Radio Experts Sound Off on Air Talent!

By David B. Wilkerson, CBS MarketWatch ORLANDO, Fla. (CBS.MW) -- Aside from music, one of the primary drivers of radios ratingsand revenuesis on-air talent. And one of the most difficult issues facing any individual station or nationwide network is finding good talent and utilizing it properly. Radio veterans Tracy Johnson and Alan Burns decided not long ago that many radio programmers simply dont know those things, and hamper their stations profits as a result. So they decided to write a book. Johnson, a well-respected radio programmer whos currently vice president and general manager of KFMB-AM and KFMB-FM in San Diego, teamed up with Alan Burns, president and chief executive of the Oakton, Va.-based programming consultant service Alan Burns and Associates to write "Morning Radio: A Guide to Developing On-Air Superstars." The two first collaborated in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Johnson worked with Burns as a consultant. Johnson and Burns, interviewed at the recent National Association of Broadcasters Radio Show, told CBS.MarketWatch.com theres a lot more to a successful radio product than just sticking an outrageous guy in front of a microphone. What inspired this book? Burns: Well, theres a lack of training in this industry on the programming side. On the sales and general management side, there are tons of management training [programs], but theres almost no formal training in how to coach and develop talent. I think Tracy and I have both seen this develop over a long period of time, and I think Tracy had the idea that a book could certainly go a long way toward filling that hole. Johnson: Yeahyou talk to talent all over the country, and theyre hungry for input, advice, direction, in terms of how to get from smaller markets into the bigger markets. And they go to their program directors for help, and to their general managers for help, and theyre not getting it. So we knew that there was certainly a need for it and demand for it from talent. And also from the program directors who wanted to provide that coaching and that career advice to make their stations better, but just really didnt know how to work with the talent, either. So we kind of wrote the book toward talent and program directors. Whats the most common mistake you see made when people try to develop talent? What problems do you hear as listen to radio around the country? Burns: You want to take turns making out this list? [Both men laugh.] Johnson: I dont know that there is one. I think there are many, many not mistakes, necessarilybut misunderstandings of what talent is all about, and the role that talent should fill inside a radio station. But I guess the biggest overriding problem that I see is that management in general doesnt know what they want talent to be on their station. They hire them and turn them loose and hope that they make them No. 1, but really dont have a strategic plan in mind for what role the talents going to play on their station. Burns: I think thats pretty well put. I think in many cases, management hires a morning show, or a morning talent with a hope in their heart rather than a plan in their mind. They hope this guy is the answer, they hope hell work. So they just hire him and point him toward the studio and say, "Do what you do," and cross their fingers, instead of having a strategic plan to build it. Theres another thing Ill mention, which I dont think is the biggest problem, but its certainly a big problem, which I think we pointed out in the book. And that is, since in many cases management and this isnt a knock on management, its just due to a lack of training but a lot of times management doesnt really know what they want from a morning show. So what they wind up doing, to the extent that they do try to coach, or teach, or evaluate a morning show, is to critique the mechanics of the show, rather than the real content. The audience doesnt react to the mechanics. The audience reacts to whether or not youre saying something I want to hear. Johnson: Its kind of like if a pro football team drafted the best athlete available out of college, got him in training camp and said "Okay, youre the quarterback. Go play quarterback," but didnt give him a playbook, didnt introduce him to how hes going to run the team, didnt tell him what hes going to try to accomplish with their offense. Is there a basic 1-2-3 set of steps a station should follow when theyre going to hire a morning DJ? A checklist? Johnson: Well, we come to that in a chapter in the book called "The Recipe," which is a five-step process. First is to look for great talent, and hire great talent. Second is to clearly establish the expectations that you have for the talent. The third is to give them support and direction. Burns: Support and direction, and once they start performing, youve got to give them the right kind of feedback. Johnson: Fourth is giving them feedback, and the fifth is pay them what theyre worth. Because effective talent that makes a difference, that really takes a station from one level to the next is worth a lot of money to the station. Okay, Ill rattle off the names of a few nationally-syndicated morning jocks, and have you guys talk about why theyre style works, etc. Mark and Brian. Burns: In terms of national success, Mark and Brian are kind of middle-pack. Now, with their show generally, the appeal is two very likeable guys having a good time. And basically sharing that with their audience. You know, not putting the audience in the position of just watching us have a good time. Now, their TV show didnt succeed, because their TV show was all about Mark and Brian having a good time, and you were supposed to watch. Don Imus? Johnson: I think Imus has a clear point of view. A political point of view. He makes himself well-known in his opinions, hes well-connected with celebrities that are high profile, and puts them on the air in an entertaining manner. Hes terrific at what he does. Howard Stern? Burns: Howard has two great ingredients, I think. One is that he draws a lot of attention to himself by the outrageous things he says, and I think most people just focus on the outrageousness, and think thats the total secret of his success. I think one is outrageousness, and thats his form of marketing. But then he keeps people listening because hes so damned interesting. He is one of the most topical, on-point people in the country. Johnson: Hes also very well-prepared. Theres a lot of work that goes into that stream-of-consciousness that seems to be spontaneous every morning. Theres a tremendous amount of preparation that goes into that show. Burns: Yeah, I think theyve got seven people working on the preparation of the show each day. Do you think Stern and Imus have influenced too many program directors who try to copy the success of their shows? Johnson: Yeah. One of the biggest problems that programmers have is the tendency to fight fire with fire. The best way to fight fire is with a hose. And the principle of programming that Alan taught me a long time ago is that you cant compete with somebody by becoming more like them. Youve got to draw clear differences between yourself and your competitor. And when Stern comes into a market, the tendency of most programmers is to change their morning show into something that can block, or defend against Howard. You cant defend against Howard. Burns: Right. Johnson: Youve got to counterprogram against Howard. And if you change your morning show to be more like Howard, youre playing right into his game plan. You cant engage him in battle. Let him have what hes going to get, and go for something else. Burns: Ill give you a great example of that. And I know Rick Dees (regular morning) show isnt syndicatedhes got a countdown show on weekendsbut Rick Dees in Los Angeles. Ricks position in the minds of the people who like to listen to him is that hes a nice, funny guy. And when Howard was imported into Los Angeles, as always, Howard suddenly got all the attention and all the talk. And I think Rick, sort of understandably and naturally, got a little jealous of that. And I think he did this unconsciously: Rick started trying to do controversial bits himself. In other words, becoming more like Howard. And as he did that, his ratings went lower and lower. And we were working with (Dees station) KIIS-FM at that time, and we convinced Rick to get back to get back to being the nice, funny guy that everybody wanted him to be, his ratings came back up, and he was fine. Some people who have been around the business for a long time say something very valuable has been lost in the last 30 years, as jocks certain taboos have been broken, and people are allowed to be more and more outrageous on the air. What do you think? Johnson: I think things have changed, as society always is changing and evolving. The public tastes and the public expectations are changing. And whats accepted constantly changes. You see that in network television, you see that in print media, you see it in movies, and you hear it on the air, all at the same time. And I think youll continue to see that evolution change. Burns: You know, going on the radio and shocking people and angering people is not new. Theres a guy that Im amazed that nobody has brought upI havent heard his name since the 60sJoe Pyne. Pyne was a network guyI think (the now defunct) Mutual networked him in the 50s and 60sand his act was basically to get on the radio and make people mad. He was wildly successful. I think whats happened is that now that radio has become so much more competitive, and so much more fragmented, more people have learned that that trick works. I mean, the company positioning statement for Jacor, prior to its merger with Clear Channel (CCU: news, msgs), was "The noise you cant ignore." What effect do you think consolidation has had on morning talent? Some would say its lessened the number of truly innovative people out there because everybodys trying to sound alike. Johnson: I dont think weve seen the full effects of consolidation. Itll be interesting to see where it lands when it all shakes out. I think theres the potential for that happening, because companies can spread their talent out, and operate more efficiently by using the same talent in (more than one) market. I know Clear Channel has been very active in taking the talent thats on the air, say, in San Jose, and having them also be on in San Diego. And in Salt Lake City. At different times of the day, which takes some of the local opportunity away from talent in those markets. Burns: I think one of the things consolidation has done is that its made life, and opportunities and salaries, much better for the very top talent, and much worse for the very bottom talent.