"I wondered if media executives consider what we're doing important. If we stopped covering the business and shut down tomorrow, how much would it matter?"
She'll be joined throughout the night by Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber, Joy Reid, Alex Wagner, and Stephanie Ruhle, in addition to Hayes, Psaki, and O'Donnell.
Lethlean, who has served as news director at Mix 99.1 since 2013 and has hosted multiple on-air shifts, most recently the afternoon drive-time show, concluded his time on the air on November 1.
Fremont joined 105.1 The Bounce in October 2022. He began his career at the Rhythmic CHR 102 Jamz WJHM, which later rebranded to CHR 101.9 Amp Radio WQMP in Orlando.
"I wondered if media executives consider what we're doing important. If we stopped covering the business and shut down tomorrow, how much would it matter?"
She'll be joined throughout the night by Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber, Joy Reid, Alex Wagner, and Stephanie Ruhle, in addition to Hayes, Psaki, and O'Donnell.
Lethlean, who has served as news director at Mix 99.1 since 2013 and has hosted multiple on-air shifts, most recently the afternoon drive-time show, concluded his time on the air on November 1.
Fremont joined 105.1 The Bounce in October 2022. He began his career at the Rhythmic CHR 102 Jamz WJHM, which later rebranded to CHR 101.9 Amp Radio WQMP in Orlando.
There’s an old saying when it comes to marketing a sports radio station “fish where the fish are“. For sports stations there’s a distinct advantage compared to other formats when it comes to trying to attract new people to sample the product. You simply promote your brand at stadiums, on television during game broadcasts, on popular websites and social platforms that are sports focused and on trains or buses that are going to be visibly seen around the locations where sports fans travel. I’m sure there are many other examples I could provide but you get the point.
So if placement is so simple then why doesn’t the marketing always work? Well the answer is different for each situation. Sometimes the creative just isn’t good enough. Other times it can be that the campaign wasn’t long enough or didn’t have any call to action behind it. The other reason that I believe is equally as critical is whether the message you’ve built your campaign around is in line with what your brand stands for.
Last year, my former station decided to do some marketing to try and further grow the brand. In the video sample below you’ll see that it’s pretty straight forward. We could’ve gone with a funnier spot or did something more outside the box and shocking that may have created a stir in the marketplace, but instead we took a simpler approach and focused on showcasing our people and what they were best known for.
That may not always feel as cool to those involved in the creative process, but when you’re battling for people’s attention I believe the most important thing you can do is provide something that gets them to take notice and can be executed on your airwaves.
In the video above the station focused on 4 personalities and the traits that made each of them unique. Passion defines what Damon Bruce brings to the airwaves. Insight is what Ric Bucher has provided during his 25+ years of covering professional sports. Access is what Greg Papa has more of than anyone in the San Francisco market and Game is a play on Aubrey Huff’s 13 year career in the Major Leagues and the swagger that he brought to the former morning show.
The station also wanted to illustrate that the crew have fun and enjoy being around one another because when it comes down to it, listeners want to feel like they’re attending a party with their friends on the radio. The reason I thought the spot worked was because it was a fair representation of who the talent were as individuals, and what the brand stood for, which made it easier to live up to audience expectations.
In looking at some other marketing examples, I noticed some different tactics which I also believe work effectively. Case in point this TV ad from Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. In this piece the radio station is trying to generate buzz for their switch to the FM dial and the use of different team graphics and the positioning of words such as “Insights and Opinions, Insider Access and the Biggest Games” all reflect what the station is able to provide once the listener checks out the product. Very short and sweet and absolutely effective.
The one thing I caution folks to avoid when marketing their brands is creating a position that isn’t a reflection of what they actually deliver. For example, you can tell the general public your station offers the most controversial personality on the planet, and they will stop by to see what the buzz is about, but if they turn on the radio station, and find Bob Costas hosting the show instead of Howard Stern, you’re going to piss a lot of people off because you’ve provided false advertising.
Risk taking is fun, and being creative keeps us all sane and invested in the concepts we create, but sometimes simplicity and showcasing your best assets in a way which is consistent with what you do and who you are is more important. It’s also more effective.
No better example of doing it the wrong way comes to mind more than the defunct football league, the XFL. It was the year 2000 when this league was created by WWE’s Vince McMahon and the marketing suggested that the league would be edgier, harder hitting, sexually graphic and much more extreme than the NFL.
The first game featured on NBC drew a huge 9.5 TV rating so one could say that the marketing didn’t do what it was supposed to, which was to get people to tune in and discover what the league was about. Except there was one major problem – the entire country showed up and came away with the same opinion – it was really bad football and not an accurate portrayal of what they were promised in the promos.
As a result, ratings dropped 60% from the first week to the second week. They then dropped another 40% the week after. A few weeks later, the league would become responsible for generating the lowest rating for a prime time program on a major network in television history.
Due to being rejected by the audience, the league folded after 1 season. The lesson learned was that you can lead a horse to water but if the water is dirty they’re not going to drink it. Here’s a sample of one of those XFL promos.
To summarize, here are my 3 key takeaways. Start with these simple rules and you’ll be on the right track to doing some smart and effective marketing to help your brand.
Don’t Promise Something You Can’t Deliver On
Keep Your Marketing Message Consistent With What You Stand For
Fish Where The Fish Are – Focus On Standing Out In The Right Places
Every day in the sports talk radio universe we find ourselves examining which stories to talk about, which angles to focus on, which guests best fit our subjects and which hard hitting opinions will elicit the strongest emotional response from our audience. One thing that sometimes gets lost though in the process is how production can factor into the daily plan to enhance the presentation. Over the past 10 years we’ve witnessed a strong number of sports radio stations migrate to the FM band which forever had been known as the destination for music. So if music is what people have come to expect on the FM band then doesn’t it make a little bit of sense to utilize the two together?
When it comes to the sports format we often see that a number of stations compete for the all-important demographic of Men 25-54 with classic rock, alternative rock and modern rock radio stations. In some markets you’ll even see Top 40, CHR and Hip-Hop enter the mix. When you dig deeper you find that many of your listeners whether they’re hardcore or casual fans, also spend times with music brands. They’re clearly telling you that they have other interests beyond your brand of content and when they’ve received what they need from you, they’re going to seek out other forms of entertainment. This is where opportunity comes in.
I believe the feel, sound and entertainment value of a radio station is critical. The messaging should capture the feel that the radio station is fun and in sync with what’s relevant in society. When it comes to music I want titles which are more current or popular over the past 10 years and I often look for them to be up tempo and instrumental. That’s because I want the pace to always be moving forward and because I want my hosts to be heard clearly without having to battle vocal harmonies and loud screams. Listen I grew up on Led Zeppelin, ACDC, Black Sabbath and Bon Jovi and some of those bands songs will always be cool to me but if the sound of your brand captures the feel of what mattered 30-40 years ago then I believe you’re at an instant disadvantage because the cool-factor of the radio station is gone.
When older titles from 30-40 years ago are featured it makes people feel old and out of touch plus the style of what you’re showcasing is targeted to the latter part of your demographic which makes you sound like “the older sports station for adults” versus the fun, hip sports station that is built for today and tomorrow’s audience. It can also damage your on-air personalities because it makes them appear out of touch even if they’re not. As a rule of thumb I believe the goal should be to connect with the 32-35 year old male. If he knows about it and thinks it’s cool, then that’s what should be on the radio station. When a popular movie comes out on DVD and I know it’s been well received by the public and people are using quotes from it in daily conversation then that’s something you should be looking at to utilize either in your shows or promo production. If a popular artist is coming to town, bumping into a segment with some of their tunes/intro beds or using one of their hooks for a creative rejoin makes you sound slick. It tells people you recognize what’s happening and you’re focused on satisfying their tastes.
One other area where production can be extremely helpful and at times even critical is when it comes to launching a new personality in a market or a brand new talk show. When change happens listeners immediately put up their guard. They want to often know “why was the other show removed, who’s this new personality, why should I listen to him/her and what’s this new show about“. Until the show hits the airwaves and an identity is understood, the only preview comes in the form of production via coming soon promos.
One brand that truly gets this and does an excellent job at it is the WWE. You don’t have to be a fan of professional wrestling to understand the concept. Simply put, their creative team develops a character behind the scenes and creates promos to capture who the character is. They then air those promos for weeks leading up to the wrestler’s debut and by the time the individual appears, the audience usually has a grasp on who they are. It’s about creating hype and interest and the WWE does it extremely well.
Case in point watch this video below. This is the promo for a group called “The Wyatt Family” which features a guy named Bray Wyatt as the deranged leader of a twisted cult. At the time this promo was launched the audience had no familiarity with the trio. As of today they’re one of the most popular factions on WWE programming. This is an illustration of great character development, strong production, consistent marketing and crisp execution.
Now some stations place little emphasis on the sound of music, production and relevant audio drops and that’s their choice and many have success doing it that way so there’s definitely more than one way to skin the cat. For yours truly though I’d rather play to the strengths of what I know the local audience is currently into rather than tell them to take what I give them or get lost. The reality is that we all like music, movies, comedy and sports and when a station can deliver great sports content and surround it with a presentation that’s youthful, fun, fresh and entertaining then you stand a better chance to connect.
To wrap this up I’ve attached a few audio samples below which will illustrate some easy ways to make people feel connected to your show/station better. I’ve shared these philosophies with numerous producers and hosts over the years and many have taken advantage of it to help improve their programs. I hope that by thinking of the value production can play in shaping your show/station identity, that it also serves you well in the future.
In most cases you can tell a story through promo production but there’s also other options to explore such as creating some forward momentum through creative rejoins and producing customized feature opens to lead into created segments. The style of what you use should always fit the story or content direction and in most cases it should be in line with the sound of the radio station. I assure you that by putting the extra time into your presentation will help you gain a deeper appreciation and respect from your audience as well as an improved listening experience and it won’t take long before they’re letting you know about it.
Promo – Coming Soon “The Damon Bruce Show” (courtesy of Jeff Schmidt)
During my 20+ years in the sports media business I’ve learned from many great leaders, personalities, friends and rivals. I subscribe to the theory that you should always keep looking for ways to challenge yourself, and one area where improvements can be made in our business is when it comes to conducting interviews.
While spending 2+ years at ESPN in Bristol, CT, I had a chance to sit opposite Dan Patrick on a daily basis. I learned what a good interview should sound like. In my humbled opinion Dan is one of the best of all time when it comes to interviewing people.
Equally as important and even more of a factor on my growth were the training sessions I had a chance to participate in with the architect of interviewing John Sawatsky. Most people won’t know John by name or face but if you watch NFL Live, Baseball Tonight, SportsCenter or any other form of ESPN programming, his work is on display every single night.
John created a workshop built around eliminating what he referred to as the “7 Deadly Sins of Interviewing” and in this blog I’m going to take you through each of those sins and explain why his methods make sense. Most of what’s laid out below is what John passed on during the training sessions but I’ve since changed some of the audio samples and a few of the teachings to make it more adaptable to my style and those I’ve worked with.
Keys To Being a Good Interviewer
Interviewing is one area of journalism that has NOT improved over time. Everything else has, but this is one skill that has gone down. The question and interview are two different things and have different designs. Questions are very powerful and fragile and are in place to generate response and receive information. The interview as a whole is supposed to contain a series of questions which will help us better understand and learn new information about the individual or subject we are speaking with.
Yet often the broadcaster sleepwalks through interviews and throws any questions out there without a specific purpose. In certain situations the interviewer aims to become the star of the conversation and create conflict and visual drama which for the entertainment portion of television or radio may be good but for the purpose of the interview doesn’t deliver what it was intended to do.
Part I: The Question
We look at a car and we don’t know how it works. We like it until it breaks down. The mechanic knows how to fix it. The mechanic is professionally trained and knows about the moving parts. You are the mechanic for your interview. You need to know the moving parts for when your interview breaks down.
Why did CBS fall flat in interviewing Phil Mickelson after the Masters?
We blame the car — it’s a lousy car. “No one can make Phil interesting.”
The answers you get are a function of the question asked.
Every question has two purposes: big and little.
Your question is the only tool. No one HAS to talk to us. We have to rely on questions. We use the question to move it along from Point A to Point B. Each question is moving it forward. That movement is the Big Purpose.
The question’s small purpose is to gather information incrementally. But the big purpose and small purpose are separate. Like the transmission and engine of car. You need both, but they are completely different.
Simply defined: A question is an inquiry into something.
If you can name something, you can deal with it. The name “West Coast Offense” communicates meaning without having to describe the whole system. So we will define terms.
Question = Topic + Query
If you understand that, you can ask questions with amazing precision. Think of a non-digital camera. The lens determines what’s in the picture. The shutter makes the camera operate. Lens is your topic – what you’re looking at. Shutter is the query – what does the work.
DEADLY SIN #1 — NO QUERY
About 20 percent of what we ask doesn’t have a catalyst, an engine.
EXAMPLE – Barbara Walters with “The Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin’s Wife
Q: “You’ve lost him and you feel that you were blessed”
A: “I feel I was so blessed”
The query could be, “How can you feel blessed by losing the one you love most” or “Why do you believe you were blessed when you’ve just lost the one who mattered most to you”?
Both examples put the guest in a position to describe and explain rather than confirm or ignore. The content is a result of the process. Rapport is great, but it’s not necessary. A statement proclaims something. A question creates a demand. We have to make our questions do the work to get people to talk to us.
EXAMPLE – Texas Rangers OF Josh Hamilton on ESPN
Q: “When you were in the worst of the worst it just took over”
A: Consumed me. I was basically killing myself inside.
How could the question have been asked to get Hamilton to elaborate further?
EX: “What led to this disease getting the better of you?” “Why was this disease able to take control of you?” “How did this become as bad as it did?”
Once again, if the question asked is delivered with the intention of getting the subject to describe, explain and inform, we’ll learn more new information and deliver better results.
The query is akin to blocking and tackling. It’s basic to making everything work.
DEADLY SIN #2 — DOUBLE-BARRELED QUESTIONS
This is even more popular as a sin than the first deadly sin. This is when the interviewer elects to present the guest with two questions at once. Almost every time the guest is going to select the less challenging portion of the discussion.
EXAMPLE – Katie Couric with Barack Obama
Q: If you believe Afghanistan is the central front in the war on terror, why was this your first trip there and why didn’t you hold a single hearing as chairman of a sub-committe that oversees the fighting force there?
A: Actually the sub committee that I chair is the European sub-committee, and any issues related to Afghanistan were always dealt with in the full committee. Precisely because it’s so important. That’s not a matter that you would deal with in a sub-committee setting.
Obama goes to the one he prefers. People default to the safest, most favorable, least dangerous question.
EXAMPLE – Keith Olbermann with Hillary Clinton.
Q: What do you think of the draft Gore stories and do you think even after all this time that you’ll wind up facing him still in the primaries?
A: I’m hoping he wins and I’m waiting to hear the announcement from the Nobel committee and I hope that we give that well deserved honor to VP Gore.
We typically do this because we are in rush, want to narrow or broaden focus, want to get the story in, for dramatic effect (especially on TV). A single barrel question hanging out there doesn’t seem like that much. Often it’s because we are trying to overcome our own internal doubt about our first question. Sometimes it’s because we want to hear our own voice. And sometimes we just don’t know what the question is.
Those are only some of the reasons. Sometime you just build up too much momentum. You have to slow down before a stop sign. When we finish the question, our voice drops. Sometimes the second question is just to get the voice from 50 mph to 0. But the damage is done. The double barreled question gives the subject a ramp off the highway. You do not want to do that.
DEADLY SIN #3 — OVERLOADING
A question can’t support a topic that is too broad, or multiple topics. “What do you think about sports?” is just too broad. In the case of overloading, this is when the interviewer tries to jam 3-4 and sometimes even 5-6 questions into one exchange. Once again you’ll find the guest picks and chooses what part they wish to respond to.
EXAMPLE – Bill O’Reilly Interview of Howard Stern
Q: So 80-100 million a year go into your corporation. You go on Sirius the satellite radio channel. How are they going to make a profit? How many people are going to go over and what are they like, $50 bucks for a subscription?
A: Is it my problem if they make a profit? Is that my worry? They paid me to go there and entertain the people and that’s what I’ll do
Howard gets defensive and answers the first part and never addresses the challenges of expecting consumers to pay for the product or touching on what he believes the future growth of the company will be due to his arrival.
EXAMPLE – Steve Kroft’s interview with Bill Clinton after the Jennifer Flowers rumors surface
Q: You said that your marriage has had problems. What do you mean by that? Does that mean you were separated? You had communication problems? You contemplated divorce? Adultery?
A: I think the American people, at least those who have been married know exactly what that means.
Clinton is bombarded with too many things at once to address anything specifically so once again the guest gravitates to the area that’s easiest to deal with.
Overloading is a cousin to the double barrel. Using the pizza principle: Usually the more toppings the better, for more flavor. With questions, less is more.
DEADLY SIN #4 — REMARKS
This is the most common violation of interviewing. Any time you put remarks OF ANY KIND in a question then you are offering another off ramp to the highway you’re trying to stay on. YOU DON”T NEED REMARKS. If you feel like you need to make a remark, then the question is flawed. You need to break up the question into several questions.
Newton’s Law: every action creates an equal and opposite reaction. There are no neutral remarks. Everything makes an impact.
Think of a fax machine. It has two functions: send and receive. Don’t go into send mode — giving information — when you want to receive information.
EXAMPLE: Mike Francesa with Joe Girardi
Q: Everyone talks about a fast start. It’s been so hard for the Yankees to get off to a fast start in the last 4-5 years. It’s part of being a veteran team. I don’t think it’s that I think it’s just probably being lucky health-wise and also getting your pitching ready to be ready on opening day. When you think about getting off to a fast start which I know you’d like to do I think it’s about getting your pitching ready.
A: I wholeheartedly agree. We have to get our pitching ready and we need to make sure all of our starters are ready to go and our bullpen is healthy and pitching is going to keep us in games.
Francesa simply dominates the discussion with his opinion and doesn’t ask Girardi to enlighten him at all about the club’s lack of getting off to a fast start. Instead he’s looking for validation to his opinion from Girardi which he receives but the end result is :30 seconds of chatter with nothing new learned from the guest.
EX: “Why has this team had such a difficult time getting off to a fast start?” “What adjustments have you made to make sure this team doesn’t come out of the gate slow this season?”
EXAMPLE: Sean Hannity interview with Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska
Q: I am mad at the Republican party. As a matter of fact I am re-registering in NY as a conservative. I consider myself as a Reagan conservative. I predicted year out that they would lose power in 2006 because I believe they’ve abandoned their principles on spending. They haven’t given a solution to our energy dependence. They haven’t controlled our nation’s borders. The earmarks they’ve got worse than the democrats. If republicans continue down this path they deserve to lose don’t they.
A: Well sure because the power is in the hands of the party that controls the congress in the white house.
The final part of the question gives them an out. The power comes from focusing a topic and subjecting it to them. When people want to escape questions, they will resort to a volume answer — they will take on a different premise. In this question, all Hannity did was get Hagel to agree with his opinion. Not once did he ask Hagel to provide insight or opinion on how he viewed the republican’s efforts. He didn’t ask him how he felt they were matching up to the democrats in the eyes of the public. Instead he just sought validation to his opinion. The result = no insight learned from the guest.
DEADLY SIN #5 — TRIGGER WORDS
Often when we interview a guest there are certain stories that emerge that we have to ask about. If we don’t we compromise our credibility. When difficult areas of a conversation arise it’s extremely important to stay neutral. By leading your question in a specific direction you place yourself in a position to have the interview go south!
EXAMPLE: John Stossel interviews pro wrestler Dr. D David Schultz.
Q: I’ll ask you the standard question. I think it’s fake.
A:: [Smacks him hard, Stossel falls down] – You think it’s fake huh?
Who attacked whom? This was a physical attack from the wrestler. But Stossel instigated, and those can be lasting and deep.
EXAMPLE: Andrew Dice Clay on CNN (there is foul language in this clip)
Q: You were a headline guy and now you’re coming back
A: I’m still a headline guy
Q: For a while you popped out but now you’re coming back
A: Coming back? It’s what I do.
Q: You were running a gym for a while. Tell us about that?
A: Running a gym? You’re supposed to be a news guy, where are you getting your information from? This is ridiculous, I come on CNN and the guy doesn’t even know what he’s talking about.
Every question is made up of words that each have independent meanings. Sometimes people will react to the meaning of a word. The trigger word eats the question. It sets someone off. You put a trigger word in your question, and you can just forget that the subject will answer.
DEADLY SIN #6 — HYPERBOLE
What is hyperbole? This is what comedians do. It’s great at driving home a point.
Leno: It was so cold that the accuser at Duke changed her story, she now said it was the ice hockey team.
When you’re hungry, you’re starved. When you’re bored, you’re bored to tears. Really? No one takes it literally. We use hyperbole all the time. It can be useful as long as it does not mislead. Was the shot really heard round the world? No, but this makes our copy colorful and gets the point across, so there’s a role for hyperbole — and that hyperbole is when we are in “send mode. ”
Think about a voice over. It’s job is to paint a picture and excite you BUT Hyperbole is bad if you are in receive mode. If you put hyperbole in a question, you are done. The focus becomes the excess in your question. And that excess is the exit ramp. We are communicators. We receive and send. That’s all we do. The problem is that each are governed by opposite principles. What makes you good in one makes you bad in another.
TV –the journalists who are the most colorful are usually the worst interviewers. They can send but can’t receive. The great exporters are lousy importers.
EXAMPLE: Ed Bradley with Michael Jordan
Q: There were times when you’d elevate to take your shot and it was like you had another gear up there. Like you were flying.
A: Well we all fly. Some just fly higher than others.
What is Jordan supposed to do with that question? It’s small talk with no purpose.
EXAMPLE: Barbara Walters interviewing Jon Benet Ramsey’s parents
Q: They call Jon Benet a six year old Lolita, a pint sized sex kitten.
A: That didn’t come from Jon Benet.
What do you expect a mother and father to say when asked a question like that? If the question was “How does it make you feel when you hear people say that your daughter was a 6 year old pint-sized sex kitten”? This now makes it about their feelings towards the question instead of disagreeing with the characterization of their daughter and based on the question, you’re likely to get a strong response.
If you put hyperbole in your question, you will get understatement in your answers.
DEADLY SIN #7 — CLOSED QUERIES
This is the worst one and as John Sawatsky would say “it has a special place in hell.” We ask twice as many closed queries than open ones. A closed query is a yes/no question. A closed query only works with an absolute topic — a topic that, like a coin, can only be one or the other. Heads or tails. No in between.
EXAMPLE: Larry King Interviews Paris Hilton
Q: Purpose of jail is to teach a lesson. Did it work with you?
A: It was a very traumatic experience but I feel like God makes everything happen for a reason
Q: Think it changed you?
A: Yeah definitely
Q: Read a lot?
A: A lot. I received fan mail from all around the world. So many letters.
Q: Nicole Ritchie. How’s she doing?
A: She’s doing great
This interview with Paris was a classic case of having a flawed plan from the start. The easy response is to suggest that Paris isn’t a good interview but listen closely to the questions and you’ll find that she’s led to pointless places and never put in a position to have to provide detail. Of all the interviews I’ve listened to in my life this one ranks right up there among the worst of all-time!
When interviewers land big opportunities and fail to take advantage of them, it can lead to national criticism from other media outlets. The last thing you want is to be professionally embarrassed for doing a poor job. Take a listen to the O’Reilly Factor on Fox News the following night and how they reacted to King’s interview.
Great interviews are ones that bring surprises, something we didn’t already know or didn’t expect. What is the problem with using a closed query for a topic that is not absolute? First, let’s look at the moving parts inside a query that work together for an effective question. (Don’t think about this in terms of content — that’s the paint on the car. We’re talking about the engine).
Review: Topic + Query = Question
If a topic is not absolute, it must be relative. Almost all of our topics are relative. What we are trying to find out in most interviews is beyond absolute information. We want people to describe change that is incremental. A relative topic would be the position of a door. It could be open at different stages — half open, barely ajar. If you simply want to know if the door is locked or unlocked, then go ahead and use a closed query. Topics such as fairness, power, freedom, justice are matters of degree. Great reporters listen to what the person values and get them to go further than they have ever gone.
What poor interviewers do: when they don’t get answers, they blame the subject. But it’s the interviewer’s fault. Why not go for the confession? Isn’t that the best story to be gotten?
Here’s the danger of using closed queries with relative topics: The tougher the topic, the more your subject feels backed into a corner. You have given them only one extreme or the other. Morality is really good or really bad? No, there are many shades in between.
If you are trying to understand someone, especially on a sensitive subject, you must use an open query to create a safe zone for your subject to explain their side. With a closed query, a subject often answers a closed query with one of the two extremes offered. But once they have chosen their extreme — the yes or no — they can’t move. They’ll lose face. They are going to deny to protect themselves. They are not going to feel safe to explain themselves. This can even damage gathering information on a fluffy subject.
Conclusion
Have a game plan and ask open ended questions and put your guests in positions that require them to share their insights with you. The goal is to create an atmosphere which is neutral and invites the guest to speak about themselves and what they know while steering them in the direction you wish to take them in. Remember, you can still be tough with your questioning while being fair and you will always get a better response when asking questions that request an answer.
This is a game of percentages and while nothing is guaranteed, you will win more times than not by following these methods. Nobody bats .1000 but if a hitter could bat .400 instead of .300 they’d use the advantages every time up to the plate, interviewing is no different.
Here are two interviews that contain great questions and a smart strategy. You’ll find the momentum continues moving forward with each question, the guest is put in position to describe and explain and each interviewer keeps a neutral position which leads to gaining the information they seek.
Suzy Kolber of ESPN with former Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Chad Johnson
John Sawatsky’s classic Beaver Interview example from Canada
Keys to being a better interviewer
The Primary Impulses
Safe
Favorable
Easy
The Intruders
Social
Professional
Personal
Communication/Journalism
Inputter Outputter
Interviewer
Micro Macro
Question = Topic + Query
Deadly Sin #1 = No Query
Deadly Sin #2 = Double Barreled Question
Deadly Sin # 3 = Overloading
Deadly Sin # 4 = Remarks
Deadly Sin # 5 = Trigger Words
Deadly Sin # 6 = Hyperbole
Deadly Sin # 7 = Closed Question
Verb Non-Starters = Do, Does, Did, Have, Has, Had, Is, Are, Was, Were, Will, Would, Can, Could, Should
Chart a Path
Set a Goal – Choose a direction
Locate the starting point – Before change/conflict/contrast
Connect the dots – struggle/reason
Select a route – When/What
Do It – Forward/Backward, On/Off, Enhance/Advance
Mop Up – U-Turns, Tangents, Less Important Stuff, Hunches, The Left Overs
Goal = To discover and scrutinize the change
Top 10 Questions
10. What’s an example?
9. How did you deal with that?
8. What were the options?
7. What was the turning point?
6. In what way?
5. How would you characterize that?
4. Why is that?
3. What is it like?
2. What do you mean?
1. What happened?
Honorable Mentions
What is the effect?
What are the implications?
What do you make of it?
How does it manifest itself?
How did you feel?
What went thru your mind?
What was your reaction?
How did you arrive at that?
How does that work?
San Jose Sharks TV color analyst Drew Remenda won’t be returning to his spot in the broadcast booth next season.
“They decided not to renew my contract,” Remenda said Tuesday. “It wasn’t because of anything I did or anything wrong. It was explained to me they wanted to take the broadcast in a different direction. Honestly, we parted amicably.”
Remenda, who just completed his 13th season as television analyst alongside Randy Hahn, was an assistant coach with the Sharks from 1991 to 1995 before becoming an analyst. Prior to his TV spot, he was the radio color commentator working with Dan Rusanowsky.
“When I first got there as an assistant coach, they asked me what was my goal,” Remenda said. “I said I hoped I’d be there for five years. I ended up being there for 20. I would love to tell you there’s some big conspiracy there, but they’ve been great to me.”
Remenda said he had “kind of an inkling,” his contract might not be renewed, so hearing the actual words from chief operating officer John Tortora was not that difficult.
“The hardest thing is to think I’m not a San Jose Shark any more,” Remenda said.
Reached late Tuesday night, Tortora declined to comment on Remenda’s departure beyond a prepared statement that acknowledged the announcer would not be back and wished him well in the future. The statement offered no explanation for the team’s decision that was first reported by media blogger Rich Lieberman.
In the broadcasting business we’re constantly searching for ways to invade the head space of our audience. With listeners having countless choices of where to spend their time, and distractions popping up at every turn to pull them away, it’s critical to deliver content that makes people think and seek a response. This is what we call “teasing”.
Simply defined, a tease is a question, comment, fact or highlight used at the beginning or end of a segment to attract the audience’s attention.
Why does it matter? Because in the broadcasting world we’re constantly looking to grow two areas in order to deliver stronger ratings – cume and time spent listening. As a broadcaster, you can’t control whether or not an extra fifty thousand people show up each day to consume your material, but you can control whether or not they stick around and listen longer.
Additionally, research has shown that those who provide effective teases consistently, and deliver a payoff on them, typically receive more time from the listening audience. That speaks to the level of trust you develop with your audience, and loyalty has a deep impact on a personality’s ability to cut through and build a lasting brand.
When it comes to teases there are many broadcasters who do it extremely well. Mike Greenberg and Erik Kuselias are two hosts on the national level who I think do a tremendous job. On the local level, Michael Kay, Bob Fescoe, Randy Karraker and John Lund are just a few who understand the concept and execute it well. The one thing that each of them understand is that it’s about hooking the audience, not over selling an expectation that can’t be delivered on. They also recognize that while it’s important to keep a listener curious heading into the commercial break, it’s equally as important to deliver on the tease when they return from the break.
When you’re delivering a tease it’s important for it to sound natural and honest. Some talent make the mistake of trying to over do it, and people today are smart enough to sniff out nonsense. If you keep a similar tone to how you broadcast throughout a segment, and you provide a curious question or comment, and sound excited and interested in the subject, you’re more likely to keep the audience around.
Think for a minute about all of the distractions that a listener has when listening to the radio. There’s text messages from friends and family, there are other radio stations on the dashboard, there may be other people in the car who want to talk, there’s outside noise if a window is rolled down, there are other apps on their phone for them to listen to, and there are websites to read.
We can tell people not to pay attention to their phones when they’re driving but we all know that’s impossible in today’s A.D.D society. The reality is this, everything that occurs around a listener is a potential distraction, and if you’re not crisp and consistent with making them think, they’re going to depart your program whether they like you or not.
Watch this video and you’ll see how quickly and how easily the listener is distracted. This is who you’re trying to reach every day! Even if they want to consume your content, they’re just as quick to leave if you don’t occupy space in their mind.
In this video the total time ran 3:29, and during that time the listener was interested in the radio station he began his drive with. He also liked the song that was playing, yet 1:45 into it he began to use his cell phone. Once the DJ came on to talk he was searching for something else. Between 2:30-3:20 he is scanning stations and searching for something else to interest him.
Luckily for the station that he started his listening session with, he returns to them after he can’t find something else to capture his attention. In their case, they have likely developed a connection with him, but even with that loyalty, this listener is out the door and on someone else’s airwaves if they can’t provide a compelling reason for him to stay. This is what you’re facing every single minute and every single segment of every broadcast day.
To help you with your presentation as it applies to teasing I’ve provided some things for you to consider when trying to engage your audience:
Make Me Think – We All Like To Learn New Things
Manufacture The Drama – Conflict and Controversy Sells!
Writing Ahead of Time – The Best Works In Life Are Prepared!
One Short Focused Item – Don’t Overload, One Item Is Enough
Create The Need For Closure – People Always Want A Resolution
Speak To Me Not An Entire City – The word YOU Is Very Powerful
Coming Up Next, Up Next, Coming Up – The Show Doesn’t Leave
Use Breaking News To Your Advantage – Hold It Through The Break
Capitalize On The Name – Big Guests Matter But The Content Is The Hook
A few more things for you to ponder as it applies to teasing. Every one of these should factor into your approach.
Passion & Conviction Are Critical – People Respond To Both In Positive Ways!
Tell Me It’s Worth It and Provide The Proof – Bad Payoffs = Bad Customer Service
Recognizing You Are a Salesperson – If You Don’t Care About What You’re Selling To Me Then Why Should I?
More Than 70% of Radio Listening Happens In The Car – Are You Cutting Through All The Distractions? If Not, How Is That Going To Change If You Don’t?
Short-Term Thinking To Long-Term Thinking – It takes 22 Seconds To Go From a Short-Term Thought To Long-Term Thought! If You Make Me Wait Too Long, I’m Gone!
It’s An A.D.D World – The Top Sports Stations On Average Deliver 30-45 Minutes of Listening Per Day. The Average Listener Who Gives You a Quarter Hour of Credit Does It By Giving You Two Occasions For 2-3 Minutes, Not 5 Consecutive Minutes.
So how can you tease more effectively? Here are some examples. Test them out and make them into your own and you’ll find yourself making improvements in how you connect with your audience.
Questions, Questions, Questions –Always Start With Who, What, Where, When, Why or How!
Drama and Suspense – Why Do Soap Operas, TV News & TV Dramas Perform Well? The Unpredictability & Curiosity Keeps You Hooked!
Information Is A Weapon – Breaking News, A Special Guest, A Stat That Will Change My Mind About My Favorite Team/Player or a Situation – They All Cause The Listener To Think & Crave More!
If this subject interests you and you’re curious to learn more I’ve listed a few additional articles below which I think do an excellent job of providing extra detail. The bottom line, teasing benefits you as a broadcaster, but it’s up to you to make it your own and put the time into how you execute them. Those who do it well, enjoy great success at keeping people interested!
12 Tips For Writing Great Teases by Al Tompkins – Click here
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teases by Randy Lane – Click here
Welcome to the first installment of our “Personality Profile” and this week’s featured guest is Atlanta Sports Radio Personality Chris Dimino. Over the past 20+ years, Chris has become a household name in the Atlanta market where he’s hosted morning and afternoon drive, mid-days and even Pre/Post-Game shows. He truly has a love and passion for his craft that is felt in every word he utters and he’s someone who puts his heart and soul into his profession.
I had the privilege to manage Chris while running 590 The Fan in St. Louis and the one thing I always admired was how hard he worked to provide a well prepared and thought provoking talk show. His approach isn’t built on delivering ratings or trying to please his corporate bosses. Instead he focuses on providing a product that the audience can enjoy and appreciate while also hoping to satisfy his own personal tastes and interests.
It’s that type of attitude and mentality which has led him to multiple stints working for 790 The Zone and 680 The Fan, two stations who have competed against one another for the better part of two decades. When you listen to Chris on the air, you’ll quickly discover that he comes across as prepared, honest, convincing and connected. He’s not interested in putting out a fake persona to get your attention. Instead he’s genuine and looking to provide you with something interesting that you can’t get anywhere else. He appreciates his audience and allows them into his world plus he spends time developing important relationships and isn’t afraid to admit when he’s wrong or made a mistake. Simply put with Chris, “what you see is what you get”.
I recently swapped some e-mails with Chris to pick his brain on how he goes about preparing, creating and navigating through each show and I think you’ll find his answers to be very interesting. Enjoy!
Q: What do you read, watch and listen to in order to help you prepare your daily talk show?
A: The night before I make sure I have “Headlines” – scores and stories I’ll need. Not much changes after 11pm in that regard. I’ll also try to get local reaction to any big story the night before online. A beat writer or columnist usually has a different perspective than national guys. Locally on gameday’s there are game reactions, quotes and audio to use and on the morning of a show, I’m a creature of habit. One TV will be on SportsCenter, another is on the MLB or NFL Network or if it’s the NBA post-season that could be on too.
On the internet I burn through ESPN, CNNSI, SPORTSLINE and MLB quickly. I have an idea of what I’m looking for. DEADSPIN and AthlonSports.com can also give you great material. 90% I’ll never use so lately I’ve tried to find different perspectives on bigger stories.
Q: How many topics do you try to introduce over the course of a 3-4 hour show?
A: 3 or 4. Recycled but hopefully fresher because of different perspectives in the room. I like quick “relatable” hits. Off-shoot stuff. Personality driven and absurd stuff that wouldn’t on first blush be “topics” but needs to be mentioned in a way that can tie into a local angle or bring a lighter moment. For example it can be a movie I’ve seen or want to see. Relatable “dad” stuff that is brought up to enhance relationship listening.
Q: How do you determine what matters most to yourself and your audience each day?
A: Am i personally fired up about it? Am I disgusted, happy or even confused by the story? Then can it be easily relatable to convey any or all of those feelings? Reading the headline isn’t that. It’s how it effects you and the listener. And it doesn’t have to be earth shattering on the surface. Just interesting as either a statement or opening question for engagement.
Q: What’s the #1 thing you’re hoping to accomplish when conducting an interview with a guest?
A: I’ve always seen it as different types of guests require different approaches. Here’s what I mean.
Straight Info Interview – “How will the CFB committee pick 4 teams?” – “The TV ratings for the World Cup means what?” – in this setting I’m looking for an answer, not an opinion. Most like a Q & A.
Conversation interview – the goal is to get the guest to say something they haven’t said anywhere yet, take what is said and be thinking of how that moves the discussion among the hosts and keeps the listeners moving forward and entertains those who wouldn’t have thought that guest would go in the direction you just took them. This style of interview should NEVER feel like a Q & A.
An interview with someone who’s premise, stance or opinion you disagree with – Tell them up front where I stand and be ready for a counter. I have done this with the likes of the NCAA President and Conference Commisioners, writers and coaches. Usually good back and forth dialogue becomes key. Sometimes it’s confrontational but hopefully we have an agree to disagree tone to the conversation.
Q: How much value do you place on callers being a part of your show? Why do or don’t they matter to you?
A: It depends on the subject. I like a few more than a lot of hosts. Too much “agreement” isn’t a great thing. A counter point of view or something I haven’t thought of has the value I seek.
Q: How critical do you think it is to have a presence in the social media space? How active are you in it?
A: I do it because I like the release. It allows me to get to stuff that I sometimes won’t get to during the show. I love observational humor or another point of view and it’s great practice to do it on Twitter in short bursts. To express an emotion or point of view in 140 characters is a challenge worth taking. Also I enjoy using it to to link to others work whether it’s video or something written. I do something called the Starting 5 everyday and maybe it’s as much for me as anyone else but it helps.
Q: When using audio in your show, how do you determine what gets used and how it gets presented?
A: I love this question because its trickier than most people think. The RIGHT type of audio can be tremendous. The best is not having to set up the premise of discussion as much if you have the right kind of sound. I love it coming into segments because it helps you build momentum. I try to avoid throwing away sound because it can be as important as creating good stuff. I also think well placed drops – self effacing movie lines, famous speeches or underbed music can make a difference when used right. That can often be the best homerun you can hit.
Q: What’s the one area of sports radio today that you believe is sub-par and needs to be improved?
A: Theater of the mind. Creating the stories “angle” and conveying relatability without it being pablum. Also we can be much better at TEASING, TEASING, TEASING!
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given as it relates to your broadcasting career?
A: It’s 5 guys sitting around a bar. Never lose sight of that. You can tell someone in your “group” they’re crazy because the relationship is sound. That should be your relationship with your fellow hosts and listeners. For me “off the record” is sacred. You can say “more” if you’re willing to go back to locker room and own up to it. Lastly and it’s one i strongly feel now. I want to be right but I don’t need to be. It’s ok to say you were wrong if you miss.
Q: What’s the one accomplishment in your career that you’re most proud of?
A: Relationship building. I’ve never burned anyone. I’ve been in meetings with owners, coaches, general managers and players and I’ve always respected their job while not forgetting mine.
Chris Dimino is part of “The Rude Awakening” on 680 The Fan in Atlanta. You can learn more about the show by clicking here. You can also follow him on Twitter @ChrisDimino.
As someone who has spearheaded the launch of 2 FM sports stations and been responsible for creating and debuting countless talk shows, I think I have an idea or two about what goes into unveiling a brand new program. I say that not out of cockiness, but out of recognizing the details that go into everything you do to make a show matter and gain an impression from Day 1. Believe me, I’ve missed plenty of times and have made numerous mistakes so I’ve learned things that do and don’t work.
While I’ve modified my approach over the years, the importance in having a plan and going through every detail still factors into how I launch shows today. I believe first impressions still matter and you’re only going to help yourself by having your ducks in a row as opposed to working it out as you go.
First things first is identifying who your host or hosts are going to be and what the mission statement is going to be for the show. As a Programmer, you should have a strong idea of who it is you’ve hired. Then comes the challenge of deciding how to brand that personality’s style and presentation. This step is super critical because every aspect of what you do with a show is going to connect back to the overall theme. From the website to your social media platforms to your on-air imaging and external marketing, when you mention the (insert name here) show, your goal is for the audience to identify with the talent and be able to recall something about it.
From there, you can dive into what content items matter most in your market, how the flow of a show should go, if guests matter or not, which ways you’ll interact with an audience, and which qualities about the host(s) resonate and which characteristics have less appeal. I’m a firm believer in using a white board and engaging talent in discussions on these questions because the more they’re involved talking about it, the more they see it and remember it. I can recall numerous sessions where I’ve spent 3-4 hours in a conference room with a show unit and after listing strengths and weaknesses, guest ideas, features possibilities and strategy ideas to build awareness for the show it’s carried directly over to all involved with the show.
As a rule of thumb, I try to keep a show off the air for at least 1 week and go through every single scenario possible before releasing them into the wild. Most radio people just want to go on the air, do the show, and do the least amount of analysis possible before getting started. That’s because it’s not always comfortable or easy to think about who you are, why you matter, what the theme of your show is, what strategy you’re going to implement to help the program reach a level of success satisfactory for everyone involved, and what the audience does and doesn’t value. If I had more time I’d probably give a show 2-3 weeks of strategy sessions before launching it but in the radio world, that’s an eternity and unrealistic. That said, I do believe the time you invest in understanding the goal, the people involved and the direction for where you’re headed pays off for you in the end.
Ironically enough though, the one form of media which we’re lumped in with most (TV) seems to put the extra detail into what they launch and after weeks of buildup via promos, interviews, social takeovers and numerous other marketing opportunities, they have a pretty strong impact on getting consumers to sample their brand new offerings. For radio though, it’s usually a case of hire the host, connect him or her with the producer, figure out a couple of topics and guests for show #1, and off you go. That process though is why shows usually come out of the gate unfocused and without a specific purpose.
Take a step back for a second and picture yourself in the shoes of James Gandolfini or David Chase. You’ve got a brand new show debuting on HBO and you’re the creator (PD) and the lead character (on-air host) of a program titled “The Sopranos”. Would you launch the show on the day you were hired? Would you just go in front of the camera and figure it out on the fly? Would you leave it to the consumer to figure out what the mission statement of the show is? When I hear radio people mention “we’ll get that sorted out afterwards, let’s just get it on the air” it makes me crazy. Using that rationale, a show like The Sopranos would have been a radio dud. However, because a strategy was in place, the show’s mission and audience target were understood, and the content was crisp once it hit the air, people had an expectation of what they were going to see. They then bought into the messaging, the characters, and consumed the content. The result was one of the most iconic shows in television history. Here’s the promo leading up to Season 1 on HBO. This is why radio shows need the extra detail invested in them before they even touch the airwaves.
So you’re now going to tell me that the Sopranos are an entirely different deal and not a fair comparison right? Ok then let’s take the entire movie industry. You head out on a weekend to watch a 2-hour film. What’s the first thing you watch when the lights go off? Previews! They run usually 1-2 months in advance of when a film is released in the theatres. Most film companies buy a heavy advertising schedule a few weeks prior to the release to get you interested in going to see it. Heck when you’re in the theater and the preview is done, half the time you can’t shut up about whether or not you’ll go see it once it’s released. Is there really any difference between launching a new movie and a new radio show? Actually there is. The film has spent time going through every detail and establishing what they want people to take away about it whereas most radio shows do not.
One could also suggest that the film is planned out and only 2-hours long whereas radio shows sometimes deliver 10-20 on-air hours per week. But this isn’t about how much time has to be filled, this is about drawing interest to a new show, having a creative direction and plan for where you’re headed, and understanding the roadblocks ahead you’ll have to navigate in order to achieve success. Here’s the Transformers 4 trailer. Watch it and see if you can come away with what the focus of the movie is. I’m sure you will, and like most people on this planet, you’ll be heading to the theater to watch it soon and making it the #1 film at the box office on the weekend it’s released.
It seems simple and it should be, but strategic planning doesn’t happen often yet it’s an essential focus for the launch of any new show. I believe it makes a HUGE difference between having short-term and long-term success. If you can spend time with your talent and production staff and go over what the main hook of the show is going to be and illustrate a plan for how to create something which is going to matter to the local audience, then your chances of success are much higher.
I also find that most of your staff will appreciate the time you took to analyze them and provide them with ammunition helpful to their future success. Subconsciously they’ll end up recalling parts of what you taught them and that’ll carry over to their conversations without you needing to say anything further. They may not want to spend 3-4 hours trapped inside a conference room but those who understand the big picture of what’s being created will adjust and they’ll be thankful later when the audience shows up to listen.
For a closer look at a day to day game plan and what’s required to launch an effective show click on the link below!
Additionally I’ve attached a few promos which my former Imaging Director Jeff Schmidt produced to help launch some talk shows on 95.7 The Game. Typically I like to promote a brand new show for at least 2 weeks prior to a launch. If time allows to do it even longer I don’t see any negative in building even deeper suspense. I believe a new show should be given a ton of promotional support prior to hitting the airwaves, so from a promo standpoint a healthy number to schedule is somewhere between 100-125 over the span of 14 days.
The main goal when launching a new show is to generate curiosity to make people sample. Then it’s up to your talent to deliver on the expectations that have been positioned in the promos, and make sure that the hype created for the new program is warranted. You’ve heard it time and time again, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, so get your details together, have a focused plan and understand what you’re trying to create and tap into before you do it. You’ll be much further along this way then if you tried to figure it out as you go!
The radio business provides tremendous value for advertisers and too many times we don’t get the credit we deserve for it. While that may be frustrating, the more difficult problem I see is how we allow people to downgrade our brands without fighting back. Too many times in our industry we sell ourselves short and accept 50 cents on the dollar because of numerous challenges in front of us. Whether it’s the fear of not making budget, the concern of pissing off a client or listener or just not having enough confidence in what we believe the asset is worth, all contribute to whether or not we reach the level of success that we set for ourselves and our brands.
I want you to think for a moment about some of the most successful companies in the world and some of the most popular sporting events that take place and ask yourself what would occur if those operations did what radio does. Ever go into a McDonald’s and have someone give you a free sundae and extra cheeseburger just for buying a value meal? Ever approach a professional basketball team and offer them 50% of what their list price was on a playoff ticket and get them to say yes? The answer in both cases was no and the reason is because both brands set a price and an expectation for the consumer and in return they refused to waver on their value.
So if they can do it along with many other established businesses in this country then why does radio struggle in this area? Today our business not only has to sell spots for a certain rate but in order to earn the dollars for those spots we’re often challenged with providing “added value” which in other words means “I want website display ads, a 2 week promotion, inclusion in content, social media mentions and anything else you can throw in for FREE“…and we accept it.
Well it sounds simple but you only get in life what you believe you deserve and if you’re willing to take less than you’re worth than that’s what you end up with. Don’t get me wrong, in plenty of cases there is a good reason to bend and provide a client or listener with more than they asked for. Cheeseburger value meals and $500K sports marketing buys are two entirely different discussions. However the principles still come back to what you believe your value is and whether or not you’re willing to compromise your short-term and long-term objectives to satisfy the situation in front of you. It may not be easy but establishing a value on every asset inside your organization is critical but so is having the ability to generate what you think it’s worth and having the guts to say no when it’s easier to say yes.
Take a moment and review the Power Point below and ask yourself if your guilty of making these mistakes. If you are, the first step is acknowledging that your guilty. Now ask yourself how are you going to work to overcome it and get what you deserve? The ability to do so will be well worth it to you and the organization you represent in the future.
Greetings from the beautiful city of San Francisco! This is my first journey into writing an official blog and I’m excited to do it even though I swore to myself that I wouldn’t enter this space until pigs were flying outside of my window and hell had frozen over. I looked outside today and can confirm that neither have occurred so I’ve clearly adjusted my thinking which may be good or bad. Only time will tell.
Sometimes in this media business when athletes end their playing careers and switch from the field to the studio they’ll mention how they feel like they’re moving to the dark side and for yours truly that’s how I feel at the moment. The reason is because this industry is full of people with strong opinions on what works, what doesn’t, what’s the key to future, etc. however when you’re in a leadership position and you put your opinions, philosophies and strategies on display for the world to see, you’re instantly in the line of fire.
While I can’t control what anyone thinks or says about my views and the way I approach my craft, I want to be clear that the reason I’ve elected to start writing this blog is to share my love and passion for sports radio as well as some of my thoughts & philosophies on what I believe leads to making great radio and delivering results. There’s no other agenda in play here other than that.
Now for the disclaimer. I will not be sharing specific details about the way things work inside the offices of my existing radio station nor will I be shedding any dirt on previous places I’ve worked at. I may share some experiences and offer some examples from time to time to illustrate how something can be done better and lead to stronger results but if you’re coming here and expecting to get the “inside scoop” on everything inside the walls of every brand I’ve been associated with then I apologize in advance because you’re likely to be disappointed.
I’ve been very fortunate during my career to earn the trust and respect of a number of great people and companies and because of those relationships, I’ve been afforded the opportunity to coach and influence the careers of many great personalities while shaping the identity of each brand.I hope to simply offer my professional insights, opinions and suggestions and look forward to getting to know many of you who either work in this industry or follow it and share the same love and passion that I have for it.
Well hopefully that provides some perspective on what you can expect on this website. As the days, weeks and months pass by I hope you’ll check back and read some of my thoughts and take something away from them. Sometimes they’ll reinforce your beliefs and sometimes you might think I’ve completely lost my mind but either way it’ll be interesting and from where I sit, that’s never a bad thing in this business.
There’s an old saying when it comes to marketing a sports radio station “fish where the fish are“. For sports stations there’s a distinct advantage compared to other formats when it comes to trying to attract new people to sample the product. You simply promote your brand at stadiums, on television during game broadcasts, on popular websites and social platforms that are sports focused and on trains or buses that are going to be visibly seen around the locations where sports fans travel. I’m sure there are many other examples I could provide but you get the point.
The one thing I caution folks to avoid when marketing their brands is creating a position that isn’t a reflection of what they actually deliver. For example, you can tell the general public your station offers the most controversial personality on the planet, and they will stop by to see what the buzz is about, but if they turn on the radio station, and find Bob Costas hosting the show instead of Howard Stern, you’re going to piss a lot of people off because you’ve provided false advertising.
