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Freddie Coleman – ESPN Radio

Features

September 12, 2014

For many sports broadcasters, the opportunity to work for ESPN is a lifelong dream. It is viewed throughout our industry as one of the best sports media companies on the planet and when you get hired to work for the worldwide leader in sports, it provides a certain confirmation that you have arrived as a successful media professional. I can say that because I earned that honor back in 2004 and the man I’m writing about today, was right behind me entering the building (he’s stayed a lot longer than I did).

Freddie Coleman is one of those guys in our business who when you meet him, your instantly drawn to. He is full of life and energy and genuinely loves sports and being around people. His kindness and honest approach to doing sports radio is very contagious. While many listeners today know Freddie for what he’s accomplished the past 11 years on ESPN Radio, I have a little bit of an advantage because I knew him when he was a local radio DJ and TV sportscaster.

While I was pursuing my own radio career in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, I worked in a town called Poughkeepsie, NY which was in the Hudson Valley region of NY. The location was roughly 60-90 minutes away from New York City and while it was a small market, it was a great place to learn the radio business.

A little known fact about the Hudson Valley, it’s produced a number of popular sports media personalities. MLB Network’s Brian Kenny, ESPN NY’s Ryan Ruocco and current ESPN Broadcasters Kevin Connors, Jay Reynolds and Mike Breen are just some who’ve called the region home, in addition to my featured guest Freddie Coleman.

When I first heard Freddie on the air, he was spinning records for Mix 97.1 and doing overnights on Classic Rock station 101.5 WPDH. Both stations operated out of the same building in Poughkeepsie (a building I’d soon work in a few years later) and you could tell that Freddie was passionate about music and loved his job. I remember listening to him and thinking “that guy sounds like he has the best job on earth“.

While Freddie would have a solid 2-year run on the local radio scene, he was destined to do bigger things and next he’d take on a position in television as a sportscaster and news anchor for Cablevision in Dutchess County. As he got comfortable in his new surroundings, I landed in his previous stomping grounds, landing a job as a producer/update anchor/host for a brand new sports station, 1340/1390 ESPN Radio.

Our afternoon host Rick Zolzer was the PA Announcer for the New Jersey Nets and a popular morning sports personality on the WPDH morning show and he had known Freddie for a long time. I would book Freddie from time to time as a guest to chat about local sports stories on our show and it soon became a regular thing as he and Zolz had a good on-air connection.

Less than a year later, I was promoted to host afternoon drive with Zolz but a few months later, Rick would announce his intentions to leave the show so he could concentrate on his other jobs (he was juggling a ton at the time). The company elected to make me the new lead host of the show and before I knew it, Freddie was appearing on my show as my guest, which when I think about it today, is extremely ironic and kind of funny.

Before too long, our company would be purchased by a new group who turned the sports talker into a spanish hits station (I was offered the PD job and responded “no comprende”) and that led me to accepting an opportunity with WPDH (the station where Freddie had worked overnights), producing the morning show and doing news updates.

Following a 15-month run at the station I headed north to Albany, NY to join two former WPDH guys Bob Wolf and John Tobin and before I could even get settled, Freddie Coleman entered my life once again. Clear Channel Albany decided to give John his own afternoon sports show on Fox Sports 980 and he soon recruited Freddie to join him. I would help out the show from time to time with phone numbers and ideas but I was working on a morning show on WPYX with Bob and John so being committed to it wasn’t possible. However, I’d listen often and liked the show and felt they were on to something good.

I was planning to go to management to discuss joining the show on a permanent basis when out of the blue, I was offered a job at ESPN Radio in Bristol. The next thing I remember, was sitting at John’s kitchen table with Freddie and their producer Lena and giving them a ton of my guest numbers to help them with their show as I took off for Connecticut. I figured at this point that Freddie and I had crossed paths professionally for the last time but once again, I was wrong.

After landing at ESPN Radio and getting comfortable in my surroundings, I was asked by two of my bosses (Bruce Gilbert and Dave Zaslowsky) what I knew about a guy named Freddie Coleman. I instantly perked up and gave a glowing review and spoke of his energy, work ethic and likability on the air and I was asked to chat with him to find out if he would have interest in coming up for an audition. Dave asked me to get a demo tape as well so he could get a listen and I then touched base with Freddie and told him to rush me his demo asap.

Well Freddie certainly did send the tape, and it was terrible. The audio quality was bad, the flow from the show that day wasn’t good and I remember walking into a studio with Dave to listen to it and he said to me “This is it? That’s what he sent over“? I quickly called Freddie and let him know that I appreciated the bad demo tape but despite that setback, I had pleaded my case on why he deserved a look and he was getting a chance to come in for an audition. As you can imagine, he was pretty excited and swore that he’d be ready and not let me down.

I then talked to Dave and was told that the plan was set and Freddie would be brought in to co-host three nights of GameNight opposite John Seibel and Sean Salisbury. The nights would be Friday, Saturday and Sunday and he’d be in during a time when the Preakness and Indy 500 were happening. I thought immediately “Oh my god, he’s screwed….how the heck is he going to know anything about those subjects” and when I brought it up to him, he quickly calmed me down. He explained that he was an auto racing fan and proceeded to rattle off the names of a ton of drivers and historic events from both sports and I was blown away because this was off the top of his head. I knew that with some prep time he’d do well, as long as he didn’t let the moment and his surroundings get too big for him.

As luck would have it, John, Freddie and Sean would click, the three nights of shows were fun and management was impressed. I remember half way through the first night on the show Sean shouting on the air “This man is good. Hire him already. Give him a job“. I felt good because I knew how far Freddie had come to reach that level and I was personally proud because he exceeded even my expectations.

Shortly after that weekend Freddie was hired and after 11 years, he still remains there doing what he does best – talking sports and making people smile. I even had the pleasure of producing him for a year on the “GameNight” program and what I enjoyed most was that I could really push him and get through to him in ways that some others couldn’t because of our previous connection and the trust we had in each other.

For example (and he’s going to kill me for bringing this up, hahaha), Freddie still holds the distinction in JB’s book of delivering one of the worst outcues ever heading to a break. I’m sure Amy Lawrence remembers this too. Freddie who was notorious at the time for not reading the screen and using the producer’s guidance to help himself, presented the classic outcue of “If you don’t have your radio on ESPN Radio well then man, you just don’t have your radio on“.

We can laugh about it now but when he said it, I walked into the studio, shaking my head and showing clear frustration on my face and Freddie looked up from some small talk with Amy and asked “JB what’s wrong”? I replied “do you have any idea what you just said“? He looked at me puzzled, hoping he didn’t commit a Ron Burgundy moment and asked “what did I do“?

I then gave him the word for word recap and explained why I needed him to trust my direction and use the screen to his advantage. He agreed it wasn’t good and by the next segment, we were off and running and he was using the extra support to help him sign off stronger.

While that scenario may not be one of his proudest on-air moments (we all have one), what I loved about it was that a mistake became a coaching opportunity and when I challenged him to do better, he accepted it and worked harder to get it right. Sometimes guys will reject the advice or critique of someone they’re close to but in Freddie’s case, he wasn’t afraid to hear a critical point of view or different idea to help him get better, even from a friend.

The fact that he’s coachable, likable and committed to improving is a big reason in my opinion why he has continued to make great strides in his business. To be at ESPN Radio for 11 years signals that you’ve done a pretty good job and to still be willing to take direction and ask for help to get better, speaks volumes about what type of professional Freddie is.

I thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane and bring to light some of Freddie’s beliefs on creating good sports radio. It’s been a pleasure knowing and working with him over the past 15 years and to say that I’m proud of what he’s accomplished goes without saying.

Q: When did you first become interested in sports radio?

A: I loved sports radio since WFAN in New York debuted in 1987. A landmark day for sports nuts like me.

Q: Who were some of the personalities you enjoyed listening to?

A: Art Rust, Jr. on WABC. He was the 1^st host I heard that I loved. I loved his style and his knowledge.

Q: Before entering the sports radio industry, what media outlets did you work for? What were your responsibilities?

A: Who didn’t I work for. I worked as a Top 40/Classic Rock DJ in Portland, Maine, Poughkeepsie, New York, Albany, New York as well as in New York City. I also worked on TV as a Sportscaster/Color Analyst for the now defunct SportsChannel and Cablevision.

Q: How did you end up in Albany, NY doing sports talk radio?

A: My friend John Tobin (from our days in Poughkeepsie) wanted to do a sports show, but didn’t want to do it by himself. We had a trial run in the Summer of 2003 and got a chance to do Afternoon Drive in February.

Q: What did you learn from that experience?

A: Learning how to craft a show was invaluable and working with a partner who was completely off the cuff helped a bunch. There was nothing bad about any of it.

Q: What do you remember about your first night on ESPN Radio?

A: I figured I had nothing to lose, so I just went in and I was me. John Seibel, Sean Salisbury, Dave Zaslowsky, Jeremiah Crowe and you made it so much easier.

Q: What went through your mind that day leading up to the show?

A: That I couldn’t believe I was at the same place where Chris Berman, Robin Roberts, the late Tom Mees and Dan Patrick among others worked at. My jaw hit the floor the second I drove onto the campus. It was completely surreal.

Q: Your first regular show on ESPN Radio was “GameNight” where you worked with John Seibel, Doug Gottlieb, Chuck Wilson, Sean Salisbury and a slew of others. How would you characterize the experience of working on that program?

A: It was fantastic! I learned so much from all of those guys. We had our share of butting heads at times, but that will happen when you have people who are passionate with their opinions. I had a lot of great times on that show and those memories will last me a lifetime.

Q: What did you learn most from hosting that style of program?

A: I learned that when you listen, you learn so much more. It’s easy to want to get your words in, but when you listen to your co-host or an interviewee, you would be amazed at how much you can learn and create something that might be better. A very valuable thing that I use to great effect now.

Q: Next, you took on additional roles such as hosting the NFL on ESPN Radio and filling in on all of the key weekday ESPN Radio talk shows and currently you’re hosting your own program weeknights 10p-1a. How has your mindset changed, going from a personality on all of those branded shows to now hosting a show that carries your name on it?

A: I felt constricted by those shows because I always had it in my mind how much better it could be by putting my own stamp on it. I believed enough in my abilities that if/when that opportunity came, I would be able to make it work. Plus with my name out there, I’m not leaving anything to chance. Not that I did that before, but I’m really driven to show that I was right to have faith in what I felt I could always do if/when given the chance.

Q: You’ve been with ESPN Radio for a little more than 11 years. When you reflect back on the experiences you have had, what are you most proud of?

A: I’m proud that I haven’t tried to be someone or something else to either get ahead or make a show work. Listeners can feel when you are not real. Whether you agree with what I have to say or not, I am always coming from a credible and true place. There’s no fake in my game and I don’t shortcut my audience and this medium. And I NEVER WILL!

Q: I’ve noticed that you’ve started doing some TV work on ESPN’s First Take. What is it that you enjoy most about doing that show?

A: Being blessed to be a fill-in on that show is the thing I enjoy most. Never, EVER saw that coming! Plus debating Skip Bayless, Stephen A. Smith, Danny Kanell and others is always a good time.

Q: How do you prepare differently for that program vs. doing a radio show?

A: It’s the same thing to me. You’re bringing yourself to that forum and you go from there. The only difference is I’m wearing a suit compared to when I’m slumming on the radio side.

Q: When it comes to creating a talk show, what is your goal each night for your program?

A: My goal always is to make you feel like you’re missing something if you don’t listen. I always want this show to have that feel that if a listener goes away for one second, whether it’s to eat, use the bathroom or whatever, that they will be sorry they did.

Q: What do you want the audience to take away from a Freddie Coleman led program?

A: That there is no place that I’d rather be. I’m blessed to do what I love and I love what I do. That’s something I always want people to get from my show.

Q: When you analyze your own performance, what is one area where you believe you still need to improve?

A: Everything! I’m never satisfied with what I’ve done. I always feel I can feel I can improve in every area. Part of my problem is being a perfectionist.

Q: How do you assess the progress of the show? Who works with you on it and how often do you meet?

A: Every day I get feedback from my direct report Louise Cornetta. It is essential and necessary. And it is always on point. I get the good and the bad and she does nitpick, but that’s completely fine. It’s all about helping me get better. My producers Stosh Cienki and Rob Kelly are also involved and there is no such thing as sugar coating. If you want that, buy a candy bar.

Q: In terms of preparation for your show, how much time do you put in each day?

A: When I get up and before I get in at 6:30 p.m. My mind is always working on angles to a story. I’m always interested in what I/we can do to keep putting out compelling content without sounding like I feel the world is going to end.

Q: What are some of the things you do to get yourself ready?

A: I practice all the time. I have interviews in which I ask myself questions and answer them (strange, I know). I also read out loud to work on inflection and pacing, plus I love to read.

Q: How do you feel about interviews on a talk show? What makes them work or miss the mark?

A: I think they’re great if you do your homework on the subject. There is nothing more painful than hearing an interview and you can tell the interviewer didn’t do their homework. I also hate when the interviewer feels the need to show they are smarter than the person they are interviewing. That bothers me to no end!

Q: On the local level, calls drive a lot of talk programming. On the national level, it’s done a little differently. Why is that and how do you feel about caller participation?

A: I take calls all the time. I think when it’s done right and effectively, it adds to the show. But when I take calls, I lead them to where I want them to go. Nothing is worse than hearing a host having a caller on and the caller is rambling on endlessly about nothing. If you’re smart about it and your producer is great at screening (which I’m blessed to have), then it’s a great tool for your show. Hosts who have callers just to have them on strike me as lazy.

Q: For someone who’s considering entering our industry, what piece of advice can you pass along to help them in their quest to be successful?

A: Always feel that there is something out there that you don’t know. Have that insatiable thirst for knowledge and nothing/nobody will keep you from achieving what you want. The more you reach out for knowledge, the closer you will get to reaching your dreams.

You can hear Freddie Coleman’s show, weeknights from 10p-1a EST on ESPN Radio. You can also follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

Walking The Thin Line

Columns

Jason Barrett

September 11, 2014

One of the toughest decisions for an on-air personality is determining what is fair and appropriate and what is over the line and off limits. Some will say it’s easy and all you need to do is use good judgment but remember that we work in an industry which pushes its personalities to deliver hard hitting emotional opinions on subjects that may not necessarily be comfortable. When our people enter these muddy waters and take on touchy subjects, we’re the first to turn up the volume on our own radio stations and hope for them not to say something that could put the brand in an uncompromising position.

In my local market today, I’m watching the situation unfold after 49ers Broadcaster Ted Robinson delivered some commentary on the Ray Rice situation which offended a number of people. Truth be told, I don’t know Ted that well (we met once) but I’ve always found him to be a first class broadcaster and person and I was very surprised when I heard that he had ruffled feathers with his point of view. While his comments were bad and uncharacteristic, everyone has a bad moment in their life and maybe this is his.

That being said, I don’t believe it erases all the good he’s done over the course of his life or broadcasting career and it bothers me when I see others in a hurry to pile on while someone is down. I certainly don’t blame the 49ers either for taking this position because his comments put the team in an impossible situation.

To say I’ve gone through this a time or two would be an understatement. It’s not fun at all. The last thing a programmer or talk show host wants to deal with is the rage of an entire fan base and the loss of money from loyal advertisers. Whether we like it or not though, society today is way more sensitive and quick to respond on social media than ever before and once the storm starts, it’s not easy to get out of.

This isn’t to imply that an on-air host who makes a mistake should have his poor judgment swept under the rug and forgotten about because that definitely isn’t my point. It simply means that an offensive commentary with little substance or concrete fact to support it, puts those involved with the brand in a no-win situation.

During my time in St. Louis, my former afternoon host D’Marco Farr took a strong position on whether or not Rush Limbaugh should purchase the St. Louis Rams. D’Marco felt that Rush being involved with a team from an ownership point of view would make certain athletes think twice about whether or not to sign as free agents with the team. His opinion was strong and he had a good idea of how players thought, considering that he had spent seven years playing in the NFL but what he lost sight of was how Rush would react and how rabid his audience was.

Once D’Marco’s views were made public, Rush became aware and he went on the offensive, firing haymakers at my afternoon guy and calling on his listeners to stand up and support him and call for D’Marco’s head. Rush felt D’Marco’s position wasn’t accurate and he wanted to send a message to showcase his power. I remember D’Marco coming in to work and telling me “Dude, Jesse F’N Jackson just called my phone….Jesse Jackson…..this is freaking crazy!”. This was foreign territory for him and he was unsure how to handle the situation so we sat down, crafted an opening monologue and discussed the approach we’d take on the show that day.

In the background I handled the phone calls and emails that flew in from Rush’s fans and I alerted my bosses of what we were dealing with so they were informed. I stood by D’Marco because I knew the commentary wasn’t personal and I felt he had an honest point of view. I also knew who he was as a person and I felt he had handled the issue the right way.

As luck would have it, Jim Gray did an interview with Tom Brady and Larry Fitzgerald for Westwood One’s Monday Night Football broadcast and during his chat, both players admitted that they’d have to think twice about signing with a team owned by Rush. We cut up the audio and used it in D’Marco’s opening monologue and explained that there was no personal ill-will towards Rush or call to action for him not to be able to purchase the Rams, but to understand that his presence as an owner would create concerns with players in the league. D’Marco then closed the book on the issue and after that segment it was never relevant again.

While that particular issue wasn’t offensive to anyone but Rush and his audience, there have been plenty of examples where guys in our industry have went over the imaginary line. From Kirk Minihane in Boston, to Mayhem In The AM in Atlanta to Stephen A. Smith at ESPN to my own guy Damon Bruce in San Francisco, each of these guys have had the displeasure of being suspended or in the public line of fire and there are countless others who have endured the same wrath. Yet many of them draw strong audiences exactly for that same reason.

So if the audience is showing up to hear a passionate, honest and uncomfortable commentary from a talk show host who is known to present a polarizing presentation, and your on-air personality is willing to put themselves out there and live on the edge, is that a bad thing? I know plenty of programmers who prefer a less controversial personality and I know executives who want guys who will strike a chord and get the world talking. Whether it’s Keith Olbermann, Jim Rome, Colin Cowherd, Charles Barkley, Bill Simmons, Stephen A. Smith or Skip Bayless, these guys say things that we take notice of and while it may sometimes bother us, they’re usually also the people who we have the most passionate conversations and opinions about.

It’s easy to react after the fact to what someone says but when you’re in the moment and emotionally charged, it’s not always easy to slow down. It’s like asking a Nascar driver to go from 200 miles per hour to 20 in a split second. I’m not making excuses for any on-air personality because I believe when you step into that studio and get behind a microphone you have a responsibility to be smart with your words and not damage the radio station or your own personal brand, but I also recognize how double-sided things can be.

In every radio station I’ve worked at as a PD, I’ve had the following document printed up and posted inside the studio or on the door entering the room. While some may lose sight of these things along the way or break my balls for it being hokey, it all makes sense, especially the first line. As an air talent, you can go after any individual’s performance. Their results speak for themselves and they’re fair game. We can also criticize decision making because whichever way an organization or individual leans on an important matter, there’s another side to the conversation to be discussed.

Our Commandments

Where I draw the line and will get into a heated exchange with an individual is when it becomes mean spirited and personal. If you don’t like a team, that’s fair. If you want to insult the people on the team though for what they do in their personal lives, that’s got no business in the discussion unless you can show a clear connection to it impacting the team (EX: Ray Rice’s domestic violence issue, Plaxico Burress shoots himself in a nightclub, Michael Vick dog fighting, etc.).

For example, if you dislike the Dallas Cowboys and the decisions that Jerry Jones makes, that’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it. You can go after the team’s record, roster moves and question whether or not Jerry and his people are effective at their jobs. To suggest though that the reason the team is bad is because Jerry is a drunk and a womanizer, would be an example of something uncalled for and it would lead to a bigger problem for a host on my watch.

If you can’t prove it or show that it has relevance to performance, then it’s wise to avoid it. Otherwise you’ll be swimming alone in an ocean full of great white sharks who want to eat.

I remember last year when former slugger Jack Clark accused Albert Pujols of using steroids and his comments led to the Pujols camp threatening to take legal action against Jack and his employer. Immediately Jack was suspended and then terminated, as was his on-air partner Kevin Slaten. While Jack and Kevin may have had their suspicions, they didn’t have proof and when you enter that arena, it’s a tough one to come out of.

Put yourself in the position of the radio station, are you going to defend the individual on-air who fired an accusation they can’t prove while a multi-millionaire hires the best legal team on the planet to make sure your company is brought to its knees? Probably not! I know this, I’d have done exactly what the radio station did and I personally like Jack who previously worked for me and is one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met.

While those are just some examples of things and how they can go wrong, I feel for some of the guys who do this type of work on-air and are known for being strongly opinionated and not afraid to take a stand on difficult subjects. Every day whether they realize it or not, they are risking their careers for the audience’s personal enjoyment. People want to know what our personalities think and they use their points of view to further their own conversations with family and friends throughout the rest of the day and night. Yet one slip and fifteen years of accomplishments can be quickly forgotten.

Sure you could say that it’s not that hard of a job, you get paid to give your opinion on sports and there’s a certain degree of truth to that, but how many people have ever gotten paid to give an opinion and then felt the wrath of a city when the majority have disagreed? In most people’s lives, they say something and a few friends disagree and that’s all there is to it. In our world, one unpopular position can lead to thousands calling for your job, personal attacks being delivered to your personal email or social media accounts, advertisers threatening to harm your employers bottom line if they don’t take action and teams, athletes, media members and fellow colleagues threatening to not do future business with the brand or associate with it due to one person’s involvement. It’s not as easy to handle as some might think.

I’m not here to tell you where the imaginary line is or provide you with the secret ingredients to avoid it. The truth is, every difficult topic presents a challenge for a broadcaster. Some pass with flying colors and some don’t. I personally believe that when you allow your emotions to take over and lead you to a place where your expertise is limited, your chances of falling on your face are enhanced. Yet some hosts can’t help themselves and make that mistake.

Let’s face it, we are not investigators, psychologists, doctors, therapists or members of law enforcement. We’re passionate sports fans who occupy a chair and microphone inside an air conditioned studio and get to pontificate on the world of sports. We don’t expect people in these other professions to step into our shoes and do what we do effectively so why would we think we can do their jobs with any strong degree of success?

When it comes to decision making I always believe that if you have to ask someone if what you’re about to do is a good idea, chances are it probably isn’t. I can’t tell you how many times a host will run something by me or a producer will ask me if they should include some type of questionable content in a promo and once I ask them if they really think it’s worth it, they nearly always agree that it isn’t.

I also think that sports radio personalities should steer clear from areas that divide and offend an audience. For example, I always tell my hosts to avoid politics, religion and race whenever possible. People come to us to hear us talk about sports, not provide our views on republicans vs. democrats, Jesus Christ or the racial divide in our country. Leave that for news talk outlets.

I understand that there are times when these issues must be broached. The Donald Sterling story and baseball’s day on capital hill are two stories that come to mind, but unless it connects to sports, we’re not paid for that level of commentary and usually it puts a personality in a bad position and even worse, it costs you listeners.

Remember this, if you’re going to take hard stances and be known as the personality who isn’t afraid to tackle the tough issues, you better have thick skin and some evidence on your side to support your uncomfortable positions. People today voice their opinions more than they ever have and they’re listening and hanging on to your every word to determine whether or not they agree or disagree with you.

The second you slip and leave yourself vulnerable, an avalanche could be coming your way. So protect yourself, be smart, stay in the lane you know best and always bring a shovel because you never know when you may have to use it to dig yourself out of something.

Why It Pays To Recycle

Columns

Jason Barrett

September 9, 2014

It’s easy to lose sight of the audience’s needs when you’re laying out a game plan for your radio show. Usually a Host and Producer chat throughout the day about topic ideas. Then guests get booked, callers/social media reaction is introduced and along the way, a talk show tries to cover every single story that captured the host’s interest over the past 24 hours. There’s only one problem – what you’re talking about might mean something to you but not necessarily to your audience.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “less is more” at some point in your life and I’m a big believer in that same approach when it comes to creating a great talk show.

Let’s take Monday for example. I don’t care what market you’re in, the Ray Rice story needed to be a major part of your content focus. Every single audience can identify with the story and form an opinion on it. Issues such as wrong vs. right, corruption vs. justice, athlete’s getting preferential treatment and the future for all involved in the story, all resonate with people.

It’s a topic which is compelling, uncomfortable and emotional and if you’re doing your job as a host and producer, there are tons of angles to examine (see below). There are guests to be booked to advance the story, callers will want to share their points of view and there is audio galore to take advantage of from every single sports network on the planet. The bottom line, this is a piece of content that if presented well could carry your entire 3-4 hour show.

In my world, I like to look at a show as a collection of 1-hour programs. Some like to approach it with a 2-hour mindset and I understand that philosophy as well but those who operate as if the show is a 4-hour feature film are missing the point. I’ve used the line before “Sitcoms Not Movies” and it simply means you’ve got no more than 30-minutes to satisfy the listener. After that period of time, they’re gone.

Today, PPM shows us that listeners stay for shorter periods of time. I know you may want to believe that the audience shows up every day and stays for the entire program but the reality is that they don’t tune in for the beginning, middle and end of your show. They’re in and out frequently and it’s our job to try to and grab a quarter hour of listening when it’s available. If we’re good at our jobs, we’ll turn one quarter hour into two and if they really like us, they may also check back later in the show or on another day during the week.

During the days when radio was solely measured by diaries, people wrote down what they remembered listening to and the majority said that they were with us all the time. While that loyalty looked great on paper, it wasn’t realistic. While PPM certainly has its flaws in terms of not having enough meters in individual markets, it at least captures what your audience is consuming. You receive credit from your audience if they listen to a minimum of 5 minutes during a quarter hour and those minutes don’t have to be consecutive but they must occur during the windows of :00-:15, :15-:30, :30-:45, :45-:00. If they listen for 5 minutes straight but those minutes for example are :12-:15 and :15-:17, you get zero credit.

I point that out because when you’re outlining your show, you need to be thinking about who your listener is, where they’re likely listening to you and what their routine will be. If you’re doing a midday show, you’re likely the companion to the at-work listener or employee on the go. If you’re hosting during morning or afternoon drive, you’re the friend of the commuter. Each show has to have a different strategy based on how the audience uses the show.

Whatever the case, your priority should always be on delivering the content that matters to the majority of the audience at all times. If you’re offering the B-C-D topic right now because the A-topic was already discussed last hour, what are you telling that person who’s just put on your show? If it’s not your best material or something that appeals to a large portion of your audience then why is it on?

For example, yesterday in San Francisco it was the first Monday of the football season and there were three A+ subjects. We had the Ray Rice topic, the 49ers win on the road in Dallas with a sea full of red inside AT&T Stadium and the Raiders open up the Derek Carr era with a loss in New York. This isn’t to say that the A’s or Giants weren’t also a subject but in comparison to those other three options, the passion level for those subjects was smaller. If we spent thirty minutes of our talk time on subjects #4 and #5 and a person with a meter put us on seeking NFL content, we’d have disappointed them and sent them away quickly.

It’s easy to get caught up in your show and live inside the road map you’ve created and try to entertain yourself but remember that we are in this to gain listeners and deliver results for advertisers and it always comes down to presenting material that the majority can consume. The challenge (and fun) for the host and producer is to develop the angles that will keep the story fresh and deliver them differently each hour. While it may at times frustrate you, each time a new segment starts, the presentation is brand new to a new group of people and if they’re listening to you for the first time that day, you want to make sure to attack the content with a purpose and a strong degree of enthusiasm.

Keeping A Story Fresh For Multiple Hours (If each bullet point is discussed for 5-10 minutes, the story stays hot every hour)

Example – The Ray Rice subject

Did the NFL know about the tape? If not, why not? How could TMZ get access to it but not the NFL?
Why did an Atlantic City Prosecutor offer him a deal in light of this evidence? When did they know about the tape?
Why do we feel differently now about this than we did when the ruling came out? Did we not expect it to be this ugly?
How do you feel about the Ravens cutting him and the NFL suspending him indefinitely? Is the punishment severe enough?
Why would Janay Palmer marry him after being the victim of this type of abuse? What has Ray been doing to make things right?
ow will this situation effect future rulings on domestic violence involving NFL Players? Will those punishments now be changed?
How does this impact Roger Goodell’s position as NFL Commissioner? What should be done if we learn that he knew about the tape?
What does this mean for Ray Rice’s future? Would you want your team to take a chance on him? What does he have to do to rebuild your trust?

When you look back after each show, you should find yourself hitting the best subjects multiple times. Your audience changes frequently and anyone who tunes in, is going to be excited and curious to know what you think of the subjects that matter most on that particular day. While it’s natural to feel like you’ve “already covered that” earlier in the show, the good ones understand that recycling content is a good thing and you can’t go wrong presenting your views on the biggest local/national stories of the day as opposed to diving into lesser important subjects.

While you may look at your show and think “I’m taking a break from the top story because I’ve been on it for 30 minutes“, the material you sink your teeth into in place of it, is what the audience of that particular segment is going to measure you by. If you’re fortunate enough to be in a market where you have 2-3 great stories to work with, that can work. If though you don’t have that benefit, recycle your best work and exhaust the angles so they remain fresh and interesting to yourself and your audience.

Ask yourself this. If you were on the air in Baltimore today, would you have spent quarter hour of your show discussing the Orioles or another sports story when the entire market was red hot on the Ray Rice issue and looking to you for further insight and opinion on it? The only other subject that I could see making any sense would have been the actual Ravens game because it can tie back into the organization’s flaws, when they knew this material would surface, if it impacted preparation for the Bengals, how will this issue impact this year’s team, etc. Aside from that, there’s one story the local audience is coming to you for perspective on and it’s up to you to satisfy their craving.

If you watch baseball you’ve often heard announcers in the 9th inning of a game say “the closer doesn’t want to get beat with his secondary pitch” and the same principle applies to doing a radio show. Your best pitch is the story that appeals most to your local audience and the only one who controls the pitch selection is yourself.

I remember the great Joe DiMaggio once said “There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time, I owe him my best“. If you approached your content the same way during every segment of every show, how much better would your show and radio station be? If a great hitter has success at the plate, he’s going to do the same exact thing until the pitcher makes him adjust. Radio isn’t much different. The real question is whether or not we’re wise enough to stick with a winning formula until the audience requires a change!

Shan Shariff – 105.3 The Fan

Features

Jason Barrett

September 5, 2014

Shan Shariff can be described as many things on the air. He can be sarcastic, funny, opinionated, creative and downright ballsy. I remember having a conversation with sports agent Craig Fenech once about Shan and he told me “this guy had the balls to pick up Mark Cuban’s tab at a restaurant“. When I asked Shan about it, he confirmed that it happened but said that he got lucky because Cuban that day had only ordered a chicken salad.

What I remember liking about that story was that this was relatively a short time after Shan had arrived in Dallas and I thought to myself “what better way to show that you’re determined to stand out in a new market than to get the attention of the Mavericks billionaire owner“.

While that story certainly got my attention, I was already familiar with Shan’s work. Prior to moving to Dallas, Shan worked for 610 Sports in Kansas City and local ESPN Radio affiliate in Maryland. I remember hearing his work for the first time courtesy of Jon Chelesnik at STAA Talent while Shan was in Maryland and when I listened to him I thought he was unique which was a good thing. There was a lot to like in the original presentation even though he was still a little green.

Shan’s profile would start to become more familiar to people in the sports radio industry when he landed a weekend slot with 106.7 The Fan. I remember David Brody of BMS calling me around that time to once again put him on my radar but I was in St. Louis and didn’t have a need so we agreed to keep in touch if things were to change in the future.

As luck would have it, an opening would pop open in Kansas City and Shan’s work was recognized by Program Director Ryan Maguire who would hire him to host a 2-hour midday show for the radio station. From there, Shan’s career started to take off. He spent the next year working for 610 where he’d fine tune his craft, become more polished and start to gain some ratings traction and his hard work and success would draw the attention of Bruce Gilbert in Dallas who would make the decision to hire Shan and bring his “New School” style to Dallas where he’d team up with RJ Choppy for 105.3 The Fan.

Interesting enough, at the time when he was being hired in Dallas, I had a spot open up in St. Louis and I had contacted David Brody after listening to a few days of Shan’s shows in Kansas City. I told David I wanted to know a little more about Shan’s status but was told “I wish I could tell you but I can’t do that right now“.

David and I have known each other a long time and he’s been a great guy to network with so I knew this meant he had something bigger brewing for Shan which I was glad to hear. A few days later the news would come out that Shan was off to Dallas and he hasn’t slowed down since arriving on the scene in March of 2011.

Today when I listen to Shan’s show, I find it to be very entertaining, fast paced and built for Men 18-44. It has an element of unpredictability which I like and I think that’s important especially during morning drive. When you take into account that there are three competitive sports radio stations battling for every quarter hour of listening in the Dallas market, shows need to be unique to the local audience and Shan and RJ have found their place in the overall mix.

Aside from what you hear on the air, Shan is one of the most active personalities in the entire sports radio industry on social media. You may not listen to his show in Dallas if you live out of the market but if you follow him on Twitter you feel like you know everything that’s happening with the program. From morning to evening, he’s always engaging with his fans and that accessibility and willingness to interact is a big reason in my opinion while he’s built up great support for what he does.

I exchanged a few messages with Shan to get a sense of how he has approached blending into new markets, why he’s so active on social media, the competitive landscape of Dallas sports radio and what he believes is important in executing a 4-hour morning show and I think you’ll enjoy the results of that conversation.

Q: How did you get started in sports talk radio?

A: After college, I scalped a ticket to the Spurs-Nets NBA finals and recorded play-by-play on a mini-recorder. A buddy of mine who worked at a Baltimore television station was able to sync up my audio with the television broadcast and I had my VHS resume tape. The program director in my hometown of Cambridge, MD was impressed (with the editing more than anything) and hired me to host a three hour daily show on their ESPN affiliate.

Q: Who are some of your influences that got you interested in pursuing a sports broadcasting career?

A: Dan Patrick, Marv Albert, Dick Enberg, Colin Cowherd.

Q: After starting your career in Maryland, you left for Kansas City to host mid-days for 610 Sports. How difficult was it to enter the market as an outsider and attempt to win people over? How did you approach the situation to show people you were invested in the things they cared about?

A: It was a challenge at first, but I think the audience realized I could bring an objective view of their favorite teams. It would have been MUCH different if I was a Raiders fan in Chiefs territory, but they weren’t offended by my Redskins love.

The way I showed people I was invested was to work and prepare. I had to quickly learn everything possible about the football and basketball programs at Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State. Once they realized I knew their players and coaches, I think I was accepted.

Q: When you reflect back on your experiences in Kansas City, what stands out as the best and worst part of it?

A: Best part was having early success. My time spent listening was very high and I gained confidence that my style could work in an awesome sports market. Worst part was only having a two hour show.

Q: Following your stint in KC, you moved to Dallas where you’ve since worked for 2 great programmers (Bruce Gilbert and Gavin Spittle) at 105.3 The Fan. Share one thing they’ve taught you that you use in your approach each day?

A: Bruce preached likability while teaching me everything I know about Arbitron. From setting appointments to resetting, teasing, getting to the point or hooking the listener, Bruce always had new, creative ways to attack the PPM game.

I’ve never been looser as a host than now under Gavin. He encourages fun, lifestyle topics and bits that provide a nice release from hardcore sports during a four and a half hour show. I used to be afraid to do non-sports on a sports show. Gavin changed that way of thinking.

Q: You sang “Hail To The Redskins” to Jerry Jones while hosting your show on the radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. How much flack did you take from the team and your bosses for it? Were you at all worried about losing listeners as a result of cheering for the enemy?

A: There was only once instance where someone from the Cowboys gave me flack for being a Skins fan: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/post/dallas-radio-host-plays-hail-to-the-redskins-for-jerry-jones/2012/09/11/f96f48fa-fc41-11e1-a31e-804fccb658f9_blog.html

I never worried about losing listeners when I started because I never want to hide who I am, but I think it was a mistake. I probably overestimated the ability and willingness of some to separate my fandom from the way I covered the Cowboys. I just figured my honesty wouldn’t hurt me in Dallas because it didn’t in KC. Looking back, it probably cost me some listeners the minute I revealed my favorite team.

Q: In your market there are 3 strong sports radio stations (The Fan, The Ticket, ESPN 103.3) – how is your show unique vs. your competition? What do you do regularly to stand out?

A: The biggest way I try to gain an advantage on competition is out-working everyone. I know I sleep less and read more than anyone. I always think about our next show and remain obsessed with higher ratings in this market.

I think the biggest difference between us and the competition is pace and energy. We’re never going to be a slow product that feels like it’s dragging. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, texts or taking calls, we interact with our audience more than any show in DFW, it’s not even close.

I also believe we’re more creative topic wise than anyone because we over prepare every single day. The greatest compliment I can get is “I never thought of it that way.”

Q: You currently work with RJ Choppy on a 2-man show but previously the program had a third member (Jasmine Sadry). Which setup do you prefer and how does your approach and preparation change when doing a 3-person show vs. a 2-person show?

A: Bruce Gilbert always wanted two voices to sound like four and four to sound like six. RJ and I have always been the primary voices but we also have producers chime in. It probably took me three years to get comfortable. I had trouble not taking over for three minutes and setting everyone up for air-time. Talking over each other is a turn-off to everyone and that only happens with multiple people in the room.

The positives are different viewpoints, having twice the prep work and it’s nice to regroup during a segment while the other is talking. I would probably prefer a two person show for more air-time but depending on how good the talent and chemistry are, three would also work. Our mid-day show has five voices.

Q: When it comes to executing a 4-hour show, how many guests do you like to have on, how many segments involve callers, how many features are included, etc? What’s the right type of balance in your opinion?

A: I would like to have three guests for a four hour show. If the guest list is like Dan Patrick, you can have five a day. I fight the caller debate every year. My recent bosses prefer less calls and more host. Yes, there are some hosts who lazily rely on open phone lines but I believe in empowering the audience.

One of the things I loved about hosting solo was the increased caller segments and interaction with listeners. There will always be calls that suck, but I always thought I could control the quality of them with the topics I set-up and questions I asked. Calls can also make a show sound busy and break up the monotony of a solo program.

Q: You’re on the air for 4.5 hours per day which equals 22.5 hours per week – are there any tricks you use to keep yourself mentally focused and engaged in every segment?

A: With multiple people on the show, I’ve never really had a problem with focus. I think it’s MUCH easier to stay engaged as the quarterback of the show with the additional responsibilities you have. I also take my job very seriously (probably too much), so I’m usually pretty intense while the red light is on.

Q: You’re extremely active on social media (one of the busiest in the format). Why do you believe that’s important for an on-air personality?

A: I want the audience to know I’m not too cool for them. I care about what they have to say. I’ll never forget the Twitter joy I had in being followed by Adam Schefter so if I can follow someone back or like their Facebook comment, maybe they’ll appreciate it and be more invested as a listener.

One major thing I think hosts overlook is the brainstorming and topic ideas you can get through social networking. If two heads are better than one, isn’t 14,000 better than two? If a listener comes up with a great topic or sports question, I let them know they’re getting the credit tomorrow morning and hopefully they set the appointment for the tune in!

Q: When it comes to the critiquing process, how do you, RJ, Gavin and your support staff measure whether or not you’re making progress with the show?

A: I’m probably our biggest critic. From Ryan Maguire, Bruce Gilbert, Gavin Spittle and David Brody, I feel like I’ve already worked under some of the best minds in the business and can judge good or bad radio. We also have a daily meeting with Gavin where we review the show.

Q: You’ve advanced in your career and during the process, have used an agent to assist you. Do you believe an agent is necessary? What is the downside of using representation?

A: I don’t believe an agent is necessary, but there are certainly benefits. I went from Cambridge, MD to Kansas City because my agent had a relationship with the PD. Without that connection, I wouldn’t have been found. I HATE the thought of negotiating so having someone to handle the back and forth is always a relief for me.

The downside is you better hope your agent is respected, competent and gets along with management. The worst part is obviously paying their commission.

Q: For someone who’s considering a career in our industry, what piece of advice would you like to share based on your own experiences that may be helpful to them?

A: Work harder than everyone and be willing to start from the bottom. I can’t tell you how many kids I’ve seen in Dallas who are unsatisfied and feel held back (AND THEY’RE ON AIR!!!). They’re unwilling to move and have no idea what it’s like to make $20,000 while calling local little league games five years into your career. Be willing to accept and embrace coaching while reading more and sleeping less than your competition.

Shan Shariff can be heard weekday mornings on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. To learn more about his show click here. You can also follow Shan on Twitter by clicking here.

Should I Make An Appointment?

Columns

Jason Barrett

September 2, 2014

There are many different approaches in sports talk radio so keep that in mind as you sift through this column. For some Programmers and Shows, they want nothing to do with guests or features on their airwaves, For others, they believe they’re vital to the station’s success. If you’re on the side of not wanting guests or regularly positioned features to appear on your airwaves then this piece probably isn’t for you because from where I sit, I believe they have very strong value when it comes to growing your ratings.

First, the host in my opinion is the main attraction that the audience is coming to see. To truly showcase him or her in a big way though, listeners expect to hear multiple things occur inside of a show. This is why callers are introduced, Facebook, Twitter and Text messages are read, soundbytes are used to further add emotion to stories, features are executed to showcase the show’s creative side and of course, guests appear to provide new information, entertainment and opinion on the day’s top stories. When it involves guests, I want people on the dial who fit the day’s angles, are recognizable to the audience and can speak clearly and offer information and an interesting viewpoint. It’s then up to my host(s) to do their part and pull the good stuff out of them.

When you look across the sports radio landscape today, you’ll notice many stations beefing up their programming regulars for football season. As an example, check out what WEEI in Boston put together for the fall (click here). I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s very impressive. Why do station’s do this? Because football drives the largest numbers for the format and every station wants to close out the final four months of the year in strong fashion so advertisers have something to feel good and excited about as they make decisions for the upcoming calendar year.

While adding NFL guests of significance can help your station improve during the fall when football takes center stage, it has less impact if the guests are not heard in a regular position. In today’s PPM world, ratings are achieved much more by driving occasions than they are by recall and happenstance. When a station heavily promotes the appearance of a well known guest for a set day and time, they’re doing so because they believe the audience behavior will adapt and that particular quarter hour of the guest’s regular appearance will generate strong ratings measurement. I believe in this same approach and it’s worked for me.

If the goal is to give the audience a reason to tune in consistently, then I have a difficult time understanding why a station would take an opposite approach and make the audience work to find the guest or creative benchmark. I’ve heard hosts, producers and programmers talk about not wanting to be predictable and while I can respect that and understand it, you can’t show me a specific ratings spike for unpredictability. Radio stations are measured by data the last time I checked, not perception from those who work inside of it.

Can you imagine if other businesses operated with that approach? Imagine if a roofing company told you they’d come by to fix your roof when they felt like doing it rather than providing a specific day and time. Try going to the dentist and see if you can get in when you feel like it. If it’s not scheduled, you’re not getting in unless it’s a major problem. Lastly, how about your local pizza company. Some places give you a window of time and promise to deliver your food by then or they’ll refund your money. What if they just told you “you’ll eat when we get it there”?

Is that really the best way for radio to treat its audience which has limited time already and doesn’t “need” to use us but instead “wants” to?

Remember, the radio station is taking on an expense by paying someone to appear each week. They believe the individual has a strong enough importance to the audience to be featured weekly and the content that they’ll be discussing has enough of an appeal to continue being highlighted for somewhere between 20-26 weeks. By positioning the guest on a set day and time, the station now gets the increased benefit of promoting it heavily via promos which makes it easier for the listener to find it plus the sales team now has a chance to sell a sponsorship with an adjacency commercial, which only helps increase the possibility of the client’s message being heard. That’s important because without satisfied clients, you don’t have the benefit of these types of opportunities.

If you’re booking someone with minimal value regularly, I’d ask you why you’re wasting money on them and tying up a quarter hour on your show. You don’t need to “fill segments” with guests who provide average return on your investment. You need to secure strong guests who matter to and connect with the audience. If you do that, then it’s the host’s job to maximize the opportunity. The good ones not only deliver strong quarter-hours with their regulars but they also work at getting to know them even better. By doing so, it strengthens the relationship and makes for an even more compelling and informative conversation. Let’s face it, people are more likely to open up and share things when they feel more connected to the person they’re speaking with. It’s all about comfort.

For the past 3 years in San Francisco and my previous 2 years in St. Louis, I’ve done deals with athletes, coaches, analysts and executives who I felt could help the programming team improve its performance. This approach has helped my employers see increased ratings and it’s given my staff and our shows a leg up when heading into their daily talk shows. While each market and guest opportunity is different, I don’t waver much on positioning people in regular spots because the top contributors typically outperform the show’s ratings and that has a lot to do with making sure the audience knows where to find it. Very rarely have I seen success come from weekly guests who weren’t offered in a set position.

For example, when I was in St. Louis, our afternoon show would deliver between a 6-8 share and place themselves consistently in the top 3. Those numbers were always at their peak during football season which was also when former Rams Running Back Steven Jackson would appear on the show every Monday at 4pm. Steven was the team’s top star at the time and he was the type of guy who fans either loved or hated so it wasn’t difficult to recognize that having him on regularly would lead to increased listening.

I remember looking at the quarter hour appearances for when Steven’s segment ran and they’d always be in the double digits. There was one specific appearance where he showed up and the segment registered a 26 share (back in 2006 after he got into a heated exchange on the field with Aaron Curry of the Seahawks) which was insane. In addition to that, the show would get lift in its next quarter-hour because the momentum from Steven’s interview would carry over. That’s the type of value that a great contributor can provide your show. Once the afternoon crew saw how Steven was helping them lead people to the dial, they became even more energized from it and worked diligently to find ways to make it even better. That’s the goal of what you’re trying to do with a regular weekly appointment.

Look at it like this, if you have a 4-hour daily talk show registering a 6 share and the contributor is strong enough to influence growth in two quarter-hours per day (one during the interview and one the segment after), that’s roughly over 10% of the show’s performance being lifted. If the show is 2-3 hours in length, the percentage is even higher. Now if you add more than 1 strong contributor per day to your station’s lineup, you’re slanting the odds in your favor even more and that’s ultimately what this game is about – playing the odds to give yourself a chance to win.

I have an old saying that I’ve used with some of my people over the years and I still believe in it to this day – when you look at a superstar athlete on your local team you should see one thing – dollar signs! On every team there is at least one superstar who people in your market are excited to cheer for. They buy tickets, merchandise, watch games on TV and listen to them on radio all because of this guy. If you have the ability to develop a relationship with that individual and grow it to the point where it leads to a regular position on your show, you’re going to see it pay off in a big way when it comes to growing your ratings, revenue and external buzz.

I’ve seen it happen with Steven Jackson, Buster Posey, Jerry Rice and countless others and it’s not going to change anytime soon. People today care more about what exists outside the lines than what happens inside the lines and they’re not just interested in the performer they see on the field, they want to know everything they can about the individual. The best way to do that is through a set regular appointment.

Every focus group and listener survey I’ve ever been a part of, guests usually generate a very high response. Your audience wants to hear from people they like, cheered for and have interesting opinions and insight to share on the subjects that appeal most to them. Usually the ones inside the radio station who want no part of the bigger guests are the people who either don’t want to do the leg work to track them down or those who feel that the appearance of the guest could upstage their own relevance.

In both cases, I think that’s ridiculous. When all is said and done, a strong high profile guest with great content to offer enhances the image of the host and the extra effort invested behind the scenes to get it done, leads to a measurable win for the show. To do big things takes hard work and if you’re not doing it, trust me your competitor will.

As I started out at the beginning of this piece, not everyone agrees with booking regular appointments and that’s ok. You’ve got to take the approach that you feel most comfortable with. For me though, I believe your shows start off feeling more confident because they know they have something strong and unique each day that the audience will enjoy. I know the advertisers like it because it allows them to be connected to high profile personalities which helps showcase their brand in a better light and I know the audiences support it because if the content has strong appeal and is easy to find, they’ll prefer routine over unpredictability.

At the end of the day, we’re in the ratings and revenue business and regular appointments help both sides of the operation deliver results. All we can go on is the evidence we’ve accumulated and as long as the data suggests that it helps us win, it’s our job to use it to help our shows and companies. After all, isn’t that what we’re in this for?

Marc Hochman – 560 WQAM

Features

Jason Barrett

August 29, 2014

To many, Miami is known for its gorgeous beaches, beautiful weather, excellent restaurants and exciting lifestyle. What doesn’t get enough credit though is the wide array of outstanding radio talent who have called the market home throughout the years.

Previously, great personalities such as Hank Goldberg, Neil Rogers, Jim Mandich, Jorge Sedano and Dan Sileo have performed daily for South Florida sports radio listeners and the current crop of sports radio talent remains equally as strong. Today, listeners can tune in daily to hear hosts such as Dan LeBatard, Jon “Stugotz” Weiner, Joe Rose, Sid Rosenberg, Jonathan Zaslow, Adam Kuperstein and my featured personality for this week, Marc Hochman.

I first became familiar with Marc’s work when he was working for 790 The Ticket and what I noticed immediately was how much fun he had on the air. It was easy to tell that he enjoyed the job of entertaining an audience and the word “comedy” had a home in every one of his shows. I could also tell how he valued conversations with people who appeared on his programs and I remember always finding myself in a better mood after listening to him perform. In my opinion, if an on-air personality can help the audience laugh and learn, they’ll always have a fighting chance of keeping people consuming their content and Marc put himself in that position pretty consistently.

The other thing that stood out to me when I listened to Marc (and even others in the Miami market) was how there was a lot more value placed on entertainment, pop culture and lighter topics and not so much of an emphasis placed on hardcore sports talk. While Miami certainly has it’s share of passionate sports fans and on-air personalities just like many other markets, it’s also known for taking a more lighter approach and that’s where Marc shines. That’s not to suggest that he doesn’t have the ability to dive deeper into subjects because he certainly does but if you’re going to tune in for his show and expect an hour long conversation on why the third base coach sent the runner in the 4th inning of a meaningless game in May, then you’re likely going to be disappointed.

Marc is a master of his craft at providing good ole fashioned entertaining sports radio and he comes across over the airwaves as a guy you want to grab a beer and some wings with and chat about the things that matter to you and your community. The other aspect of his game that I believe is very underrated is how he utilizes his supporting cast during the course of his show. Not every radio point guard can keep the pace moving and get everyone involved during the right content discussions yet Marc makes it seem smooth and easy. That has to be especially exciting for younger talent who are looking to learn and build their own identities in this industry because he’s not afraid to give them a shot if they have something to offer. I’m sure being around Dan LeBatard and seeing how he approached his program had to help Marc and to his credit, he’s used that influence and found his own niche and put together a fantastic radio program.

Just yesterday I listened to him and over the span of an hour, I heard Zach Krantz (co-host), Sha Tabb (Producer) and Andy King (PD) all involved and when each was called upon to add something during a segment, they didn’t disappoint. What I enjoyed most was the variety of content choices that the show had to offer. During a full hour I heard a serious conversation about Roger Goodell’s new NFL policy for punishing players who are guilty of domestic abuse and/or sexual assault, a less serious sports conversation on the importance of a fourth pre-season game and whether or not it should be watched and a light hearted and entertaining feature called “Honked Off Like a Goose” which was a lot of fun to listen to.

Overall I think Marc is a very strong radio talent who understands the medium and doesn’t take himself too seriously. He presents himself as someone who’s trying to superserve his audience and those who invest their advertising dollars in his show and as an added bonus, I think his style is a great fit for the Miami sports radio market. I’ve caught his show a number of times over the years and I’ve always been impressed so I wasn’t surprised when Joe Bell hired him to host afternoons at WQAM. I think they made a great choice.

To get a better sense of Marc’s approach and background and to learn a little more about the things he believes are important for a successful radio host/show, I reached out to him with a number of questions. He was gracious enough to provide some very detailed responses and I think you’ll gain some valuable insight from our conversation.

Q: When did you first start listening to sports talk radio and who are some of the broadcasters who have influenced you?

A: I was never a huge fan of sports talk radio when I was growing up in Chicago. I was a fan of talk radio- specifically Steve Dahl, and then Kevin Matthews. They’d delve into sports every now and then, but it was general talk. When I moved to Miami in 1987 I’d listen to Neil Rogers and Phil Hendrie. Phil Hendrie to me is a radio genius. He’s the first guy I ever heard that really “parodied” the whole genre of talk radio. Those that “got it” really understood his genius; those that didn’t “get it” made it funnier for guys like me who did get it. I’ve always kind of tried to take Hendrie’s approach with my show, but not to the extreme he does. I kind of think of my show as a parody of a real sports talk radio show.

Q: Where was your first radio job and what were your responsibilities?

A: My first radio job was in college at the University of Miami radio station. It was an unpaid shift on the college radio station. My shift was Thursday nights 1-4 AM. It was an awesome experience. I also interned at B96 in Chicago during the summer and that was an amazing experience. The station was located in the CBS building in downtown Chicago, and it was a real learning experience as to how a major market radio station runs.

My first paid job in radio was after I graduated college. I was hired to do the 6-Midnight shift at a tiny, tiny, tiny little FM station in Belle Glade, Florida called B93.5. It was a mini-market station-not measured in any market. It was west of West Palm Beach, but you could hear all the West Palm Beach market stations there and you could even hear the Miami market stations there too, so no one was listening to us. It was 1991, and my salary was $165 per week. It almost cost me as much in gas to get there every day as I was earning.

Again though, it was a great experience. I hosted my show, did production, and even helped sell the station. After a few months I was named program director and host of the morning show. I ended up staying there almost 2 years.

Q: You’ve been doing radio in Miami for roughly 10 years now – what makes the sports radio scene in your market fun, unique, exciting and interesting to you?

A: Miami is a really interesting market for sports talk radio. I think we’re able to get away with things in Miami that you’d never be able to get away with in other markets. It’s hard to explain why South Florida is such a unique market, but suffice it to say there’s no way you could break down an offense or a defense for 4 straight hours the way you could in New York, Chicago, or Boston. There are some really unique sports radio voices in Miami, starting with Dan LeBatard, who I unfortunately go up against every afternoon. He’s singlehandedly reshaped sports radio in Miami; he’s made it a whole hell of a lot more fun.

Q: You have had the benefit of working with some great people in this business. Which individual(s) have had the biggest impact on your career?

A: The guy who has influenced me most on air in radio in the last 10 years is Dan LeBatard. He was one of my best friends in college, and when he started doing the daily radio show in Miami he hired me as executive producer. He taught me that it’s ok to laugh at yourself on the air and it’s ok to not take yourself seriously. The biggest lesson that he taught me was that it’s ok to admit to the audience when something-a bit, an interview-isn’t going well on the air. That was a huge eye opener for me. I had always worked in radio with the thought that you never let the audience know if something’s not going well. Dan opened my eyes to the fact that you can’t fool people that way and that it’s ok to let them know that YOU KNOW an interview failed. That was a huge change for me.

Off the air I credit 2 different general managers for inspiring me and believing in me. Dennis Collins ran 790 The Ticket when I was there, and he was instrumental in shaping me as a radio professional. I admired the way he carried himself, and the passion he had for talk radio. It was his guidance that helped me grow as a radio pro. He’s the one that was instrumental in me becoming program director at 790 The Ticket; and that changed my life forever.

Joe Bell is my current general manager at 560 WQAM, and I don’t think I’ve ever worked for someone that has had more of a belief in my abilities as a broadcaster than him. Anyone who has worked in radio probably has a vision of that dream general manager that always seems to support you, always says the right things, and always is willing to do what you need to make your show perfect, and that’s what he’s been for me (although maybe it’s just the honeymoon period since I’ve only been there half a year!).

Q: Having worked for both The Ticket and WQAM, how would you characterize the differences between the two radio stations?

A: The differences between the 2 radio stations are funny to me. I find my current station WQAM to be a throwback to the days of radio before consolidation ruined everything. WQAM is owned by Beasley Broadcasting, which (while a public company) still feels like a family operation. I didn’t think I’d ever experience radio again where you felt like the owner of the company actually knew who you were and actually paid attention to what you were doing. But that’s the feeling I get from WQAM. It’s the heritage sports station in Miami, so it’s definitely an honor for a radio dork like me to work there in afternoon drive. I can appreciate the history of the radio station, and it’s not lost on me some of the great talents that have sat behind that mic before I did.

Q: You and Dan LeBatard are friends who have had great success working together. How does it feel now, going head to head with him in afternoons?

A: LeBatard and I are still friends. Sometimes we even text each other while our shows are on. It is a bit strange to see on social media how great his show is doing nationally. I like to think that I played some small part in forming that show into what it is today. As to going head to head versus him every day, it sucks! But someone has to do it.

Q: On a daily basis you’re creating topics, angles, talking to guests, callers, etc. – what part about doing a radio show excites you the most?

A: I’ve always said this about doing a local radio show—I love it because it’s like the old town square where everyone can gather and talk about the issues of the day. Whether it’s sports, a tragedy, a monumental occasion, or just nonsense, it’s a way for the community to get together and feel as one. It may sound dorky, but that’s the way I envision the show. We’re all South Floridians, and whatever we’re all concerned about that day we’ll talk it out together.

The other thing I love about radio is getting to interact with notable people for 10 minutes. I love interviewing people that are icons in sports or entertainment, and getting that 10 minutes to just talk to them. What other job would have given me the opportunity to talk for a few minutes with Dwyane Wade, Hulk Hogan, Howie Mandel, Al Roker, Donny Osmond, Mike Tyson, and Rick Springfield and hundreds of other notable people? It’s never lost on me that I get to have interactions (albeit briefly) with some of the most famous people in the world. I always find that cool.

Q: To do a 4-hour show, how much preparation time do you invest? Take me thru a day of how that process works from the time you wake up to the time you drive home.

A: Anyone who has done a 4 hour talk show knows that it’s taxing and at the end of the 4 hours you’re spent. I’m not complaining, because I know it’s not a real job, but it is fairly grueling to churn out 20 hours of entertaining talk per week. I feel like I’m always prepping for the show. Anything that happens to me during the day or night is fair game for the radio.

I take my son to school in the morning and get home around 8am; and that’s when I sit down at my desk and really begin preparing for that day’s show. I check all the websites, prep service, audio delivery sites, and create a rough draft of what the show is going to sound like. I have 16 segments to fill every day, and I have an outline by the time I go in each afternoon of what’s going to happen each of those 16 segments. That’s not to say that I don’t audible, because I audible a lot. I may only get to half the items on my prep sheet, but it makes me feel comfortable on the air knowing that it’s all there. My greatest fear is to open that microphone and not have anything to talk about!

The outline process usually lasts from about 8-10am. Then the rest of the day is spent texting/reaching out to potential guests, texting with the other members of my show about ideas, and constantly checking Twitter for topics. My partner Zach and I usually get to the station around 1pm and tape some interviews for the show (I like taping interviews because it gives me a chance to clean them up before they get on the air).

The evening is usually spent watching sports (or House Hunters) and texting the people on my show spitballing ideas and guests for the following day. It’s like Groundhog Day.

Q: When you’re conducting an interview, what is it you’re looking to accomplish with your guest?

A: I love doing interviews because I’m fascinated by celebrity and notable people. I generally ask questions that don’t have much to do with sports. For example, when the Miami Dolphins 1st round draft pick Ja’wuan James came on with us, I would never ask typical sports questions. I’m more interested in if he thinks adults should put rainbow sprinkles on ice cream. I want to know which famous football players texted him congratulations when he was drafted. I want to know if he realizes that since he’s a 1st round draft pick he can request a suite from the Dolphins Stadium for the Jay-Z and Beyonce concert. I want to know what his breakfast cereal of choice is.

My favorite part of interviews is trying to connect with people on a human level in a quick amount of time. Any athlete can tell you “we’re going to take the season one game at a time.” They’re programmed to say that. I want to know the most famous person he has in his iPhone contacts. That’s the stuff that interests me.

Q: As it pertains to fielding phone calls from your audience, why do they matter to you?

A: I know a lot of hosts will tell you that callers slow down a show and that callers rarely bring anything good to the table. I don’t feel that way. I like talking to people; probably because I generally like people. I find anyone interesting, including callers. I like an open forum where people can weigh in on whatever we’re talking about, and know that they’re going to get to say their piece (but there are plenty of shows where I don’t take a single call. It just depends on the tenor of that particular show).

Q: You’re very active on social media which allows the audience to connect with you outside of your program – why do you believe that’s important?

A: I love social media; Twitter specifically. I think it’s super important to use it as a way to build an emotional attachment with your audience. It’s such a great tool to keep conversations going with listeners day and night (It’s also a great tool to give something extra to advertisers. I’m never shy about promoting the businesses I endorse on social media).

Twitter can be harsh though. Look through my timeline and you’ll see plenty of insults- some vicious. I wish that side of it didn’t exist, but the positive parts of social media outweigh the negative aspects of it to me.

Q: How often do you meet with your Program Director, Producer or other staff members to critique the show? How do you measure whether or not you’re making progress?

A: There are essentially 3 other members of the show; my on-air partner Zach Krantz, our producer and third voice Sha Tabb, and the executive producer, which is an open position right now (The executive producer left last week for a job with Telemundo, so our program director Andy King is actually the interim executive producer at the moment). We talk and critique the show every day. I’m highly critical of what we do, so we’re always all talking about things that do or don’t work. I generally feel like things on the show are working if I don’t feeling like curling up into the fetal position when I get home and crying myself to sleep. That happens about 2 days a week.

Q: How important do you believe it is to be out in the community, attending games and spending time meeting and interacting with advertisers?

A: I do think there’s some importance being out in public. I try to attend a lot of sporting events for that reason. I’m always willing to make appearances because you never know when a personal interaction will translate into a new listener. I do think that social media is more important than any of that nowadays though. You can interact with many more people on a personal level through social media than you ever could making appearances.

When it comes to advertisers, I always try and super-serve them. I’m big on weaving advertisers into the fabric of my show. I want listeners to know which businesses are actively supporting what we do; I really do think fans of the show will support those that support us (and generally they do). I probably make some of the account executives nervous with my willingness to forge relationships with advertisers, but I really do believe that’s a huge part of the business (I sold radio advertising for several years when I worked for Infinity so I might be one of those rare air talents that really knows how hard the advertising side is)

Q: If there’s one thing that turns you off about the sports radio industry today, what is it? How can we make it better?

A: The worst part of the sports radio industry to me is the sniping from hosts about each other. I’m fine with the good hearted “competition” stuff where one host talks smack about another on the air. It’s like wrestling. The part that really annoys me is the lack of support most hosts give other radio hosts off the air. Generally you hear about how “that guy doesn’t deserve the money he’s making“. Or “how did that guy get a drive time shift? He’s not as good as I am“. That kind of stuff drives me crazy. It’s ok to root for other hosts to succeed; there’s not a winner and a loser. There’s plenty of room for everyone, and the more people that do succeed, the better it is for the industry.

I always look at NBA coaches; they (for the most part) realize they’re a small fraternity and generally support each other (unless it’s Jason Kidd stealing someone’s job). Sports talk radio hosts rarely seem like they’re supporting each other. It seems like they’re always rooting for others to fail. I try not to do that.

Q: If someone is thinking of pursuing this business, what advice would you give them based on the lessons you’ve learned along the way?

A: Talk radio is the entertainment business, and not much more. It’s like trying to get a great movie or TV role. You have to keep working at it and hope you get your break.

I think the biggest mistake any potential broadcaster makes is not learning the industry. I’m always amazed at how many people who work in radio don’t know what “Inside Radio” or “Talkers Magazine” or “All Access” is. I’m always shocked by people who say they really want to be in radio, but then can’t tell you which station in the market is the flagship station for the MLB franchise. Radio is like any other industry, if you want to be great in banking, you need to learn the entire industry.

I think to be successful in any business, you have to soak up the industry like a sponge. Read the trade magazines. Listen to other hosts and learn what they do right and wrong. Find a particular show and listen to it the way an athlete would watch game film. And, of course, luck and timing play a gigantic role too. It’s not easy to break into the industry with all the on-air consolidation and syndication, but there will always be room for good employees.

Marc Hochman can be heard weekday afternoons from 3p-7p on WQAM. To find out more about the show click here. You can also follow Marc on Twitter by clicking here.

Seeing The Bigger Picture

Columns

Jason Barrett

August 27, 2014

I’m losing a producer this week at 95.7 The Game….and I’m happy about it. You’re immediately thinking “they must have screwed up” or “what the heck is he doing throwing that employee under a bus and running him over“. Actually far from it on both accounts.

I’m excited to lose the individual (Kyle Englehart) because he’s done a good job for us and earned the right to take the next step in his career. He’ll be leaving us to join my good friend Brian Long in San Diego where he’ll become the Executive Producer for Fox Sports XTRA 1360. I see Kyle’s career growth as a reward for the time I invested in him the past two and a half years and it makes me proud because it says that someone else who I respect and trust has the same opinion of his ability to make a bigger difference.

When the situation came about and I was asked if it would be ok to talk to Kyle I didn’t hesitate to say yes because I’m a firm believer in helping people take steps in this industry. It would be different if the move was lateral or backwards or if he was in an on-air position but he’s been working his way up the ladder, doing a great job and trying to find out what he’s capable of. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t looking out for his best interests and pushing him to take on bigger challenges.

I bring that situation to light because I want to pose a question to you. If someone on your team/show had a similar opportunity tomorrow and it meant your own situation would be effected, would you do what’s best for them?

I’d like to believe the answer is yes but we both know that’s not always the case. Too often people focus on their own agendas and success and the last thing they want to endure is that scary six letter word – change! Now I do recognize that there are plenty of people who will root for their colleagues to succeed but there’s a big difference between rooting for them to succeed because it benefits you/the station and rooting for them to succeed because it benefits them.

Ironically what some lose sight of is that an individual’s success and departure for a bigger opportunity, paints a picture even more positively of your show and radio station because it tells others in our business that it’s the type of environment where they can learn, grow and win. That’s never bad for business.

Many people enter this industry in their early to mid twenties, not sure of themselves and wondering what goes on inside of a radio station. To most, this is a cool job and to be paid to talk about sports and go to games for free sounds very appealing especially when you’re young and unsure of what awaits you down the line. Most don’t know the difference early on between a producer and Executive Producer or a Reporter and Anchor and let’s face it, dollars are not high so thinking of the job as a potential career can be difficult. That is of course until you discover your passion for it and find out what you’re capable of.

One of the things I’m most proud of during my career is having had the chance to work with many talented people who have gone on to build bigger careers for themselves. Some of them include Chris “Hoss” Neupert (101 ESPN-St. Louis), Ben Boyd (KMOX-St. Louis), John Semar (CBS Sports 920-St. Louis), Amanda Gifford (ESPN Radio), Joe DeCamara (97.5 The Fanatic-Philadelphia) and Jeremiah Crowe (95.7 The Game). The most recent one to join the list is my previously mentioned producer Kyle Englehart.

I list those people because they’ve gone on to become a Program Director, Assistant Program Director or Executive Producer. While each possesses great passion, talent and intelligence for what we do in this industry and have earned the recognition and opportunities they now have, I’d like to think I’ve rubbed off on them along the way and played a small part in helping them take a step forward in their careers.

When I see people who I’ve worked closely with advance to bigger positions in our business it makes me extremely proud because it says that the hard work we’ve put in together has paid off. I feel equally the same about some of the great talent I’ve had the pleasure to coach, develop and challenge along the way in multiple markets. If we get into that list though I may never finish this column and chances are I’ll leave someone out.

As I examine the sports radio industry today, I can’t help but have tremendous respect for programmers like Bruce Gilbert and Scott Masteller and personalities such as Dan Patrick and Mike and Mike. Not only are they good at their own jobs but they help others create bigger situations for others too.

In Dan Patrick’s case, myself, Owen Murphy (KFWB PD-Los Angeles), Rob Dibble (97.9 ESPN-Hartford), Sean Salisbury (Yahoo Sports Radio), Darren Smith (Mighty 1090-San Diego) and many others have benefitted from working with him. His current cast (The Danettes – Todd, Paul, Patrick and Andrew) have been given the ability to escape from the shadows and build their own identities and there’s no doubt that his influence and impact on people has rubbed off. Keep in mind, I’m only talking about the radio side of things. That list grows even higher if you add television into the equation.

In the case of Mike and Mike, I know that Justin Craig (ESPN NY-PD), Pete Gianesini (ESPN Radio PD) and Scott Shapiro (ESPN Radio PD) have all gone from producing the show to becoming very good managers. While they had the ability to earn those spots, I’m sure many of their skills were made stronger by working with Greeny and Golic on a regular basis.

For Scott Masteller, he played a strong role in delivering Colin Cowherd to Bruce Gilbert at ESPN Radio. He also helped Dave Shore (ESPN Los Angeles Operations MGR/On-Air Host), John Lund (95.7 The Game-San Francisco Talent and Former ESPN Dallas PD) and Amanda Gifford (ESPN Radio PD) land bigger career opportunities in addition to helping numerous talents advance their careers on the local and network levels.

Last but not least is Bruce Gilbert who not only helped me develop but also played a role in many other people’s career advancement. Larry Gifford (Former ESPN Radio PD), Dennis Glasgow (Former ESPN 980 PD-Washington DC), Justin Craig (ESPN NY-PD and former ESPN Chicago-PD) and Chadd Scott (1010XL Jacksonville-APD) are just some of the people who have landed bigger opportunities and had the benefit of learning from Bruce. He was also responsible for hiring Colin Cowherd, Doug Gottlieb, Erik Kuselias and Freddie Coleman at ESPN Radio and putting the network’s focus strongly behind Mike and Mike which sent them on their way to becoming a major brand in our industry.

If you look at professional sports the role of an NFL Head Coach is very similar to what programmers do. Our jobs are to coach our people and help them realize their full potential. The path to reach that destination is where the fun and pain is discovered and you can’t avoid it if you want to make a lasting impact.

I look at coaches like Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh and Marty Schottenheimer and truly appreciate them not only for their win-loss records but for their impact on their people. When you look at how many Assistants became Head Coaches who learned from those strong leaders, the list is rather impressive. In each of their cases, they prepared their people for future success and when opportunity came knocking, they sent them on their way to realize their dreams while finding others to fill their voids.

In my opinion, that’s one of the changed responsibilities for a PD today. It’s not just about coaching shows, delivering ratings and putting out fires inside your building. It’s also about developing the future leaders and stars of our format.

A former boss Scott Carlin once said to me “Who are you developing today that will replace you tomorrow“? When he uttered that question I was very confused because I was a small-market PM drive host who was being asked to add PD duties and this was what I was being asked as I was accepting the position. I responded by letting him know I didn’t understand and how he summarized things made perfect sense. He told me that the mark of a great leader is what you leave behind and when others take notice of your work and you leave us for greener pastures, who will be next in line to add to what you’ve built?

Instantly I knew that it was not only my job to run the station and host a good show but to also make sure I grew my staff and prepared them for future success. I still remember that line to this day and I approach my position with that belief. My current APD Jeremiah Crowe has been trained to become a PD and he will be one in the future. To know I’ve prepared him for the challenge is fulfilling and he knows, when that day comes, it’s his job to have someone ready to occupy his chair and make sure we don’t lose ground. If he hasn’t done that then he’s missed his opportunity to leave his own imprint.

I’ll end on this note. You can be remembered in this business for many things. For me, I try to focus on making people better, helping them advance their careers and delivering ratings for my employer. It’s up to you to decide how you want to use your influence to benefit your peers and carve your place in the industry. Choose wisely.

Are You Recharging Your Batteries?

Columns

Jason Barrett

August 25, 2014

Back in 2005 while I was working for ESPN Radio, I listened to my former boss Bruce Gilbert conduct a staff meeting and talk to the staff about the importance of having a strong work-life balance. I specifically recall one producer talking about how he’d put in an 8-9 hour day and then shut down. He’d turn off his phone, not check email and if it had to do with work, he’d wait until the next day to handle it.

I was 31 at this time and viewed the opportunity at ESPN as “my shot” so to hear someone talk about enjoying time off and relaxing when I was grinding away 7 days a week was insane. I thought to myself at that time “how the heck can he afford to work like that and tell every manager in the building that he operates that way when everyone in the room is gunning for their chance to break through and ascend to where he is“.

It seemed insane at the time and was one of the rare times when I wasn’t sure I agreed with Bruce or that particular producer but now sitting here 10 years later, I realize why having that separation for some people is critical. I’m heading back to work today following a 2-week vacation and while my time away isn’t fully 100% spent away from the job, I’ve learned over the years how important it is to mentally break away for a bit. As intense as the job can be for a radio station programmer, if you don’t allow some form of mental relaxation into your world, it will ultimately come back to bite you later on.

This is coming from someone who used to pride himself on putting in a 16 hour day and setting the example for his crew of what hard work looked like. I’d listen to my favorite NFL Head Coach Bill Parcells and MLB HOF Manager Tony LaRussa talk about how intensely they coached their teams and how much time they put into their professions that I assumed that to reach that level of success, this was how it had to be done.

What I didn’t take into account was how many times they could be ineffective, worn out, sleeping or just passing time in the building. I also didn’t think about the other approaches that other coaches took which were different in structure yet led to the same results.

As the years have passed, I’ve discovered that it’s more critical to maximize the time you spend in your place of employment and use your time away to clear your mind so you can be fresh and productive. These days I’m more likely to log 10-12 hours at work and do a few extra hours at home just so I can balance out the day and my environment.

If the task at hand requires a 16-18 hour day I’ve still got it in me to go get it done but luckily I’ve hired some great people and have gained enough confidence in them that I know that the job will get done even if I’m not physically standing in the room.

As you’re coming up the ranks in this industry, it’s inevitable to feel like you have to invest every minute of time in your life in the job. Let’s face it, this is a competitive environment and if you want to stand out and succeed at it, you better be head and shoulders above the others who do the same job. On the other hand, not every individual is wired the same.

For some, they need to be buried in the job 7 days per week. For others, they need to clear their minds and get mentally fresh for the next day. It’s not about who punches the clock and logs more hours, it’s about who utilizes their time the best, accomplishes the most and makes others around them better. While those who’ve worked for me will tell you I’m demanding and have high expectations, I’m a big believer that you do what’s necessary for yourself to be effective and get the job done.

I’m no expert on mentally disconnecting but I have worked at it and I find that as I’ve taken on bigger challenges in my professional life that it’s necessary for me to wipe the slate clean 2-3 x per year. I’ve also started to value and appreciate the time with my family much more as I’ve grown older whereas when I was in my twenties and early thirties I was so focused on my career that I got sucked into a bubble where the only thing that was important was being successful. I felt at that time that I’d lose out on opportunities if I didn’t out work everyone in my building, let alone anywhere else and while that mentality was beneficial to me in moving up the ladder (still is to some degree) I’ve also found that if I didn’t adjust and allow for some peace of mind a few times per year that I’d likely have burnt out by now.

Ironically I was reading Phil Jackson’s book “Eleven Rings” where he talks about the need in his life for meditation and how he’d have his players with the Bulls and Lakers sit in silence in the locker room before games to help them with freeing their minds and while I used to think the “zen master” got off on being viewed as a bizarre individual, I can now see the value of the approach. Creating an environment where a performer is able to get their mind right, prior to taking on the task at hand is often necessary for success.

The point of this column isn’t to direct you to utilize more vacation time or reinforce that you should be grinding harder to be successful, it’s to make you examine whether or not you have enough of a blend between who you are as a professional and who you are as an individual. Yes this job is exciting and a lot of fun and for many of us, we’re fortunate that we get paid to pursue our passions but it is still work at the end of the day.

For a programmer or personality that may seem impossible given that every piece of feedback on the radio station ends up in your email, text, facebook and twitter accounts but believe it or not, the building will still be there when you return from your break. When you’re confident in what you do and your results demonstrate that you’re effective at your position, you no longer need to worry about who will be sitting in your chair when you get back. Even if someone is in it, if you’re talented enough, someone else will want you occupying one of their chairs.

I’ve often loved to use the quote “Graveyards are full of indispensable men” because it’s very true. All we can control is the effort given and the results we create and if we hold up our end of the bargain, the rest takes care of itself. To feel like you can’t clear your mind or it’ll result in sending a bad message or leading to a change, means you either don’t work for a great employer, haven’t delivered on what was expected or you haven’t done a strong enough job in delegating and putting people in position to have success while you’re away. I was guilty of not delegating well earlier in my career but luckily I’ve gotten better at it.

Spending time with loved ones, reading, discovering hobbies and investing your personal time in things that help you grow as an individual is just as important as spending your time doing that one extra task as crazy as that may sound. Maybe the corporate execs won’t want to hear that but I’d rather have an energized and focused individual running through a wall for me to get the job done as opposed to a tired and mentally distracted employee who thinks that by occupying space they’ve fulfilled their obligation to the radio station.

Remember, sports is what we talk about and for many of us it’s something we love watching, discussing and learning more of and while I understand it’s a large part of what we do, it’s also not the only thing we’re defined by. At least not by those who are close to us and looking for a way to be more involved in our lives and successes.

The job is important and for many of us, the thrill of performing and the ability to beat the competition fuels us. But you’ll be amazed at how much stronger, sharper and energized you’ll be with a little mental escape every now and then.

Go figure, it only took me ten years to discover that what Bruce Gilbert was teaching in 2005 had some merit after all 🙂

Zach McCrite – 107.7 The Franchise

Features

Jason Barrett

August 22, 2014

One of the real joys in this industry for yours truly is when I stumble upon a personality who I believe has something to offer but hasn’t yet put it all together. Helping someone grow is a rewarding part of the job and I saw that possibility a little more than 3 years ago when I first became familiar with my featured guest this week, Zach McCrite.

I was looking for a host to team up with Bryan Burwell when Rick Scott and I were having one of our weekly conversations and he asked me “do you know anything about a guy named Zach McCrite”? I asked “who the heck is that“? He mentioned that he was some guy out of Louisville on the STAA Talent website who sounded ok but he didn’t know much about.

I followed up by logging on to the website to listen to his material and I liked a lot of what I heard. He sounded fun, likable, happy to be doing his job and a guy who would be easy for an audience to relate to and connect with. He also had a very unique country-like sound that was soothing to the ear. I had no idea how deep his knowledge base was or if he could thrive in a bigger situation but when someone stands out, you investigate.

I then streamed a few of his shows in Kentucky where he was working with a co-host on a heavy college basketball program and when I listened to the pairing it just didn’t excite me the same as the solo work did. I figured though that if one sample size was strong and the other wasn’t that it was at least worth a look.

I then brought Zach into town for a 2-day audition with Bryan and overall he did well. His personality stood out and you could tell there was a good energy and vibe in the room. The competition for the opening was strong and I had 3 legitimate contenders for the spot and when I made the final decision, Zach didn’t get the nod. I felt at that time that Zach didn’t have enough confidence in himself and he was still rough around the edges and lacking experience and with the current show not performing up to par with the rest of the radio station, I needed someone to take the reigns who had been through the wars before.

The person who got the call was Bob Stelton and while I was excited to add him, I also felt bad to have to give Zach the bad news. I reminded him when we talked to not give up and keep working because he was someone I felt had the talent to break through and he had now earned a spot on the future’s list. While that might not have been what he wanted to hear at the time, I meant what I said. I was impressed but the timing wasn’t right.

Well about a year later, Bob had kicked ass for us and lifted the radio station’s ratings and earned the attention of his hometown (Seattle) station who wanted to hire him to host their midday show with Dave Grosby. That put pressure on yours truly to create a new show that could capitalize on the momentum that had been gained the previous 12 months.

I had a high opinion of former NFL Coach Rick Venturi who was working for me as an NFL Analyst and who I thought could evolve into a weekday talk show host but what I needed was a younger voice to drive the show. I knew I wanted someone who was less analytical, self-deprecating, informed but not looking to be the smartest guy in the room and a personality who could have fun with Rick and respect his position but also establish themselves as well.

While going through the process I kept coming back to Zach. I felt with Venturi’s experience and depth and Zach’s personality and ability to balance out the serious stuff, we could have a pretty strong team. I listened a few more times to Zach to see how he was sounding and his personality was still off the charts but his content selection wasn’t strong and his formatics and confidence in driving a show were still under par.

I figured he was doing everything on his own with limited feedback and as I investigated his background by talking to one of my former colleagues from ESPN Radio Bob Valvano and Louisville Courier Sports Columnist Rick Bozich I kept hearing how much people enjoyed being around him. His peers pointed out how every good or bad decision made on the show was due to Zach’s judgments because there wasn’t any support from up above and I felt that if he had some direction and was willing to accept coaching, he could do a damn good job.

I then drove to Louisville and spent 5 hours with Zach inside of a restaurant where I peppered him with questions and tried to provide a realistic picture of what he would be facing if he were to move to St. Louis. I even popped a 20-question quiz on St. Louis sports on him that I knew would rattle him and result in a failing grade. I did it because I wanted to see how he’d handle things when he wasn’t sure. I remember him telling me that day “I will work really hard to be the best I can be and make sure the radio station is rewarded for having faith in me and in the meantime I will fake it until I make it“.

I then gave Zach an offer and told him to go home and discuss it with his family and let me know his decision the next morning. We then met up for breakfast and he let me know he was ready to move forward and I signed him to a contract to join 101 ESPN in St. Louis at one of the weirdest places I’d ever done a deal – IHOP!

Once Zach came to St. Louis he fit right in. He’s very easy going (his nickname is “EZ”) and approachable and he did a really smart thing by going out a lot in the city and embracing all that St. Louis had to offer. Rather than try to make the market adjust to him, he adjusted to the market. Because of his approach, a number of media personalities responded well to him and I’m sure the association with Rick Venturi didn’t hurt either.

What impressed me about Zach was how eager he was to improve and how sincere he was about learning how to be a better talent. His good natured sense of humor and love for sports connected well with the audience and because he and Coach Venturi worked hard at developing their chemistry, we had continued success in middays following the excellent run turned in by Bob Stelton. He was also excellent at using social media and his daily whiteboard sayings always generated response and kept people laughing.

While I only spent a little more than 3 months working with Zach before accepting a position in SF, we have kept in touch to this day and I consider him a friend and someone who I think has a ton of potential to do great things in this business. He’s currently in a great position working alongside former NFL Player Tony Casillas for 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma City and he seems genuinely happy and in a great place professionally.

The radio station he where he works has done a really good job in serving it’s local audience and Zach has once again embraced his new surroundings and found a way to fit in and connect with a whole new audience. He’s also done a great job blending with Tony Casillas and their partnership gives the station a strong pairing capable of having strong long-term success.

I reached out to Zach to have him provide some color on his radio career and explain some of the things he believes are important in creating great radio and I think you’ll enjoy the details of our conversation!

Q: When did you first become interested in sports radio? Who were some of the people you listened to who peaked your interest?

A: I was interested in sports radio for as long as I can remember. 10, 11, 12 years old probably. Except I wanted to be in play-by-play (and still have a dream of doing something on a play-by-play broadcast on a high level at some point. If not play-by-play, hopefully sidelines). Back then, it was Bob Costas and Marv Albert. Growing up in Indiana, Hoosiers play-by-play man Don Fischer was a must as well. In sports talk, my hometown had the old “One On One Sports.” I was a huge fan of Arnie Spanier and Papa Joe Chevalier. I listened constantly.

Q: Where was your first job and what were your responsibilities?

A: I was 14 and I begged the local sports station to let me intern during their high school sports broadcasts. I did the stats and then started setting up and breaking down the broadcasts after games. Then, the station gave me a job as a board op during their drive time hours when I could get a work permit. Looking back, I was an ant in the sports radio world but at the time I thought I had the coolest job on earth!

Q: You spent roughly 6 years in Kentucky doing sports talk radio. What were some of the lessons you learned that prepared you for where you are today?

A: That you are the ONLY person responsible for your success. Sports radio was in it’s infancy in the Louisville market when I arrived and landed a job in 2005. And I was a one-man show. Literally. Bigger companies started employing two-man shows on bigger sticks. I never had a real coach in Louisville and I was just doing what I thought was listenable. I promised myself that no matter what, my show would be different. It was the only advantage I had and I was proud of it.

Q: After Kentucky, you landed your first job in a top 20 market with 101 ESPN in St. Louis. How did that opportunity come about?

A: Wow, funny that Jason Barrett would be asking that question. You were the PD at 101 ESPN at the time and found me like a needle in a haystack. I got asked to come to St. Louis for an on-air tryout and didn’t get the job. You told me “We went in a different direction but out of all the people we brought in, you were my next choice.” I remember thinking “yeah right, you probably told all of the candidates that they were your next choice” but sure enough, when the next opening came, I got the call after you came to Louisville to vet me one last time, while slamming a bunch of pancakes at an IHOP!

Q: How difficult was it going from a small market with limited expectations to a larger market where ratings success was demanded and expected?

A: It scared the living daylight out of me. I remember having a dream after my first day on the air that the ratings came in and our new show had come in 17th place! But frankly, I’m glad it happened that way. I remember all of those 4am wake-up calls thinking “I’m going to prove all of my old naysayers in the biz wrong.” I had my share of those and still do. They fueled me then and they fuel me now.

Q: Your first stint at the station saw you team up with former NFL Coach Rick Venturi. What was the best and most challenging part of running point on that show?

A: The best part was really learning about football. Us talking heads that don’t have an extensive football playing or coaching career to our name still open up a mic and think we know football. It was then that I realized I really didn’t know football at all! I enjoyed talking about the social aspects of football (and other sports) but I didn’t really know a thing about the Xs and Os until I teamed up with him. And he enjoyed teaching me.

The most challenging part was trying to debate him on his views! I felt like he thought I was silly for questioning him (which I probably was). The guy has been around. I’m grateful that he was my first co-host in St. Louis. I think we learned a lot from each other and he’s still a great friend today.

Q: When Coach Venturi left, you then teamed up with another strong St. Louis personality, Bob Ramsey. How would you describe that situation?

A: Rammer was fun. So opinionated and a great sense of humor. We could debate! That was one of the biggest advantages. The biggest frustration was that we just didn’t have enough time together. Rammer had been a part of a great afternoon drive team before he got put with me. Being pulled from afternoon drive and swallowing your pride and hanging out with “the morning guy” can be a tough transition. We were getting there I thought but just not enough time.

Q: You experienced the hard part of the business when you were let go by 101 ESPN in November 2013. What did you learn from that experience?

A: It taught me to be ready for anything. I was certainly caught off guard by it. I thought things were great but I had never been fired before. This was the business. If the company thinks they can do better, they’ve got to do it. I now work under the assumption that today may be my last day on air. If you say that to yourself right before your show begins each day and again before your last segment, you find yourself feeling more proud about how that show went that day.

Q: That led to you moving to Oklahoma City where you’re now in PM drive working for 107.7 The Franchise with former NFL player Tony Casillas. How did that situation materialize and how would you describe it so far?

A: I got fired at 11:15am on a Friday and I had a call from Rick Scott by 1pm that same day. He was consulting for a brand new station out of Oklahoma City that was looking to take on the longstanding Sports Animal. By the end of the day, my resume was in the PD’s hands there (oh yeah, another thing I learned: always have your updated resumé ready to go). The PD listened to my material and we chatted multiple times on the phone about philosophies. I then visited OKC a few times both with and without my wife just to get a feel of the city and my potential new co-host and then made the move.

Working with Tony is a lot like working with Rick Venturi. Tons of football knowledge and fun to hang out with. Now, the trick is trying to get him to buy in to some of the “radio” things that he’s new to. This is his first full time radio gig and it’s a work in progress but we’re making a dent! I love the climb!

Q: Why do you think that type of combination (broadcaster and former athlete) is so popular today in sports talk radio?

A: I think it’s popular because it’s the conversation many listeners want to have. They want to have the discussion with the former athlete that I’m having. So I speak for them. The “broadcaster” is really just Joe Fan so I come at it from that angle on air. The former athlete comes from a completely different vantage point. The broadcaster’s main job, in my opinion, is to let the former athlete shine while trying to get them to understand where us nitwit fans are coming from. It’s a great dynamic.

Q: To those who aren’t familiar with the Oklahoma City sports scene, how would you describe it? What is the biggest misconception of the market?

A: Oklahoma City is obviously a football-first market. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State rule. I don’t think that’s a surprise to many. But I think the biggest misconception is that football is all OKC is. That’s certainly not the case. I’m sure it used to be Football was ranked #1 and the Thunder (and Kevin Durant) were ranked a distant 2nd. Not anymore. Case in point, right now. It’s two weeks from the start of the college football season and Kevin Durant is leading our radio shows a lot. The Team USA departure and his current endorsement battle between Nike and Under Armour is at the top of the headlines. If it wasn’t for off-the-field issues with multiple OU players, Durant would be an even greater portion of our show each day.

Q: What’s your approach to preparing each day for a 4-hour talk show?

A: I know this sounds kind of uppity but you’re kind of always preparing. Almost every time I have an opinion about something I see in sports or in my life, I’m either writing it down or tweeting it out. Either way, I have record of it and then I can start to expound on those points when I’m at my desk and ready to write. I’ve got a nice “shell” of the show put together the night before. Then it’s just letting the next day’s news start to filter in and collarborating with my co-host and producer on what things they are hot on as the day goes on.

Q: When it comes to improving the show, how often do you guys meet to review the show’s strengths and weaknesses? Who’s involved in the feedback process?

A: We’re always in constant contact informally with our PD and APD. But then we’ll all get together usually about once a month. PD, APD, producer, me and my co-host, and sometimes a consultant.

Q: As an on-air talent, how important is it for you to be coached regularly?

A: I like being told regularly how to get better. When I see other people get asked this question, I always wonder why their answer isn’t closer to mine. Wouldn’t you want to be told how to improve? Yes I know you don’t want to suffer from paralysis from overanalysis. I don’t either. But I’d rather know how to make myself better (and make my boss happy) then to steer clear of bosses as much as possible and then get let go down the road.

Q: To help you become a better broadcaster, who are some of the people who have helped you along the way and what did they do to make you better?

A: You see, this is JB looking for a pat on the back! Nah, I’m kidding about that. But you have probably been my biggest influence. When you offered me a job in St. Louis, I literally had never been trained on how to do a radio show. NEVER. So your voice is constantly in my head with reminders of the fundamentals I need to keep sharp.

My parents were also a huge influence. My mom used to call me a “starving artist” and in some ways, I’ll probably always be but they were always there when I was living paycheck to paycheck and needed a home-cooked meal. They sometimes threw in an extra tank of gas too. And my mom and dad have their own successful highway construction business and not once would they tell me not to go after my radio dreams.

Kent Sterling and Hoss Neupert were both PDs in St. Louis that taught me a ton too. Kent drove home the point to go with what gets you excited. “Entertain and enlighten” was his thing. Hoss always, always, always had either an angle on a topic or an angle on the construct of the show that I hadn’t thought of yet.

Rick Scott has also been a huge influence. He’s great at explaining and improving the dynamic of a two-man show in a way that is relatable and is so good at the ins and outs of how to get the most out of the ratings.

All of these people, more than anything, saw something in me that, at times, I hadn’t seen in myself. They all believed in me and for that I am truly grateful.

All of my different types of co-hosts have also taught me how to adapt to different styles and still try to stay true to me. All a gift.

Q: If someone is thinking of entering this industry and asked for your advice on what to do and what to avoid, what would you say to them?A: I’m sure you’ve all heard this before, but for crying out loud, if you haven’t interned yet…. GO! Do it now! Like, leave this page and just go.

If you’re trying to take the next step in the industry, I would say call a PD and see if he’ll just critique a quick tape of you. Don’t ask for a job (at least not yet), just introduce yourself and see if they’ll help. That way, they’re under no pressure to hire you and now they’ve got your name. And if they’re not hiring, maybe they know someone that is!

If you can help it (and sometimes you can’t), avoid a place that doesn’t actually have a boss that coaches you to do your job better. I can attest and I know others can too, that some places just leave you to your own devices, which can feel freeing but can also lead to getting better at a slower rate.

Zach McCrite can be heard weekday afternoons on 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma City. To learn more about the show, check out their show page by clicking here. You can also follow Zach on Twitter by clicking here.

The Producer and Host Relationship

Columns

Jason Barrett

August 21, 2014

I’m a fan of a variety of music and one group who’s style I’ve grown fond of the past 7-8 years is the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. Initially the band’s earlier songs lacked flow from start to finish. They’d feature some excellent riffs, lyrics and instrumental parts but when the songs were completed they felt like they were missing something. I could tell the band’s talent was there but they hadn’t figured out how to put it all together.

As the years passed, I’ve noticed how the group has matured and become more focused and serious about the song writing process. Their songs now sound well organized and have a much stronger flow and the lyrics and melodies have become much stronger. Coincidentally they’re selling more records now than they ever have before.

Now you’re probably thinking “what the heck does that have to do with sports talk radio” and actually there’s a specific reason why I’m bringing it up. Make sure to read the question and answer exchange at top of the article. In it you’ll notice some of the feedback from Guitarist Zacky Vengeance who talked to Revolver Magazine about the involvement of a producer in the band’s music making process.

This is important because it’s no different than what occurs in radio. In this case, the “talent” went in with a closed mind and initially rejected the idea of coaching and constructive criticism, only to discover later that when they embraced it, they made better music. When people collaborate and keep an open mind to the content creation process, more times than not the result is better than when one tries to go it alone.

I’m not pointing this out so you’ll enter your building tomorrow and give your producer a big hug and tell them you’ll listen to them in the future. Doing that and changing your approach isn’t going to unlock some magical formula that is going to assure you of having a kick ass show that dominates in the ratings.

Instead I’m bringing it up to illustrate the value in having a strong producer involved in the daily process. In many cases, this individual is another supporter and believer in your abilities and they’re willing to be honest, candid and helpful to seeing you reach your full potential as a personality.

One thing that always stands out to me is how similar the responses are when I talk to different talent about how they measure their growth or improvement. Most will say stuff like “we chat as a show about what we thought worked and that determines if we’re making progress or not“, “the ratings tell us if what we’re doing is working” and my personal favorite “you can feel when it’s good or when it isn’t“.

While there’s some validity to those responses, how can anyone truly show performance improvement if these are the ways talent go through the improvement and coaching process? If I asked you as a host to show me a clear difference of something you’ve worked on and improved upon over the past 90 days could you do it? Maybe some could but I guarantee most couldn’t.

Call me old fashioned but I still believe there is an art to creating great radio and it starts with preparation, shared vision and a game plan to track success. If those things aren’t in place or don’t matter and regular feedback isn’t provided, then how can you tell if you’re any better or different than from when you first spoke to an audience on a microphone? Aside from a possible voice change or different PD opinion, you’re going to be hard pressed to prove you’ve grown as a broadcaster.

Think for a second about professional sports and how it relates to this situation. I’ll use Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw as my examples since they’re both at the top of their games. Each spends a few hours watching video to study their own performances as well as their opponents tendencies and they’ll seek out further opinion from their managers, coaches and fellow teammates in order to make sure they’re set up to have success. Why do they do it? To get better and help their teams win.

These guys spend 9-10 hours per day at their jobs, they travel constantly and juggle media, fans and sponsor requests plus find time to sleep, spend time with their families, work out and do some things to take their mind off the game. Still they find time to evaluate their work and the competition. Oh and they do this while making millions! They’ve got plenty of excuses to be lazy but they don’t use them because they’re focused on always getting better.

Sports isn’t the only industry that’s relatable. Let’s use an example from the movie business. Leonardo DiCaprio makes millions to shoot a movie and I’m sure some directors would probably just let him walk into a room and say “do whatever you want and we’ll film it and make it great” but instead a guy like DiCaprio seeks out top notch directors like Martin Scorsese who are going to challenge him and cast him in roles that help him be his very best. There’s obviously a respect and trust between director and actor and due to that connection, the product on the screen is usually strong and movie fanatics show their appreciation by filling up theatres to watch their work.

Most radio talent have more time available, less distractions and a lot less money than a professional athlete or film star yet most don’t make time to assess how they’re performing, what they’re going to do to get better going forward and how they’re going to measure it. Some personalities never listen back to their work or embrace hearing what’s less than stellar on the show and it baffles me because if you’re not willing to hear honesty from those who care and appreciate your talents then how do you expect to grow?

This is why I chose today to focus on the producer-talent relationship. If a show truly wants to grow and find its groove, it starts with those two individuals and then it extends to the Program Director. No full-time show tandem spends more time together than Host-Producer so if that combination isn’t clicking, the rest of the product can be in big trouble.

Those who have worked for me have heard me use this following example. Inside any radio station, I see the Program Director as the Head Coach, the Producer as the Offensive Coordinator and the On-Air talent as the Quarterback. We must all to agree on what style of offense we’re going to play before we hit the field but once we’re out there, we need to trust our training, work together on the game plan and respect, understand and utilize what each other does so we can have individual and team success.

If you’re a producer and you think you’re going to instruct your talent to “do as they’re told“, good luck getting anything done. They’re the star the audience is paying to see and you need to respect that, appreciate it and remember it. You can put things down on paper and beat someone up for every small detail that gets missed but if you don’t enjoy the wins and remind your on-air talent of when they do something outstanding, you’ll never get the full support you’re seeking.

Some producers think that doing a talk show is easy and formatics should never be missed but that’s not realistic. That’s like expecting Peyton Manning to never throw an interception. Clearly he has the talent to make every throw on the field and his intention isn’t to make a mistake but people are human and they screw up sometimes.

I remember meeting once in St. Louis with a group of producers and when I raised the question of why we weren’t supplying our talent with more information to further support their opinions on the air, I was told that it required a lot more work and the talk show hosts were paid a lot to know to sports so they should know it all.

I then asked the group “can you remember the 5-6 bullet points to one of your topics from earlier today“? After being told they could, I took a group of producers down the hall to a production studio, turned on a microphone and had them each try to do a 10-minute segment recalling what they thought they remembered from earlier that day. Not one lasted 2 minutes.

The purpose of the exercise wasn’t to demonstrate that they couldn’t host a show like a personality could, it was to make them aware of just how tough it is to remember everything inside your head. When you have the benefit of information in front of you on paper or on a screen and when you know you have someone in your corner who’s trying to give you details to help you along, you’re going to be more likely to place your faith in them. If the producer maintained the initial mindset that existed when we first entered that meeting, the talent would have lost respect, trust and interest in working with him in the future.

What people off the air sometimes lose sight of is that doing a 3-4 hour radio show 5 days per week and being entertaining, compelling and interesting to an audience is very hard! Even the best in the business have off-days and off-segments. The challenge is getting your people past those bumps in the road and not letting it become a consistent issue.

On the other hand, if you’re a talent, you need to be cognizant of the fact that your shit does stink some time and the one who’s going to tell you, is the person who’s in your corner the most, your producer. If you really care about being great, then you have to be open minded to feedback and criticism. It comes with the territory. If Peyton Manning can face millions of people after an off-day in the Super Bowl, then you should be able to handle some dialogue with your producer.

Most producer’s have good intentions and want to earn the trust and respect of their hosts. If they’re being hard on a host for breaking late, blowing off a tease or asking bad questions during an interview, they’re doing it because they know the host can do better and they want to help that person reach their full potential. They take pride in the show just like the host does and they want to see their hard work pay off in the eyes of the audience, their peers and their bosses.

One misconception I’ve seen and heard too many times in multiple markets from a number of hosts is what they believe a producer’s job is. Many think the job is to book 2-3 guests, print a few stories off the internet, answer the phones, grab coffee and stay out of the way. That is not a producer. That is called a “yes man”. You can break it into other parts too such as “booker”, “information gatherer”, “call screener”, “runner”, etc.

A producer is going to work with you to “produce” content and shape the vision for the show and do everything in their power to see that the vision becomes a reality. They’re not there to sit back and wonder where the show is going or why it’s going there. Having a plan and an agreed upon destination that both people are aware of shouldn’t require pulling teeth.

If someone is working on a show with you and they’re not challenging you on where things are going or asking to be more involved with the layout then that’s when you should be concerned as a host. Anyone who cares about the program and helping you deliver a great product is going to want to work with you on the show’s creation. They’re also going to look for ways to add to the presentation while the show is in progress because having an idea of what’s going to take place fosters more creativity.

For those who produce shows, think of the way you approach your show each day and ask yourself “what’s the one thing I’ve worked on with my host in the past 30-60 days to make them better“? If you can’t identify it, then it’s something you’re going to want to work on.

Maybe you’re waiting for the feedback to come from the mouth or email of your PD but if you want the respect of your talent, then you can lead the charge too when you hear an opportunity for something to improve. If the only time you speak up to offer advice is when the PD is present, how do you expect the host to trust your evaluation of their work?

If you’ve thought about the areas where your personality can improve but haven’t been able to come up with a plan for how to make it better that’s ok. In that case, talk to your PD and let them know what you think could be tighter on the show and give some examples to support your beliefs. Trust me, they’ll appreciate it and then work with you to come up with a strategy for how to measure improvement.

I’ll wrap this piece up with this, if your future earning potential and length of stay at your current place of work was measured on your ratings growth or being able to demonstrate improvement in what you’re doing, what would you put your faith in? One system is flawed and out of your control, the other is in your hands and only takes your commitment, creating a detailed plan and holding yourself accountable.

If you produce a show, listen to it closer and think of the places inside of it where you can help. If you’re on the air, think of the advantage you have by having a trusted colleague working next to you to help you create a great show. In some markets, personalities are producing their own shows and I know a few who have also had to host while producing and running their own board. That’s not fun but neither is the flip side, paying for great support, only to have the host not value it or utilize it.

Here’s a challenge for you. Host/Producer, identify one thing you both agree could be better on the show and spend the next 30 days trying to make it better. Whether it’s your teases going to break, resetting the show during segments, improving the pace of the show, shortening your interviews or diving into content faster at the start of segments. There are a ton of other possibilities too but that gives you some things to get started.

Pull some audio to show how it sounds when it works or fails and come up with a game plan for what you’re going to do differently to make it better. Step back in 30 days to see where you’re at and continue the dialogue with one another to keep finding ways to make the show feel better and more fulfilling.

Let’s be honest, you wouldn’t be in your position if you didn’t have ability to do the job. However, a lot of people have talent and those who push themselves to continue improving go further. Great ones like Peyton Manning, Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter didn’t need to be told to accept coaching, work with their teammates or find ways to measure and improve their performances regularly, they did it because they wanted to be the best at what they did.

If they could do it then there’s no reason you can’t. Measuring your improvement isn’t difficult and it’s not a bad place to start when showing your bosses why you’re worth a larger investment down the road. Then again, if you don’t want to go that way, you can always put your fate in the hands of the Nielsen gods. Please be sure to let me know how that turns out for you.

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Barrett MediaSports, News & Music Media Analysis & Insights

Barrett MediaSports, News & Music Media Analysis & Insights

Barrett MediaSports, News & Music Media Analysis & Insights

Barrett MediaSports, News & Music Media Analysis & Insights

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Marc Hochman – 560 WQAM

Seeing The Bigger Picture

Are You Recharging Your Batteries?

Zach McCrite – 107.7 The Franchise

The Producer and Host Relationship