We are all responsible for our radio shows. Every moment that a listener gives you is a treasure. The worst lie that you can ever tell is the one you tell yourself. I heard a host brag about never listening to himself. What an error in judgment and a mistake in life.
Here is a sports analogy: Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs is widely considered the best quarterback in the NFL. Mahomes is gifted with superior speed, throwing ability, and judgment. Two of those things are a blessing. I can’t toss a perfect pass 50 yards and my speed is certainly poor. Mahomes’ athleticism is just unquestionable. His commitment to getting better is a challenge to us. He never takes a day off during the season. He watches film, not only of his opponent for the next week, but watches and grades his own performance as well.
Do you do the same? Are you listening to yourself? Do you find the mistakes? Are you making the best decisions for your show and station?
Everyone hates listening to themselves. Everyone. Now, since that is a truth, we can all agree on why should you listen to yourself. We all fall into traps. Perhaps we start speaking in a pattern that is unintentional but obnoxious. Or take too long to make a point.
Do you ramble? I think that all talk radio hosts do these things. Some Program Directors do a disservice to their station and the team by not doing an aircheck session. Some radio hosts need these more than once a week. There are hosts who need these sporadically due to the quality of work they do.
A buddy of mine was at a station for several years. He was a star who was very involved in the community. He was so busy that the show was not the priority. Eventually, the ratings started to slip. This guy was oblivious. He thought being an ambassador to the show and the station was a huge priority. He got the pink slip on a Friday. The new host was in his seat a few weeks later. His eye was not on the priority: the show!
Who was to blame? The Market Manager? Yes, some of it. The Brand Manager? Probably a little more of the blame. The host? Much of the blame of the failure of his show was on him. This guy was blaming everyone other than himself. I asked whether he shouldered some of the reasons for his firing. He thought for a couple of minutes and said “Yes”. When you get on the air, you are the artist. You are the main attraction.
How should you aircheck yourself? WCCO’s long-time afternoon host Steve Cannon always airchecked himself on the drive home. Cannon was a huge ratings success for decades. Steve kept his eye on the ball.
Now, if Patrick Mahomes or Jalen Hurts watch their successes and mistakes after each game, why shouldn’t you? Find a post-show time to listen to at least some of your radio show. I think that it is best to leave the show complete with service elements and commercials. This will give you the experience that your listeners endure to hear you.
How was the tease for the next segment? Would you remain listening to hear it? Tell yourself the truth. Are you saying the name of the station and yourself enough? Don’t take anything for granted. You have new listeners every show. Are you making it easy to follow along? If you are interviewing a guest, are the questions short? Are your questions creating an environment for honesty from your guests? If you are interviewing the Governor, ask him/her what the worst part of the job is? Ask about whether living in the public eye is uncomfortable for them and their family. Did you ask a red-herring question? Something totally unrelated just to throw the Governor off a little?
Sometimes, doing these things allows you to get behind the curtain. Your audience wants to know these things. Are you too close or too combative with a guest? Airchecks will help you solve these issues.
Truthfully answer this question: Would you listen to your own radio show?
It is a fair question. If you wouldn’t, why? Is there something that you are hearing? Is there an easy fix? Raw honesty is excellent in life.
Airchecking yourself is like going to rehab. A lot of people have had to go to recovery for issues that are plaguing their ability to be a good spouse, friend, parent, employee etcetera. One of the tenets of rehab is to find the reason for the negative behavior. Once you find the reason, you can build to overcome the obstacle.
Well, airchecking yourself works in the same way. You reflect on the good, bad, and the ugly of your show. You build on the good and adjust the other parts that are not as optimal. Even if you are getting regular airchecks from your Program Director, reviewing on your own will improve your game. It is all about reaching our optimal performance. We can always do better. There is never a perfect show.
As a Program Director, I have saved promos I have written and produced for decades. Sometimes, I review my work. I often listen to a promo that I loved at the time and realized that it sucked. I have listened to promos that I thought were just ok and found out that they were amazing. Be your own critic. You can win!
Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He currently serves as News/Talk Format Captain for Zimmer Communications. Prior to joining Zimmer, Peter held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Des Moines, Little Rock, Greenville, Hunstville, and Joplin. Peter has also worked as a host, account executive and producer in Minneapolis, and San Antonio. He can be found on Twitter at @PeterThiele.
