It seems like common sense, but in this week’s Programming To Win, Fred Jacobs reminds us that “every break matters.” You never know who is listening, or how many people are listening, or what effect your words can have. In his latest column, Jacobs cites a pair of anecdotes to prove that every break truly does matter.
Fred Jacobs
By: Fred Jacobs
True story.
This one goes out to any jock who has ever “mailed in” a show, or found herself on in the middle of the night and the phones were dead, or was doing a Sunday show while the big game was on TV. Because those are the times when talent asks themselves, “Is there anybody out there?” Or “Does it really matter?”
And in an industry that accepts voicetracking as standard operating procedure, management has enabled that type of behavior, providing a hall pass for the DJ who is simply doing a “shift.”
So permit me to bring you a piece of real life from a consultant’s point of view. I was sitting in a high-level client meeting not long ago. We were discussing hiring someone for a full-time on-air position. The station in question has been around for a long time, and rarely makes a change in its lineup.
We started throwing out some possible “suspects” for the job when the PD mentioned that a veteran jock had resurfaced at the station, holding down an occasional weekend show. Everyone at the table remembered the guy in question, but none of us had heard him in years.
It turned out that this station has the ability to access its on-air product dating back for some time on a hard drive. So, the PD took us back to one of his recent weekend shows, and hunted around for a talk break. It took him a few minutes, but he found one on during a Sunday show when PPM tells us that there aren’t many meters “on.” It turned out to be an incredible 30 seconds of radio. It was prepared, clever, relatable, and reeked of personality. If you were from this market, you automatically connected to what this guy was talking about, while staying well within format guidelines.
It didn’t take long for everyone in the room to nod, and come to the exact same conclusion that he should most definitely get this position.
And then the weight of the moment hit me. What were the odds? A group of execs from both the local cluster and corporate, along with the consultant and research team dialing up a weekend break from a part-timer – at random. And it was great.
And then I remembered listening to Valerie Geller at the PRPD Conference last fall. As many of you know, Val is the President of Geller Media, and the author of great books for programmers and personalities. “Creating Powerful Radio” serves as a manifesto for air talent and the managers who coach them.
In her presentation, she walked the audience of public radio programmers through her step-by-step program, from “Tell the truth” to “Storytell powerfully” to “Never be boring” in any talent’s on-air performance.
But the point that truly caught my ear – and resonated again for me under the glare of the fluorescents in the station conference room was the importance of nailing every break. In fact, she asked the questions that talent should be asking themselves before they crack the mic, “What if every break was your last one?” What would it sound like?
Val’s philosophy: “If you had only ONE person listening – and use your mind, your heart, along with your craft, people will know ‘excellence’ when they hear it. That’s WHY it’s important to MAKE EVERY MINUTE MATTER. Our audience is giving us the most precious thing they have on earth – their time! MAKE IT COUNT.”
And as she points out, we truly never know whether any break is the last one. So why not approach every week, every show, and every break with that same sense that it truly matters.
On this particular day, this jock did exactly that. And it begs the question, “Why, then, wouldn’t you do that level break every time you opened the mic?”
That’s because every break counts. Every break matters.
It’s true.
Whether it’s some guy in his garage working on his car, and you’re keeping him company.
Or the housewife who’s depressed about her family finances and is tuning in for a little companionship?
Or the teen who still gets a sense of surprise from the radio, and you just never know when you might inspire her with some interesting information about an artist or song.
Or the older guy who grew up with radio, and listens out a sense of nostalgia or comfort.
Or the guy with a PPM 360 attached to his belt buckle on his way to work in frustrating traffic, looking for a good laugh and a great song.
Or the family that cannot pay its heating bills this winter, hoping that the station doing a “radiothon” raises enough funds to lend them a hand.
Or a bunch of station execs, the consultant, and the researchers looking to cast a new DJ.
Every break matters.
Fred Jacobs is President of Jacobs Media. The Southfield, Michigan based firm consults many of America’s most successful Classic Rock, Mainstream Rock, and Alternative stations. Fred can be reached at (248) 353-9030 or fredjacobs@jacobsmedia.com.
