at a…

Over the course of my career coaching and managing talent I’ve worked with every level of on-air personality. That includes former number one talent trying to recapture the hunger required to get there again, experienced people who’ve had moderate success…

We’ve all been to a neighborhood bar that’s filled with regulars taking up the best seats. Sat there waiting while the bartender, who of course knows them all, hangs out across from those regulars, laughing, yucking it up and handing…

I’ve never been a detective, but I’ve talked to a few and watched enough cop shows to know that the best way to track down a criminal is to think like a criminal. You can’t catch them by saying, ‘what…

Those of us who have been in the radio industry long enough have a handful of stories about former bosses with management approaches that wouldn’t fly today (and shouldn’t have then either.) I’ve seen chairs thrown from a studio into…

The amount of content necessary to fill our airwaves, station websites and social feeds can be overwhelming. Especially when most stations are being asked to create all that content with less resources and staff each passing year. That’s part of…

It’s a battle as old as the industry itself. One that affects us all regardless of market size or location. In my experience, virtually every radio station seems to have some degree of tension between their programming and sales departments…

When programming any new music station it’s easy to get in the habit of having a specific, set amount of songs in each of our current categories. This practice can of course be a good thing because it keeps us…

With the rise of social media and the multitude of digital platforms competing for our attention throughout our daily lives, we’ve officially entered the era of the content creator. That segmenting of where people get their content, and the kinds…

The Seattle Seahawks are one of the best stories in the NFL this year, at least so far. Despite losing their franchise quarterback and turning to a guy the rest of the league had pretty much given up on, they’re…

I’m a huge proponent of on-air personalities doing lots of showprep and working further in advance because a lack of preparation, or only preparing right before the show begins, is one of the main things shows get wrong. However…

Like many people I grew up watching Saturday Night Live and I still quote lines from it with references that are increasingly lost on people with each passing year. Because I’m a superfan one of the podcasts I go out…

This is a hard blog for me to write. As a musician and a self-described music snob, there are few things I enjoy more than sitting in a room with other music lovers and evaluating new tunes. Even though I…

I know that sounds like a pretty basic question. But, it’s an important one that we should always ask ourselves if we’re lucky enough to do a live and local shift on any radio station. Because if we don’t start…

There are lots of great radio show prep services out there, Cheat Sheet, Sheet Happens, Personality Magnet and many more. I strongly recommend that all on air talent subscribe to at least one of them as they can all help…

I’ve written a lot about stopset length and how I believe radio needs to shorten their commercial breaks to better compete with our digital opponents. But, I get that not every station can switch to something as extreme as my…

At best most shows have one or two spots a day where they’re connecting with the listeners, usually through contesting or their best daily benchmark. That’s certainly better than shows that don’t connect with the audience at all. But, it’s…