Archive for category: Planet Reynolds

WKTU, New York just celebrated a milestone 30^th birthday in the format.  You may not remember, but part of that history included having Whoopi Goldberg as its morning host.  When I listened back then, it was one of the most confusing radio shows I’d ever heard.  As fate would have it, I met Jim Ryan, who put Whoopi on the brand.  I mentioned I never understood the show, which did not work.  Over the years, Jim and I have talked about this.  I turn Planet Reynolds over to him this week for this excellent analysis explaining why and what’s to learn from that.  This article first appeared in the terrific Barrett Media.  I found it incredibly interesting, so I asked Jim to share it here, too.

What’s your brand?

Very often, the best lessons come from situations that didn’t work out as planned. Twenty years ago, while I was at Clear Channel (now iHeart), we believed talent was the key to making radio a meaningful companion. At the time, Elvis Duran was dominating in New York and expanding into other markets, while Delilah was a staple on our AC stations. Sean Compton, who was handling talent acquisition, wanted a household name for female-targeted morning radio. The decision was made to sign Whoopi Goldberg.

We launched the show with great fanfare across major affiliates like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Whoopi was a rare EGOT (Emmy-Grammy-Oscar-Tony) winner; it seemed logical that an award-winning household name would be a hit in morning drive.

However, a disconnect emerged. While Whoopi had a storied career, including her acclaimed role in The Color Purple, much of the radio audience expected to wake up with the comedian they loved in Sister Act. Her vision for the show was more aligned with what she does today on The View. Sitting in the studio most mornings, I saw firsthand the audience wasn’t expecting that direction. Despite the great interviews and funny moments, the show struggled. We learned that in a nine-minute listening occasion, you must be true to your brand. The constant listener calls referencing Sister Act were a reminder that while Whoopi was incredibly talented, that alone wasn’t enough to deliver the expected ratings success.

Regardless of the show you produce, you must ask: “What is the listener’s expectation?” and “What is my brand?” Just as you wouldn’t expect Stephen A. Smith to host love songs or Delilah to act like a shock jock, every successful personality has a defined brand that sets a clear expectation for the audience.

What is your brand? What is the basic plot of your show? If you are part of an ensemble, what is your specific role? Once you answer these, you must run all content through that filter. If you are a “funny” or “feel-good” show, certain topics like politics might be off the table. Conversely, shows like The Breakfast Club thrive on strong opinions. Another example was Mike and the Mad Dog who launched WFAN as the first sports station in America; the show’s success relied on the specific conflict between Mike and Chris. They knew their roles and fulfilled listener expectations every day. Howard Stern, once a “shock jock”, has enhanced his brand to become one of the greatest interviewers in media today. But he uses that brand to be able to ask the questions that nobody else dares to. And gets away with it.

I have worked with many shows where the personalities are unsure of their roles or their on-air relationships. In successful long-running television shows, the audience knows exactly how each character will react. From I Love Lucy to Seinfeld to Everybody Loves Raymond, character friction drives the content.

If you are part of an ensemble or overseeing one, take a minute to ensure each character is clearly defined. Over time, co-hosts can adopt similar mannerisms or opinions, and a re-evaluation becomes necessary. If the friction between characters disappears, so does the drama and the show becomes boring. Long-running shows like Elvis Duran, Dave Ryan, and Mojo have successfully changed co-hosts to stay relevant. The late Kidd Kraddick was so obsessed with show evolution that his program has remained at the top of the ratings for years even after his passing.

Radio shows are only on the air for 20 hours a week, but a strong brand stays with listeners long after they tune out. People think about Howard Stern, Charlamagne tha God, Delilah, and Elvis Duran well beyond their broadcast times.

So, what’s your brand?

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You’ll come for the sex; you’ll stay for the story.

Heated Rivalry is the “it” show now – lots of buzz.  It’s on everyone’s timeline and seemingly inescapable in conversation.  Why is it resonating and what’s to learn from that?

Heated Rivalry does the one thing at its core every show must do to shift people from being listeners to becoming fans:  they make us care about the characters.  Think of any show or movie that moved you – that connected with you that you still rave about – and note that the screenwriter and story made you care about the people in it.  Think of who you hang with in your personal life; those you know and those you care about.  You must do the same with your show to create that loyalty with listeners.

Heated Rivalry works because conflict is the engine.  The characters are rich and deep and human and flawed and very different from each other.  That contrast creates a powerful storyline.

Here’s proof that conflict is the oxygen of storytelling.  Heated Rivalry doesn’t succeed because everything goes right. It succeeds because almost nothing does.  The story draws us in because there’s lots of drama.  If your story is boring, it’s because drama doesn’t exist.

At its core, Heated Rivalry is built on opposition. Two very different elite competitors locked in a long-term clash where winning isn’t just about the scoreboard.  It’s about pride, identity, ego, and the quiet fear of being seen as less than the other.  That tension never fully resolves, and that’s the point. Resolution ends the story.  Friction keeps it breathing.

The show’s most effective tension point is the collision between public personas and private truth. On the surface, these characters are confident, dominant, and unyielding. Underneath, they’re insecure, guarded, and hungry for validation and connection. One is Russian, the other Canadian – and the stereotypes that come with each.  Every scene’s bravado cracks just a little which pulls us closer to the characters and storyline. We recognize that feeling because we live there, too.

Another smart pressure point is proximity without permission. The characters are forced together by circumstance. Same arenas. Same headlines. Same orbit. They don’t choose connection; it keeps choosing them. That creates emotional whiplash: attraction colliding with resentment, admiration tangled with jealousy. Viewers aren’t watching to see if something will happen, but how long they can resist it and what it will cost them when they stop.

Sometimes the tension is big – Shane’s been texting Ilya for six months and been ghosted.  The anger and hurt feelings are both relatable and palatable.  And sometimes it’s small – Shane introduces himself to Ilya at the top of episode one.  They’re two premiere athletes and one of them is secretly smoking cigarettes.

Emotionally, the show plays a rich chord progression.  Competition lights the spark, anger sharpens it, vulnerability deepens it, and fear threatens to extinguish it.

We care because the stakes are high – we root for Ilya and Shane because we want people to root for us. That’s why vulnerability is so powerful in life and radio – we want the audience to care and root for us, too – and they want to know that we care for and root for them.  You must do that with your content to win.  Because if your content is friction free – if it has no drama – you ain’t got nothing.

Heated Rivalry understands something many shows miss:  likability is optional, but emotional honesty is not. The characters are often difficult. They make selfish choices. They hurt each other. Yet the show earns our loyalty by letting us see why.  We’re not asked to excuse their behavior, only to understand it.

Conflict creates curiosity.  Tension creates attachment.  Emotion creates memory.

That’s the lesson Heated Rivalry teaches. Storylines don’t become compelling by smoothing edges. They become compelling by pressing on them and refusing to let go.

And that’s what keeps us watching.

The success of Heated Rivalry should teach us lessons.  What should be our takeaways if we believe in the power of radio talent to make a difference?

Radio talent often believe the goal is to be agreeable, upbeat, and without friction – liked by all.  But the show proves the opposite.  Audiences don’t bond with perfection.  They bond with flaws and pressure.

Lesson One: Find the Tension in Everything and Let It Breathe

In Heated Rivalry, the characters don’t rush to tidy conclusions. They sit in discomfort. They argue. They hesitate. They contradict themselves. That’s what makes them human.

For radio, this means that the messy wins.  Try to position yourself as perfect or unflawed and you’ll lose.  My friend Lori Lewis says, “unpolished is the new polished.”  She’s right.  If you’re wrestling with a decision, a frustration, or a change, let the audience hear the wrestle. Unfinished emotions create forward motion. Forward motion keeps people listening.  No tension/conflict/drama/friction = no memorable story.

Lesson Two: Stakes Make Stories Sticky

Every conflict in the show costs something. Reputation. Identity. Trust. That’s why it matters.

On the air, stories without stakes sound like anecdotes. Stories with stakes sound like life. When you tell a story, ask yourself: What did I risk? What could I lose? What changed because of this? If nothing was on the line, the audience won’t lean in.

Lesson Three: Vulnerability Beats Likability

The leads in Heated Rivalry aren’t always likable, but they are emotionally honest. That’s the trade.

Radio personalities often chase approval when they should chase truth. Saying “I didn’t handle that well” or “I’m not proud of this reaction” or “I don’t understand that” builds more trust than trying to sound polished. Vulnerability is the shortcut to credibility.

Lesson Four: Conflict Doesn’t Mean Chaos or Arguing

The show’s tension is controlled. Purposeful. Directed.

On the air, conflict doesn’t mean yelling or controversy for its own sake. It means contrast. Opinions that collide. Expectations that aren’t met. Internal debates spoken out loud. That kind of friction creates texture without alienation.

Heated Rivalry reminds us that connection isn’t built by being smooth. It’s built by being real under pressure.

If you want listeners to care about you, let them hear what you care about enough to struggle with.  That’s where the bond forms.

Ilya, Shane, Scott, and Kip’s characters are grounded in tenderness, struggle, and betrayal and you want what’s best for them, because you want what’s best for you.  So does the audience.  So connect there.

By all means enjoy the steamy sex in the first few episodes of Heated Rivlary.  That’s the show’s hook.  But at the end of episode six, know that you stayed for much different reasons.  Then see what you learn from that to deepen and grow the bond you have with your fans by how you do your content.

Some nights while eating dinner, I have no appetite on TV for the political shout-fests or sports round table know-it-alls.  So, I keep clicking until I hit gold:  a rerun of Everybody Loves Raymond.  A show that hasn’t been on the air in 20 years but always delivers the laughs.

I wanna break down why and then offer your first challenge once the show returns from the holiday break in January.

The foundation of any successful show is its plot and characters.  Without either, you have no direction and can’t have a content strategy.  What is the unique plot of your show?  What is your show about?

Everybody Loves Raymond’s Plot:  Ray Barone, a successful sportswriter and family man, deals with a resentful brother, an always disappointed wife, and meddling parents who happen to live across the street.

It may shock you to know that they made 210 episodes over nine seasons.  And that’s the plot of every one of them (on purpose).  Ditto any successful show (Seinfeld, Survivor, Friends, Big Bang Theory, etc.).  What’s your plot?  The unique one-sentence frame of what your show is about?

Then come the characters.  They must be relatable and each different to lend a contrast to the others.  Here’s how you connect with the audience.  Well-defined characters allow listeners to identify with one.  It’s the tension with the others that makes the plot come to life.

If you’ve watched even a few Everybody Loves Raymonds, you will recognize and identify with these characters:

Ray:  the show’s protagonist who lives across the street from his parents and struggles with the demands of work and his family, often getting a lot wrong.

Debra:  Ray’s wife who is strong-willed, exasperated by Ray’s immaturity and his family’s constant intrusions into their lives. She can never live up to the expectations of Ray’s mother.

Robert:  Ray’s older and taller brother who’s an insecure cop and is always overshadowed by Ray.

Marie:  Ray and Robert’s mother who is an overbearing, meddling woman who constantly puts Ray on a pedestal, while criticizing Debra.

Frank:  Marie’s husband who is loud, sarcastic, and eccentric, and has a habit of yelling and making bizarre comments.

Who are the characters on your show?  They must, must, must be grounded in the truth.  The difference between your characters and those on Everybody Loves Raymond is that yours are real (the TV characters are assigned to great comedic actors).  You cannot give a persona to someone on your show – they’ll be inauthentic and the audience will sense it.  Apply this exercise above to your cast then ask where the tension is and how they are different.

I was recently asked by a program director to evaluate their show.  They said there doesn’t seem to be any electricity in the on-air conversation.  It was apparent why when I listened.  He has two of the same people.  The only difference was their gender.  They are both spouses, parents, the same age, and basically held the same world view.  Not much contrast there.

CBS just had an Everybody Loves Raymond 30^th Anniversary Special.  The show’s creator, Phil Rosenthal, said the program is really about his home life.  Because real life is relatable, very funny (if you have the right scripts and characters), universal, and timeless.

When you come back in January, run this exercise as a re-set for the year.  There is never a downside to affirming your plot and characters.

Once you do, your content becomes easier to find and execute.  Your connection with the audience heightens because of it.  And you’ll own that turf.  If you’re strategic about all of this, there’s no way you don’t see greater success a year from now.

Have you ever been at a red light and picked up your phone?  We all do.   Know why?   We’re bored.  And checking email, texts, or worse, engaging the endless scroll of social media fixes that, as we look for something, anything to solve that boredom.

I’d like to make the case that our lack of boredom is one of the things that makes radio less entertaining.  I’ll explain, considering I spend 100% of my time helping shows not be boring.  (There’s a difference between you being boring and the benefit of you being bored.)

I’m always asking shows I work with, “Yea but what are we going to do with that to stand out?”  Our step back from being creative has a huge downside.  People don’t talk about us, they’re not captured by our imagination and curiosity, and we do fewer things that listeners find memorable so we’re not top-of-mind.  I think the solution appears when we go get bored because when we clear our heads, creativity happens.

I get bored in Umstead Park, right by my house.  I leash up Willow Two Toys® and Sam the World’s Neediest Dog® and we go for a walk.  No phone, no music, no headphones, no disruptions.  I turn the “gotta figure this out” dial down to zero.  Only nature and my wandering mind.  And what enters my brain when I invite in some boredom are solutions to challenges, ideas, and ways to innovate I didn’t have when I was filling that boredom with an endless search for something to solve it.

I don’t profess to have any super creative abilities.  But I have found, when I create that brain space by walking through the park, things magically happen.  I don’t know why and can’t predict when, but it happens.  We don’t do enough of that.  As an example from last week, we have a holiday concert at one station and the morning show has 100 tickets to give out.  Instead of doing pairs of tickets so lots of listeners win, or the dreaded Family Four Pack (someone kill this, please), the walk through the park brought me the idea to give all 100 tickets to one listener.  The morning show promotion Deck Your Doors was born in the park because of the boredom.  The talent and brand manager loved it and now we have something that’ll make our show stand out.

When I got back to the office one day after pondering this, I Googled “the impact boredom has on creativity”.  What I found was amazing.  An article came up by Arthur Brooks, a Harvard professor.  As did a video (below).  It’s worth five minutes of your time.  He said:

“We hate boredom because it makes us think about things we don’t like.  But boredom switches our brains to bring us creativity, solutions, and even less depression.”

So, I’m here to say go be bored.  Find a park, let your feet touch grass figuratively, leave the phone behind, and let your mind wander.  If you’re one of my on-air talent, try this weekly and watch what happens to your creativity.

Any of us could bang the drum on radio’s issues.  One thing in our control is what fuels our innovative spirit.  Those of us of a certain age remember the wild west days when we’d think of an idea on Tuesday and it’d be on the air on Wednesday.  It doesn’t just have to be standard phone topics or family four packs.  We need quirky ideas and treatments to the right content on our shows that capture the listener’s imagination because they came from ours.  Doing fresh things with the right topics will make whoever is listening in that moment stay because it’s so compelling.  Getting more bored might bring you those ideas – it’s what works for me.

I recently decided to add to the boredom menu.  I bought a bike.  While my friends all have bets on when I’ll end up in the emergency room, I’m betting that the boredom of the rides, with no phones or distractions, will unlock more of my curiosity.  A few days ago, the boredom of a ride brought me the idea for this blog.

I understand how the phone manufacturers and social media algorithms have addicted us.  But some boredom unlocks creativity.  So, let’s make some room for that to reclaim our full imagination.  Ditch that bonus meeting or Zoom (unless it’s with me!) and create space in your week to let your mind wander.  A walk in the park is my secret weapon.  Maybe it’s yours, too.  It could help your problem solving and increase your creativity, too.  Then watch how much more inventive and memorable your show gets.

Two summers ago, in a brainstorm in Boston with MIX 104.1’s Karson and Kennedy, we were tasked with developing a big, new idea to combat depressed summer cume.  Lots of folks were on vacation or not paying attention to radio and we all wanted to do something big to capture the imagination of the audience and create tune in.

In and around all the ideas being offered, I asked an odd question that kinda popped in my brain:  what is the longest contiguous street in Boston?  We fired up the Google machine and found out that Washington Street spans five towns and 14-miles.

I suggested we go on a long walk one morning for charity.  That became Kennedy’s Wicked Long Walk.  Kennedy just did her second walk and, in one day, raised over $70,000 for Samaritans, a local charity that serves young people who are challenged with mental health issues.  Kids and mental health are the show’s causes, with the latter being important to Kennedy, as she’s been quite open with the audience about her mental health.

To create talk and momentum, we developed a five-day story line to add drama, tension, and interest, with the walk being our final chapter.  Year one it rained, year two had even more of the feels.  This year, people walked along with her with their dogs, mayors of the towns greeted her along the way with proclamations, police departments lined up to celebrate what she and the show were doing, business owners said hello as she passed.  NBC10 in Boston even followed along (video here).  All of it live on their air, as they asked fans to donate to help the struggling charity Samaritans.

I’m not one for metrics but let me share some impressive numbers.  Over $70,000 donated from more than 700 individual donors in one day.  Samaritans provided to Kennedy the donor list and she wrote a thank you to every single one of them.  She shared where their money was going and what it meant to her that they cared enough to help.  Can you imagine how it felt for those who gave to hear from her?

Listeners wrote back to thank her for the show making them laugh on the way to work and how proud they were of she and Karson for being so open about mental health.  Kennedy shared that the replies were so moving, she’s saving them for days when she’s having a bad mental health day.

Kennedy suggested this blog and wrote me:

“At the end of the day, I think they felt like we had a connection.  Isn’t that great radio, though?  Connecting?  The only difference between us and A.I. is the ability to connect on a human level.  I’ve been crying on and off all day with what listeners shared back with me.  I’ve never felt so connected to our listeners in my life.”

There’s that word again – connection – the one word I keep using that bonds you to anyone in your life who’s important.  That’s how you create radio fans, too.

Here’s my point:  there is an immense amount of stress, negativity, anger, and tension in the world.  Running in the opposite direction, which is what this show (and all the shows I work with) do so well, is smart.  Listeners are begging to be around a brand that not only does good in the community, but creates opportunities for them to do good, too.

Seven hundred different people donating money in one day is amazing.  Yes, listeners gave because they love the show.  Of course, some donated because they’re philanthropic and care about the cause.  But a reason people give is also a bit selfish – they give, too, so they can feel better about themselves.  Karson and Kennedy create those opportunities for their fans and are rewarded in loyalty that translates to #1 ratings.  If you do more of that – support your community and a cause important to you – you will deepen the connection, give listeners a chance to feel good about themselves, and elevate the images of the show with those who don’t or can’t.

This show gets the big and small stuff – they do things with relevant content that create wonderful experiences in the moment and big things that cause talk and keep them top-of-mind.  Kennedy’s Wicked Long Walk is a new tradition for the show that asks listeners to help join forces for a cause that’s important.  It’s a bold, different way to give fans a chance to do so, too.  In turn, that deepens the bond – the connection- between Karson, Kennedy, and their Producer, Dan.

That.  Is.  Great.  Radio.  That is what we do well and need to do more of.  Taking are of the community and asking the audience to help.  Lean into that.  If you do more of this stuff with your big, powerful show and radio station, you’ll win bigger, too.

I helped launch Karson and Kennedy sixteen years ago.  Their show is successful for many reasons.  That they are so connected to the market and their listeners is central to all of it.  They’re up for a Marconi in a couple of weeks.  I hope they win.