Steve’s Pet Peeves: Volume 1
Just before the holiday break, on a morning when I had some extra time, I decided to check out some shows I’ve been hearing about. One placed, in a prominent content slot, celebrity birthdays. Not that I think this could work anywhere, I felt it was time, as we conclude the year, for a list of pet peeves – the things I hear some shows do that I believe ding them.
Great personality radio is about Conquering Content and Creating Connection. Check out our first installment of Steve’s Pet Peeves (Volume 1). These are the little things I hear some shows do that I think are minor mistakes that, when added up, could impact their perceptions (and yes, if you’re wondering, there will be other installments!).
The things some shows do that bug me:
- Taking the first break of the show and telling the audience what’s coming up on the show that day (doing a rundown of that day’s content). It’s 6:05. I’m not coming back because you have tickets to give out at 7:20 or are doing that phone topic at 7:50 or have an email from a listener with relationships drama at 8:15. I’m here now, connect with and entertain me now.
- Lists and surveys and National Theme Days. There are lower forms of content, but this is prep service-driven lazy radio.
- Birthdays and This Date in History. Now, that’s the lowest form of content. My goal in radio is to rid every show still doing this, who believe the audience cares. They don’t. We can be better.
- Talent who answer the phones on-the-air, “Hi, who’s this?” You don’t answer your phone that way when you pick up, right? It sounds immensely impersonal. Get their name and then introduce them to the audience. It’s much more warm and human.
- Tie breakers in trivia games. All that does it make the break longer without making it more entertaining.
- “What station just made you a winner?” You know who asks questions like that? DJs do. You’re a real person, not a DJ.
- Happy Hump Day. See #6.
- Social media posts where talent show how wonderful their life is. The perfect meal, the excellent seat at the game, the most wonderful vacation, a first-class seat, your new 65″ flat panel TV. Your listeners aren’t leading that kind of life, so doing this is a disconnect.
- Talking about any TV show is always perilous (most of your audience doesn’t watch that show you’re talking about). But doing it and not running any audio so I have context to your comments puts listeners not watching that show you’re so excited about at a disadvantage.
- Breaks where someone makes a simple mistake (like slipping up on a word or accidentally saying it’s 9:13 when it’s really 7:13) and then that mistake becoming the next sixty seconds of the break. Listeners aren’t hanging on your mistake so just move on and get to the real content.
If you do one or two of the above, not fixing them won’t make your ratings go down. Fixing them won’t make the ratings go up. But in our quest for excellence, every second counts with the audience.
You got a pet peeve for a future installment? Email it to me here.