Here’s the excerpt that caught my eye:

ESQ: Is it difficult to open up about your sex life to  millions of people?

AS: I feel a responsibility to share that part of myself.  Not everybody does that, and I like the thought that someone will hear a story  and it will make them laugh and it will make them feel better and less dirty or  ashamed. And I’m not ashamed. I feel comfortable with myself and my actions.  I’ve been slutty. I’ve also been in long-term relationships. So I hope that it  makes people feel better. It’s worth it for me to share that stuff. I’ve done  some things I’m embarrassed about, and I like to tell people about them so that  maybe they feel less embarrassed or alone when they do something they’re unsure  about.

Turning on the mic and sharing yourself with your audience is one of the most powerful things a host can do. Now, of course, we have limits especially when it comes to sex but this isn’t about a specific topic, it’s about an approach to generating content that the audience will find captivating and be able to relate to.

What a great reminder of the power of both radio’s ability to create imagery in a listener’s mind and how captivating a radio personality who really works at their craft can be.

If you chose that particular moment to go to the bathroom or were in a crowded bar where there was no sound, do yourself a favor and go here to watch the spot. Or better yet, go and click on the link but don’t watch the commercial, just listen to the audio and let Paul Harvey’s words create images in your mind.

PS: I know I haven’t written in a while but watch this space. The Talent Mechanic blog might just be making a comeback.

PPS: It was also great to see Kiss 103.5 here in Chicago buy the local spot coming out of halftime just after Beyonce performed. So nice to see a radio station market itself!

“In any communication experience, the goal should be  to influence people to take action.”

Kelly Decker, executive VP of Decker Communications

Kelly Decker of Decker Communications

I came across that quote in a recent edition of Business Insider’s Instant MBA and couldn’t get over how appropriate it is to not only the type of business presentation Decker was discussing but to what an airtalent does every day during a show.

When it comes to your listeners the action you want them to take could be something as simple as laughing or stealing your opinion for their own or it could be supporting a local charity or purchasing a product from a sponsor. Whatever it is you should know what action you want the listeners to take before you open the mic.

Decker suggests that you, ”Consider what it is that you want them to walk away with. During a meeting or presentation, think about the actions you want the listeners to take. This way, you’re leaving a lasting impression on the people you speak to.” She adds that every communication experience should have: a clear point of view, a specific action, and benefit.

Keep that in mind every time you open the mic and you’ll do a great show.

Listeners are smarter and more savvy about media than ever before. And therefore they are more skeptical too.

Because of this, over and over again, the best hosts and programmers now say its important to connect with your audience in a real way. Have a conversation with them, be vulnerable on the air. That’s what resonates.

Which is why when I read something like this quote from a recent trade piece about changes here in Chicago at WLUP I have to wonder, “Merlin Media announced yesterday that Maxwell would be taking over morning drive on WLUP/97.9 Chicago beginning Monday July 30th. Maxwell is already in-house at Merlin’s Q87.7 where he voice-tracks and goes by the name Slater.”

Maxwell is taking over mornings though he’s already known as Slater and neither of those is his real name. Now I’m not picking on Maxwell in particular. I don’t know the guy and I’m sure he’s a good person and a fine host.

I’m just saying that if the way to our listener’s hearts is by being real it might be time to let all the fake names go. It just seems like starting off by being dis-honest and then trying to bond through honesty and vulnerability doesn’t make much sense.

Then again maybe I’m just jealous because during my short-lived time on the air all I ever came up with for a pseudonym was my middle name Keith which isn’t too exciting.

Christopher Nolan says don’t hold back, burn the money.

One of the best parts of working with hosts is exploring and refining their individual creative process. It’s interesting to discover what gets their creative juices flowing and find a way to maximize it so that it results in consistently compelling content for the listeners.

So when I came across this article on Fandango where director Christopher Nolan talks about the process he went through in creating the Dark Knight trilogy I was fascinated.

First — as I’ve tried to illustrate with the quotes below — I think it’s fascinating how he didn’t set out to make a trilogy but kept discovering the next chapter the same way the character would have (if he were real). Each time that discovery is what drove Nolan to see it brought to the screen.

• “When [screenwriter David S. Goya] and I first started cracking open Bruce’s story, we flirted with what might come after, then backed away, not wanting to look too deep into the future. I didn’t want to know everything that Bruce couldn’t; I wanted to live it with him.”
• “Once I knew where [the second film] would take Bruce, and when I started to see glimpses of the antagonist, it became essential.”
• “I kept wondering about the end of Bruce’s journey, and once David and I discovered it, I had to see it for myself.

That’s how a great host feels each day. That there is a show inside of them that has to get out.

Second, I appreciate Nolan’s give-it-your-all attitude about these movie. Since he wasn’t sure there was going to be a second or third movie he resolved not to hold back. And then, when he realized he had shied away from a few things he resolved to push even farther.

• “I told David and [co-writer and Christopher's brother Jonathan Nolan] to put everything they knew into each film as we made it. The entire cast and crew put all they had into the first film. Nothing held back. Nothing saved for next time.”
• “We’d held nothing back, but there were things we’d chickened out on — destroying the Batmobile, burning up the villain’s blood money to show a complete disregard for conventional motivation. We took the supposed security of a sequel as license to throw caution to the wind and headed for the darkest corners of Gotham.”

There’s always a chance you might not have another show. Don’t hold back. Destroy the Batmobile and burn the money each time you are on the air.

Nessa

For last week’s Billboard Top 40 Update I was lucky enough to interview two women who are redefining the concept of hosting nights at Top 40 radio.

Traditionally a boy’s club of sorts these two ladies – Silly Jilly of KKHH in Houston and Nessa of KYLD in San Francisco –  are proving that women can not only handle nights but score big ratings.

For me, the most interesting thing about these two women is their different approaches to their shows:

Nessa is very focused on celebrity news and Hollywood gossip. She says she works hard to study what’s going on in this world, have an opinion about it and lead a discussion with her audience.

Silly Jilly

Jilly says that her show is about what’s going on in her life and experiences friends and listeners are having. She wants to know about bad hook ups, great nights at the club and other life experiences. To do that she’s worked hard to learn how to refine a topic to get response from the audience.

The contrast of styles is interesting and neither is the right answer. Both can be very effective methods of building a show.

What does matter though is that both women work hard at their craft.

Nessa doesn’t just read a couple of blogs and throw open mic. Jilly doesn’t just talk about her day and hope people call in. They both work very hard at understanding what their audiences are interested in and how to cultivate a conversation that will lead to compelling radio.

See what else these two talented hosts had to say about taking over nights at Top 40 by clicking here.

I watched an hour of Olympic archery and still have no idea what all the equipment hanging off this bow does.

I just watched the South Korea women’s archery team defeat China for the gold medal in team shooting. It was pretty dramatic. The two teams were separated by two points with six arrows left to go.

For me the best part of the olympics is getting to see sports that are not usually on television like archery, men’s volleyball and badminton all of which I saw in a single three-hour stretch.

What was frustrating is the lack of any explanation by the commentators. I heard repeatedly about clickers (archery), clear shots (badminton) and stuff blocks (volleyball) but still don’t know really know they are. Same with “podium training” which came up a dozen times during some gymnastics coverage I watched.

It’s a good reminder that just because you know all about a topic doesn’t mean your audience does. It may feel redundant but it’s important to set and re-set the premise of your breaks and explain the details that might otherwise leave your audience wondering just what the hell a “flick serve” is and why you would use one.

In addition great literature and poetry this might also be worth reading.

In last week’s Billboard Top 40 Update I interviewed Roy Williams, the copy writing and advertising guru known to many people as The Wizard of Ads.

When I asked him for suggestions on how to write better scripts for radio ads he had replied that behind every great writer was a great reader, “Most people read crap so they write badly—they don’t fill their mind with interesting words in brilliant order. Read better stuff by better authors and that will begin to shape your voice.”

He also suggested poetry as an alley to explore, “The only writers in the history of the world whose stated objective is to change how a reader is thinking or feeling in the fewest possible words are poets.”

I know that show prep requires reading a lot of news sites, blogs and other articles but it also seems smart to take Williams advice and dedicate some time to reading great authors and poets. Seeing how they tell stories and arrange words could really help you find new ways to communicate your ideas to the audience.

Despite my best efforts it still contained an element of complaining about how syndication and voice-tracking are ruining our industry. I’m so tired of this!

First off it doesn’t do anyone any good. There wasn’t a person in that room — or for the most part in attendance at The Conclave — that is going to change the industry’s increasing reliance on syndication and voice-tracking. So please, let’s stop complaining. Come in out of the bitter barn into the house of broadcasting where it’s warm.

Second, I’m not sure these are the worst ills to befall our industry. Like it or not good syndicated content is better for ratings than mediocre local content. Want to stave off more syndication taking root? Let’s focus on having better local content.

Finally, as my friend and session panelist Dave Moore pointed out after the panel, the so-called “old days” before de-regulation weren’t everything they are being made out to be. Sure big companies like Clear Channel and Cumulus can have their drawbacks but so did fly-by-night owners who bounced payroll checks and did lots of shady deals that made advertisers shy away from the medium. The old days are never as good as you remember them to be.

I honestly think this continued insistence on complaining about how things are now and pining away for those golden days or yore are two of the biggest problems facing radio today.

Please, stop looking back. Let’s focus on going forward.

1) “Efficiency is the new brevity” (Mike McVay / Cumulus Media)

Mike’s point is that a great talk break isn’t about brevity. If you need two minutes to tell a really compelling story than take two minutes. It’s about efficiency within that two minutes. Make sure you only share the important details that illustrate the point you are trying to make in a concise manner.

2) “Everything we do is designed to create a conversational element” (Eric Ferguson / WTMX)

Eric explained that everything they talk about on the Eric and Kathy morning show is designed to cause discussion with and amongst the listeners. It could drive them to call the station, comment on social media or talk with their friends and colleagues. If your content isn’t causing the listeners to think and discuss you are probably missing the mark.

3) “If you feel a bit going south, it already went south” (Dave Ryan / KDWB)

Remember that your audience is less interested in what you are talking about then you are. If you are starting to get bored its past time to end the bit because your audience has already started leaving.

That was a lot of good advice in one 50-minute panel.