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 […]

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.

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

When’s the last time you tried to monitor every local talk show you air to make sure your station is on target? Unless you lock yourself in a hotel room and do a 24 hour monitor, it’s almost impossible. And that’s only going to give you a one day sample.
Here’s a time saver tip that […]

In the spirit of the holidays, during the month of December, Radio America and I are offering you free access to a programming tool you can share with anyone interested in Talk Radio Excellence. Available free this month are the Packer Smart Talk online training sessions that cover the format basics of creating, producing, and […]

Inside-Out Program Directors focus on changing listener attitude.
They believe they have a great radio station that deserves a larger share of the ratings. They think all they have to do is change listener perception. That’s the major difference between Inside-Out and Outside-In thinking.
Outside-In Program Directors build on audience perceptions by making changes in the […]

When your primary competitor appears to be in trouble, and you’ve had a great ratings book, your first impulse may be to break out the champagne and celebrate with your team. After all, the other PD’s loss is your gain. Right? But, after the party, you may want to pause and think […]

Congratulations! You are the program director of a music station who’s just been given the additional responsibilities of programming your sister station, the news/talker. To give you some idea of just how exciting and challenging you’ll find your new position, I’ll borrow some terminology from music programming. But, you’ll quickly see that the execution is […]