Promos and liners drive your radio station’s theme. There are several services that even the most fastidious programmer will utilize. I get it, you are doing more than one job. There are a bunch of priorities that fill your time. I find it important to make time to write as much as possible for your radio station.
Quentin Tarantino writes the scripts for his movies. Having your radio station’s narration coming from the mind of one person is best. Very few of us have an imaging director on staff anymore. I took a writing course called the ‘ABC’s of Copywriting.’
Here are some of the themes of that training that I try to follow:
Use an Attention-Grabbing Opener
What is the theme of the promo and what is an audio clickbait first line? Here is a terrible way to open a promo: “News Radio 103 has the best weather coverage.” That line lays there like a corpse and has 0.0% chance of getting your listeners’ attention.
Use something like with some sound fx, “Tornados, Hail, Strong Winds… It’s spring in Topeka and News Radio 103 is here to keep you safe.” Make it about the threat and how the radio station will be there for the audience. It is always about the listeners. I encourage you not to get too sensational with any natural disaster-style promo. There is a line between credibility and being over the top.
Let’s say that your station is hosting a politics and pints event. Open with something like: “Your opinion is center stage with some suds and (host names), it’s Newsradio 103’s Politics and Pints.”
You could open a promo like this, “Has (Host’s Name or Show’s Name) cracked up?” Play the sound bit from the show… End Donut… “Your thoughts and Prayers are needed for (Host’s Name) Weekday afternoons at 3 following Clay and Buck on Newsradio 103.
A Strong Call to Action
Obviously, every promo or liner should be designed to inspire more listening to the station. What is the call to action? What is the promo or liner trying to communicate? If there is one weakness that I hear on most news/talk stations, it is the call to action. What is that liner or promo accomplishing? What is the purpose of that individual promo or liner? Is there a solid call to action?
Are your promos or liners reflecting the life and concern of your audience? When I was in Joplin, there was a rash of car break-ins. The police said that people were keeping their windows cracked open and tweakers were breaking into cars looking for cash. I did a promo about Methy Marvin and his quest for another hit of meth. I have built liners around the biggest news stories of the day.
Being topical is huge. If your liners just say, “It’s Dan Bongino on News Radio 103.” You are missing a huge opportunity. Especially during a network show. You must be selling forward to the next daypart or building your brand with these precious seconds on your station. You only have 8 seconds, make it count. These liners should not sit there like your mom’s macaroni and cheese in your stomach.
A side note: Unless it is unavoidable, I don’t use my dry liners over the network show’s bumper music. Some syndicated shows have terrible or off-demo bumper music. Don’t allow these shows to destroy your station’s brand. Every show that your station carries is a part of your brand. Your station should sound seamless. I get it, this is tough if your station is primarily syndicated shows. Your brand is what identifies every show, newscast, traffic report, and weather report to your station. Syndicated shows can be all over the place on their focus.
I heard a national show want to speak with Grandma’s only a while back. Ok, sparky, most news/talk radio stations need to focus on their target demographic. Most of these stations’ listenership is about 65% male. This is like the rock station stopping down to play songs by Michael Bolton, Seal, and Celine Dion in a row to please the ladies of the audience.
Music Matters
Every station that I have programmed has an individual personality. This is because every community is a little different. Some stations need to sound bigger than life, and some need to sound sarcastic. I have never tried to give my personality to the station, because I want to reflect the station’s personality and the listeners’ lifestyle.
Here’s one thing I want to stress about one voice writing for the station. I believe that the station needs consistent narration. I am a nerd and love to watch documentaries. Imagine watching a documentary and the writing style keeps changing. Your station’s imaging voice is the narrator of your brand.
Over time, I have used a variety of different imaging voices on my stations. Generally, I pick these voices based on the personality of the station. There are certain imaging voices that just don’t fit on one station, but I want the voice that didn’t fit on my next station. It is a feel. Your radio station should not sound impersonal or mechanical. Every news/talk station is a living, breathing, entity. You must demonstrate that fact every hour of each day.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
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.
