In case you haven’t noticed, the advertisers have taken over talk radio stations on the weekend. With very few exceptions, most talk stations now feature a variety of paid programs on Saturday and Sunday. From mortgage to legal to home improvement to financial, radio stations have pretty much ‘pitched the keys’ to anyone who has a valid credit card and a way to deliver a 30 or 60 minute program by deadline on Friday afternoon. And the on-air result is often bad, very bad. Here are some thoughts on CPR for weekend talk radio.
CPR for Weekend Talk Radio – McQ Media
At McQ Media we produce client hosted programs that are interesting, engaging and well produced….similar in quality to what a listener hears Monday-Friday in prime time. Our clients love us because we help them sound really good on the air. And program directors appreciate us because we’re helping them raise the level of programming on the weekends.
So what’s the secret sauce that enables weekend talk radio hosts to sound good? Here are a few thoughts:
Don’t Go Live: Unless a program is interactive and taking calls, we strongly recommend not trying to go live. Doing this accomplishes 2 things. First, it gives us time to effectively scrub the audio and remove unneeded content. It also allows the client to avoid the long list of bad stuff that can happen in a live environment.
Be Prepared: Show prep isn’t just for Sean Hannity or Howard Stern. Radio’s “Weekend Warriors” can be much better communicators with proper preparation for their program. Show prep doesn’t have to take a long time, but it needs to be done before every program. At McQ Media we assist our clients in the preparation phase, especially when a new program is being launched.
Be Interesting & Don’t Oversell: Besides trying to wing it, the second critical mistake many client talk hosts make is overselling. Listeners tune out when they suspect a sales pitch. We teach our hosts to share information of value first and then sell. In other words, give a listener some real, legitimate content first. Doing this will increase listener response.
Avoid Long Segments: Talk segments are like hit records. The best ones are short, succinct and don’t drag on. For most clients, we recommend 6-8 minute segments, with the possible exception of a show’s first segment which can go longer to make room for an introduction and mission statement. Otherwise, keep it short and interesting.
Go To Radio School: Many business owners spent years learning their craft, but they’ll jump right into a radio program with little or no training. Bad idea. At McQ Media, we do several training sessions with our clients before we even go into a studio. After that, we teach and train on a key concepts in every recording session. Practice makes perfect.
Use Systems To Save Time: Business owners are busy and don’t want to be overwhelmed with detail work. At McQ Media, we’ve developed systems for managing the week to week process of producing a program. These systems not only save time, but they ensure that the weekly on-air product is consistent and effective and that results and response from the program is accurately measured.
Let’s Talk! If you’re a business owner who wants to shine on-air or even a program director wanting to improve the sound of your station on the weekend, call me directly and let’s talk about how we can help you.
CEO – McQ Media Inc.
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