One of the things “THEY” say is that in radio, there are no original ideas. One idea I regret never being able to reuse is the DJ crossover talk. I am not sure why, but that feature I used to love to hear on the radio. I didn’t just get to hear it on the radio, I saw it live and in person. Maybe that’s what made it so special. I got to see how the magic happened, not to mention the personalities that made it happen.
Kiss 108: A Lesson in Personality
Kiss 108 in Boston was a special station, and interning there is part of what made me the programmer I became. From the end of morning drive to the beginning of morning drive the next day they did a crossover from show to show with the respective personalities.
It was spontaneous, I know, because again I saw it happen live. It was fun, funny and entertaining. The key to this feature was the personalities. Witnessing these larger-than-life personalities interact for the listener’s benefit was magical. I didn’t have the opportunity to replicate the feature for two reasons. One, my first programming gig was in the same market, and two, by the time my next programming position came about, syndicated personalities were in place, which prevented the crossover.
AI vs. Human Connection
I recently viewed a presentation for an AI program for radio. The product seemed solid. It was user-friendly and took key elements into consideration for the features that it offers. The AI personality’s delivery sounded smooth and confident. But they lacked connection.
AI personalities can give you the details of a Beyoncé concert, but not the experience of seeing one, or express feelings from the Destiny’s Child Beyoncé to what we see today. It can’t have empathy for what the scores of fans will have when she appears on stage.
But even beyond a Beyoncé show, even addressing the weather in an area that has been ravaged by rain or heat, as so many have been in the last few years. These are all elements that personalities in radio today should have in their repertoire.
Building Deeper Connection
However, this almost takes a retraining or refocus as a deeper, more meaningful connection needs to be made without making breaks long and drawn out. So, while you are looking inward to life experiences that highlight the overall cultural experience, self-editing will be even more important.
To some, this may lead them to think that I have an outdated view of what a radio personality should be today. To those, I point to behavior among your peers. If someone is not “real” or relatable, it’s a turn-off. Fluff and generic conversations that go on way too long will have listeners longing for a commercial break. Personalities are brands within a brand and should have those key branding factors of relevance, differentiation and esteem.
Be the Reason AI Won’t Work
I don’t think every break should be to prove you’re not an AI voice. The goal here is to be different but not AI different. Be the reason why AI won’t work for your station or market.
If you are connecting through empathy and creativity in every break, guess what you already are, listeners will feel you. You feel me?.
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Ken Johnson is an Urban/Hip-Hop columnist for Barrett Media. Born and raised in Washington DC, his career experiences include serving as VP of Urban formats for Cumulus Media, holding the Director of Urban Programming post at ABC Radio Networks, and programming stations in Birmingham, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City. He has also managed affiliate relations for the Nick Cannon show, and worked as the Executive Producer of The Hughley Truth Podcast hosted by comedian DL Hughley. Ken currently runs Mean Ole Lion Media, a content creation company and podcast network. He can be reached by email at ken@kenjohnsonmedia.com.
