You’ve heard the phrase “pay it forward“. This morning I was the recipient of prep it forward. The morning guys at B93.7 in Grand Rapids dropped me an email about a Jessica Simpson stage meltdown that occurred last night. She’s opening for Rascal Flatts, and they’re in Champaign, Illinois, tonight (where I host a morning show). So I get this email which alerts me to Jessica Simpson’s meltdown — which turns out to be a nice bit of prep to have since the concert’s a big topic of conversation this morning.
That’s prep it forward.
When an artist says or does something unique at a concert, or you see something crazy in the crowd, why not find out where the act is playing next and email a morning show in that town?
Here’s what’s really scary. In the past few months, “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest” has spread to approximately 140 markets, including most of the 50 largest cities in America. How did this happen? The show has no record of ratings success. The content is no different and no better than the average local radio morning show. Okay, Ryan gets more and better celebrity guests, but who cares. There’s absolutely nothing special about his interviews — no intimacy and no revelations.
Read all of Bill McMahon’s post, then comment…
A station in Orlando has launched Careereoki. Listeners are invited to sing about their work skills and upload a video for a shot at a career makeover.
Some rules are meant to be broken. Like the rules for creating bad radio commercials.
* Rule #1: Don’t attract the listener’s attention. [Ever heard a radio commercial that didn’t command your attention? Make sure your spot doesn’t have the same effect on listeners.]
* Rule #2: Fail to paint a picture. [Radio is a visual medium. Your words create a mental image that inspires and motivates listeners to act. Words are powerful – choose them carefully.]
* Rule #3: Be so clever or creative you forget to sell. [A good commercial isn’t one that just makes people laugh; it motivates them to act. Make your message clear. Don’t bury it in a clever idea.]
* Rule #4: Use cliché-ridden copy. [Commercial clichés are trite and empty and don’t communicate anything to listeners. Find a way to say it fresher. It’s worth it.]
* Rule #5: Write way too much copy. [Read your copy out loud at a normal conversational pace and time yourself. If it takes you seventy-five seconds to read it, what makes you think your talent can do a good job with the same copy in just sixty seconds?
If you write and produce great radio commercials, visit the Radio Mercury Awards website.
(via Jaye Albright’s Breakfast Blog)
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