Here come the holidays and as program director you are stretched thin with a long to-do list to complete as you wrap up the year. Believe me, “been there, done that”! So I want to give you a little break and help you launch the New Year in a stronger position.

In the spirit of the holidays, from now until the end of the year, I’m offering you and your staff free 24/7 access to eight updated Packer Smart Talk programming sessions that cover the basics of Talk Radio. They are packed with programming tips, audio clips demonstrating how the format is executed and action plans that can be downloaded for future reference. It’s a great review for the pros and an easy way to train those new to Talk Radio.

Click on or paste this link in your browser to get the key that unlocks all 8 online sessions. Or forward this link to members of your staff.

http://packersmarttalk.com/171201.html

Happy Holidays and here’s to a strong Talk Radio 2010!

Michael Packer - VP Programming – Radio America

In Talk Radio, TSL, the amount of time spent listening by the audience is critical. And the good news is that growing a talk show by increasing TSL doesn’t need to cost a dime! However, trying to attract new listeners (new Cume) can mean investing a lot of marketing dollars that most stations just don’t have in today’s budget crunch. In every Talk Radio station I’ve programmed or consulted, I’ve seen talk hosts enjoy significant ratings increases when they’ve consistently blended smart TSL formatics into their shows. It’s simple and easy. But doing it every show is what makes the difference.

I’ve put together a brief audio session demonstrating how the top rated hosts use three of these tips to make this work for them.

The session is now open.

Give it a listen at: http://www.packersmarttalk.com/

Your User Name: tsl

Password: ratings

Onward and Upward!

—-Michael Packer – Packer Smart Talk Tips —October 2009

PS. Need to bring new members of your staff up to speed quickly on the basic formatics of talk radio? Want to give your pros a quick review? Go to http://packersmarttalk.com/

Ear Candy” is one of the key ingredients talk hosts use to keep listeners stuck on their shows. It’s the sticky stuff that makes up part of the magic that pushes the emotional hot buttons of listeners and helps build audience and thus ratings!

Over the past few weeks I’ve been browsing the internet, visiting station web sites and monitoring local talk hosts. I’ve heard some great, informative, compelling shows and some that could use a little fine-tuning. Continue reading »

N/T PDs: This Month we tune-up the “I” and “T” factors.

I-FACTOR #1 The “24/24 Fresh Test”

A talk show with a high “I” (informative) factor will meet the “24/24 Fresh Test”. The content of the show will be packed with FRESH information that is of IMMEDIATE interest to the target audience.

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N/T Program Directors: For the month of July we’ll cover the “E” factors.

How’s the E-factor (Entertainment) in each of talk shows?

Ø Now more than ever, a talk show must be BOTH informative and entertaining. Does the host have a sense of humor? Do you find yourself occasionally chuckling when you listen? The host that is habitually angry can wear thin after awhile. Ø What is the host doing to keep an element of surprise in each show? The listener expects to hear their favorite host tell them something they don’t already know about the issue, topic or event. Are you pleasantly surprised when you monitor?
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Did you see the silly waste of ink from some pundit in the UK blathering that “right-leaning talk’s audience is dying off”? Talk about looking stupid by writing a newspaper column before he’s done his homework! Read the following. Then we’ll take a breath and respond with some facts…

“There’s really only one rule in talk radio, and that is that, whether you’re on the left or the right, you can never be uninteresting,” says Dennis Prager, a syndicated conservative host based in Los Angeles. “You can be an idiot. You can be a moral fool. You can be primitive. But you cannot be boring. Every sentence must hold the attention.” This led to the rise of the Nineties “shock jock” - men (it was always men) who would push at extremes, or maintain a constant wattage of outrage, to keep their followings - There is, however, a very large potential spanner in the works. It revolves around demographics. Put bluntly, right-leaning talk’s audience is dying off. A recent profile of Limbaugh by Vanity Fair claimed that the average age of his listeners is 67 and rising. Fox’s average viewer is said to be in their seventh decade. In a changing world, against a President catapulted to power with a staggering majority of the youth, they may (in the long term) turn out to be onto a losing bet” (read more - Guy Adams - The Independent U.K.)

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Differentiation is critical for establishing and maintaining your station’s niche. One easy way to reinforce how your station is different from the competition and sell the unique benefits you offer is through liners.

Just remember: Promise only what you can deliver. NEVER use a liner that does not match what you actually do on air. It’s better not to air a liner than jeopardize your station’s credibility.

Recently I was rereading Jack Trout’s Differentiate or Die. If you’ve read Ries and Trout’s 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing and Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, you’ve seen some of this before. Trout’s strength can be called branding, positioning, differentiation — they’re all closely related. In Differentiate or Die Trout, and his co-author Steve Rivkin, contend that the only way a company can survive is to differentiate. This is true for radio stations too.

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As Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over till it’s over”. About a month ago Radio America’s Roger Hedgecock sounded the alarm on censorship plots being hatched in Washington. The response was incredible. Americans - right, left and center - are angry and want to fight censorship!

It remains to be seen whether this will be a direct fight against the Fairness Doctrine itself, or one that involves a battle against indirect measures to censor such as the creation of localism and diversity guidelines for programming monitored by “advisory” boards.

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QUESTION: What’s the most common mistake you hear talent making on the air?

PACKER: When a talent falls into a rut. When the surprise factor is gone and the listener can predict what will happen tomorrow on the show, the host is in trouble. The thrill is gone. The listener becomes desensitized and searches for other forms of stimulation.

QUESTION: What’s better- guest interviews or lots of calls?

PACKER: Given a choice, quality callers interacting with a well prepped talk host is what most listeners prefer. But that assumes that there are plenty of calls, the quality of the calls are outstanding, the host is a super personality and the show’s content is on target.

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Urgent Programming note to N/T Hosts. Starting now, forget about 24/24. Think IMMEDIACY.

At this moment, on my computer’s desktop, one of the windows I have opened shows a financial page. Right now, I can see that GM will open today at $2.89 — down over 90% from a 52 week high of $29.28….. And, I see the Real Time Headlines posted within the last few minutes announcing that Chrysler and GM will widen buyouts, (more people fleeing Michigan) and a breaking story that Ford sales dropped 40% last month.

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