Book Interview
An author of a new book on getting started in the radio industry recently contacted me for some answers to commonly asked questions about entering the industry. When I find out more about the new book, I'll post it. Until then, here's my response to his questions:
Name:
Daniel Britt
What your postion is:
On-Air Personality, Production Director
Brief job history:
In radio since I was 14... have also worked in tv.
Contact info:
http://danielbritt.com
2. Can you explain a day in the life of yourself ? What you do etc...... Any specialty shows ???
Right now, because my position requires a combination of office/administration duties and on-air tasks, the work day is extremely normal (8AM-5PM). My daily program is an afternoon drive-time show, but it's all voice tracked. From 8 until around 10:30 or 11, I prepare for the day's program, check voicemails, answer emails and in general prepare for my day. Once 11 hits, I'm in the studio recording the day's program. All week, I'm also preparing and recording a Saturday night specialty music program. I try to wait and do the majority of its voice tracking on Thursday or Friday so it's as "current" as possible. Obviously, if something big happens and I need to include it on the Saturday program, I can also re-record a track.
Lunch is normally around noon; while I'm out I include off-site errands such as bank visits and meetings around the city. From one o'clock until the end of the day, various tasks are rationed out depending on what's due the soonest. Some regular tasks I undertake include website maintenance and continued development, organizing station promotions and contests, producing the audio imaging to self-promote the radio station on-air, and producing Underwriting Spot Announcements (which are acknowledgments of businesses who donate to our non profit radio station).
3. Can you give up and coming students in your field advice as to how the business is changing and what to prepare themselves for ?
Voice Tracking, Internet Listening and Satellite radio are the top three areas of big concern for radio people right now. Voice tracking is cool and efficient from management's standpoint, but it threatens the jock. No longer is it as easy to simply be a talented radio guy on one station and make the money necessary. Nowadays, if you embrace voicetracking, you will have to be on several stations to come close to a steady salary. If you are with a station (like I am) and you voice track, your multi-tasking duties increase since you have more "off-air" time to fill.
Internet Listening is expanding with streaming, podcasting, mp3 files, and music downloads. Thankfully, radio is embracing this as their own idea in a lot of cases. Even including podcasting, which is a way of providing on-demand audio. Why not provide popular shows as a download to your listeners? The internet breeds creativity. Hopefully as radio becomes more and more threatened, it will look to Internet as a no-brainer way to broaden it's way of thinking.
Satellite radio is the newest "supported" form of media, meaning that it comes with a piece of hardware, a wireless satellite signal and a monthly subscription fee. With customer and technical support behind it, it's listener-base may go further initially than, say, podcasting. But, because of a monthly fee and costly equipment, free radio and internet becomes more attractive to the dollar-conscience among us. Satellite radio is presented much in the same was as cable tv for your radio. The options are very broad, the creativity is more than radio has been lately, and for now at least, commercials are limited if not non-existent on many music channels. Not a bad pitch to those tired of cookie cutter radio stations.
Having a good current knowledge of these areas will help you think outside the "old radio days" box. If you work at a radio station, get creative and put some of the other succesful ideas to work for radio. If you are self-employed, explore all of the options to get work. Don't throw out the idea of working as a voice tracking talent or for satellite radio. Only remain loyal to radio if radio remains loyal to you. However, if radio is paying your bills...embrace it and enhance it in order to keep it!
4. As a talent, can you explaion the importance of promotion, self promotion, both on and off the air ?
The longer I'm involved with radio, the more I hear how important promotion is! I once heard that the top stations "tell you what's coming, tell you it's here, tell you about it, then tell you they were the ones who told you about it in the first place!" Good advice, that. If people really listen with a half-ear, then don't feel dumb to repeat your message over and over and over. The winning radio formula tells jocks that the first thing out your mouth should always be the station's name and the last thing you should say should be the station's name. The more you can burn your brand into your listener's mind, the more likely they are to remember you later.
Promotions and contests are great because they not only sound good, but they get listeners involved. "Call the station and win" is more than us being nice people and giving away money and cars. It's smart marketing. Even if your station doesn't give away money and cars, you can do something. CDs for music stations are readily available from record companies and promoters. Again, as with most things "radio," creativity is key here. The more creative you can get, the better you will be at finding something that works for you.
But, why limit "branding" to only your on-air sound. Obviously it's one thing to talk to somebody who is already listening, but you also need to constantly keep a fresh face in front of the general market. Find events and partnerships within your community and spread the word about your station. Then, once new listeners start tuning in, they'll hear the on-air promotions that keep 'em hooked.
Promote, promote, promote... should always be at the top of a radio station's list. Look at McDonald's or 60 MINUTES on CBS. They are staples of American life...but they still promote themselves. Every day, CBS runs promos for 60 MINUTES and it's been on for decades as their number one show. Why not flaunt it? Why not continue to remain number one. Don't quit once you're ahead. Keep the momentum. Surely eveyone has eaten at McDonald's; why do they need to continue self-promotion if so many already know about them? I think it all goes back to remaining fresh and current and in the forefront of our minds. If we remember them, we'll patronize. If we forget, we go somewhere else. Self-promotion: those who don't, generally speaking, dwindle and die.
UPDATE: The e-book is now online here.
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