With school back in session, Pat Welsh says there is always plenty to learn. In this week’s Programming To Win column, he gives a list of potential topics and ideas that programmers can teach to their staffers. From air checking talent to fully understanding ratings methodology, there is always something new to be learned at your station.

Pat WelshBy Pat Welsh

Last month was graduation month. And, in my other life as a volunteer teacher, it’s a time to reflect on what I’ve been able to do to help my students. What I do in my classroom is not so different from what I’ve done in radio stations. Training and teaching are big part of what I do with my client stations, and it’s an essential part of your job as a programmer.
To some, the idea of “teaching” in our business may seem a little quaint now. It conjures up images of a bygone era filled with rookie overnight jocks and weekenders. Sadly, there aren’t as many positions for new people to learn the ropes, but there are still people who need to be trained and new skills to be acquired.
In fact, there are still plenty of teachable moments and new skills for even veteran air talent to learn. For example, teaching good social media skills is essential, and the veteran talent often lags behind the rookies when it comes to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
You need to look at your department and figure out what each person’s role will be. See how their skill sets match up with the job requirements. The parts that don’t match up so well will be the basis for your lesson plan for each person. Everyone has the same overall goal, and many tasks and skills will overlap, but not everyone will be at the same level, so you must tailor your teaching to each person.
With that in mind, here are some suggestions for your role as a teacher, starting with something that’s critical for everyone to learn.

  • Teach the ratings methodology – Relatively few people really understand the ratings system, both the diary system and the PPM. The talent knows the basics of cume and share, but not about how they interact or how they can affect both numbers. To do a great job of communicating — to entertain and retain listeners — air personalities have to understand how people rally listen to the radio, what they expect to hear, and what turns them off.

          I regularly hold seminars at client stations to demonstrate Nielsen’s methodology. I believe that it’s essential to show the on-air talent (as well as others such as the production, digital and marketing directors) how the system works. I walk them through the entire process: how the technology works and what the results are. I explain how cume and share interact and what really drives time spent listening. I also explain how particular formatics and tactics are designed to retain listeners.
I advise all PDs to do this. If you don’t understand the system yourself, this is a great time to learn. Nielsen offers some good online tutorials. And you can enlist corporate programmers, consultants and even your Nielsen rep to participate.
Also, I recommend that programmers in diary markets learn the basics of the PPM. Even though it’s not the system used to measure your station, it provides great insight into how people really use the radio.

  • Develop good internal systems – There are different techniques for teaching a basic process (e.g. how produce spots and upload them to a server) vs. teaching a more complicated and artistic skill (e.g. how to do morning show). Formalize the basic procedures in writing. This makes it easier for you to teach and for others to learn.
  • Give regular feedback – Meet with everyone on a regular basis. And, to use an old line, regular is what’s regular for you. Don’t promise weekly if you can’t do weekly. Twice a month, once a month, whatever works, just be sure to establish a realistic schedule and stick to it. And remember that some people need more frequent feedback than others.

          This also applies to voice tracked talent. Spend a little time with them periodically to update them on the station and the general vibe in your market. They can’t pick up everything by reading the local newspaper’s website.

  • Focus on one thing at a time – It’s extraordinarily difficult to master multiple new skills. Have your talent master one fundamental skill at a time. Teachers often use the term “ladder.” The basic idea is to step on the first rung before climbing to the next one. Master the basic skills first. Use that as a foundation to improve and master another, more complex, skill. Decide on the one thing that, if mastered, will allow the person to make the most progress. That’s the thing to focus on first.

          So if you’re doing an aircheck with your talent, resist the temptation to point out every little problem. Decide ahead of time what the focus is and work through it with the talent. Teach rather than critique.

  • Leave them with something positive – It’s important to know who needs a kick in the pants and who needs a pat on the back, but I believe that some positive reinforcement is the best way to get through to people. One of my mentors said, “No matter how much you have to beat someone up in an aircheck session, always make sure they walk out the door feeling good about something.” He was right. If someone is so bad that there’s nothing positive to say, then you should be firing that person, not critiquing him.
  • Be specific and establish benchmarks – Make sure you can articulate exactly what you want or don’t want. Don’t leave anything to chance. Tell the person exactly what you expect. Establish benchmarks, such as how long breaks should last, what are proper topics for on-air content, how many social media posts they do, etc. And make sure they can repeat these things back to you so you know they understand what you expect.
  • Build a library of great examples – Find good examples and role models from your station and others. This gives the air talent a chance to hear things done correctly. Teaching is often more effective when you can use visual and aural tools, things that we have plenty of.
  • Repetition is an essential tool – Be prepared to go over the same things again and again. You may not like going over the same ground, but repetition is how people learn. Sometimes a lesson will click only after the person’s heard it half a dozen times. Sometimes they need to hear the same thing from someone else before they get it. Don’t be discouraged by this; it’s natural.

Teaching requires patience. Try not to get frustrated with people that don’t learn as fast as you do. Conventional wisdom in sports is that it’s harder for a former superstar player to become a good coach than a former journeyman player. The ex-superstar may not be able to relate to people with less talent; therefore he becomes easily frustrated.
There’s a good chance that you’re in the position you are because you were that superstar. Now, it’s your turn to develop the next one…using patience, a plan, and your teaching skills.

Pat Welsh, Senior Vice President/Digital Content, Pollack Media Group, can be reached at 310 459-8556, fax: 310-454-5046, or at pat@pollackmedia.com.