Answer The Phone: A Radio DJ’s Guide to Getting Live and Local

Live and Local: you’ve heard it more times than you’ve watched Friend’s reruns.  Those ridiculous promotions meetings and meetings with your PD about how to get the station to sound more Live and Local. What does that even mean?  In a small market, where funds are as hard to come by as interns, the challenge of making your station sound  “Live and Local,“ seems like a never ending uphill battle where you always lose.  The only way I have figured out how to keep my GM from saying those dreaded words “We need to sound more ‘Live and Local,‘” is by answering the damn phone.

Answer the phone!  This still seems to be the way that most GM’s and persons in charge find that a radio station sounds “live and local.”  I’ll save the “how to get a listener to call me” blog post for another time, but while I recognize the challenges of getting a phone call in the first place, as a personality, why aren’t we taking more advantage of each golden opportunity, as few and far between as they come. So here are a few sure fire things that have worked for me in the studio.

When a listener does call, RECORD it! You have no idea what they are going to say, what they might want, how chatty they might be or what they might think about a particular topic.

Doesn’t matter how chatty your listener is, they are probably calling just to request a song, which will be extremely difficult to play that request soon unless it happens to be in power, or heavy rotation.  That is why you SAVE the call.  Just because a listener calls to only request a song, doesn’t mean  you can’t use that phone call later in the show, or even later in the week.  I’ve been known on slow show prep days to use phone calls that are months old!

Now that you have the listeners attention, remember, this is a golden opportunity to sound live and local. Keep them on the phone for as long as you can! Ask them anything.  You’ve been show prepping, you know about the town. Ask her about how excited she is for spring because the new ice cream shop opened up around the corner, or ask her about the construction that makes traffic on 45/52 about 10x more horrific, or even ask her about her day.  All of these questions could lead to other follow up phone calls! 

You may think that there are enough ice cream shops in town, but adding a new one just makes you excited for warm weather and never having to eat the same flavor twice this summer. What’s the best ice cream in town? BAM! Now you’ve got a town wide debate that could cross over onto your social media platforms well after you’ve discussed it on the air.

The traffic sucks. What is the best back route to avoid that terrible construction?  Now you’ve just connected someone in the know, with ALL OF YOUR LISTENERS!  You have now just become a place people can turn to for great ideas and solutions to problems all of your neighbors are facing.

Asking about her day just makes her feel heard and understood.  She’s not the only one who had a lousy Monday at work. Make her the voice of all your other loyal fans, who haven’t happened to call yet.  The struggle is real, but that doesn’t mean any one of us should go through it alone.

A request is nice. A request is easy.  But ask your listener about their life…and you’ve got a fan for, well… life!  Plus, they’ll call again and you have instantly made your show sound LIVE (because you play the phone calls on the air) and LOCAL (because you ask them to talk about life in your town).

The beauty about getting one person to call in, is that other people hear them on the radio and it becomes engrained in their head that it is in fact OK to call and it is encouraged.  Hopefully, within six months, your show is THE place to call and get heard and get on the air.

Lastly, make sure to THANK them for calling.  Calling people on the phone is not fun, for anyone.  Think about it, we live in a texting, FB messaging, tweeting, don’t look directly or speak directly to my face kind of world. So when some one decides to actively engage with you via old school methods like voice calling. THANK them for their time, because it is valuable, and they just made your show better without compensation. So thank them. Bonus points if you throw in the “Thanks for calling, and I’ll talk to you soon!”  They’ll remember, and call you again.  So Answer the damn phone already. (Mostly because you can't screen them in the studio, unless your studio has fancy equipment to do that.)

Snap Chat: Creating Urgency and Communicating in Real Time with Radio Listeners

Radio sounds like such an old medium in today’s technologically advanced world.  Seriously, when you Google “radio” the images that come up are antique pieces of equipment or drawings of them.  I think that despite all of the new ways to consume music and pop culture, radio seems to be keeping up, or is it.

There are so many arguments about the way people consume music and pop culture, news and information that may leave us radio folk in the dust. There are also counter arguments about how radio is the fastest medium to deliver all of this information.  While both need to be considered in order for this industry to stay afloat, it is the channels and way we communicate with our listeners that may be the demise of our business from relevancy.

So many contests are built around calling in, or showing up somewhere. But think about it. When was the last time you made a phone call outside of work or checking in with you mom?  Right?  We can even order pizza and groceries as well as schedule a majority of appointments via the web. 

I know, personally, I get so frustrated trying to get listeners to call in to communicate with me on my show, when really, I should be reaching out to communicate with them.  Honestly, the reason that radio is still on top of other mediums like Pandora and Spotify, is because there is someone communicated real, human, things to the listener. (At least the great personalities do)

But is Facebook really enough?  Is Twitter really going to reach your listener?  They could be!  But aside from giving out your personal cell phone to text your listeners, how do you reach them now?! How do we get to them to give the sense of urgency that listening right NOW is important, rather than posting surveys and meme’s for consumption LATER?

This is why radio struggles: our business is built of the necessity of consuming (listening) NOW while Pandora, pod casts, television, DVR, Twitter and Facebook all work and make millions of dollars because you can consume (absorb information) when you have time or when you want.!

  What about Snapchat?  I’m not kidding!! You may think this is a silly app that helps single people take guilt free nude selfies, but research shows that a majority of people use it to share silly events happening all around them.

I’ve tossed out my snapchat info and listeners LOVE IT!  They snap me, I give them a shout out on the air, and I ALWAYS snap them back.  Either a picture of me with a fun face, or of a song coming up they requested.  The best part is, that it hits TWO main mediums. Photos…and the new art of communication! 

The recent negative press is worrisome!  However, the data leak caused trouble for people who had things to hide, such as sexts and discreet chat snaps to people you don’t know.  Each report of the information that was leaked did say that the number was NOT entirely leaked, rather that all but the last two digits were revealed as well as usernames.  If you are sharing  your username to get listeners to communicate with you in real time anyway, then your personal phone number is the only information that is in jeopardy of being leaked.  However, each of these reports say that there is still a one in 100 chance that your personal cell phone could be identified.

Here’s the interesting part and why you shouldn’t be so worried about SnapChat. You are already using Facebook.  Make sure you double check your privacy settings because so many users and personalities have their cell phone number available in the “ABOUT” section.  You are far less likely to have your cell phone number revealed via Facebook than through SnapChat.

So I say, SNAP away!  My listeners absolutely love it.  It gives us something to talk about when we do finally meet at a Live Show and helps me to put a face to our listener.  Isn’t that the most important part in the first place….speaking directly to the reason radio works in the first place? 

3 Months Later: An Update on Being the Boss and Other Life Lessons

It has officially been three months since I have signed on to be the program director of my own station.  I’ll give you the short of the long of it because this "Person-In-Charge" position has been quite the roller coaster ride.

My very first day as Program Director, back in March, I showed up dressed to impress (all professional-like).  The receptionist was very kind and as we exchanged pleasantries, my boss walked by and scurried me quickly into the conference room where we sat for over three hours.  This was the part where I got my office keys and learned exactly what would be expected of me.  Mind you, the entire packet was read to me, like I was in a kindergarten reading circle, but was expected to take notes.

I chatted with the receptionist again later in the afternoon; we are about the same age and his desk is decorated with lots of famous band’s LP’s.  He told me on that day how awful things were and how he was leaving to move to another city where his famous friends live.  ON MY FIRST DAY!  The rest of the introductions were kind of a whirl wind.  The basic take away from the day is that everyone was terrified  to meet me and that my cheery disposition seemed to calm a few nerves.




I drove the hour and twenty minute drive home scanning the radio to learn all about the new competition.  Nothing but static and oldies.  Shifty and sore from sitting so long, I shuffled to my couch and just started crying.  What was I thinking?!  A solid hour and twenty minute drive one way to go to a job where I’m reporting to a man that treats his employees like they are children and don’t know anybody where in return they all clearly detest their job.

There is no fun, no drama, no cliques, no WI-FI, no pictures of any of the on air talent, no Buzzfeed, nor are there any lunches in the fridge to snoop through. This is not a radio station cluster full of loveable weirdos who try to out do each other.  There were certainly no pranks, no impromptu bar crawls after work and definitely no pow-wows in the studio. No, rather, I walked into a mountain of negativity with the responsibility of a station that has never been set up to succeed and a staff of people who have never before worked in the radio biz.

For some reason, my kind and supportive husband convinced me to give it another try.  Just get up and try again. I went, and although much less eventful, the puzzle of what I had to work with was becoming clearer. Everyone has just always been told no. Ideas, creativity, and possibility has been stifled for so long; how was I going to help everyone get to a place where their thoughts were not only welcomed, but their ideas were encouraged?

Fast forward three months later: This is still a challenge. My tactic thus far has to just ask guiding questions to help others’ come to their own conclusions. I truly believe that we are all perfectly capable of coming to our own conclusions, so asking a few guiding questions usually puts them on a path to figure out their original questions.

What is great about the position, is that I have learned a lot about being a boss:

1. You have to have some great perseverance. I could have quit after one day.  I wanted to quit after one day, but I didn’t.  I showed up and tried again.  I make mistakes, my employees make mistakes, but they are hiccups and we just have to keep going.  Creating and thriving means not quitting because this one thing didn’t work out.  If I don’t keep going, how can I expect anyone else to keep going?
2. You HAVE to learn things quickly.  Not only am I learning this brand new job position which harbors MORE responsibility than I ever thought, but I have to teach everyone else how their jobs work and why they are so important.  I’ve needed to figure out new software quickly and spin about 12 plates at the same time in order to spend more time coaching and teaching others’ in the building.  Learn your position as quickly as possible, so you can spend more time with those around you
3. Delivering bad news is difficult, but not impossible.  I may be a boss, but I also have a boss that I need to keep happy.  In order to do that, I sometimes have to say things that are shitty to hear to people with big egos.  But, I do it.  I don’t wait.  I don’t like it, but you have to rip it off like a Band-Aid.  The quicker you do it, the less pain you feel.
4. Just because you are the boss, does not mean you do all the talking.  In fact, this position has reinforced how important it is to listen to others, especially those with whom you work.  Communication is key. I never just spring something on them.  There is always a warning period. I do this because hearing them talk about how excited they are about a certain promotion that we are going to do,  or how confused they are that our music play list doesn’t have a ton of variety is only what makes me a better person in charge. Without knowing what drives them, excites them, disappoints them or frustrates them, how am I expected to create a radio station brand that they are excited about with knowing exactly what those things are.  This process is still in the early stages for me, so this is a trial-and-error period for us.  I do believe that process will never end, and it shouldn’t.  People change, I will change, our culture will change and in order to be a success, our radio brand will have to change as well.
5. Sometimes the answer has to be “Because we are getting paid to do it this way.”  When you work in an industry that harbors big egos, you have to be the one that says “just….because.”
6. Rewarding employees is the best feeling in the world!  When they succeed, YOU succeed.  Giving someone the last pair of tickets to a concert because you know how hard they are working and how much they are trying is absolutely the best part of the job.

This is not an exhaustive list about how to be a great boss or leader, rather, it is a reflection on what has been working throughout my learning process. I am very grateful for the three short months that I have held this position of “Person-In-Charge.”  It is not easy and I am far from good at it, in fact, I’m still learning. I am, however, enjoying the learning process, grateful for the challenges, and still hating the long commute.

                                                                                                

What if I fail?: A look into the journey ahead

I GOT A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, you are looking at the new Program Director and On Air Talent for X-Country 106.5.  The on air stuff I will knock out of the park. I’m excited to coach new talent in such a tiny market. I am looking forward to sponging up all of my superior's knowledge.  I am nervous, however, about keeping things fresh, new, moving and reflective of what is happening in Kankakee, in Illinois and in life.  Perhaps, that will simoultaneously be one of the things I will love most and find challenging about programming.

It’ll be a station with the Maggi touch.I can hear it now. Everything about it will scream “me.”  How incredible is that?!! I look forward to looking at this product in 6 months and a year from now and saying “Wow, look at what you did!“

I’m terrified as all get out at the same time. I’m terrified because I don’t know what to expect.  What if I’m too old to recognize good music?  Or too old to stay in touch with people in general?  What if I fail?
What. If. I. Fail?

Those words fall heavy on me because I’ve never been concerned with this concept before now.  Perhaps up until this point I haven’t had enough responsibility to warrant the fear. Perhaps the thought of failure wasn’t as scary because I had nothing to lose. Maybe even I was in a youthful, ignorant bliss.

But, what if I did fail? Let's say that the sales numbers come back and show I haven’t improved anything about the station and research indicates that listeners don’t like me. Or what if the failure is worse?  Like, my husband could become bitter and angry that I spend too much time working or commuting and not enough time on our marriage. That would be the worst disappointment of all.  But are any of these really considered failures in life? Hardly. A mistake, maybe.

 Okay. I can live with mistakes. My GOD have I made a few of them. I have learned to own up to my mistakes, learn from them and keep going. (I thank my mother for that quality). Perhaps, my awareness of the fear of failure has surfaced because I forgot that not getting enough in sales, or having people not like me, or disappointing my husband are all not failures. They are consequences of my mistakes. I don’t have to be afraid of mistakes. I actually, don’t even need to be scared of the consequences of making them, because I have made them before, owned them and moved on.  (And look at me now!!!  I‘m a PD!!!!)

None of those perceived failures are really failures at all. The only failure I can see, is wasting time being afraid of making a mistake because it would have prevented me from making any decision at all. I mean really, we learned that lesson in the 90's: "Can't forget, you only get what you give."  I plan on giving it my all and expect nothing less no matter the consequences.

My music is better than your music: A Note for the Grammy-Shamers

I have been looking forward to one of music’s biggest nights for a long time; it came and went so fast.  I was mesmerized by LL Cool J and his ability to make each performance flow as if they were all apart of the same album.  The mash ups were funky and yet they worked, the dancing was sexy, the infamous marriage ceremony made me jealous and proud all at the same time, laughing at the ridiculous Yogi Bear hat and watching each and everyone of the artists who made pop culture history this year dance to music that was very different from their own was inspiring.  Yet, social media did not reflect my views this year.  Why?  It was a pop culture event was it not?  Where did all this hate come from when the same songs that narrate our typical days were being performed on the grandest stage of them all?

Ohhh, is it because it is pop culture?!  I didn’t realize that pop culture and pop music, whether classified as pop, country, rock, classical, hip hop is still, um, popular.  Dammit radio, stop making people happy and then certainly DON’T play any of our favorite artists on television.  I may be a little biased here because I work in the radio industry and listen to the music that was showcased in the Grammy’s.  Now, this doesn’t mean I LOVED every second of it.  I had my critiques also. (WHY DID THEY LEAVE OUT DAVE GROHL’S PERFORMANCE?!!!!)  But why should I get on social media sites to pose questions like “Was Beyonce’s opening performance too sexy?” or “Pink is an acrobat.  Did she lip sync too?” when I get feedback and read other posts like “I have actual taste in music. NOT WATCHING THE GRAMMYs.”


@)*%$#(#*  What?!  Okay, so you don’t watch the Grammy’s.  Perhaps the mash-ups are a little much, the wedding was bizarre, or you have never heard of Kasey Musgraves, Kris Kristofferson or Daft Punk.  It’s overwhelming.  But do you need to Grammy-shame the rest of us?  Is your taste in music really better than mine?  Is my bias holding me back from knowing what great music is? 

I have been salty on this subject for a couple of days now.  I searched my iTunes play list and there are certainly a number of widely recognized artists.  There is also a range of older classic rock, swing, blues, jazz and underground punk.  None of which will EVER be featured on the biggest musical stage.  This fact does NOT mean that those songs are not great.  In fact, they move me and did for the artists whatever writing music is supposed to do for the soul.

 

Then I came to my senses and remembered that music, like beauty, is subjective.  My music, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, MxPx, Phillip Glass, Steven Sondheim, George Thorogood, Josh Grobin, John Legend, Eazy-E, among so many more, is in fact good.  These songs are not just good, they are great! If only for the fact that they remind me of memories that are beautiful, fun, ugly, sentimental or otherwise.  These songs move me, make me a better person and narrate my life.  So, yes, because I work in a place where the majority of music is pop culture, most of my day is written to the sound track of Adele, Katy Perry, Robin Thick and Imagine Dragons.  I just consider myself lucky: I work in a place that I love and enjoying music that apparently a lot of other people enjoy too.

My music, however, is not my music.  That meaning, it doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to the world.  So, this “actual taste in music” you have should not be sheltered.  SHARE IT!  You never know who you will move or touch or improve.  Besides, isn't that what songs do: bring people together?  This year, the Grammy's did a great job of doing just that. Oh, and celebrating the accomplishments of people who make and perform for all of us.


So, to the Grammy-Shamers: Do you have the Music In You? 

No New Year's Resolutions For Me; I'm Perfect!!!

We are far enough into the New Year now where most resolutions drop off into a black hole somewhere, never to be remembered.  Yet, any regular gym-goer knows that their weights won’t get re-racked and bench wiped down the correct way again until at least March. (Those are the particularly strong willed resolutioners!)  Why are we so complacent with failure?  We eat our weight in holiday cookies because we convince ourselves that New Year’s is only a week away and we’ll start our diets, er,…I mean resolutions then.

I really hate New Year’s Eve.  Not that I’m a partier normally, but it really is an Amateur’s Night.  There is so much stock into throwing a good party, or going to the best bar, but I am always let down.  No amount of shots decorated with glitter salt, party hats, and googly 2014 glasses can change the fact that you spent $20 to get your foot in the door, your date will be too drunk to do you later, and you have to start your stupid diet tomorrow.

I resolved a long time ago to STOP the madness and stop putting that much pressure on myself.  No more resolutions.  Instead, I like to look back on the year I’ve had: professionally, emotionally, physically did I learn or grow?  I won’t beat myself up if I didn’t, but it is pretty difficult to let a year go by without learning something about yourself.  Then, it’s time to set some goals: “I will run at least 3 races this year” or “I will do at least one volunteer related activity per month” or “I will love more by hugging more.”  The trick is setting tangible goals.  All of these, no matter how easy or ridiculous they seem are important tangible goals that will improve my life somehow professionally, emotionally or physically.  BONUS: they should all create some great memories to look back on next year and help me not worry so much about the cookies that appear in my oven but once a year.








Stop beating yourself up because you didn’t “get healthier” like you resolved to, just change the goal so you can touch it or really feel it.  You know, like sign up for that bicycling tour in New England you’ve always dreamed about doing, except actually do it. 

It won't be easy, but nothing worth having in life comes without its own set of challenges...but hopefully Mr. Gaye and Ms. Ross can help inspire you :)  Rock on and have a killer 2014!

I'm Not A Movie Critic....Just a Fan who noticed, Hollywood!

Let’s get one thing straight…I am not a movie critic.  In fact, I am the furthest from it.  When I go to the theater, I like to just show up and watch the next film that is playing.  This way, I never get disappointed because I haven’t gotten overly excited to see a particular film.  I haven’t been swayed by those movie guys on the radio that break down how funny, realistic, or action packed the film is.  Don’t get me wrong, I do love to go to the theater,  quoting lines from movies,  the popcorn, over-sized beverages and mostly watching actors portray the human element on the big screen. 

So, when I got home from work last week, sat down on the couch beside my hubby, I was thrilled when he blurted out “Let’s go see a movie.”  The cost of a movie ticket is pretty ridiculous, especially when a monthly subscription to Netflix gives us access to so many great films.  His enthusiasm to get out of the house was refreshing.  Well, the next movie playing was Thor 2: The Dark World.   He’s really into the Avengers so I thought, why the heck not!  I literally knew nothing about this movie except that, I remember enjoying the first film.

I enjoy a good number of action films with fast car/boat/plane/train/motorcycle chases as well as fires, bombs, explosions etc.  But, for me, what keeps me hooked is finding the lovable flaws in the characters and watching the growth because of having met the other characters.  The journey is endearing, raw, and when well written, relate-able.   Thor 2: The Dark World delivered all of these things.

Since the film at the time of this posting is still out in theaters, I’ll refrain from going into too much detail, but I will share my favorite overall general theme.  Natalie Portman plays Jane Foster, the main love interest to Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth.  Throughout the entire film, Thor defends Jane as a “strong, smart and brave woman.”  Over and over again, big, brawny, Thor sticks up for this woman and her character.  This is where I give director Alan Taylor a huge standing ovation because not once in the film does Jane get naked, nor is she portrayed as a mere sexual being.

I know this is probably very disheartening for many men, as there have been more than a handful of gentlemen that I know that would jump at the change to spend just 15 minutes with her.  Natalie Portman is undoubtedly a beautiful women.  So, I am still impressed that Hollywood decided to honor her character’s wit and smarts by refusing to portray her as anything other than how Thor views her.  This is a huge and risky step for Hollywood that did not go unnoticed.  I applaud the risk and really think this move paid off.

Again, I admit, I am not a movie critic and leave the critiques for the professionals; I am just a lover of movies and their flawed characters.  Thor and Jane were not without their flaws in this film, but I am  delighted to report that instead of belittling Jane’s character to a mere sexual being, we, the audience get to enjoy Jane Foster just as Thor does: a strong, smart and brave woman.  Like Thor, many men find that the women who play major roles in their lives are also strong, smart and brave and deserve to be recognized as such without also being deemed as sexual beings first.







An unusual breakdown of the film, I’m aware but,  I hope this doesn’t deter gentlemen from seeing the film.  Thor was unexpectedly funny with just as much action and a few twists and surprises as well.  I’ll recommend staying until after ALL the credits as there are a couple of scenes.