hosts
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Inspiration and Desperation
I listened to 10 hours of streaming, on-demand radio and podcasts. Non-stop. I didn’t seek out fringe offerings. I was doing due diligence to hear what some consider to be the best news and talk offerings the U.S. has to offer. I was duly impressed with the juggernaut that is WTOP – “Washington’s TOP News.”…
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Tease? Please.
I heard this tease today on the radio on one of the most successful radio stations in America… “Coming up next? Dave!” Dave? Who is Dave? There are few people that are worthy of teasing their appearance on your radio show with one name and among them are Cher, Shakira, Madonna, A-Rod, Elvis, Sting, Bono,…
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Be Better Than Bad TV News Banter
This happened Monday night on TV in Vancouver… Female Anchor: Did you guys see Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on 60 Minutes last night? Male Co-Anchors: No. Nah. Female Anchor: (visibly shocked) {Awkward silence} Female Anchor: Well, anyway… I know point out bad banter on TV is like pointing at rain drops in Seattle, but there…
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Oscars Provide a Radio Lesson
Every day in radio we have a choice to make. What is our show or station going to be about today? What do you want to be “famous” for today? What do you want people talking about, reacting to, or sharing? What makes you different on this day from everyone else? Depending on your format…
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Man Meets Morning Host
Man Meets a Radio Morning Host True story. Names changed. Man: Aren’t you Jim in the Morning? Jim: That’s me! Man: I listened to you once. You’re funny. Jim: (confused) Once? Man: Yeah, maybe twice. Jim: (curious) If you listened and I was funny why don’t you listen more often? Man: Oh, Bill & Jill…
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For the Love of Radio
The other day my six-year-old son and I were in the home studio. I was cleaning up some stuff from past video sessions and he made a bee-line for the mixing board. He grabbed the headphones, dramatically adjusted the faders, grabbed the mic and yelled into the microphone so loud it made engineers up and…
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Verbal and Vocal
I’ve been telling all the talent I work with that 2016 will be about context, context, context and concerning ourselves with the verbal and the vocal. The verbal and the vocal? Yes. A little something I picked up while chatting with David Lloyd, author of “How to Make Great Radio.” “Verbal is the words. Vocal…
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2015 Top 5 Posts
You made 2015 the biggest year yet for this little blog. Thank you. The Top 5 posts of the year are listed below. #5. “The Controversy of Making Radio Sausage.” My take on a country radio consultant who cautioned programmers against playing too many female country artists. It got ugly. “If you want to make ratings…
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I Want to Tell You…
I want to tell you about five little words, that when used genuinely, can be a dynamite weapon on radio. The five words are: “I want to tell you…” It’s a phrase that signals to the listener that you are thinking about them. It adds intimacy and instantly connects you, one-on-one, to each listener The listener…