Tracy Johnson Media

Required Equipment

Tracy Johnson — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:51:48 +0000

Every radio station should have a mobile studio. No exceptions. If your station doesn’t provide it, get it yourself. There’s no excuse. When you’re out in public (whether at a station event or not), you need to be able to:

* Record and edit testimonials from listeners

* Record audio from events, and interesting people to use on your show

* Capture and edit interviews or comments from celebrities you come in contact with to use on your show

* Video tape anything and everything interesting you come across, edit it and publish it online

* Take photographs of listeners, events and appearances and publish them online

* Send comments, video and content to your social media platforms

* Set up an instant broadcast center to go on the air live at any time.

Most companies are under budget pressure, but this expense won’t break you. In fact, you probably already have a mobile studio that does all of this and more. It’s in your pocket. Here’s what it looks like:

With your smartphone, you have an audio and video production studio with you at all times. Use it. Last week, a morning personality told me that he recently met a celebrity at a public event. He asked her for permission to record a quick interview, which they did immediately (3 minutes).

He then turned on the video camera and asked to film a short message to his listeners (2 minutes)…which she did.

He snapped a photo of the two of them together (10 seconds).

He quickly edited the video, then uploaded it to his YouTube account (5 minutes).

He tweeted to his followers with a link to the YouTube video and invitation to listen at a specific time tomorrow morning to hear it on the air (30 seconds)

Since his Facebook account is linked to Twitter, Facebook followers received the message as well.

He uploaded the photo to his Facebook page with another message and invitation to listen tomorrow morning.

Result: 15 minutes invested, multi-media exposure and promotion. He needed no assistant, no producer, no promotions team. He just needed his mobile studio. The one in his pocket. How are you using yours?

He emailed the audio from the interview to himself so it was ready to edit and air tomorrow morning (2 minutes).

Character Through Banter

Tracy Johnson — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:32:52 +0000

One of the concepts we discuss frequently is the ability to reveal character by injecting personality into content without becoming self-absorbed, inside and “about us”. This is a difficult skill for many personalities because there’s a very fine line between relating personal experiences and being the audio version of your vacation pictures.

Here’s a great example of how banter reveals character from personal experience from Kidd Kraddick in the Morning. After listening to this segment, you’ll feel you know the characters better, and it does not become a “dig me”:

Radio in Africa

Tracy Johnson — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:25:49 +0000

Caroline Mutoko, KISS 100/Nairobi

Recently, I had the pleasure of working with Radio Africa, a terrific group of stations in Kenya and Uganda headed by veteran programmer Patrick Quarccoo and Peter Sinclair.

There are cultural differences of course, but far more similarities to the challenges and opportunities faced by broadcasters all over the world.

Here’s what I learned:

* Personalities are the key difference-makers. Caroline Mutoko (KISS 100/Nairobi) is a celebrity that happens to have a radio show. She influences and leads her community of listeners.

* Relationships with the audience drive ratings. Maina and Kiynagni (Classic Breakfast/Nairobi) are top rated in the market through listener interaction, great topics revolving around relationships and a terrific sense of humor. Daniel Kynagni is not only a great morning talent, he stars in a national television show and has been recognized as the “funniest man in Kenya”. Maina has a charm that lights up a room, and the air. The combination is powerful.

* Localizing content connects with listeners. Alan, Jackie & Ranesh (Capital FM/Kampala, Uganda) have developed an uncommon ability to turn generic content into entertainment that relates to their market naturally through their unique personalities. In one of our sessions, I mentioned Kim Kardashian. Alan immediately had three comments and ideas on how it relates to his audience.

I also learned that their challenges are the same as those faced in the US and Canada and Australia and the UK. There’s too little time to get it all done, not enough promotional tools, etc. etc. etc. And I learned that radio in Africa is important to their communities, just as it is in the US and Canada and Australia and the UK. Our success hinges on our ability to capitalize on the opportunity.

The visit was inspiring, refreshing and exciting. And as is usually the case, I came away learning as much as I left behind.

Oh, and a personal message to Seema (East FM/Nairobi): Thanks for the travel tip – the safari was fantastic, but next time, it’s the coast!

Project Yourself

Tracy Johnson — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:22:29 +0000

Stuntman Stu is at it again. The ringmaster of morning show on Majic 100/Ottawa is always thinking about his show and his audience. This manifests in dozens of examples, some large and some-like this one-small. As the lottery hit $50 million in Canada, Stu bought a ticket and offered to share it with listeners ($1,000 each) just for responding. Brilliant. And simple. It took seconds to take a picture of the ticket and post it on Facebook, then tweet it to his fan base . In doing so, how many listeners will forward it to their friends? It’s topical, relevant and different than just talking about the lottery reaching a high level.

And it’s not just one-way communication. He replies to every message on Facebook, email or Twitter…personally.

What is happening in your listener’s life today, in your community, that represents an opportunity?

Everything is Content

Tracy Johnson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:20:50 +0000

A major (and growing) problem with air personalities and programmers is that they forget how people really listen. Talent puts all of the emphasis on their original content, and ignore the music, news, traffic, weather, promos, liners, etc. Programmers place a great deal of time on getting the music and promos just right, and not enough on the basics of execution.

To the listener, everything is content. Whatever comes out of the speaker affects their listening behavior. If you’re an air personality, think about this the next time you open the mic to talk about the song you’re about to play or the promotion that runs on your show.

If you’re a programmer, work on improving the quality of the commercials that air, update those promos and rewrite liners and sweepers.

It’s all important. Every element is an opportunity to entertain your audience.

Stress Free Fridays

Tracy Johnson — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:10:56 +0000

I’m currently in Africa, on a talent training safari with a very talented group of presenters (air personalities) from Uganda and Kenya. In the next week or so, you’ll get updates on observations and things I’ve learned from the group. Earlier in the week, one of the shows from Capitol FM in Kampala, Uganda shared a very successful feature that has become a benchmark. He calls it Stress Free Fridays.

It’s an open invitation to call and release your stress of the week. Get it out of the way before the weekend! The phones are jammed all morning, and Alan (the host) picks the most entertaining callers to tell their story about WHY they are stressed. Sometimes it’s about relationships, or work, or kids, or politics, or just the pace of life. It’s always relevant.

Try this one day. It’s a very simple way to get listener stories on the air, and if you prompt them, you’ll get great stories and emotions.

Chain Reactions and Dead Ends

Tracy Johnson — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:30:04 +0000

Lately, I’ve been evaluating the essential differences between two morning radio shows I work with. One show is highly engaging, expertly segues from one topic to another in a single break and leaves me wishing they talked MORE. The other works hard, prepares their content and can’t hold my interest for 30 seconds on a single topic, even though their breaks are well structured, they are focused and they get to the point quickly.

There are many differences in the two shows, but one of the things that stands out is that the conversation in Show A is like a chain. Their content is linked. They glide from one element to the the next with interesting, lively content. The personalities “open the door” for each other to advance the conversation, maintain momentum and hold my interest. That show is Stuntman Stu, Angie and Trish (plus their producer Barry) on Hot AC Majic 100 in Ottawa.

Notice how they take us naturally and easily from weather to a local community event about smoking to personal observation and opinion about teenage behavior. On the surface, the break is somewhat routine, but it’s so natural, well structured and frankly, brilliant in it’s simplicity and elegance in execution. Listen to how smooth they transition and support one another.

The talent on Show B are conversation killers. Simple comments become dead ends, slamming the door closed rather than introducing new possibilities.

Some of this must be natural talent or personality traits, and part of the solution is certainly preparation and planning. The rest can be learned. Personalities that are not naturally conversational or curious should invest the time and resources to acquire these skills. Perhaps the best advice is to find a local theatre group and join an improvisational acting class. You’ll learn how to set up the other actors, advance conversations through ad-libbing lines and playing a role. For multi-person shows, this may be the most valuable skill you can acquire.

Using Games and Features as Content

Tracy Johnson — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:58:33 +0000

A lot of morning personalities use games on the air. If you press them for why they have so many games, you usually discover that a) it makes the phone ring, b) it gives them something to talk about and c) it’s a good way to give away stuff the sales department dragged in. That’s all well and good, but games and features should be used as a forum to entertain, inform, and relate. Playing games on the air gives you an opportunity to weave material into the show that doesn’t merit it’s own topic or segment.

CHUM-FM in Toronto’s morning show is Roger, Darren and Marilyn. They have dominated their target demographic for many years with an outstanding show that features high profile personalities and a relatable charm that connects with Toronto. A regular feature on their show is a game they call “Rapid Fire”. The contestant must answer a series of fairly easy questions in a short period of time. If they don’t know the answer they can SKIP to the next one. Listen to this sample from yesterday.

Do you notice the references to Pop Culture? The fact that Muhammed Ali turned 70 is probably not worthy of a break, but it’s topical and worth mentioning. They do an excellent job introducing a lot of topical, timely content into an existing, regular feature. It’s fun, interactive and relevant.

Everything that happens on your show is content, including your routine benchmarks. Use them as daily opportunities to show your audience that you are in touch with what is happening in their world.

Double Your Ratings in 2012

Tracy Johnson — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:33:15 +0000

No, I’m not selling you a magic, “get rich quick” plan. I just want you to realize that driving ratings may not be as impossible to as you think.

Follow along as we do a little math. According to Arbitron (in PPM measured markets), a typical station’s P1 listeners tune in roughly 2 – 3 days per week on average. Each listening occasion lasts 7 to 8 minutes. They tune in 3 to 4 times per day.

2 days/week x 3 times per day = 6 quarter hours/week

What if you could convince your existing audience to listen just one more time per day and one more day per week?

3 days/week x 4 times per day = 12 quarter hours/week

You have just doubled your ratings from 6 to 12. How does that change the way you approach your show tomorrow? Maybe you’ll spend a few more minutes preparing a tease for an upcoming feature. Does it make you more interested in promoting a new song your station is playing? How about planning your show a few days ahead, so you can invite listeners to tune in the next day at the same time for a specific reason? Will you re-think that morning show promo that runs all day instead of just slapping together another “if you missed this morning’s show, you missed this” promo.

Realizing that the audience is not paying that much attention may also influence how you plan each break. Every break is important. Every quarter hour is precious. You don’t have the luxury to present anything less then your “A” game.

Now let’s look at another formula. If you’re on the air four hours per day, five days per week, and present four breaks per hour, you have 80 segments per week to fill.

5 days/week x 4 hours/day x 4 breaks/hour = 80

If your audience is tuning in only six quarter hours per week (see above), they are hearing only 7.5% on your show.

6/80=7.5%

They miss more than 90% of your content. Are you sure you are talking about the most top of mind material frequently enough? Are you framing your content and introducing topics clearly and concisely, every single time?

The math is simple. Of course, simple is not necessarily easy to execute. But when you break it down this way, the challenge isn’t quite as overwhelming, is it?

Start now. Plan one thing in tomorrow’s show that has a legitimate chance to earn one extra tune in occasion. Promote that. Tease. it. Develop multiple angles or a compelling story line to increase your chances to gain an advantage.

One extra quarter hour. One extra day. That’s all it takes.

A Winning Formula

Tracy Johnson — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:01:30 +0000

In a radio world increasingly impacted by close scrutiny on ratings measurement, financial statements and return on investment formulas, at least half of the equation is suffering. Art.

Connecting with an audience is equal parts art and science. Both are essential. Science is measurable, objective, comparable. How many songs did you play? How long was that break? Did you execute the format clock properly? Did you tease your content? Did the promo run on time? Art, on the other hand, is subjective, abstract, debatable. How did your break make the audience feel? Does your content create dramatic story arcs that cause the audience to understand more about you? Does your performance allow them to “get to know” you better? Is the topic relevant to the target audience? Did you create an emotional response?

Evaluating science is easy. Measure and compare. Evaluating art is not as precise. It demands expertise, time, communication, and context. It’s complex. As a result, the art of on-air performance has suffered. Programming to the science of PPM measurement is tangible. Lock yourself in the board room and manipulate the clocks, music rotations and monitor amount of talk relative to competition. This is easier than to manage, coach and massage the art of performance.

What does that mean to an air talent? Winning radio lies at the intersection of content (science) and style (art). Both are important. Think of the formula as P=C+S (personality = content + style). Both are essential ingredients permanently linked to your success. Content is everything that goes into your show, including commercials, news, traffic, time checks, promos, contests, games, features, music, topic selection, execution and of course the construction of your talk breaks. These elements are the foundation of the show, essential parts of overall presentation. It’s the concrete slab and frame on which a house is built. Programmers tend to over-emphasize these elements, while personalities often discount anything that doesn’t include their talk breaks.

On the other hand, style is performance, personality, character, the art of connecting with listeners. It’s not so much what you do but the unique way you do it. It involves character development, role identity, how you tell stories, and dozens of other elements that are less obvious. This is the creative part, the fun stuff, but it must be built on a strong, solid foundation. This is the design, the furniture, the cabinets, the colors and all the things that make a house a home.

Extending the metaphor, a house needs both carpenters and interior designers, but they also need an architect to create a strategic plan so the art and science work together.

The result is personality. And personality wins.