Very often, the best lessons come from situations that didn’t work out exactly as planned. Twenty years ago, at Clear Channel (now iHeart), we had the vision that talent was the key to radio being a meaningful companion. Elvis Duran was crushing it in New York and being spread to Miami and other markets. Delilah was on nearly all of the company’s AC stations every night. Sean Compton was handling talent acquisition (he is now one of the most powerful people in television) and wanted a household name for female targeted morning radio. The decision was made to sign Whoopi Goldberg.
We launched the show with great fanfare and even better affiliates, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia and more. After all, Whoopi was an EGOT (Emmy, Granny, Oscar, Tony) winner. Who wouldn’t want an award-winning household name in morning drive on their station?
Whoopi had a storied stage and screen career. And while she earned an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe win for her role in the 1985 film Color Purple, most of the radio audience was expecting the Whoopi that made them laugh in Sister Act. However, her vision was a show more in line with what you see her doing today on The View. I can tell you from sitting in the studio most mornings, the audience wasn’t expecting that.
Oh, there were funny moments, and some great interviews and amazing stories. However, as we have come to learn, in a 9-minute listening occasion you have to be true to your brand. The number of listener calls that began “You’re so funny, Sister Act was my favorite movie of all time…” made me weary. Whoopi may have been the most talented person that I have ever worked with, but that was not enough to give her the ratings success that was expected.
No matter what kind of show you are doing, you need to ask “what is the listener expectation?”, and “what is MY brand?” In the same manner you would not expect Stephen A. Smith to host love songs, Charles Barkley to do Shakespeare or Delilah to emulate a shock jock, all 3 of those personalities have a brand, or expectation when you tune in to watch or listen to them.
So what’s your brand? What’s the basic plot of your show? If you are part of an ensemble, what role do you play? Once you’ve successfully answered those questions, you need to run all content through that filter. The guidelines are clear if you’re the “funny” show, or the “feel good” show. Things like politics are totally off the table.
On the other hand, shows like “The Breakfast Club” thrive on political issues and strong opinions. The show that put the great WFAN on the map was Mike and the Mad Dog. It just wasn’t the same after Chris went to SiriusXM. Mike screaming at listeners wasn’t as much fun as his rants at Chris who would scream back. The conflict between them drove New Yorkers to tune in. They knew their brand, their roles and fulfilled listener expectations every day.
I can’t tell you how many shows I’ve worked with where the personalities are unsure of their role, and what their on-air relationship should be with the other players on the show. Look at any long running successful TV show, the audience knows how each character will react to situations. Think about it, from “I Love Lucy” to “Everyone Loves Raymond”, the conflict between characters created great comedy. If you’re part of an ensemble show, or overseeing one, use this time at the end of the year to make sure each character is clearly defined and that they know their roles.
Sometimes as people work together over a period of time they adopt some of the same opinions and mannerisms of the others in the studio. Re-evaluation is needed. Did the young single change after marriage and parenthood and lose their edge? Shows like Elvis Duran and Dave Ryan have changed co-hosts over the years to stay relevant which keeps them winning. The great Kidd Kraddick was obsessed with show evolution to the point that when he passed away the show endured for years at the top of the ratings in Dallas.
Radio shows are just on the air for 20 hours a week. If your brand is strong though, you will stay on your listeners minds even when you’re not broadcasting. I assure you, people think about Howard Stern, Charlemagne Tha God, Delilah and Elvis Duran beyond their show times.
So…what’s YOUR brand?
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Jim Ryan is a Music Radio columnist for Barrett Media. In addition, he runs Jim Ryan Media LLC, a consulting company which assists major market radio brands and top talent including national radio personality Delilah. Prior to relaunching his consultancy in 2025, Jim spent 15 years with Audacy/CBS Radio, serving as SVP of Programming. Among his responsibilities included programming WNEW-FM and WCBS-FM. His career includes additional programming stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston. Jim was voted the #2 PD of 2024 in Barrett Media’s Top 20 series in the AC category. He can be reached by email at Jim@JimRyanMedia.com.
